More To Chemistry Than PR

MADELEINE JACOBS
Editor-in-chief

This week is National Chemistry Week (NCW), when all 189 local sections of the American Chemical Society reach out simultaneously to the general public to enhance public awareness of the contributions that chemistry makes to our daily lives. NCW is one of ACS's most important communication programs because it involves thousands of individuals doing their part to educate young and old alike about the positive side of chemistry.

	SCIENCE SATURDAY Chemistry students Brandi Fannon of Greenville High School (center) and Amanda Brown of John Battle High watch Eastman Chemical employee Susan Alderson carry out a demonstration. COURTESY OF EASTMAN CHEMICAL

Personal participation is the hallmark of NCW and is one reason it is so successful. As you read this Editor's Page, I'm doing my small part for NCW by visiting the ACS Northeast Tennessee Section for "A Celebration of Chemistry for Fourth-Graders" at Eastman Chemical in Kingsport, Tenn. During this special event--which was begun in 1991--1,300 fourth-graders from 25 locals schools come to the Eastman Employee Center, where local industry and civic group representatives, university teachers, retirees, and high school students do demonstrations about chemistry and reveal its magic.

The program works. Based on a survey, there's a giant leap in the percentage of kids who understand "what chemistry is all about" after they've attended the celebration. In all, more than 12,000 children have participated since the program was begun. The section also sponsors "Science Saturdays" at two locations where high school students can experience advanced laboratory techniques. The section further gives $3,000 to high school and middle school science teachers.

The Northeast Tennessee Section is representative of the energy and commitment of many ACS local sections.

But as successful as such programs are, there is much more that needs to be done. As individuals, we need to commit ourselves, over and over again, to carry the positive story of chemistry to the general public.

The challenge of communicating with the public should not be underestimated. Changing public opinion costs time and money; success is often difficult to measure. But public attitudes can be changed; NCW illustrates that every year.

Even the beleaguered chemical industry can change public opinion when its messages are clear and unambiguous. For example, the American Chemistry Council's (ACC) pilot program, "Good Chemistry Makes It Possible," led to a measurable improvement in public attitude toward the chemical industry. The message was that chemistry and chemicals improve the quality of life; specific examples backed that message up.

ACC wants to take this campaign further. Next week in Houston, ACC members will consider a plan to spend tens of millions of dollars on a public relations campaign and PR firm to overhaul its image. The program's aim is to change the opinion of the "informed public"--which includes members of Congress--toward the chemical industry and thereby curb regulation, litigation, and attacks from environmental critics.

For the most part, the chemical industry has a good story to tell. Any PR campaign should be truthful and transparent; it should have substance and staying power. Otherwise, it has the potential to backfire: If an untruth is repeated often enough, with enough force, untruth becomes truth in the public's mind, until reality intrudes, at which point the public's reaction can be vehement. Examples abound.

Time will reveal the ACC plan. The trade association has not asked for my advice, but I spent two decades as a public affairs executive and I'm going to give it to ACC at no cost: Borrow a page from National Chemistry Week. Forget about hiring a PR firm; stick to substance. Mobilize the army of individuals employed by your member companies to carry forth positive messages about the industry to the public. And always remember: Actions speak louder than words.

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