Chemical Education Today edited by
Jonathan R. Hill University of Iowa Iowa City, IA 52242
February 2010 News & Announcements News from JCE Thank You for Taking the JCE Survey! We at the Journal of Chemical Education thank everyone who completed our online survey regarding what you value about the Journal. With the information you have provided, JCE will maintain and improve its standing as the premier resource for chemical educators across the world. Thank you! Courses, Seminars, Meetings, Opportunities ACS High School Chemistry Clubs (ChemClub) Are you a high school teacher? Do you want to get your students excited about chemistry outside of the typical classroom environment? Then consider starting an ACS High School Chemistry Club (ChemClub)! There are already more than 250 ChemClubs across the United States, with more being chartered every day. Among other activities, ChemClubs give high school students the opportunity to plan and do chemistryrelated activities, learn about chemistry careers, and perform chemistry demonstrations for elementary school students. ACS supports chartered ChemClubs with fun and useful materials, including resource packets, T-shirts, and copies of ChemMatters and the Journal of Chemical Education. Joining the program is free of cost, as are the materials that you will receive. For more information about ACS ChemClubs, visit the ChemClub Web site at http://www.acs.org/chemclub (accessed Dec 2009) or contact the ACS Education Division by emailing them at
[email protected]. National Science Teachers Association Conference The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) 58th National Conference will be held in Philadelphia during March 18-21, 2010. Among the offerings at the conference will be three JCErelated presentations:
• Linking Literature and Science: A “Hook” for All Ages (Friday, March 19, 5-6 p.m.) • See It Today, Use It Tomorrow (Saturday, March 20, 11 a.m. -12 p.m.) • How to Publish Your Ideas in a Professional Journal (Saturday, March 20, 12:30-1:30 p.m.)
Register early for reduced rates. The deadline to receive an “early bird” registration rate is January 22. The deadline to receive an “advance” registration rate is February 22. For complete registration information, go to the NSTA registration Web site: http://www.nsta.org/conferences/2010phi/registration. aspx (accessed Dec 2009). New Web Site: WatchKnow.org Cofounder of Wikipedia Larry Sanger has consulted with teachers, professors, and educational experts to develop a new
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Web site designed to enhance the classroom learning experience. The nonprofit site, http://www.watchknow.org/, provides a directory for some of the best educational videos on the Web and features more than 10,000 videos across 2000 categories. For videos specifically related to chemistry, go to the chemistry category site: http://www.watchknow.org/Category.aspx?Category ID=126 (both accessed Dec 2009). Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Chemical Education Now Available A volume of selected papers presented at the 20th International Conference on Chemical Education (ICCE), held in Mauritius in August 2008, is now available. The theme of the conference was Chemistry in the ICT Age. For more information on the contents of the volume and its pricing, go to the Proceedings order page at http://springer.com/978-1-40209731-7 (accessed Dec 2009). Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy PITTCON will be held February 28-March 5, 2010, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. Conferees registering before February 1, 2010, will save 50% on the registration fee. Also included in this year's registration fee is one ticket to “Pittcon Night at Universal Studios”, on Wednesday, March 3, 2010, from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. Shuttle service from the hall to the park will be provided free of charge. Did you know that proceeds from PITTCON fund science education and outreach at all levels, from kindergarten through adult? Specifically, PITTCON 2010 will donate nearly a million dollars in the form of science equipment grants, research grants, scholarships, and internships for students, awards to teachers and professors, and grants to public science centers, libraries, and museums. Visit http://www.pittcon.org/ for more information (accessed Dec 2009). Computational Chemistry and Its Applications The fifth Workshop on Computational Chemistry and Its Applications (CCA) will be held as part of the International Conference on Computational Science. The workshop is scheduled for May 31-June 2, 2010, and will be held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. For more information, go to the CCA workshop page at http://www.uom.ac.mu/Faculties/FOS/Chemistry/ cca/ (accessed Dec 2009). International Conference on Pure and Applied Chemistry The 2010 International Conference on Pure and Applied Chemistry (ICPAC) will be held July 26-30, 2010 in Mauritius. The theme this year is Chemistry for Sustainable Development. For more information, go to the ICPAC conference Web site at http://www.uom.ac.mu/icpac/ (accessed Dec 2009).
