Scenarios in Science Sharon J. Sherman and Alan Sherman Middlesex County College, Edison, NJ 08818 Manv students who are nonscience majors are enrolling in sciencerourses today at hoth the high sch,x,l and mllege Ie\.els. These students are interested in learning more than wience history and fact. They want to know how science and technology are affecting them now and how it will affect them in the future. A technique that we have employed while teaching nonscience majors a t our school involves the use of scenarios as introductions to the topics under discussion. These scenarios are sometimes biased and may take either a positive or negative view of the suhject matter. Most important, the scenario gets the student involved in the topic and sets the stage for an in-depth discussion once a particular chapter in the course has been covered. Here is our suggested method of operation. A scenario is presented to the student in hand-out form a t the time that a new topic is introduced. The majority of students have not yet begun to read the assigned chapter. A short discussion of the suhject matter follows and students are allowed t o ask questions pertaining to the topic. On many occasions it becomes apparent that the students are not familiar with the suhject matter and are not ahle to discuss the issues raised by the scenario. The students clearly see the need to read the text assignment, as well as any supplementary material available, and attend the lectures so that they will be ahle to participate in an in-depth discussion of the scenario upon conclusion of the topic. What follows are examnles of three scenarios that we use in uur nonscience majors chemistry course. The first scenariu is entitled "New Hdics for Old." It is used as an introduction to the course when discusiing the impact ofchemical sriencr and chemical tcchn~rlowin todas's world. The second srenario is called "The Day w e ~ o s t - ~ eJersey." w I t presents a somewhat biased view of nuclear enerev and serves as an introdurt~onto the topic of nuclear energy and nuclear power. We must point nut. lest we otfrnd the . proponents of nuclear . power, that although this particular scenario appears somewhat one-sided, it is quite successful in getting the students involved in the suhject matter. A well-balanced view of nuclear energy is presented in class. When students have read the assigned material and attended lectures, they have sufficient information to allow them to make their own decisions regarding nuclear power. The third scenario entitled "Starting Off Right9'isused to introduce the suhject of food chemistry. The scenario deals with the topic of infant formula versus breast milk. As you read these short scenarios, keep in mind their main purpose which is to whet the student's interest and foster involvement in the suhject matter.
of war and destruction and decided instead to pool their knowledge and wealth to improve the human condition. Many of the problems that plagued human society in the late 1900's wete brought under control by 2025. Programs to stabilize population growth and produce adequate food for those living on the planet were hecomina effective. Medical science, as well as the iatural sciences such-as biology, chemistry, and physics reached new frontiers. However, it was the discovery in this year of 2050 that was to bring startling news to the scientific community. Scientists and engineers had transplanted the brain of an individual into an artificial hody. The new hody had the appearance of a human heine and functioned in a comnletelv humanlike manner. The transplant had been a success. The ramifications of this event were awesome. This new hodv would not m e and would last 200 years!
Scenario: New Bodlea for Old The year is 2050. During the first fifty years of the 21st centurv science and technoloev were used hv the zovernments of the earth to improve the q&Iity of life on this planet for all .~ e o.n l eI. t was the vear 2000 when the maior powers on this planet agreed to stop spending billions of dollars in weapons
Scenarlo: Starting Off Right I t is the year 2010; a step into the 21st century. A baby has just been horn and has been given to her mother to he fed. The baby is heing breast-fed and a natural process is taking place once again. The mother is relaxed and comfortable and the baby is heing well nourished. :
248
Journal of Chemical Education
Scenario: The Day We Lost New Jersey It is a hrieht. snnnv dav in New Jersev on April 5,1990. New Jersey has&wn throuih the years t o become a major industrial state in the northeast; a state that consumes a tremendous amount of industrial power. Almost 80% of this power is supplied by ten nuclear power plants located either in the state or surrounding it. Two of these power plants are off the coast of Atlantic City, built onmanmade islands in the Atlantic Ocean. New Jersey is not a state that is prone tomany natural hazards. Tornados, hurricanes, and earthquakes are infrequent. That is why it came as such a complete suprise when on this day a major earthquake hit the state, sending shock waves from Boston to Virginia Beach. The quake was as strong as the one that devastated the city of San Francisco in the earlv 1900's. However. in New Jersev the results were more devastating. The earthquake demolished numerous buildings and tore up many roads. The quake was centered on the central Jersey coast, not a highly populated region. Large numbers of people were not killed by the initial devastation. The problems arose with the four nuclear power plants located iust off the coast and with those located on the coast of the key shore. Althouah these plants were supposed to he earthquakeproof, they weie noi strong enough & withstand the power of this wake. Sections of these power plants broke away. Cooling systems were lost and the atomic eores heated to meltdowa Radioactive clouds of steam were dispersed into the atmosphere. Offshore breezes blew the clouds across the state. Tens-of-thousands of New Jersey residents died of the effects of this radiation and tens-of-thousands more were to die of radiation-linked diseases.
