The Division of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology’s History
NUCL Division Origins
Cnception of the Division of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology (NUCL) took place within the ACS Division of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry (I&EC). In 1955, the ACS Award in Nuclear Applications in Chemistry began, and in 1957, the I&EC formed a new Subdivision of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology.
For brevity, we recognize six principal genitors of the NUCL Division. In 1962, under Subdivision Chair Joseph Martin, formal steps to seek divisional status began. Morton Smutz and Bernice Paige provided vast energy and leadership, which was rewarded at the Fall 1963 ACS Meeting when, in a close vote, the ACS Council granted the customary status of Probationary Division. Smutz was the first Chair. The “probationary status” was lifted from the division in 1965. Membership grew rapidly from under 400 to over 1,000 members and then held near that figure. For a “small” ACS Division, in a narrow field, NUCL’s impact has been remarkable.
NUCL at National ACS Meetings
In January 1964, William Morris organized NUCL’s first symposium in Denver and hurriedly negotiated with ACS through Clark Ice. Ice and J.L. Schwenneson chaired the two sessions with the title “Production Technology of Neptunium-237 and Plutonium-238,” which discussed previously classified information important to nuclear technology.
The number of jointly sponsored symposia throughout NUCL history reflects the strong influence of NUCL’s researchers on other fields and on society at large. The broad range of subjects treated in NUCL’s symposia is truly remarkable. From very basic subjects such as properties of high-spin nuclidic states to immediately useful areas of nuclear reactor technology; from the search for superheavy elements to the search for full understanding of fission; from biomedical effects of radioactivity to the formation of short-lived radioactive isotopes and their incorporation in new radiopharmaceuticals; from basic understanding of radiation chemistry to its uses in processing; from unmanned analysis of the lunar surface to analysis and tracking of earth’s environmental pollutants or trace elements; from sophisticated uses of the Mossbauer Effect to advanced photoelectron spectroscopy; these span the spectrum from fundamental understanding to many practical uses of nuclear and chemical phenomena.
Awards
The NUCL division sponsors one ACS award and two division awards.
The ACS Glenn T. Seaborg Award for Nuclear Chemistry
The Glenn T. Seaborg Award, awarded annually by ACS, is given for outstanding contributions to nuclear or radiochemistry. Since NUCL’s inception, it has assisted in identifying donors and ensuring the nomination of outstanding candidates for the ACS Glenn T. Seaborg Award for Nuclear Chemistry (formerly the ACS Award for Nuclear Chemistry, formerly the ACS Award for Nuclear Applications in Chemistry), and has arranged an ACS symposium to honor each year’s awardee.
The Nuclear-Chicago Corporation, a subsidiary of G. D. Searle and Co., established the award in 1953. The award has been supported by various organizations over the years: an anonymous donor (1981, 1983, 1985, 1990, & 1991), EG&G ORTEC (1980, 1982, & 1984), Amersham Corp. (1986-1989), The Gordon and Breach Publishing Group (1996-2001), and the ACS (2002 & 2003). The NUCL Division began sponsoring the award in 2004. Since the early 2000s, NUCL has been working toward a goal of long-term funding for the award.
The Coryell Award (NUCL Division Award for Undergraduate Chemistry)
NUCL instituted an Undergraduate Award in Nuclear Chemistry in 1970. Each year, NUCL identifies and awards undergraduate students for completing outstanding research projects in nuclear or nuclear-related areas. In 1971, the Award was renamed for Charles D. Coryell following the untimely death of this inspiring, productive, and widely loved nuclear chemist.
The Kinard Distinguished Service Award (NUCL Division Award for Distinguished Service)
The Kinard Service Award was established in 2014 in honor of W. Frank Kinard who was a professor at the College of Charleston from 1972 until his death in 2013. Kinard served as principal instructor for the NCSS at San Jose State University for more than 15 years. He had joined the ACS in 1967, serving as secretary of the NUCL Division for 17 years. Kinard was known for his sage advice, funny stories, and his devotion to the chemical profession, his college’s chemistry and biochemistry department, his students, and his family. The award recognizes NUCL Division members for outstanding service to the division and the field of nuclear science.
ACS Nuclear Chemistry Summer Schools (NCSS)
In 1974, NUCL assessed US needs for people well versed in nuclear and radiochemistry and surveyed the educational programs for producing them. Despite identifying and publicizing a mismatch, no governmental body acted. In 1982, NUCL supported the idea of a summer school for undergraduates to help feed the pipeline for nuclear scientists and radiochemists.
NUCL’s Committee on Training of Nuclear and Radiochemists found a very well-suited institution, obtained NUCL’s blessing, diligently persuaded ACS to provide sponsorship, persistently pressed for funding, recruited distinguished faculty, produced and distributed attractive announcements with applications, obtained the agreement of the National Research Council’s Committee on Nuclear and Radiochemistry to provide selection from student applicants, and made all arrangements for student transportation, housing, etc. This effort was led by a group of diligent NUCL members, but notably, Patricia Baisden’s (2020 Kinard Award Winner) extraordinary leadership and effort make her a true NUCL heroine.
The first Summer School in Nuclear Chemistry (NCSS) took place at San Jose State University in 1984. The site was chosen because it does not contain a graduate school (no conflict of interest) but had ample laboratory space for the NCSS students to conduct actual radiochemical experiments. It was highly effective and has been successfully repeated each year since. Due to the success of the NCSS at the SJSU site, in 1989, at the request of the funding agency (DOE), a concurrent second summer school was established on the east coast at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). Because of the Summer School and other effective programming, NUCL won the 1986 ACS Award for Outstanding Performance by Divisions (Small Divisions Class).
NCSS National Directors include Patricia Baisden (1984-94), Joe Peterson (1995-2001), Sue Clark (2002-6), Paul Mantica (2007-11), Dave Robertson (2012-19), and Lynn Francesconi (2020-Present). The importance and success of the NCSS is highlighted by the fact that, over the 2015-2020 period, approximately half the number of nuclear chemistry Ph.D. degrees awarded annually in the United States are to students who participated in the summer schools. Additionally, almost 10% of the NUCL Division’s current membership consists of individuals who attended an NCSS.
Looking Forward
From the 1960s to the 60 years since, the NUCL Division has continued to accelerate beyond its humble beginnings. The NUCL Division continues to strive to provide a network and a place for all its members. In 2023, the division formed a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Committee (spearheaded by Tyler Spano and Vanessa Sanders) and provided programming at the 2024 ACS National Spring Meeting.