Chemistry Tours for High School Students Connecting Chemistry and Business Jenelle Ball Chico Senior High School. Chiw, CA95926 While the chemistry course at Chiw High is an excellent blend of laboratory work, demonstrations, group activities and lecture, few students see any connectionbetween their college prep courses and their lives. The challenge and need to make chemistry relevant to high school students is well recognized (13).Many efforts to help students connect with chemistry have involved bringing outside sources into the classroom (4-6 ). Indeed, the classroom environment is key to student suceess with chemistry. Current events papers, science fair projects, and the use of common examples of chemical concepts, coupled with teacher enthusiasm and diversity of teaching styles all help students to understand the scope of chemistry. However, all of these activities are fused strongly to the classroom frame of reference. Tours Teach Relevance Four years ago, in an effortto change the classroom-only frame of reference, students were taken to industries in the local community to observe the role of chemistry. The field trip is an event that often is associated with the elementary school. However, it has had a tremendous impact on older students (7-9). Getting students out of the classroom has had a positive effect on their view of the relevance of classroom chemistry to real life. The chemistry field trip program has involved 13 businesses. Each tour offers an an example of the application of chemistry.' In a small community that has no large chemical industry, finding businesses that are related to chemistry required some nontraditional thinking. However, this lack of industry has become a strength of the field trip program. Students have an opportunity to obseme a business that may have an obvious use of chemistry or one that initially appears unrelated to chemistry. They often were amazed and impressed with the accessibility and diverse applications of chemistry (See the table.) Two examples of field trips include the Department of Justice Criminalistics Lab and the Chemistry Department 'Chico Senior High has approximately 1200 students. The number of students who participate in the field trip program is around 160. Each year, it is typical to need an alternative assignment for three students who were unable to attend a trip. Further questions or information requests may be addressed to the author.
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Journal of Chemical Education
Businesses Visited Butte County Health Department Laboratory ChemTec (agricuhral chemical sales and research) Department of Chemistry, California State University Chico Dole Nut Enloe Hospital (clinical laboratory and radiology department) Justice Depaltment Criminalistics Laboratory Monarch Labs (water and soil analysis) North Valley MRI-CT Scan Center Orient and Flume (art glass company) Rice Researchers Sierra-Nevada Brewing Company Waste Water Treatment Plant, Oroville Waste Water Treatment Plant, Chico at California State University, Chico. The criminalistics lab is a face-to-face experience with advanced technoloev -. such as capillary gas chromatography being used for bloodalcohol analvsis and FT i n b r e d soectroohotometcrs used for drug idekcation. From the career aspect, students learn about a job that requires knowledge of chemistry, physics, and biology along with the ability to speak and write well. Back in the classroom, students now are able to use their simple experiment with paper chromatography to understand the more advanced blood-alcohol analysis done by capillary GC. In touring the State University chemistry department, students learn about waste management, organization of chemicals, types of classes, and types of instrumentation available at the university. They have an opportunity to view the stockroom and several different lab classes in session. The students also are exposed to the local active chapter of the Student Afliliates of the American Chemical Society. In addition, the high school students have a chance to meet university students working on special research projects. These university students are excellent role models. Meeting a chemistry major who is only three
or four years older helps the high school students see that they really can do chemistry! Round-up Activities after the Tours In addition to the field trip. students are responsible for making a poster about thegvisit and giving short oral presentation about their trip. The students also write a thank you note to each business and to the people who provided transportation. When all of the trips are completed, a day is used to discuss the overall value of the program. This helps to summarize the events and brincs about some introspedion on the part of students in considering the value of different educational experiences. The students also are given a creative writing aisignment in which they write a make-believe letter that must convince the school board of the value of the field trip program.
