Background:
Dr.
Dennis Chamot received his BS degree in Chemistry from the Polytechnic
Institute of Brooklyn (now Polytechnic University). He then attended graduate
school at the University of Illinois earning his PhD in Chemistry. Later
he attended The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania where he earned
a Master's in Business Administration (MBA).
Position:
Currently, Chamot is Associate Executive Director, Division
on Engineering and Physical Sciences, National Research Council of
the National Academies. He assists in overseeing the operations of 14 specialised
boards and their study committees, and in serving the chairman and advisory
committee of the Division. Chamot has held his current position for two
years and been employed at the National Academies nine years.
What
are your main day-to-day activities?
There
are a wide variety of activities that vary from day to day. Included are
primary responsibility for periodic external reviews of the 14 boards in
the Division; interactions with board directors and staff related to development
of new projects and the conduct of existing studies and oversight of bias
and conflict of interest procedures for all of the boards and study committees
in the division. I also have meetings with current or potential study sponsor
representatives and frequent meetings with my boss, the executive director
of the Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences. I also have other
internal or external meetings.
Describe
a normal day.
Every
day is different. If I don't have an early meeting to go to directly, I
check e-mail messages to see if there are any urgent issues to deal with.
The rest of the day would be a mix of activities as described above.
What
do you enjoy most about your current job?
I
very much enjoy meeting and working with some of the top scientific and
engineering leaders in the country.
What
first inspired you to go into science and into chemistry in particular?
I
attended Stuyvesant High School, in New York City, and had the good fortune
to receive an excellent all-around education there. I liked math and science
best. I really don't recall at this point what it was about chemistry in
particular, but I had already picked this field as my major interest when
I applied to college.
Once
inspired, what set you on your career course?
I
pursued my chemical education straight through to the PhD As with many
other students who follow that path, and having thoroughly enjoyed my teaching
duties, I thought I would like to follow a university career. However,
I was not eager to devote another couple of years to a post-doc. So I went
to work at the DuPont Experimental Station near Wilmington, Delaware in
1969 as a research chemist. I worked in the Organic Chemicals Department
in organic synthesis. I recall that one of my earliest pleasures there
was noting that the taxes taken out of my first monthly paycheck was a
larger amount than my gross monthly income as a graduate student.
What
made you decide to switch gears and leave the laboratory?
After
a couple of years at the DuPont Experimental Station, my entire work group
was transferred to a plant site across the river. While no change in residence
was required as I could easily commute to the new location, the physical
and intellectual atmosphere at an old plant site was quite different, and
for me much less pleasant, than the campus-like environment of the Experimental
Station. Almost immediately I thought about trying to make a change. I
eventually concluded that moving to another company would not necessarily
satisfy me — DuPont at the time was certainly no worse a place to work
than other major companies, I just did not feel that this was the life
for me. So I left in 1973.
Could
you expand on why you left DuPont? What did you do next?
A
major recession hit during my time there. While I survived, I was very
much affected by the trauma and emotional problems suffered by friends
and co-workers who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Most
if not all would have remained employed if it were not for the recession,
which, as with all typical recessions, was temporary. I wanted a change,
and eventually I followed in the footsteps of a colleague and went to the
Wharton School, which was within commuting distance from my home, and obtained
my master's in business administration (MBA).
What
was your job history after leaving the lab?
I
worked in the Department for Professional Employees of the AFL–CIO from
1974 through 1993. (The AFL–CIO, American Federation of Labor-Congress
of Industrial Organizations, a federation of most major US labour unions.)
I have been at the National Academies from 1994 on.
What
were your main responsibilities at AFL–CIO?
Over
the years I had various titles as the number two person in the Department
for Professional Employees of the AFL–CIO. I did research, wrote, staffed
committees, did some public speaking, and the like. From time to time I
served as a labour representative on government advisory committees, for
example, at National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH),
the US Department of Labor, and the National Science Foundation. Over the
years, I became a recognised expert and frequent speaker on the effects
of technological change on employment and the workplace.
Why
did you decide to leave the AFL-CIO?
I
was there almost 20 years, and was ready for a change.
How
and why did you first become active in the American Chemical Society?
My
earliest activities in ACS were in the Delaware Local Section, beginning
when I worked for DuPont. There I edited the local section publication,
the DELCHEM Bulletin for a while. I also got involved with the Younger
Chemists Committee of the national ACS organization.
What
is your proudest achievement?
I
am very proud of being a part of the small group that founded the ACS Division
of Professional Relations. (This is the division of ACS concerned with
professional issues such as job security, employment conditions and professional
ethics.) It is very satisfying to see that the division is still around
after so many years and that its leaders have had such a major effect in
helping to move the ACS from a society concentrating primarily on chemistry
to a broader professional organisation that also provides information on
and career services for the chemist.
Also,
I was also very pleased to be elected a fellow of the American Association
for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) several years ago, as this was broad
peer recognition that was completely unexpected and therefore highly satisfying.
What
advice would you give a younger scientist hoping to reach your position?
Over
time, develop a good broad science and technology background, and get involved
in public policy issues with a heavy technical component.
How
do you think others view your career?
I
see myself as having had careers in three different areas up to this point
— industrial chemical research, the labour movement, and science &
technology (S&T) policy. People chuckle when I refer to this as a typical
career path, as it clearly is not. But then I point out that with some
talent and ability, and an excellent chemistry education, lots of things
are possible.
What
makes your work important to you?
While
the National Academies are private, non-profit organisations, our basic
charter (issued by the Abraham Lincoln presidential administration) calls
upon us to provide scientific and technical advice to the US federal government.
The boards in my Division provide advice broadly across the US government,
from the National Science Foundation to National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) to the Department of Energy and Department of Defense,
and simultaneously to the American public. Many of the issues we are asked
to deal with are of great importance to the welfare and security of the
country, and I derive great satisfaction contributing to this effort.
What
do you consider the most important scientific problems chemistry should
address?
The
biggest problems facing the human race today are poverty, disease, and
ignorance. There are exciting challenges in developing new medicines and
medical devices, in reducing the costs of housing, food and transportation,
and in developing useful education technologies. All of these areas are
dependent upon or enabled by advances in chemistry and materials. The basic
science will continue to develop in response to the curiosity of good scientists,
no matter what, but these other challenges require more.
What
do you think is the most exciting area of chemistry today?
Personally,
I am excited by the enormous advances being made in biology and medicine
as a result of developing greater chemical understanding of the underlying
structures and reactions. There is still much to be done in understanding
and applying the chemical basis of biology. Another exciting area is non-biological
speciality materials, which enable advances in a broad range of applications.
What
are the most important issues facing the chemical profession?
In
addition to the broad social issues outlined above, more needs to be done
to increase job security among chemists. Otherwise, we may get to the point
where we will not be able to attract the best and brightest students into
this demanding but extremely important field.