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This year, I remain more optimistic than ever before about the future of chemical sciences. Regardless of the pressing global financial situation, chemistry continues to advance. Chemistry research and development (R & D) continue to expand both the theoretical and applied frontiers of science. Chemical education reforms challenge students to think about restoring and sustaining the environment. Growing concerns about public (mis)understanding of chemistry continue to challenge the role of the chemical sciences in society. Increasing public awareness of the role of chemicals in day-to-day technologies calls for a higher level of responsibility of chemical scientists to the general public. In this context, volume 86(1), 2013 of The Chemist presents a lineup of informative and thought provoking articles and book reviews dedicated to the continuous progress in chemistry. Niki Judenary and co-authors are reporting a comparative study of the total, free, and % free prostate specific antigen in the serodiagnosis of prostate cancer in African-American and Caucasian-American males in the US. Their study sheds light on some aspects of prostate cancer providing insight for additional research on this leading non-skin related cancer in men. The study of B. R. Manjunath and co-authors evaluated Cenospheres as fillers for PVC compounds in electrical cable sheathing applications. Abraham George and co-authors report a theoretical modeling of the geometry of 2-Aminophenol optimized using Hartee-Fock (HF) and density functional theory (DTF) methods with the support of the Gaussian 03™ software. David Manuta describes the chemistry behind a litigation involving the explosion of a lead-acid automotive battery during testing with a battery tester and provides insights about some aspects of chemistry in real-world situations. S. Baroni and B. Holmes point to the need for improving science and technology communication and education between the community of scientists and the general public in order to “create new research opportunities, facilitate broader education initiatives, and foster a more encouraging view of new discoveries.” John Hill and co-authors address the challenges of chemical education and explores a sustainable chemistry philosophy and practice through green chemistry. Congratulations to John Hill on reaching the 200th mile-mark in refereed publications with this article. Dr. Hill, Professor at La Trobe Institute of Molecular Sciences, Australia, has a distinguished career record in both chemistry and chemical education, and in addition, he serves as an active member of the Editorial Review Board of The Chemist. Joshua Strate reflects his experiences as middle school chemistry teacher and argues for making chemistry connections to other content areas as a win-win situation for improving interest in science among middle schoolers. The book reviews by Margot Hall include informative books on brain science with a “futuristic twist” and books on toxicology. Congratulations to Professor Margot Hall of the University of Southern Mississippi on receiving the Dudley Peeler Award for “outstanding contributions to the Mississippi Academy of Sciences.” She is an active Fellow of The American Institute of Chemists, and a member of the Editorial Review Board of The Chemist. The voluntary efforts of reviewers who provided thoughtful feedback in a timely manner are thankfully acknowledged. Finally, I am grateful to Florida Atlantic University for serving as a home base for the editing of The Chemist, invaluable in re-establishing this refereed scientific periodical. Thank you.
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