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Chemistry depends upon people to define it, develop it, research it, market it, disseminate it, and regulate it. Clearly, chemistry is not limited to laboratory activities synthesizing and characterizing chemicals of various properties and applications. A range of articles on various aspects of chemistry appears in this issue: while some deal with chemical research and development, others deal with communication and reviewer bias, but they all require responsible engagement. Two articles deal with titanium. Manayil Valappil Swapna and Karikal R. Haridas report research on a simple, inexpensive method for the low-temperature synthesis of phase-pure nanocrystalline rutile titanium dioxide. Ann M. Valentine describes how she has been exploring a possible biological role for titanium since her first year of graduate school: her contribution here is her AIC Chemical Pioneer Lecture delivered at The American Institute of Chemists meeting held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this year. Asraf V. Mohamed and co-authors present computational and experimental studies involving Ni(II) and Co(Ii) complexes of 1,3,4 – oxadiazole derivatives and possible application in artificial photosynthesis. Hannah Rice, and co-authors report a study comparing the diagnostic efficacy of three tumor markers (prostatic acid phosphate [PAP], testosterone [T], and prostate specific antigen [PSA] for serodiagnosis of prostate cancer. In the Public Understanding of Chemistry section, W. Jeffrey Hurst presents communicating science, a very important topic that scientists need to be aware of. D. D. Kumar discusses a high tech weather-related application of soap bubbles. Sarah Reisert takes a historical look at The AIC Awards Program and provides a comprehensive list of winners that includes Nobel Laureates. Teri W. Odom writes “How to Remove Bias from Peer Review.” This article originally appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 7, 2015 and is used with permission. Odem notes that the quality of the feedback provided by the reviewers determines the quality of the journal and that serving as a reviewer of manuscripts for a refereed journal is an honor. However, at times some reviewers tend to forget this fact and engage in biased and questionable behavior. An unfortunate incident in which a reviewer allegedly overstepped boundaries, prompted me to reprint, with permission, the article by Teri W. Odom. I encourage all reviewers of The Chemist to spend some time thinking about this article as an in-service training. This year completes four years since I started my responsibility as the Editor-In-Chief of The Chemist. These four years were not without challenges, as bringing back to life a journal that was almost laid to rest was not an easy task. But it has happened, and this volume 88, issue 2 of The Chemist is proof that it is possible. As we move forward, my level of optimism remains high for The Chemist to continue to be a contributing journal to the advancement of science. Behind the scenes, Dean Valerie Bristor has been instrumental in providing the needed home base for The Chemist at Florida Atlantic University. Also I would like to acknowledge the feedback provided specifically by members of the review board. Thank you.
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