FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | November 28, 2006

Three American Chemical Society officials named AAAS Fellows

Three American Chemical Society officials have been awarded the distinction of being chosen as American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow. Election as a Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.

The three are Catherine T. Hunt, Ph.D., ACS President-Elect; Mary M. Kirchhoff, Acting Director of the ACS Education Division; and Rudy M. Baum, Editor-in-Chief of Chemical & Engineering News, the Society’s weekly newsmagazine. Hunt is also Leader for Technology Partnerships (Emerging Technologies) at Rohm and Haas Co., Spring House, Pa.; Kirchhoff resides in Silver Spring, Md.; and Baum lives in Oakton, Va.

This year 449 members have been awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. New Fellows will be recognized on Saturday, Feb. 17 from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Fellows Forum during the 2007 AAAS Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

A member of the AAAS’ Section on Chemistry, Hunt was elected as an AAAS Fellow “for leadership in promoting innovation, understanding, and appreciation of, and in furthering innovation within, the chemical enterprise across organizational and institutional boundaries.” In 2002, Hunt was named Leader, Technology Partnerships at Rohm and Haas — a program she launched to seek external research grants from government agencies and private foundations.

Kirchhoff was chosen “for leadership in promoting the environmentally sound practice of green chemistry in education and research.” In addition to her role in leading ACS education programs, she served as assistant director of its Green Chemistry Institute, encouraging the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances.

Baum was elected “for leadership in and seminal contributions to journalism that highlight critical issues in the chemical sciences.” For more than 25 years he has covered the chemical enterprise, focusing on chemistry at the interface with other scientific disciplines, and has also reported on issues of science and society.

The complete list of AAAS fellows can be found in the AAAS News & Notes section of the journal Science of Nov. 24.The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. Currently, members can be considered for the rank of Fellow if nominated by the Steering Groups of the Association's 24 sections, or by any three Fellows who are current AAAS members.

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