Chemists want to do chemistry. We are happiest when we are at the bench, surrounded by glassware, apparatus of all shapes and sizes and the ubiquitous safety equipment – or on our computer, performing simulations or modeling. It’s where we are at our best and feel fulfilled and productive. Duties that take us away from that familiar environment such as regulatory affairs, environmental impact assessments, safety procedures, or ethics training can be seen as an unwelcome distraction from the excitement of doing science. But those tasks are critical to how we pursue our science. Today’s chemists not only understand that but live by it. Safety and ethics are core to chemistry, front and center in chemists’ minds. And our science is all the better for it. There is no doubt that what we now produce is of higher quality and is more responsive to the world in which we live than ever before. We thrive with those challenges and opportunities. — Bibiana Campos-Seijo, Editor in Chief, Chemical & Engineering News