Toward the end of the 20th century, during the last few decades, a trend toward artificial feeding of infants was seen. In the industrialized countries of the world substitutes for breast milk became easily available. Millions of mothers gave their infants formulas made from pasteurized cow's milk. These babies showed a fine pattern of growth and weight gain. But experts learned that breast milk was better. I t provides the infant with some forms of immunitv to disease. I t is more easily digested and it rarely causes an ailergicreaction. Breast milk also contains a natural laxative. Problems arose with artificial feeding in many of the Middle Eastern and African countries and in South and Central America, as well. Largely as a result of commercial advertising, urban women of these countries abandoned breast-feeding and swtiched to milk formulas. In the absence of ahsolutely safe drinking water, good sanitary conditions, and refrigeration, baby formulas sometimes became carriers of common infections. This caused several diseases which were once seen mainlv in older children to he seen in infants. Re-education of thepopulation as to the values of breast-feeding reversed this trend. Even an undernourished mother is able to produce 400 to 600 ml of milk daily for her child. In the year 2010, this is the more advisable method of feedine infants throuehout the world. Using the Scenarios
After reading these introductory scenarios, the student realizes that in order to understand and discuss a sciencerelated issue, the scientific concepts behind the issue must be studied. At this point the instructor begins the lecture material. The six hasic questions--who, what, where, when, how, and whv-will he answered in the lecture and lead to an understanding of the topic. The instructor must he careful to noint out to the students that their o ~ i n i o nmust s not necessarily agree with the view presented in the scenario. The
scenarios are in many cases one-sided, and designed specifically to promote discussion. After studying nuclear power it might he a good idea to plan a nuclear power plant discussion session. Students can choose or be assigned pro-nuclear or anti-nuclear sides. They then present their views in a debate or planned discussion session. Students will see that the group armed with the greatest amount of research material and facts will be able to argue a stronger case. Students might also try to write their own scenarios to demonstrate another point of view on some of the other topics. There are several uses for this teaching tool in science education. It can be the basis of a one-semester course at the high school level called "Decision Making in our Technological Age!' Here students would be presented with the various issues facing us today and learn how to evaluate these issues. Another use a t the high school level is the application of this technique t o add relevance to the topics studied in science class. After scientific principles are learned, the instructor can point out the applications of these scientific principles and discuss the issues which have developed as a result of these technological advancements. Finally, we use this technique in our college level nonscience majors course to introduce and motivate students in chemistry and teach about the decision-making process. As we progress in the area of science education i t is clear that science courses for nonscience majors and high school students which present only science fact are not sufficient. While understanding concepts is central to learning and uncovering new information, the effect of science on humanity is of significance. The students of today who will be the leaders of the future must have a clear picture of how scientific discoveries can affect us both positively as well as negatively. Only in this manner will they be able to make logical decisions based primarily on fact and not on emotional persuasion.
Volume 61
Number 3
March 1984
249
