Toward a posture of public interest

As the requirement for sound technical understanding in developing public policy becomes increasingly obvious, the responsibility of the scientific and technological community to develop breadth of understanding of the bases and processes of development of such policy becomes more apparent. The sense of this need is growing in the American Chemical Society. Its policies and practices are increasingly responsive. The search for new knowledge and its organization, communication, and application must comprise the primary objective of the works of a society of professional chemists and chemical engineers. But the climate, structure, and policies of the general society within which those functions are performed influence greatly the benefits they bring to human welfare. The work of scientists and technologists cannot approach optimum if carried out in isolation. The program of the Los Angeles ACS meeting shows steps being taken to develop background for the intelligent assumption of broader responsibilities. T...