Chemical Education Today
Meeting Report
Conference Overview 17th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, Western Washington University, July 28–August 1, 2002 by George S. Kriz and Sara Selfe
The 17th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education will be held from July 28 to August 1, 2002, at Western Washington University (WWU), Bellingham, Washington. The program will consist of more than 500 papers and 60 workshops and will feature symposia covering such topics as green chemistry, environmental chemistry, the role of undergraduate research in the preparation of chemistry students, innovations in chemical education, articulation between community colleges and four-year institutions, and innovations in teaching high school chemistry. A featured event will be a symposium and “roast and toast” in honor of Gilbert Haight. Conference Information Most information about the conference is available on the Web site at http://chem.wwu.edu/acs/bcce/index.html. Workshops More than 60 workshops are being offered and will begin on Saturday, July 27, and continue through Thursday, August 1. Workshops will address a full range of educational levels from K–12 through graduate school. For details of the workshops, including times and dates offered, go to the BCCE Web site and click on Program Information. Plenary Speakers We are fortunate to have a distinguished group of plenary speakers. All plenary talks will be given in the WWU Performing Arts Center. The opening plenary on Sunday evening, July 28, will be followed by a reception on the Performing Arts Center’s plaza. Sunday, July 28, 7:30 p.m. Let’s Not Waste the Opportunity To Inspire in College and High School Chemistry Ronald Breslow, Department of Chemistry, Columbia University
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Monday, July 29, 8 a.m. Misconceptions in Teaching and Research—No Time, No Money Michael P. Doyle, Research Corporation and Department of Chemistry, University of Arizona
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Wednesday, July 31, 8 a.m. Basic Chemical Literacy for All: What Should Everyone Know? What Skills Should Everyone Have? Are We There Yet? How Can We Get There? George “Pinky” Nelson, Director of the Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center, Western Washington University
Symposia and Poster Sessions Symposia will begin on Sunday afternoon, July 28, 2002. Poster sessions will take place each afternoon in Carver Gym, a location convenient to the refreshment area and the exhibitor booths. In addition to general posters, there will be poster sessions devoted to green chemistry, undergraduate research, and high school teaching. The preliminary schedule of symposia is on the conference Web site under Program Information; poster sessions are included in the information about symposia. Special Program Highlights What’s Flowin’ through Rowan—The Varian Environmental Challenge The Varian Environmental Challenge will take place during the 17th BCCE. In this simulation, teams of students will participate in solving the environmental problem of water pollution in the Cowstooclose River in the fictional town of Rowan. The responsibility of each team will be to conduct chemical and toxicological tests to assess the river water. Each team will be assigned a lawyer who will represent a particular stakeholder (federal, city, or county government). The teams will act as expert witnesses for the
Red Square, Western Washington University
Tuesday, July 30, 8 a.m. Undergraduate Research: Why Should an Administrator Even Care? Karen Morse, President, Western Washington University
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Photo: WWU Office of Public Information
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Chemical Education Today
Exhibits A spacious exhibition area in Carver Gym will host more than 50 booths representing exhibits by a wide variety of vendors, including publishers, instrument manufacturers, educational software developers, and scientific supply companies. The location is immediately adjacent to the lecture halls in which most of the major presentations will be held. A refreshment area will also be located in the exhibition area. Conference Banquet The Conference Banquet on Tuesday evening will have a Pacific Northwest menu that includes barbecued salmon. It will be held on the grounds of the Hotel Bellwether. This site is located adjacent to the Tom Glenn Commons, on the shores of scenic Bellingham Bay, and has clear views of the San Juan Islands. Bus service to and from the banquet site will be provided. Social Events The traditional reception following the Sunday evening opening ceremonies will take place on the Performing Arts Center Plaza, a spacious area that affords a broad panorama of Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands, and the North Cascade Mountains. On a clear evening, it is possible to see the lights of Vancouver, British Columbia. The reception will be sponsored, in part, by the Journal of Chemical Education. On Monday evening a one-woman show on the life of Madame Marie Curie will be presented by Carole Berg of Bellevue Community College. The Ice Cream Social, again hosted by 2YC3, will be held immediately following this program. Other social events include a Fun Run early on Tuesday morning and a Mole Breakfast on Wednesday morning. Registration, Housing, Meals Printed Registration Books are available to anyone who wishes a copy. (Simply send an email message to
[email protected] and include “BCCE Registration Book” in the subject line.) Registration Books are also available in Adobe Acrobat PDF format on the conference Web site. Information about on-campus accommodations is included.
Photo: WWU Office of Public Information
lawyers, who in turn will present arguments at a public hearing to determine what specific actions can or should be taken. BCCE attendees will be able to watch the progress of the teams in solving this environmental puzzle and will be able to attend the public hearing. Also, it is possible for attendees to bring a student team from their own institution. If you are interested in doing so, contact Devon Cancilla, Huxley College of the Environment, Western Washington University; email:
[email protected]; phone: 360/650-7785.
Chemistry Building and Log Ramps Sculpture.
