Atmospheric chemistry is a rather young discipline, but technically very demanding. The international programs that rely on well-trained cadre of atmospheric chemists for executing complex and ambitious research, monitoring and assessment tasks include the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry Program (IGAC--a core project of the IGBP), the Global Climate Observing System) and the System for Analysis, Research and Training (START--a core project of the IGBP). To promote education and training in this field, scientists in IGAC, GAW and START have joined forces to design and execute an integrated approach to "academic capacity building" in developing countries. The American Geophysical Union (AGU) and its affiliates will establish an international pool of voluntary lecturers recruited from their memberships and to coordinate the initial efforts of the program. These include: Establishment of an international voluntary teaching faculty. Establishment of a steering committee in charge of curriculum design for an atmospheric chemistry program which can be implemented at participating universities in developing countries. Execution of a series of mini-sessions and workshops involving members of the voluntary teaching faculty for finalizing the implementation plan. Preparation of a proposal which can be submitted to international funding agencies for implementing the academic capacity building program.
