Chemical Education Today
News & Announcements News from Journal House Plan Ahead for National Chemistry Week Are you thinking ahead to National Chemistry Week? JCE is! National Chemistry Week (NCW) celebrations take place this year October 22– 28 around the theme of Your Home: It’s All Built on Chemistry, which will also be one of the themes of our October issue. Since this issue will be released in early September, there will be time for incorporation of the JCE materials into your NCW plans. The staff has begun assembling theme-based materials. Here is a peek into what we expect to pack into the issue: Another useful, popular, illustrated Resource Paper that describes previously published JCE articles related to construction techniques and material A Classroom Activity, on preparing cement and observing how various additives affect its properties Collected articles that relate to the theme Specially written brief articles illustrated in color and related to the theme: • Solar Energy in the Home, a report by Betsy True and Danny Aerts • Polymers, a report by John Droske • Cement, a report by Mary Anne White • Radon, a report by Charles (Butch) Atwood • News from Online column, by Kimberly Destefani • CLIPs, Chemical Laboratory Information Profiles, prepared by Jay Young • Research Advances feature, by Angela King • From Past Issues feature column, by Kitty Williams
You or your ACS Local section may obtain extra copies of the October 2006 issue—as well as other JCE materials— for use in NCW workshops and celebrations. To do so get in touch with JCE: by phone at 608/262-5153 or 800/9915534; fax at 608/265-8094; email
[email protected].
Awards Announced Welch Award The Welch Foundation has named Daniel E. Koshland, Jr. of the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, as the 36th recipient of the international Welch Award in Chemistry for advances in understanding enzymes and protein chemistry. The award of $300,000 and a gold medallion will be presented in October at a banquet in his honor.
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Koshland is best known for his “induced fit theory”, an explanation he first proposed in 1958 of how enzymes catalyze the chemical reactions of life, converting one substance into another. This work has had ramifications in biological feedback, drug design, reception function, hormone interaction, transcription factor recognition of DNA, and enzyme catalysis. He held the post of editor-in-chief of Science magazine from 1985 until 1995.
Courses, Seminars, Meetings, Opportunities DivCHED Regional High School Science Teacher Award Program To Begin in 2007
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Loretta Jones, Chair of the Division of Chemical Education (DivCHED), reports that contributions to the Teaching Excellence Endowment have reached $100,000. These funds will be matched equally by DivCHED, bringing the total to $200,000, the minimum amount necessary to launch the DivCHED/ACS Regional High School Science Teacher Award Program in 2007. As required by the Endowment’s founding document, additional involvement of DivCHED members is needed to initiate the Award Program next year. To qualify to receive $1,000 to provide an award for the winning teacher, each Region must establish a procedure for obtaining at least three nominations of exemplary high school science teachers across their Region. In addition, the completed nominations must be evaluated by a selection committee that has at least one DivCHED representative. At the Spring ACS Meeting in Atlanta the Executive Committee voted to make the DivCHED Regional Meetings Committee (Morton Hoffman, Chair) the overseer of the operation of the award programs and the liaison to assist the ten ACS Regions in establishing their nomination and selection protocols. The goal of the Endowment fund is $300,000, which will enable DivCHED to expand the regional award programs to include professional development activities for high school teachers at Regional Meetings, thus increasing the influence of the ACS and DivCHED both educationally and geographically. The Solicitation Committee plans to continue the fund drive through 2006. The current solicitation effort among ACS units and members, professional scientists, and friends of science education will shift at the Fall ACS meeting in San Francisco, when the final drive for contributions will focus on the DivCHED membership. A copy of the general Letter of Solicitation and the form to make a contribution are available in this issue of JCE OnlineW and at the DivCHED Web site http://www.divched.org (see the announcement “Teaching Excellence Endowment”). A Master List of Contributors will be published when the goal of $300,000 is reached and the drive is officially terminated.
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Chemical Education Today
News & Announcements 19 BCCE Update: Register Now! Early registration ends June 26, 2006, for the 19th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education this summer at Purdue University (July 30–August 3, 2006). This includes registration for the Conference, workshops, on-campus housing, meal plans, BCCE shirts and special activities. Late registration ends July 7, 2006. Registration will be accepted at the conference, but on-campus housing cannot be guaranteed and space in some workshops and special activities will not be available. Individual participants and couples can register on line; however, families need to register by fax or by mail. Registration information can be downloaded from http://www.chem.purdue.edu/bcce/ (accessed May 2006) or requested from Bill Robinson, Department of Chemistry,
Purdue University, 560 Oval Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2084; email,
[email protected]; phone, 765/494-5453. The program for the 19th BCCE contains a wide variety of presentations designed to provide you with new ideas, strategies, and techniques for involving your students in active learning. You will find activities that will stimulate your interests. There will be time to meet and talk with your colleagues, to discuss something that you’ve seen, heard, or done, to share your ideas, and to visit the posters and exhibition. You will enjoy opportunities to run and play as well as great social events: for example, The Creighton Players demo show, the 2YC3/JCE ice cream social, and Al D. Hyde and the Key Tones. A BCCE is a great experience for anyone interested in chemical education and serves as a bridge between how we teach and how our students learn.
