It’s All About the (Chemical) Data
We talked to Carmen Nitsche, US General Manager, CCDC, upon being awarded the Val Metanomski meritorious service award for 2022 from the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Division of Chemical Information (CINF).
The CINF champions chemical information and informatics as reflected by the division’s motto ”It's all about the (chemical) data!”
Membership of the division is drawn from the chemical informatics research and the chemistry librarian communities. Its committees, events and bulletins discuss chemical data topics including the latest trends in organizing, finding, and sharing chemical data.
A major focus of the division is supporting and encouraging young scientists starting out in data fields. To this end, CINF offers advice and opportunities to network with potential mentors.
The Val Metanomski meritorious service award is granted to members of the division who:
- Have made outstanding contributions to the CINF division over the years, or
- Deserve recognition for specific activities benefiting the division.

Early Days of the Internet and My Introduction to CINF
“I am a Chemist by training and have been involved in chemical information for almost all my career. I started out as a technical searcher in the library and information services group at a water treatment company. Chemists would come to me with all manner of chemistry questions, including if their patent idea was novel. I would then perform a search across a variety of resources, to find answers, like whether the idea was novel.” “With the internet came end-user tools. My role shifted to include researching, testing, and introducing chemical searching services to our R&D community. One of the first tools I brought in was SciFinder, from CAS. “My relationship with CINF goes right back to those early days (more years than I care to admit!). CINF has always been an anchor – my mentors, my colleagues, and my friends – a group I could always rely on for insight and guidance as my career progressed.”Jump to Chemical Data and Software
“I briefly moved into sales at the water treatment company which was a great experience to listen to client requirements and find out their pain points. However, I was not overly keen on pouring chemicals into rooftop cooling towers under extreme weather conditions, so when I was offered a position in the chemical informatics space I jumped at the chance.” “We had a database and software portfolio, very similar to what we have here at CCDC today. I held various business development roles and ran the database group for a time. I then moved into the not-for-profit sector with the Pistoia Alliance (PA), an industry group focussing on pre-competitive collaboration in life sciences R&D. That is how I connected with the CCDC, who are members of the PA, and here I am!”The Val Metanomski Meritorious Service Award
“Val Metanomski was a CINF elder statesman, highly respected in the chemical information and nomenclature arenas. It is a tremendous honour to be awarded the 2022 award. Many of my mentors are previous recipients and it is humbling to be named amongst them. I have always enjoyed working with my CINF colleagues and look forward to working together for a very long time to come.”