The JEM Editorial Board: old faces, new faces

The Royal Society of Chemistry rules require a regular turnover of all editorial board positions for its journals, from the chairpersons downwards. Although this is not common for many other scientific journals elsewhere, I am convinced that the philosophy at the RSC provides a healthy continued injection of new blood. For the Journal of Environmental Monitoring, this allows for continued evolution of the aims and scope of the journal, as well as its structure and operation. So we, the Editorial Board, will not stand still.

The result of this approach is that Editorial Members come and go and the journal maintains a certain freshness as it is continuously revitalized by new opinions and ideas. In an earlier editorial I remarked on the departure of my predecessor as Chairman, Professor Evert Nieboer. Now I wish to acknowledge the fine contributions of two more colleagues whose terms have expired. Professor Yngvar Thomassen, who in his full-time job is Research Director (Department of Occupational Hygiene) at the Norwegian National Institute of Occupational Health, is an internationally-known environmental analytical chemist who fully understands the nature and monitoring options for assessing the exposures of people to environmental chemicals. Professor Hendrik Emons is Head of the Environmental Specimen Bank at the Research Center in Jűlich, and he too is a prominent environmental chemist with many scientific and institutional connections throughout Europe and the rest of the world. As these two friends depart from our Editorial Board, I would like – on behalf on my Editorial Board colleagues and the Royal Society of Chemistry – to thank them for their work on behalf of JEM during the early years of its life, helping to shape it, set it on its course, and so pave the way for what now looks like a very bright future. The contributions of Yngvar and Hendrik will be reflected in the progress of the journal long after they have moved on. We are immensely grateful to them both.

As has already been reported in an earlier issue, we now have three new Editorial Board Members, similarly distinguished, who will carry the torch forward. Professor Brit Salbu is Professor of Nuclear Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry at the Agricultural University of Norway, and has a long record of research in those fields. She also has a long history of service to many scientific boards and institutions throughout Norway, Europe and the rest of the world. Professor Roy Harrison is Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Birmingham in England, where he is also Head of the Division of Environmental Health and Risk Management. He too has a long record of research contributions in the areas of aerosol pollution and environmental chemistry, along with prominent service to the academic and research communities. Finally, Professor William Shotyk is Professor and Director of the Institute of Environmental Geochemistry at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. Through his studies of the natural and anthropogenic cycles of trace metals, his goal is to elucidate the role of human activities on the fate of trace metals in our environment. We on the Editorial Board and at the Royal Society of Chemistry are grateful that Brit, Roy and Bill have been willing to share some of their valuable time to lend their distinguished names to the journal and to express their commitment to its continued and rising prominence, relevance and value to the scientific community. Welcome aboard!

James H. Vincent

Chairman, JEM Editorial Board

March 30th 2004

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