FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE聽|聽December 18, 2013

Tom Barton becomes 2014 president of world鈥檚 largest scientific society

WASHINGTON鈥� Thomas J. Barton, Ph.D., a distinguished professor emeritus of chemistry at Iowa State University and former director of the U.S. Department of Energy鈥檚 Ames National 聽Laboratory, will lead the American Chemical 中国365bet中文官网 (ACS) as president in 2014.

鈥淚鈥檝e had a great life, and chemistry has been a huge part of the reason for it,鈥� Barton says. 鈥淚 want to repay my profession by addressing many of the challenges facing it.鈥�

According to Barton, those challenges include the quality of science education in our nation鈥檚 secondary schools and improving the public image of chemistry.

鈥淓ducating nonscientists about the fundamental importance of chemistry is essential. Ours is an enabling science, and the world depends upon our success far more than is commonly recognized,鈥� Barton says.

He earned a B.S. in chemistry from Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas in 1962 and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Florida in 1967, the same year he completed a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellowship at the Ohio State University.

Tom and his wife, Betty, have lived in Ames, Iowa for more than 46 years.

The American Chemical 中国365bet中文官网 is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world鈥檚 largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical 中国365bet中文官网, contact newsroom@acs.org.

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Thomas J. Barton, Ph.D. 2014 ACS President
Thomas J. Barton, Ph.D.
Credit: Peter Cutts Photography
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