Chemical Education Today
Association Report: ACS Division of Chemical Education
Executive Committee Report, September 2002 by Jerry L. Sarquis, Morton Z. Hoffman, and Melanie Cooper
At the Executive Committee Meeting Carol White and Marie Sherman were appointed to the Board of Publication and Uni Susskind and Richard (Dick) Ward were appointed to the Examinations Institute Board of Trustees.
Spring 2003 National Meeting All CHED members are invited to attend the CHED governance meetings that will be held in conjunction with the Spring 2003 ACS Meeting in New Orleans. On Saturday morning, March 22, the Executive Committee will meet and on Tuesday afternoon, March 25, the Business Meeting will be held. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend these meetings. Other committee and task force meetings may also be held. The time and location of open meetings will be posted on the Division’s Web page, http:// divched.chem.wisc.edu/divched (accessed Oct 2002), when they are known, closer to the time of the meeting. Emeritus Membership Some members may be eligible for CHED emeritus status. A CHED member who has accumulated at least 25
Results, ACS Division of Chemical Education 2002 Election of Officers
Chair Elect (Chair in 2004) •
John Clevenger, Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, NV 89512;
[email protected] Treasurer (2003–2005) •
Anna Wilson, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907;
[email protected] Councilor (2003–2005) •
Claire A. Baker, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, Indianapolis, IN 46268;
[email protected] Alternate Councilor (2003–2005) •
Carol L. White, Athens Area Technical Institute, Athens, GA 30610;
[email protected] Alternate Councilor (2003) •
Laura Pence, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT 06117;
[email protected] Information about membership in the Division may be obtained from the Secretary, whose address is listed on the Information Page on p 1416.
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Bill Robinson, Chair-Elect, conveys the thanks and appreciation of the Division to Dwaine and Lucy Eubanks for their years of service to the Examinations Institute.
years of paid membership in the Division and has been certified for emeritus status in ACS may, upon request to the Treasurer, become an emeritus member of the Division. Such a member shall pay no membership dues and shall have all the privileges of membership. Unfortunately, this is not automatic once you have been granted ACS emeritus status. You still must make a separate request to the CHED Treasurer, Anna Wilson,
[email protected].
Election Results The ballots from the 2003 election of officers have been counted. The results appear at the left. Examinations Institute Dwaine Eubanks has stepped down as Director of the Examinations Institute and Lucy Pryde Eubanks as Associate Director. They were honored at the Division banquet held at the Museum of Science in Boston. Tom Holme of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee became Director in July 2002. He may be reached and information about examinations can be found at http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/ chemexams/. Outreach Report: CHED Receives ACS Mini-Grant The Division of Chemical Education has been awarded a mini-grant of $1,500 from the ACS Membership Activities Department for the purpose of preparing and providing materials about its activities and membership in the ACS for high school chemistry teachers who attend regional meetings; the photo on p 1411 catches outreach in action. High school chemistry teachers are among the most under-represented group of chemical educators within the membership of the ACS and CHED. For many years, CHED has worked to connect high school teachers to the ACS through high school programs at national meetings. Although CHED members have been active participants at regional meetings for many years, it is only recently that CHED has developed a new, proactive initiative (led by the
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 79 No. 12 December 2002 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
Photo by Morton Z. Hoffman
Secretary’s Report
Chemical Education Today
Regional Meetings Committee, which is chaired by Mort Hoffman) to enhance chemical education programming, increase the presence of the Division, and establish strong connections (jointly with the High School Committee) with the teachers who attend the high school program. The funds will be used to prepare the materials, maintain their supply, and expedite their shipment from the new CHED Outreach Office (located at the University of Wisconsin–Madison [see p 1421]). High school teachers will be provided with copies of the Journal, materials from the ACS Examinations Institute, and CHED, including newsletters, booklets of abstracts from the previous national meeting, and membership information. Report from the ACS Council A number of actions were carried out during the Council meeting at the 224th ACS National Meeting in August 2002 in Boston. William H. Breazeale, Jr., Peter K. Dorhout, Nancy B. Jackson, Mamie W. Moy, and Wanda W. Rauscher were elected to the Committee on Committees. Eric C. Bigham, Martha L. Casey, Janan M. Hayes, and Sharon P. Shoemaker were elected to the Council Policy Committee. Peter M. Christie, Valerie J. Kuck, Bonnie Lawlor, James W. Long, and Sara J. Risch were elected to the Committee on Nominations and Elections. After a long and passionate discussion the Council voted to increase the
size of Society committees to a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 20 members, (up from a minimum of nine and a maximum of 15); the hand vote was 67.6%: 263 for, 126 against, 5 abstentions. Since the passing vote exceeded the required 2/3 vote by a very small margin, a motion was made to formalize it with a paper ballot; however this vote failed to meet the standard of passage by 3/10 of those present. Therefore the original hand vote still stands, and the resolution to increase the size of committees passed. In his address to the Council, ACS President Eli Pearce discussed his three main focal points: diversity, globalization, and education. He indicated that women make up about 25% of the present ACS membership, but 50% of new members are women. However not much progress has been made in attracting African American, Latino, or Native American members into the society. A Presidential Symposium highlighting the achievements of women at the forefront of chemistry was held at this conference. There have been continuing efforts to make connections with “sister” organizations in other countries, with the goal of setting international standards to improve international trade in the chemical industry. On the education front there are continuing efforts to improve the image of chemical sciences with the general public and the government. In addition Pearce reiterated the need to increase interdisciplinary content in the chemistry curriculum, both at the graduate and the undergraduate level.