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r 2010 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc. pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc Vol. 87 No. 2 February 2010 10.1021/ed8000717 Published on Web 01/12/2010
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21st Biennial Conference on Chemical Education The 21st Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE) will be held August 1-5, 2010, at the University of North Texas, Denton, TX. The conference emphasizes the improvement of chemical education, relates modern developments in chemistry to classroom instruction, and is highly respected in the broader international education community. The 21st BCCE 2010 will focus on a wide range of critically important issues in chemical education that address the complex and subtle relationships of teaching, learning, and research. You do not have to be a member of the ACS or DivCHED to attend or present at the BCCE, but you do need to register! Abstract submissions close on February 12, 2010. Early registration begins on March 2, 2010. To receive current information and deadline notifications, join the listserv at http://chemed.tamu.edu/bcce2010. For general information about the conference, go to the 21st BCCE Web site: http://www.bcce2010.org/ (both accessed Dec 2009). Award Deadlines 2010 James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Teaching of Chemistry Nominations are invited for the 2010 James Flack Norris Award. The Award consists of a certificate and an honorarium of $3000 and is given annually by the Northeastern Section of the ACS (NESACS). The presentation will take place at a ceremony and dinner in November 2010 and will include a formal address by the awardee. The Award was established in 1950 by NESACS to honor the memory of James Flack Norris (1871-1940), a professor of chemistry at Simmons College and M.I.T., chair of NESACS in 1904, and ACS President in 1925-26. Nominees should have served with special distinction as teachers of chemistry at the secondary level or beyond: high school, college, or graduate school. With the presentation of the first Award in 1951, awardees have included many eminent teachers at all levels whose efforts have had a wide-ranging effect on chemical education. The recipient will be selected from an international list of nominees who have served with special distinction as teachers of chemistry with significant achievements. A nomination in the form of a letter should focus on the candidate's contributions to and effectiveness in teaching chemistry. The nominee's curriculum vitae should be included and, where appropriate, a list of honors, awards, and publications related to chemical education. Seconding letters may also be included; these should show the impact of the nominee's teaching for inspiring colleagues and students toward an active life in the chemical sciences and attest to the influence of the nominee's other activities in chemical education, such as textbooks, journal articles, or other professional activity at the local, national, and international level. The nomination materials should consist of the primary nomination letter, supporting letters, and the candidate's curriculum vitae. Reprints or other publications should not be included. The material should not exceed 30 pages and should be submitted electronically in PDF format by April 15, 2010 to Marilou Cashman, NESACS Administrative Secretary, at mcash0953@ aol.com. For more information about the Award, see http://www. nesacs.org/awards_norris.html (accessed Dec 2009).
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Questions about the Award or the nomination process should be directed (by email:
[email protected]) to the Chair of the Norris Award Committee, Mary Shultz, Tufts University. The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc. The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation offers many awards, including the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards and the Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program; see http://www.dreyfus.org/ (accessed Dec 2009). Research Corporation for Science Advancement Research Corporation for Science Advancement offers the Cottrell College Science Awards and the Cottrell Scholar Awards; see their Web site http://www.rescorp.org/ (accessed Dec 2009). Proposal Deadlines American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) provides grants to support the advancement of the chemical sciences through research, education, and community projects. Learn how you can benefit by visiting http://www.acs.org/ and browsing to Funding & Awards and then Grants (accessed Dec 2009). National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) offers many diffrent funding opportunities; see http://www.nsf.gov/funding/. Information is also available at the NSF Education and Human Resources (EHR) Web site, http://www.nsf.gov/dir/index.jsp? org=EHR, and that of its Division of Undergraduate Education, http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?org=DUE (all sites accessed Dec 2009). U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad Program ACS is currently accepting applications from college teachers for a position as mentor for the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad program. The deadline for completed applications is January 29, 2010, so hurry! To learn more, go to http:// www.acs.org/ and browse this path: Education > Students > High School > Chemistry Olympiad > Competition Process > Mentors (accessed Dec 2009). POGIL Project Sponsors High School Initiative The POGIL (Process-Oriented, Guided-Inquiry Learning) Project continues to support the High School POGIL Initiative (HSPI) through September 2011. Submissions are being accepted for peer review. Applications for classroom testers of reviewed activities will also now be accepted. For further information about HSPI, to view sample activities, and to download application forms, visit the POGIL Web site at http://new.pogil. org/high-school/hspi (accessed Dec 2009). Do You Have News or Announcements to Share? If you have news or announcements of interest to the chemical education community, send them to Jonathan (Rob) Hill, Development Editor, at
[email protected].
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r 2010 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
