Chemical Education Today
Distilling International Year of Chemistry Activities from around the World by Alice J. Teter Journal of Chemical Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53715, United States
[email protected] After the 63rd General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) adopted the resolution proclaiming 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry (IYC), the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and the United Nations, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) were placed at the helm of this global event. Stemming from their belief that the achievements of chemistry and its contributions to the well-being of humankind should be celebrated, they have identified these four key goals for IYC 2011: • Increase public appreciation of chemistry in meeting world needs. • Encourage an interest in chemistry among young people. • Generate enthusiasm for the creative future of chemistry. • Celebrate the achievements of Marie Curie and the contributions of women to chemistry.
The official IYC 2011 Web site at http://www.chemistry2011.org/ (accessed Dec 2010) serves as a central location for information about activities worldwide associated with this celebration. The IYC logo (Figure 1), which appears prominently on this Web site, may also appear in other places that have information about IYC activities. Please check the IYC Web site frequently. The information there changes almost daily, and you will not want to miss an event, project opportunity, meeting, or contest deadline. Celebrating the International Year of Chemistry 2011 IYC 2011 International Launching Ceremony The Official International Launch Ceremony for IYC 2011 will take place at UNESCO World Headquarters in Paris on 27-28 January 2011, under the aegis of the UN, UNESCO, and IUPAC. The agenda for this event includes an international seminar, an exhibition, and other related social and cultural events. IYC and the Journal of Chemical Education As part of the Journal's participation in IYC, we are watching the IYC Web site. Some items have already caught the eyes of our staff members as particularly interesting, or fun, or models that other organizations might use to generate their own celebrations. We are also interested in “inside information” about IYC 2011 activities, and invite developers and organizers as well as participants to write brief descriptions of how their activities 130
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Figure 1. The International Year of Chemistry 2011 logo identifies many chemistry-related exciting events and engaging activities throughout the year and around the world. Visit http://www.chemistry2011. org/ (accessed Dec 2010) to find out more.
were developed, who participated, outcomes, and other meaningful information, and submit these to the Journal for consideration for publication. Get Involved with IYC Activities, Events, and Ideas The IYC Web site presents all manner of interesting material: activities, events, and the groups sponsoring them. From the home page, “Connect” to the IYC Network, which lists the people and groups who have registered events or activities, and national primary contact people. Browsing the network may help you find a local (and enthusiastic) expert, mentor, or partner for a project of your own, or even someone who is doing something quite similar to your project, yet in another part of the world. Join the network and register your own activities, events, and ideas. “Participate” by looking at the ideas, events, and activities that have been registered. Note that new ones continue to be added. Each has audience and topic tags, and useful filters are available for searches. When you find activities of interest, you can participate in those that are nearby, or model and create your own activities with distant programs as an inspiration. A very small sampling of activities appears in Table 1. (We omitted locations; this was not an oversight.) Have a look at the Web site; you will almost certainly find it enlightening and enjoyable: http://www.chemistry2011.org/ (accessed Dec 2010).
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Vol. 88 No. 2 February 2011 pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc r 2010 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc. 10.1021/ed101133m Published on Web 12/10/2010
Chemical Education Today Table 1. Sampling of Some International Year of Chemistry Activities Offered throughout the World Activity
Description
Audience
URLs (all accessed Dec 2010)
Games and Competitions Dr. O'Too City of Chemistry
Interactive chemistry computer game played via Facebook
Middle and high school
http://www.chemistry2011.org/participate/ activities/show?id=166 http://apps.facebook.com/dr_otoo
Australian National Chemistry Quiz
Offered in 15 countries and 7 languages, this quiz challenges students' reasoning
Middle and high school
http://www.chemistry2011.org/participate/ activities/show?id=45
A World without Polymers
Video and essay contest recognizing the ubiquity and importance of polymers
High school and college
http://www.chemistry2011.org/participate/ activities/show?id=100
Undergraduate Organic Competition
Students will be timed answering multiple-choice organic chemistry questions; video will be posted on YouTube
College
http://www.chemistry2011.org/participate/ activities/show?id=144
Children's Chemical Experiment Show
Interactive chemistry demonstrations in a science museum context
Elementary school
http://www.chemistry2011.org/participate/ activities/show?id=190
Yamagata Future Science Project
Chemistry experiments at Yamagata University and local schools
Middle and high school
http://www.chemistry2011.org/participate/ activities/show?id=163
Chemikum Marburg
Chemistry demonstrations, public exploration stations, workshops for students
Public outreach
http://www.chemistry2011.org/participate/ activities/show?id=238
Estonian Chemistry Days
Conference with poster sessions open to the public at Tartu University
Public outreach
http://www.chemistry2011.org/participate/ activities/show?id=150
Super Science Saturday
Chemistry demonstrations, hands-on activities, poster displays, live feed from IYC opening events in Paris
Public outreach
http://www.chemistry2011.org/participate/ activities/show?id=53
Global Stamp Competition: Chemistry as a Cultural Enterprise
Students design stamps reflecting the importance of chemistry locally; entries will be shown at the IYC closing ceremonies in Brussels and winning entries selected
High school
http://www.chemistry2011.org/participate/ activities/show?id=110
Chem13 News Periodic Table Design Project
Students create an element tile, contributing their design to the whole periodic table collectively made and publically displayed by poster and online
Elementary, middle and high school
http://www.chemistry2011.org/participate/ activities/show?id=42 http://www.chem13news.uwaterloo.ca
Outreach Activities
Chemistry and Art
Workshops and Poster Sessions by High School Students Symposium for Young Researchers of Natural Sciences
Students conduct research in chemistry and give an oral presentation of their results
High school
http://www.chemistry2011.org/participate/ activities/show?id=155
Chemistry Popularization Workshops
Students take a chemistry quiz, attend lectures, and have their attitudes and misconceptions challenged
Middle and high school
http://www.chemistry2011.org/participate/ activities/show?id=193
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Chemical Education Today Table 1. Continued Activity
Description
Audience
URLs (all accessed Dec 2010)
Bilingual Activities Química en Todo: Chemistry All Around
Students write a blog in Spanish and English, reporting the results of their research on chemistry all around us
High school
http://www.chemistry2011.org/participate/ activities/show?id=128 http://bscw.unizar.es/pub/bscw.cgi/526623
Did actica de la Química y Vida Cotidiana: Didactics of Chemistry and Everyday Life
Students explore chemistry problems, exercises, experiments, and analogies about everyday materials and experiences, accessing free resources online mainly in Spanish and some in English
High school and college
http://www.chemistry2011.org/participate/ activities/show?id=21
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