CHEMISTRY IN THE REAL WORLD "Given the chemistry-centered na ture of many major and social problems-pollution, resource depletion, energ.v sources, drugs, chemical additives-and the natural inclination o f chemists to make problemsolving and application o f principles important parts of their courses, the chemical education c o m m u n i t ~ ~in i san ideal position to take the lead in developing problems that can provide a substantial portion of both the knowledge-base and the knowledge-using capabilities needed. To take this lead, however, we simply must abandon the traditional approach usedin introductory courses centered on phenomena and conditions that sustain life."
J o h n W. Moore Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI 48197 a n d Elizabeth A. Moore Ann Arbor, M i 48103
I More General Chemists: A Challenge fw
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theEighCes
W e have long helieved that chemists should take a broad view of our discipline, distilling and refining chemical knrwledee. nmtrihntinr. holistic. intrrdisciulinarv ar~nrnnches
t.ractahle even than those faced by industrial chemists. In the l~ackgmundwill always he t h e possibility t h a t aproblem has no solution, or t,hat a familv of technical solutions will be re-
complex prohlems of far-reaching importance seldom yield and participating in decisivn-making processes a t t h e La quick solutions. Finally, the general chemist must be willing sciencr-society interface. We have referred 11, chemists whose and ahle t o communicite sci&t,ific results, translating thk activities and attitudes fall intu these categories as general I~uzz-wordsand jargon of specialized research into downchemists ( I ), and in our oum teaching and writ.ing have a t twearth language that can be nnderstaod readily by scientists, tempted t o develop generalized eyes, ears, and pens ( 2 ) . students, and society a t large. Generalized ryes and ears can assirnilatr facts and ideas from What tasks can general chemists perform, and what benefits other disciplines, applying them 10 chemical prohlemr; g m can they provide t o our discipline and to t h e general public? eralized pens disseminate new dismveries and insights so that One i m ~ o r t a n tcimtrihutirni is to develon and influence scipersons not a t t.he rutt.ing edge of a n a m w research ywcialty entific values. Regardless 01' whether science itself is totally can find and use them. At t h r ht,ginning (ITa new rlerwle the o l ~ j ~ c t i vand e value-free. values can IIP and have amtinually llerdb for general chrmists in society at larye as well a8 wifhin Iieen expressed in the choice of what science is t o he donethe chemical o m m t ~ n i t yare g r e a t ~ than r ever. I k v r l q ~ m e n t . what resrarch prohlem a particular individual will attack. and e n a ~ ~ r a g e r n r of n t SIICR clwnists represents a challenge SWII value indgments may be hased on availability of funding and an opportr~nityf l ~ l e ncll'ten ~ s , less Volume 57. Number 1. January 1980 I 17
nuclear warfare, ecological balance, and pollution were not rereiving nearly enough attention from scientists, while far too much time was being lavished on the space program and hasic science. Such perceptions are certainly subject to controversy and discussion, and they need continual updating to reflect new concerns of both science and society. (Platt failed to mention energy supply as a problem, for example.) Neverl heless, general chemists can perform a valuable service by stimulating their colleagues to think about their research in a larger context and to reexamine the values on which selection o f t h a t research is based. Another important task for general chemists is to distill, refine, and prune the collective knowledge of our discipline. Assumptions, theories, models, and paradigms need constantlv to he reexamined. reassessed, and revised or discarded. By taking time to study current knowledge so that its simplicity, logic, and coherence emerge, a general chemist can transmit to hislher colleagues a holistic view that has far wider impact and utility than experimental facts alone. According to Albert Szent-Gyorgyi ( 5 ) ,"This is what research does; it smooths out contradiction and makes things simple, logical, and coherent." But of course this is what education does, too; in this aspect, as in most others, the general chemist is an educator-teachine colleaeues and. thwurh them or directlv. recent tremendous expansion of chemical knowledge. Chemists have developed fewer new, unifying concepts during the past two decades than during the preceding century, even though many more chemical facts have been accumulated (6). Insofar as we chemists have concentrated on easily obtainable facts and narrowly confined theories to the detriment of developing new, broadly applicable ideas, our science is diminished. Communication is a verv imvortant asoect of the eeneral through teaching a t all levels, contact and inieraction with scientists in other disciplines, and translating scientific results and conclusions into terms that can he understood and will he listened to by th6 general ~uhlic.In addition to writing and speaking, items such as demonstrations, tours, museum-type displays, audiovisual technology, and computers are useful took for the chemical communicator. ~ h e s eneed not he confined to classn)oms, though expansion of their use in teaching shows promise of improving efficiency of instruction and partially alleviating the problem of chemical knowledge's outstriovine .. .,our abilitv to transmit it. Activelv develooine . ..and using appropriate and effective methods for communicating chemistrv at all levels is another wav in which eeneral chemists can make real contributions. Closelv related to communication is particiuation-in innational groups seeking to deal with complex, technical issues, or even as elected or appointed officials of government. Though seemingly time-consuming, participation provides the only truly effective means for chemists to achieve two-way commnnicatinn with other scientists and with society a t large. Participation in social and political affairs injects a broader ranee of scientific exvertise and oninion into the decisionmaking process and helps guard against government by a few exuerts whose uronouncements are sanctified bv scientific terminology. Obviously no individual can embody all the attrihutes of
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18 I
Journal of Chemical Education
chemists, however, have these traits to a greater or lesser extent and take on some of these tasks during their careers. Our challenae to vou asvou read this and in the future. is that vou increasethe iegree io which you are a general chemist and give support and encouragement to others who do the same. Manv ( ~ f -general i chemist's activities constitute education-auf colleagues, uf students, of the vuhlic. Hence these tasks are appmbriate for the Division of'Chemical Education, and the Division has a long history of working on them. The Division's Long-Range Planning Conference of July 1978 ( 7 ) provided new initiatives. If you accept our challenge to become more o f a general chemist, you will find many top-notch chemists within the Division who will welcome your participation. There are many examples of activities of the Division of Chemical Education that fit the criteria stated above. A series of resource papers in this J o u r n a l provides valuable summaries and insights into specialized research. The J o u r n a l has also greatly expanded its section on high school chemistry, communicating with high school teachers. A High School Chemistrv Committee of the Division has recentlv been formed. ~ h r o u g hthis J o u r n a l , high school teachers,Hnd its Task Force on Public understanding- of Chemistrv. " . the Division hopes to reach students who are not oriented toward science careers and the general public. Among other innovations the Division's Program Committee is organizing national-meeting symposia that will introdi~ceattendees to currently pupular research areas, starting a t ground level and building up to the limits of knowledge. All of the activities mentioned here, as well as many that we do ]lot have space to enumerate, will require extra efforts on the part of the persons who carry them out-efforts characteristic of general chemists. To recruit chemists whoare willine tocontrihute time and effort in perfwming its many tasks, the Division of Chemical Education has formed a Committee on Personnel and Nomyou want ta suggest new activities in which the Division should become involved, write to the chairman of the Committee on Personnel and Nominations, Dr. John W. Moore, Department of Chemistry, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI 48197. Give some indication of your interests and expertise, and we will find appropriate work for you to do. We helieve strtmgly that by adopting more fully the attitudes and attrihutes of general chemists a great many of our readers can make significant cantrihutinns to chemistry, to society, and to their personal development. It is especially appropriate to solicit such contributions in this issue of the JOURNAL, because Tom Lippincott's broad view of our profession's applications and responsibilities exemplifies the qualities we value in a general chemist. We know that Tom will continue to contribute to the improvement of chemistry and chemical education, and we hope that others will he induced by his example to do so also.