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Follow-up Issues While each experience appears unique on the surface, there are major unifymg ideas. All tours bring to light the societal needs for improved technology and the increased role of chemistry in facing new challenges brought on by the growth of our community. The importance and wide application of chromatographi is another topic that is seen in almost every trip. Waste management and safety are two issues invo~lvedinevcry classroom experiment oid in every place of husiness visited. Wearing safety glasses outside ofthe school environment enables students to see that the classroom is relevant to the real world. Follow-UD Facts--Reviews of Basic Chemical ConceDts In addition to these unifying themes, students receive some good re\iew of basic concepts such as dcnsity, states of matter, electron amliguration, quantitative relationships, and molecular genmetrics. The tours also provide a wealth of examnles of laboratorv techniaues and chemical reactions that gelp students see the relkance of the principles stuhed a t school. The field trips often initiate discusslons that give the teacher a n opportunity to reinforce a prior lesson. Memories and Mementos Each place of business has been tremendously supportive and enthusiastic about this program. Many places give the students a souvenir and all invite them back. One student even received an MRI of his brain! It is exciting to hear people speak with vigor and pride about their profession. It is invaluable for the students to hear from someone other than their teachers how important a good understandine of chemistrv is to beine successhl in a varietv of careers.
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No Tri~-UDS on Tour Arranaements These out-of-the-ordinary visits enhance the education of the students. The trips do not interfere with the classroom program. Field trips are purposely scheduled a t avariety of times in order to assure that each student will have an opportunity to participate. These times are either coordinated to overlap with the teachers prep period, lunch, or aRer school. This minimizes the loss of instructional time. Even on days when a field trip causes the instructor to miss several periods of instruction, students are informed of a time when the instructor will be available for help on that day. If the students are to miss other classes, they must get prior permission from their instructors. Forms for parent permission and instructor permission to attend the field trips are handed out two weeks before the trip. The schoolwide impact of students out of class is relatively small as most places toured can only accommodate groups
of up to 15 people. These student groups are chosen by lottery from each chemistry class. Transportation and teacher substitute arrangements are two major considerations of the field trip program. Transportation for this promam has been provided by parents. Parents are informedof the need for tiansportation during the first week af class. A form for possible drivers is included in the class rules and safety regulations that must be signed by students and parents at the beginning of the school year. Many working parents have willingly adjusted their business schedules to accommodate taking students to a chemistrv field trio and then returning the students to school. embers of tke PTSA (Parent, Gather, student Association) have also provided trans~ortation.No business is more than 20 mifes from the school. Afew places are close enough to walk. Two other sources of transportation include the school district mini van that has a minimal per mile cost and public transportation. The aspect of teacher substitutes also has been amazingly smooth-going. The value ofthe field trip program has been recognized and supported by all members of the science staff. The department has financially the - supported .. program by paying for suhstitute time. Approximately four half-day substitutes have been needed. This cost has been held to a minimum by careful scheduling of the trips. I t often is necessary to have another teacher cover the end of class and beginding of class around the period of the field trip. These classes are covered by science teachers and other members of the facultv. The teacher who covers a chemistry class during their prep is re-paid by the chemistrv teacher. This exchange of classes has been an excellent model of co-operation touthe students. It also is a great experience for teachers to observe students outside their normal frame of reference. ~
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Partners in Education In this day and age. the business communitv is anxious is the reand willingto becokd a partner to edu~ation.~lt sponsibility of the teacher to give direction to the partnership. Establishing a field trip program is just one way to do this. Anatural conseauence of this promam is to establish intern positions for &dents in theke b;sincsses. One student who panicipawd in the promam was hired the ncxt year by the bushess she visited. She works part-time while attending the local university. While establishing a job program certainly will take more discussion and thought, it defmitely is needed. This opportunity to work in a technical position would target the more academic student who may not have any work experience or traditional occupational courses. Explorations of Numerous Environments The chemistry field trip program has an excellent reputation with students, and the business cornmunity. The logistics of the program have not been overwhelming. I t gives students a n opportunity to explore their own environments. It provides a unique and unusual experience that unveils the importance of chemistry in a variety of careers and technologies. I t is a wonderful opportunity to discover as one student said that, Chemistry is everywhere. Literature Cited 1. Mitchell. T J. Cham E d z . 1891.68,116118. 2 Oardner. M . . l C b m M w 1
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Volume 70 Number 8 August 1993
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