At 100, CAS Prepares For Next Century Of Scientific Discovery
Columbus, OH - It took 30 years for Chemical Abstracts Service to publish its first million abstracts. CAS indexed more than a million records in 2006 alone, reflecting the accelerated pace of research and discovery around the globe.
Marking its 100th anniversary in 2007, CAS is continually expanding into allied science fields and developing analysis tools for researchers to use and share information even faster on a global platform. The Columbus-based company's customers, for instance, can access and review technical data on Japanese patents within 48 hours of the patents being issued.
"CAS databases streamline the investigative process – allowing you to take an idea and rapidly find the important and necessary information before you forget about the idea or it loses its excitement," 2005 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Dr. Robert Grubbs. "That really is invaluable."
CAS provides access to the world's chemical and scientific literature and patents, with indexes built around the world's largest compendium of chemical substances, to speed and enable scientific discovery to improve peoples' lives. CAS makes its databases available through search and analysis software for scientists in all facets of the research process and anyone engaged in intellectual property investigation.
What started as a volunteer activity to share abstracts of literature within the science community has evolved into a more than $250M a year enterprise serving customers in 100 countries. CAS databases contain more than 27 million bibliographic records and 13 million reactions, while the CAS Registry includes more than 31 million records of organic and inorganic substances. Today scientists around the world rely upon the CAS Registry Number as the globally accepted standard for defining and describing a chemical substance.
In the 1990s, CAS introduced SciFinder, a desktop research tool. It, and CAS, have been growing ever since. Additionally, analysis and visualization capabilities are now featured in STN AnaVist, supporting the evolving role of information professionals, who have become management advisers for major corporations and academic institutions looking to focus their R&D efforts.
To view a timeline of CAS' 100-year history, go to http://www.cas.org/aboutcas/cas100/annivhistory.html.
CAS will celebrate its anniversary year with customer briefings in Europe, Asia, and the Americas and recognition in Columbus as a National Historic Chemical Landmark by the American Chemical Society on June 14. A special symposium will also be conducted at the ACS meeting in Boston August 19-23. CAS employs more than 1,300 people in Columbus in facilities near Ohio State University, with partners located in Asia and Europe.
To learn more, visit http://www.cas.org/newsevents/releases/casanniversary.html
SOURCE: CAS