INTRODUCTION THE HUMAN RESOURCE

The challenges come at several levels. Major exploration will be needed to develop new and better tools, educational techniques, computational and modeling strategies, and integrative approaches. The exploration will create demands in two areas chemical information technology and the people who will do the work. 

The two traditional components of the scientific method, observation and hypothesis, have led to a formidable array of experimental and theoretical tools. Since the end of World War II, computation and modeling has advanced to become the sffong third component, one that can integrate experiment and theory with application. Advances in information technology (IT) in communications. 

Looking to the future, we need to build upon these advances to enable computational discovery and compntational design to become standard components of broad education and training goals in our society. In this way, the human resources will be available to create, as well as to realize and embrace, the capabilities, challenges, and opportunities provided by the chemical sciences throngh advanced information technology. 

It is therefore especially important that we, as a society, take steps to assure that the chemical enterprise maintain its cutting-edge capability in teaching, research, development, and production. It is also important that the chemical enterprise provide leadership in economic growth and environmental quality. All of these goals require increased capability for chemists and chemical engineers to utilize, efficiently and creatively, the capabilities offered by information technology. 

Advances in the chemical sciences enabled major achievements in medicine, life science, earth science, physics, engineering, and environmental science. These advances in the prodnctivity, quality of life, security, and economic vitality of our society flowed directly from the efforts of people who work in those fields. How 

---