The Chemical Sciences Roundtable (CSR) was established in 1997 by the National Research Council (NRC). It provides a science-oriented, apolitical forum for leaders in the chemical sciences to discuss chemically related issues affecting government, industry, and universities. Organized by the NRC's Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology, the CSR aims to strengthen the chemical sciences by fostering communication among the people and organizations—spanning industry, government, universities, and professional associations—involved with the chemical enterprise. The CSR does this primarily by organizing workshops that address issues in chemical science and technology that require national attention.

At its second meeting in December 1997, the CSR identified the topic of information technology as an issue of increasing importance to all sectors of the chemical enterprise. As we rely increasingly on computers for obtaining, recording, communicating, and publishing the scientific data that enables progress in our discipline, it is correspondingly important that we consider the new and developing ways that this essential technology can be used effectively. At the same time, we must also consider the impact of the evolving technology on all sectors of our discipline and on the ways that these sectors interact.

To provide a forum for exploring this topic, an organizing committee was formed, and a workshop was planned for November 1998. The workshop, "The Impact of Advances in Computing and Communications Technologies on Chemical Science and Technology," brought together research scientists and managers from government, industry, and academia to review and discuss the rapid changes in computer technology that are influencing activities in the chemical sciences.

The papers in this volume are the authors' own versions of their presentations, and the discussion comments were taken from a transcript of the workshop. The workshop did not attempt to establish any conclusions or recommendations about needs and future directions, focusing instead on individual problems and challenges identified by the speakers. By providing an opportunity for leaders in each of the areas to share their experience and vision, we intended that the other workshop participants—as well as readers of this proceedings volume—would be able to identify new and useful ways of using the tremendous power of computing and information technology in their own endeavors. We believe that the workshop was successful in meeting this goal.

• WORKSHOP ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
• THOM H. DUNNING, JR., CHAIR
• ALLEN J BARD
• THOMAS F. EDGAR
• JEAN H. FUTRELL
• RICHARD M. GROSS
• BEVERLY K. HARTLINE
• ROBERT L. LICHTER
• THOMAS A. MANUEL
• ROBERT S. MARIANELLI
• JANET G. OSTERYOUNG
• MICHAEL E. ROGERS