Proposal Deadlines National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) These NSF deadlines have been established or are anticipated. • •
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Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Full Proposals October 12, 2006 Alliances for Broadening Participation in STEM (ABP) Full Proposals, AGEP June 30, 2006 Full Proposals, LSAMP October 15, 2006 Centers for Learning and Teaching (CLT) Full Proposals August 21, 2006 Course, Curriculum, & Lab Improvement (CCLI) Full Proposals, Phase 2 and 3 January 10, 2007 Informal Science Education (ISE) Full Proposals June 22, 2006 Preliminary Proposals September 14, 2006 Full Proposals December 14, 2006 Preliminary Proposals March 8, 2007 Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) Letter of Intent June 28, 2006 Full Proposals August 30, 2006 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring Full Proposals March 6, 2007 Research Experiences for Undergrads (REU) Full Proposals, REU Site proposals August 17, 2006 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP) Letter of Intent (Type 1 and 2) August 15, 2006 Full Proposals (Type 1 and 2) September 26, 2006
Official deadline dates for proposals will be specified in the new program solicitation for each program, to be published at least three months before the relevant deadline date. Consult the new NSF Education and Human Resources (EHR) Web site (http://www.nsf.gov/dir/index.jsp?org=EHR) and that
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of its Division of Undergraduate Education (http:// www.nsf.gov/dir/index.jsp?div=DUE) for the most up-to-date listings and guidelines; phone: 703/292-8670; email:
[email protected]. The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc. • • • • • • •
Camille Dreyfus Teacher–Scholar Awards Program: November 9, 2006 Faculty Start-Up Awards Program: May 10, 2007 Henry Dreyfus Teacher–Scholar Awards Program: June 29, 2006 New Faculty Awards Program: May 10, 2007 Postdoctoral Program in Environmental Chemistry: May 24, 2007 Senior Scientist Mentor Program: Completed Proposals: October 5, 2006 Special Grant Program in the Chemical Sciences: Completed Proposals: August 24, 2006
Further information and confirmation of the above deadlines may be obtained from The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc., 555 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 100223301; phone: 212/753-1760; email:
[email protected]; WWW: http://www.dreyfus.org/ Research Corporation • • • • •
Cottrell College Science Awards: May 15 and November 15 Cottrell Scholar Awards: September 1 Research Innovation Awards: suspended 2004–2006 Research Opportunity Awards: May 1 and October 1 Special Opportunities in Science Awards: suspended 2006–2008
Further information may be obtained from Research Corporation, 4703 East Camp Lowell Drive, Suite 201, Tucson, AZ 85712; phone: 520/571-1111; fax: 520/571-1119; email:
[email protected]; WWW: http://www.rescorp.org/.
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Chemical Education Today
Today’s Science for Tomorrow’s Scientists
For more information and to obtain access to TSTS, contact Caroline Pharr:
[email protected].
Today’s Science for Tomorrow’s Scientists (TSTS) is an interactive, Web-based means for introducing current research at a level that is appropriate for students in grades 5–8 and 9– 12. Research is introduced in the context of a research group—the people who do the research, the research problems being addressed, and the importance of the research to the general public. At present TSTS modules describe each of three research groups: one in inorganic, one in organic, and one in biochemistry. The TSTS Web site is designed to be easy for teachers to use and includes a Teacher’s Corner that suggests when it would be appropriate to introduce TSTS into the curriculum. TSTS content is aligned with the National Science Education Standards. The goals of TSTS are to improve students’ attitudes toward science, to improve students’ understanding of research and the research environment, and to teach students content that is aligned with the National Science Education Standards. A template has been developed to make it easy for other research groups to create their own TSTS modules, and we encourage others to contribute. We are also interested in finding middle school and high school science teachers who would like to try out TSTS modules and provide constructive criticisms and suggestions.
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Astronomy Education Resource Guide The nonprofit Astronomical Society of the Pacific has just released a new annotated listing of more than 90 books, articles, and Web sites that deal with the astronomy of diverse cultures around the world. The readings cover the astronomical work and ideas of South and Central America, Hawaii and Polynesia, Africa, India, and Islamic countries. Also included are the astronomical ideas of the Native Americans of North America, issues relating to people of color in the U.S., plus a small set of readings about Asian and ancient European cultures. Most of the resources cited are nontechnical and can be used in introductory courses and public programs. A small number of technical volumes are included at the end for specialists. The guide can be found the Astronomical Society of the Pacific Web site at http://www.astrosociety.org/education/ resources/multi.html (accessed May 2006). Suggestions for additional non-technical resources are welcome. This resource list is one of a series of educational guides for instructors and communicators of astronomy that have been released by the Society as part of its goal of serving as a clearinghouse for those involved in astronomy education and outreach.
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