C&EN completed the first phase of the C&EN Production Automation Program (CPAP). CPAP 1.0 represents the completion of a multiyear program to create a digital, end-to-end workflow for C&EN; put C&EN Online on a state-of-the-art content management and delivery platform; and make C&EN mobile compliant.

In August 2011, the free C&EN Mobile app launched for iPhones, iPads, and Android mobile devices. The app makes C&EN Online Latest News, the CENtral Science network of blogs, and online job postings available to anyone and makes individual issues of C&EN available to nonmembers for $2.99 per issue. In October, C&EN Mobile was established as a new, free ACS member benefit; members can access all new C&EN issues on their smartphone at no charge. In February 2012 the C&EN Mobile app received the 2011 PROSE Award for eProduct/Best in Physical Sciences & Mathematics from the Association of American Publishers.

With the October 31, 2011 issue, a completely redesigned C&EN Online launched on a new content management and delivery system. Implementation of CPAP 1.0 positions C&EN to continue its evolution as a journalistic enterprise and enables the magazine to make its content available to ACS members and other interested individuals in the format(s) of their choice.

Editorially, C&EN made three significant contributions to the celebration of the International Year of Chemistry. First, the cover story of the June 27, 2011, issue, “Celebrating IYC 2011,” contained five essays by prominent scientists on ways chemistry contributes to the well-being of humanity; a biographical profile of Marie Curie, who received her Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911; a comment on IYC by ACS President Nancy Jackson; and an editorial on the celebration by Editor-in-chief Rudy Baum. Second, C&EN carried a series of 12 “IYC Profiles” of ACS members native to foreign countries where there are very few ACS members. The chemists profiled work in Cuba, Fiji, Lebanon, Burkina Faso, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Vietnam, Ghana, Mauritius, Bosnia, Mongolia, and Honduras. Finally, CENtral Science introduced an IYC 2011 blog to chronicle events associated with the celebration throughout the year.

C&EN’s program of advertiser-sponsored webinars on technical topics hit full stride in 2011. Eleven C&EN staff members hosted a total of 21 webinars during the year, seven more than in 2010. The webinars attracted a total of almost 17,000 registrants; the average number of registrants per webinar increased 33% over 2010. Between 40% and 50% of registrants participated in the webinars, well above the industry average. The program has become a popular advertising choice and lead generation tool for companies who wish to showcase their chemistry and/or technology to the highly engaged ACS membership.

The C&EN Journal News & Community (JNC) unit introduced the Biological SCENE and the Materials SCENE as two new syndication channels to provide content—both relevant material from C&EN and original news features on papers in ACS journals—to 22 journals. Taken in conjunction with the Environmental SCENE, the Analytical SCENE, and JACS Research in C&EN (all of which were established in 2010), JNC is now providing syndicated material to 28 ACS journal homepages.

C&EN’s blog network hosted its first blog carnival—a periodic collection of blog posts written loosely around a single theme that are then aggregated at the host blog—in September. Based on the theme, “Your Favorite Chemical Reaction,” the carnival garnered more than 20 entries and brought to ACS’s attention some new chemistry blogs.

C&EN’s twitter feed (@cenmag) began the year with about 500 followers. As of year-end, more than 3,600 followers read, share, and interact with the magazine via this channel. C&EN’s Facebook page (http://facebook.com/cenews) added over 1,200 “likers” this year, bringing the total to over 2,800. About 1,500 of those users are active (they have viewed or interacted with C&EN’s page or posts) on a weekly basis. C&EN’s YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/cenonline) now has about 100 C&EN-created videos. The channel itself has received about 3,200 views, and the uploaded videos have received more than 122,500 views all together. Other major media outlets, such as the Wired and BoingBoing blogs, have embedded several of those videos.