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International Meeting Examines Analytical Curricula Educators from across Europe discuss new courses and approaches for teaching analytical chemistry. Gary D. Christian, University of Washington
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ast September, representatives of the American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry (DAC) and the Federation of European Chemical Societies (FECS) met jointly for the first time in Córdoba, Spain, to discuss the status of and new ways to teach analytical chemistry. Organized by Miguel Valcarcel of the University of Córdoba and Thorburn Burns from The Queen’s University in Belfast (Ireland), the twoday conference attracted 120 participants from 22 countries, including Chile and Venezuela. (Because of the terrorist attacks in the United States, I alone represented the DAC.) This report summarizes the conference and briefly describes the status of and innovations in the teaching of analytical chemistry in Europe. About 5% of the Western world’s economy is dependent on analysis, said engineer Bauke te Nijenhuis, a consultant from The Netherlands who specializes in quality assurance (QA). Hence, analytical chemistry plays a key role in society. Moreoever, added Bernhard Schreiber from the Swiss Chemical Society, Division of Analytical Chemistry, ~20% of European chemists work as analysts, and every second chemist or scientist/technologist uses analytical methods or results. As a result, according to Manfred Grasserbauer from the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (Geel, Belgium) and professor at the Technical University of Wien (Austria), each year there are some 3–5 billion pieces of analytical data pro-
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duced in the European Union (EU) along with 100,000 analytical publications worldwide. The problem behind these numbers is that, although few methods are ever put into practice, even fewer are subjected to validation tests. Grasserbauer also said that 60% of all legislation requires scientific input. He
in analytical measurements. As a part of this effort, Burgess has prepared a short practical handbook entitled Valid Analytical Methods and Procedures, which was published in 2000 by the RSC. However, are analysts prepared to handle these QA systems? Brian Woodget of the United Kingdom Analytical Partner-
There is a strong demand in industry for continuing education. argued that analytical chemistry produces measurements that lead to knowledge, and knowledge is the basis of democratic governance; therefore, analytical chemistry is indispensable to governing a modern society.
The problem Thus, the critical questions are: How accurate is any analysis, and how much confidence can be placed in results? As described by te Nijenhuis, control samples and precision reporting became commonplace in the 1950s; statistics, chemometrics, and automation in the 1960s; detection limits, reference materials, and interlaboratory testing in the 1970s; and computerization, quality systems, management systems, LIMS, norms (such as ISO 9000 and EN45001 in Europe), and good laboratory practices in the 1980s. Since then, we have seen quality management (EN48001 in Europe, ISO Guide 25 internationally), experimental design, concepts of data processing (e.g., information theory, analysis of variance, and principal component analysis), and method validation. ISO 12025:2001 has replaced ISO 25 and now includes total analysis, development of new methods, and professional judgment. Christopher Burgess, a teaching consultant for QA in the United Kingdom, presented a checklist for all analyses, from “Why is the test done?” to “Are the instruments/systems and methods subject to performance checks?” The Analytical Methods Committee of the Analytical Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) has been developing a comprehensive framework for appropriate quality
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ship found in a recent audit of ~50% of British universities offering a first degree (BSc/MChem) with “analytical” in the title that students lack some of the analytical skills sought after by industrial employers. Burgess also said that he is concerned that there is a shortage of properly trained analysts and technicians, and asked the conference attendees to consider how to fill the gap during the next five years. Schreiber said that the Swiss Chemical Society had reached a similar conclusion, declaring in a position paper that the government must improve training in analytical chemistry so that Switzerland can remain economically competitive, provide quality health services, and address environmental concerns. Although high-quality analysis is critical in industrial research and development, this topic has a “subordinate status” in Swiss education and academic research. The report recommends that analytical science be an essential part of every academic natural science curriculum and its status be enhanced with funds from the Swiss National Science Foundation. Jean-Michel Mermet from the University of Lyon (France) pointed out that although students may know the latest analytical techniques, within a decade after graduation those techniques are outdated and replaced with ones that perform better or have greater capabilities. Hence, there is a strong demand in industry for continuing education. Part of the challenge is the different backgrounds and interests of the students. Unfortunately, short courses are typically organized as workshops that don’t offer practical instrument training. Instrument manufac-
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turers currently provide this type of practical training. Mermet suggested that technique training courses need to be available as books, CDs, or on the Internet.