Below: Mickey Sarquis (CHED chair) and Jerry Sarquis (CHED secretary) at the Fall ACS Meeting in Boston, posing at their poster describing CHED activities.
Photos by Morton Z. Hoffman
ffoorrtt!! f E f E h c h a c uuttrree a O O e h e t h t n i n JJoo i
Top Right: Mort Hoffman and Dick Hermens heading the outreach effort at the recent NORM meeting in Spokane. Bottom Right: Frank Torre poses in front of his poster that describes in photographs CHED symposia and activities.
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 79 No. 12 December 2002 • Journal of Chemical Education
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Chemical Education Today
Association Report President-Elect Elsa Reichmanis gave a report indicating that her focus as President will be on communication— with the public, the media, government officials, our sister disciplines, and the media. She said we should talk about the value of chemistry and its capacity to positively affect daily life. Past-President Attila Pavlath gave an emotional report on his efforts to initiate change, which was followed by a standing ovation; there was a resolution from the floor praising his efforts and accomplishments that passed by acclamation. Nina McClelland, Chair of the ACS Board of Trustees, made an appeal in her report to reach out to international fellow scientific societies. Other actions and announcements included: the Budget and Finance Committee reported a significant shortfall in the society’s advertising and investment income, resulting in a net deficit of $4.2 million to date this year. However, all Board-established budgetary guidelines will be met. The committee will put up a Web site in the near future so that members may view financial information at any time. The Society Committee on Education reported that they had discussed the restructuring of chemistry education to become more interdisciplinary at both graduate and undergraduate levels. A call was made for increased collaboration with NSTA to develop standards for chemistry teacher preparation. Another collaboration with Educational Testing Service about the AP chemistry curriculum was discussed, and the committee looked into membership requirements for high school chemistry teachers. Current education projects of the Society under development are the “inquiry in actions” for elementary school teachers, and the ACS general chemistry textbook, which is currently in beta form and will be published in 2003. Undergraduates continue to participate in ACS national meetings; there were 103 undergraduate research posters at the Boston meeting. The Committee on Science reported plans for upcoming meetings that would reflect President-Elect Reichmanis’s
theme of communication. In New Orleans (Spring 2003), symposia on long-range research and communication are scheduled; in New York (Fall 2003), Global Warming and Life, and Homeland Security are scheduled. The Committee on Meetings and Expositions reported that there was total attendance of 17,121, comprised of 12,478 attendees, 2,064 exhibitors, and 1,979 guests at the Boston meeting. (Ours was the largest meeting to be held in Boston since the September 11th disaster.) At the 2003 national meetings, the advance meeting registration fee will be increased to $275. A new A/V policy for national meetings will provide an overhead projector, a screen, an LCD projector, a podium microphone, and a lapel microphone; a 35mm slide projector will be provided only by special request. In 2003 members will be able to renew their membership online. A petition to approve nonU.S. applicants as Society Affiliates was passed. Frank D. Blum reported for the Committee on Divisional Activities that a new funding method for divisions and local sections is sorely needed. Sixteen out of the 33 ACS divisions run a deficit, which is helped by stop-gap funding from the Board. However, most people agree that divisions are underfunded. The Council considered a draft petition to increase funds to divisions; this will come up for action at the New Orleans meeting. However there are reservations about changing funding at a time when the current financial climate is not strong. The Committee on Local Section Activities announced they are seeking new ACS tour speakers, particularly women and industrial chemists. The Chemical Safety Committee is publishing the seventh edition of Safety in the Academic Laboratories. It will consist of a volume for students and a volume for faculty/ administrators. In addition, a pocket guide for students will be prepared. (To obtain copies or for information, contact the ACS Office of Society Services, 800/227-5558. Single copies are free, additional copies at a small charge; see also http://chemistry.org/committees/ccs/ [accessed Oct 2002]).
A special offer from the CHED Exams Institute CHEM ED EXAMS
If you are not now a CHED member but become one, you are eligible for a special discount on the purchase of exams made within two months of your becoming a member. When you join the Division, you may also want to become involved with the Institute by volunteering your services. It’s a great way to get to know some fine people as well as contribute your expertise. Information about standardized examinations, general and organic chemistry study guides, test-item banks, small-scale laboratory assessment activities, and other Exams Institute products is available at http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/chemexams/. Contact Examinations Institute, UW-Milwaukee Chemistry Department, 3210 N. Cramer Street, Milwaukee, WI 53211-3029; phone: 414/229-5680; email:
[email protected].
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Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 79 No. 12 December 2002 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