Application forms for conference registration and for on-campus housing and dining reservations are available for downloading from the BCCE Web site, but online registration is not available. Please submit your registration form and your reservation for on-campus housing and dining by mail or by fax. The Web site also has information about child care and a broad selection of local hotels and inns, many of which offer discounted rates for conference participants.
Tours, Excursions, and Day Trips The Pacific Northwest is a great place to spend a summer vacation. A wide variety of day trips and excursions, including tours of Whatcom County and a microbrewery, trips to Mt. Baker and the North Cascades National Park, a whale watch expedition, and visits to Seattle and Vancouver, BC, are being offered. In addition, the conference tour service, Hesselgrave International, has two three-day post-conference tours. The first tour begins in Bellingham and includes travel to Vancouver, BC, a ferry trip, via BC Ferries, to Victoria, BC, (including the internationally acclaimed Butchart Gardens), a ferry ride back to Washington, and on to Seattle via the scenic Hood Canal and the Olympic Peninsula. The second tour goes to Washington’s mountains and volcanoes. Included are visits to Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens. An application form to reserve a space on any of these tours and excursions may be found in the Registration Book and on the conference Web site. You might prefer to walk around the Bellingham area and enjoy the beautiful environment rather than take a prepared bus tour. WWU is proud of its Outdoor Sculpture Collection; information and a self-guided tour map will be available at the conference registration center. Sehome Hill, a natural arboretum with several miles of hiking trails, is immediately adjacent to the campus and jointly operated by WWU and the City of Bellingham. Bellingham Bay and Boulevard Park are a short walking distance from the campus.
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Meeting Report Photo: WWU Office of Public Information
Photo: George S. Kriz
Haskell Plaza on the Western Washington University campus.
Chemistry Building, Western Washington University
Other vacation possibilities include golf: Whatcom County has more public golf courses than any county in Oregon, Washington, or Idaho. From the rolling contours of a Scottish-style course to the one of the best civic links in the nation, this region is ideal for an afternoon of golf. Or create your own diversion by going to the Bellingham Area link on the conference Web site and type “parks” in the search engine located there. Farther afield, Bellingham is located within a day’s drive of the beautiful Oregon Coast, or for a longer vacation, consider taking a trip to Alaska. Bellingham is the southern terminus of the Alaska Marine Highway System (Alaska Ferry). Early reservations for the Alaska Ferry are strongly recommended (http:// www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/index.html).
Tacoma International Airport to Bellingham is available on the Bellingham/Sea-Tac Airporter shuttle. At present there are eight inbound and eight outbound trips per day. Scheduled bus service, via Greyhound Bus Lines, is available with frequent scheduled trips from Bellingham to Seattle and to Vancouver, BC. Bellingham is served by Amtrak, with a stop on the route from Seattle to Vancouver. The railroad station is about two miles from campus. Car rental agencies are in the terminal of the Bellingham airport. Hertz has been appointed the official car rental agency for the 17th BCCE. Reservation information and a discount code are on the conference Web site.
Travel Information
The 17th BCCE gratefully acknowledges the generous sponsorship of many companies and organizations. Major funding has come from Varian, Inc.; Hayden-McNeil Publishing; American Chemical Society–Puget Sound Section; Battelle Northwest/Pacific Northwest Research Laboratories; Phillips Petroleum Company; Department of Chemistry, University of Washington; ChemGlass, Inc.; Journal of Chemical Education; 2YC3; American Chemical Society, Division of Chemical Education; Western Washington University and its Department of Chemistry; Edmonds Community College. Additional sponsors include Office of the President, Western Washington University; Washington College Chemistry Teachers Association; Huxley College of the Environment, Western Washington University; McGrawHill Publishers; Carolina Biological Supply, Inc.; Chemical Heritage Foundation; American Chemical Society–Portland Section.
Bellingham is 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver. WWU is conveniently located off Interstate 5. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, an airline hub served by all major airlines, is located 100 miles south of the university. Bellingham International Airport is ten miles from the university campus. Horizon Airlines (a part of the Alaska/Northwest Airlines system) provides frequent daily air service from Seattle to Bellingham (at present there are seven outbound and seven inbound flights per day.) Bellingham Travel and Cruise (800/869-7065; www.belllinghamtravel.com) is working with the BCCE to facilitate attendees’ travel arrangements. Discounted airfares to the 17th BCCE are available from Alaska, Horizon, Northwest, or United Airlines. IC codes are on the conference Web site. Ground transportation is available through Quick Shuttle from Vancouver International Airport, which will drop passengers at Bellingham International Airport. However, if you are flying to Vancouver, make certain to check the border crossing information in the Registration Book and on the conference Web site. Round-trip ground transportation from Seattle-
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Acknowledgments
George S. Kriz is in the Department of Chemistry, MS 9150, Western Washington University, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225;
[email protected]; Sara Selfe is in the Department of Chemistry, Edmonds Community College, 20000 68th Avenue, West, Lynnwood, WA 98036-5999;
[email protected].
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 79 No. 6 June 2002 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