Some solutions Several speakers offered some ideas about better training. In The Netherlands, said te Nijenhuis, the polytechnique academia and vocational colleges have developed a common strategy to teach quality aspects in analytical practice. (U.S. courses, in my opinion, are behind in this area.) Gemma Rauret, as dean at the University of Barcelona (Spain), helped introduce curricula in chemistry that added quality management principles in the undergraduate laboratories, integrating quality with environmental and safety issues. The challenge is to motivate the teaching staff to participate, said Rauret. She also pointed out that these programs must be suitable for small laboratories that can’t afford the more comprehensive ones used in large companies. Carmen Cámara from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) found that smaller laboratories and those in southern EU countries often fail to adequately train employees in QA. To improve the situation, a network of EU laboratories have developed a harmonized training course on QA in analytical chemistry, which is being offered in France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Spain. The course program is available by contacting
[email protected]. Woodget advocated that universities and colleges should teach analytical chemistry using a “horizontal” approach, in which students understand the importance of sampling, sample preparation, and QA, and establish objectives before embarking on an analysis. In other words, he recommended teaching analytical chemistry as a problem-solving science with laboratory experiments incorporating some element of decision-making. As an example, Woodget said that groups in the United Kingdom and Ireland are developing case studies in which students working in groups are given some analytical information and are allowed to request additional information—for example, identifying sampling sites in a polluted estuary— and analytical methods. The goal is to
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make these case studies available to students at any university in the United Kingdom and possibly on the Web. Willy R. G. Baeyens, Ghent University (Belgium), agreed that universities must prepare the next generation of students to solve problems more independently. Teachers will increasingly play the role of “coach”, he said, and learning will become problem-based or problem-assisted. One of the tools to meet changing education needs lies in information and communication technology (ICT). Implementation of ICT will allow education to become more flexible, up-todate, and accessible. At Ghent University, exams are taken electronically, PowerPoint is used for an increasing number of classes, and discussion forums are installed on the Web. ICT and traditional education are complementary and enhance student learning, Baeyens said. In that same vein, Reiner Salzer from the Dresden University of Technology (Germany) reported that 13 German universities have started a mutual cooperation project called “Vernetztes Studium– Chemie” (VSC; Network for Education– Chemistry). The aim is to create an electronic platform that shortens the training times for students at different levels, trainees in industry, or participants in continuing education programs. Virtual instruments, such as a gas chromatograph, are being developed so students can optimize conditions for a given task. Hopefully, the virtual laboratory will better prepare students to handle the actual instruments. Wolfhard Wegscheider from Montanuniversität Leoben (Austria) addressed teaching undergraduates, postgraduates, and employees of chemometrics software companies. He classified chemometrics as a means to plan experiments (design of experiments taking precedence over data analysis) and then condense, plot, and compare the data. At the more advanced level, chemometrics involves mathematical modeling (e.g., optimization of analytical procedures and detection of errors in variables in calibrations). Excel spreadsheets and statistical functions are most useful to teach and practice the basic principles of chemometrics, whereas sophisticated software is needed for research.
A historical perspective To understand where analytical chemists are going, it is helpful to see where we have been. Burns recounted how over the period 1650–1850, the method of teaching and learning analytical chemistry slowly changed from self-education to apprenticeship, private lectures and laboratory instruction, university lectures and private practical classes, and finally to complete university courses leading to a degree in chemistry. These developments were promoted by such well-known figures as Robert Boyle (1622–1695) and Joseph Priestley (1738–1804). One lesser-known but interesting reformer was Jane Hardimand Marcet (1769–1858),
from the University of Bucharest (Romania), who is famous for his groundbreaking books on sampling, teaching analytical chemistry, and successful research on various topics despite restrictions during the Communist years. Baiulescu talked about the early contributions of Romanian analytical chemists, such as Candin Liteanu and G. G. Longinescu. Romanians began developing analytical chemistry in the middle of the 19th century, when Petru Poni (1841–1925) began characterizing ores, petroleum, and mineral waters at the University of Jassy. Longinescu published an early book on qualitative analysis, Analiza calitativa, in 1929. Analytical chemistry appeared as a true sci-
Teachers will increasingly play the role of “coach” with problem-based learning. an author in London who published a chemistry text with illustrated experiments in 1807 that went through 16 editions in England and 23 in America! She was so respected that Michael Faraday sent her reprints of his papers. My lecture presented a separate perspective on the evolution of analytical chemistry. Fire assays were among the earliest analyses. The perceived value of gold was probably a driving force for the development of analytical measurements, including Archimedes’ (287–212 BC) nondestructive determination of the gold content in King Hieron’s golden wreath. The analytical balance is referred to in the earliest documents, but Henry Cavendish (1731–1810) was the first to use highprecision balances in the 18th century. This laid the groundwork that Antoine Lavoisier needed to make precise quantitative measurements on the conservation of mass. The concepts of gravimetry, titrimetry, and stoichiometry evolved during the 17th to 19th centuries. Quantitative analysis textbooks, and hence the teaching of analytical chemistry as a discipline, appeared in the 19th century. Instrumental techniques were treated in texts as early as the 1920s. The symposium was fortunate to have in attendance George-Emil Baiulescu
ence in Romania during 1920–1940 at Cluj University, now Babes-Bolyai University, largely due to the efforts of Gheorghe Spacu. Grigore Popa founded the first chair of analytical chemistry in Romania at the University of Bucharest in 1961. The teaching of analytical chemistry in Romania has a strong theoretical basis, and laboratory work is limited to low-quality equipment. Baiulescu pleads, therefore, for cooperation among universities and industries with modern equipment.
What next? Wegscheider, also the managing editor of Mikrochimica Acta, plans to publish manuscripts from the conference. Jiri Barek (
[email protected]) from Charles University (Czech Republic) is planning a similar workshop on education in analytical chemistry to take place in Prague in 2003, and FECS hopes that this meeting will again be jointly sponsored with the DAC. Ideas for potential topics of discussion and venues for future meetings are welcome (contact the chair of the ACS DAC at www.acs-analytical. duq.edu/). Gary Christian is a professor at the University of Washington, Box 351700, Seattle, WA 981951700 (
[email protected]).
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