~~ 06 CHEMICAL EDUCATION R--SChemistry for the Spectator "The time has come when John Q. Public, Jr., should he taught science, not just for science's sake, hut for humanity's sake!, "A democracy whose citizens are ignorant of, or a t odds with, science can hardly he expected to make the right policy decisions in a civili~ationinextricably tied to technological progress!' "If this nation is to find solutions to the drastic problems which threaten to engulf us, the decision-making public must be welcomed as partners with us in the scientificenterprise!' Reflected in these statements, made at the National Conference on the Public Understanding of Chemistry held a t Colorado State University on December 12-14, are its major concerns. Supported by the Committee on Educational Aid of the E. I. duPont de Nemours and Company and by the Research Corporation, the Conference was a direct outgrowth of the International Conference on Chemistry, sponsored by the Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society last July at Snowmass-&Aspen. As one conferee remarked, "The July Conference unleashed a Snowmass of penkup feelings." Snowmass put it this way. "Somehow, in the eyes of the layman, science and scientists, as related to the pressing ills of contemporary society, have become part of the problem, rather than leaders in the solution!' "For some reason, the public has not caught the spirit--the essential h u m a n e n e s s ~ fthe scientific enterprise. Science is regarded as a coldly intellectual or crassly technological ogre, not as a warmly human endeavor, geared to the serving of human needs!' "This failure," Snowmass concluded, "can be lsid chiefly a t the doorstep of scientists themselves, for their failure to communicate adequately-to the young (in the educational process) and to the adult lay public, in the use of the mass communicationsmedia." The Snowmass Conference threw out a series of chaUenges. The implementing committee of Dr. William B. Cook, Dr. Anna J. Harrison, Dr. Robert Parry, and Dr. Laurence E. Strong chose to zero in on two of crucial inportance: (1)the development of a new, realistic program in chemistry for the general student in the high schools and two-year colleges, and (2) the development of a program through the mass media to establish effective and memingful communication between science and the community it serves. The Colorado State Conference was called to develop plans in these two areas which could serve as the basis for major proposals to be submitted to funding agencies. The diverse group of 35 conferees representing a cross-section of academic scientists from secondary schools, 2year and 4-year colleges, universities, industrial chemists, social scientists, humanists, mass media experts, and government and foundation representatives achieved an amazing degree of unanimity. AU felt they were dealing with an idea. whose time had come. Approaching their assignment in a spirit of selfexamination and reevaluation of their own attitudes, the group moved on to plans for positive action. Division of Chemical Education Chairman, Dr. Anna. J. Harrison, set the tone far the section of the Conference which considered 8. new chemistry program for the general student when she reminded the conferees that the general student has several options in relation to chemistry, including the o p t i a lo study no chemisby at all. The group agreed that, in any program, a determined effort must be made to meet the student a t the level of his own experience, interest, concerns, and problems. AU conceded that perhapps Aristotle had a point when Ke observed that often the guest is at least asgood a judge of the feast as the cook. Keynote of any curricular program, all concurred, should be its flexibility. Miss Allene Johnson, a teacher in the New Jersey public school system drove home the point. She spoke movingly of haw different her emphasis must be to interest her present urban students from that which ca~turedthe imaeination of her former nunils - in s. rural Carelina setting. The group carefully developed a set of some 15 additional criteria for any new program aimed at the general student and gradually moved to the conclusion that the heart of any program to satisfy all these criteria would consist of integrated modular units, of two types-motivrttiond and conceptual. The motivational modules would he based on topics of real and current interest to studenta-energy sources, body chemistry, population control, air and water pollution, psychedelic drugs, for example. Supporting and undergirding these motivational modules would be conceptual modules to develop the underlying scientific principles basic to the motivational modules. These would include such topics as the kinetic molecular theory, the mole concept, atomic and molecular structure, the periodic table, and oxidation and reduction. Any particular motivational module would be coordinated with one or more basic modules, with considerable overlapping to reinforce the learning of basic concepts. The teacher would select the motivational module and the accompanying conceptual modules, according to the needs and interests of his students. The second section of the Conferen-that dealing with a mass-media. campaign to enhance the understanding and appreciation by the decision-making public of the Life-enriching role of chemistry, recommended the development nf -- -fo11r - -- hroarl -- --- -artiviti!=r - ..,.". (1) Television programs, both full-length m d brief "spots," on subjects of national, regional, and local interest, prepared by professional TV writers from resource materials produced by scientists (2) Resource uauers available not onlv as the substantive bases for TV oromams., hut also far students. libraries. and for transl%tioni^n$ popular form by,the"press (3) Continuing education programs established a t regional centers and designed to appeal to public policy m&ers, and (4) A permanent panel on the Public Understanding of Science within the Division of Chemical Education to implement and continuously evaluate the first three actions proposed The next step is the actual preparation of specific proposals by the Conference Coordinator, and aplanning Committee, hased on the guidelines developed a t the Conference is already underwey. Suggestions, ideas. and recommendations from readers are eagerly sought.
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Calvin A. Vander Werf Conference Coordinator Volume 48, Number 2, February 1971
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