Chemical Education Today
ACS National Meeting
Photo courtesy of Paul S. and Brenda H. Cohen
Program for the Division of Chemical Education: Boston, MA, August 23–27, 1998 by Frank Torre, Julie Smist, and Tom Wildeman
Sunday, August 23 Morning
The Boston skyline, as seen from Cambridge.
A. NSF-Catalyzed Innovations in the Undergraduate Laboratory DeWitt Stone, Organizer, Presiding
This symposium includes a lead-off paper by a member of the NSF staff that focuses upon the recent pattern of ILI awards and upon some of the present interests of the foundation. The remaining papers will be presented by a chemistry faculty member who received an ILI grant within the last six years and will report on a recent curriculum improvement project.
these areas into the curriculum. In this symposium, the people doing research will explain how they bring their research into the physical chemistry course. Important concepts, successful teaching methods, and lecture materials used to present the ideas will be explained.
B. Connecting Undergraduate Analytical Courses to Modern Analytical Chemistry: New Courses, New Curricula Thomas Gilbert, Organizer, Presiding
(This symposium is co-listed by CHED; it will be in the program for SOCED and starts at 11 a.m.) Diane Bunce of The Catholic University of America will lead a workshop for chemistry students and faculty members about how to learn chemistry. Bunce will attempt to explain some reasons behind the difficulties in teaching and learning chemistry. She will also suggest different approaches to learning chemistry to reduce frustration levels. This workshop is sponsored by the Society Committee on Education.
Successful attempts to revise the way we teach the “unit operations” of analytical chemistry will be addressed by presenting them in the context of solving current problems in biological and environmental sciences. These revisions have resulted in modifications to both laboratory and lecture portions of the undergraduate course in quantitative analysis. Many involve a de-emphasis of classical methods of volumetric and gravimetric analyses and increased emphasis on sample preparation and analytical separations. C. Teaching Science in Nontraditional Formats Stephen Weininger and Richard Rice, Organizers, Stephen Weininger, Presiding
D. Physical Chemistry: Taking the Research to the Students Geraldine Richmond and Theresa Zielinski, Organizers Theresa Zielinski, Presiding
(This symposium is co-sponsored by CHED; it will be in the PHYS division.) Recently, research areas in physical chemistry have changed dramatically, and the question is how to integrate All technical sessions will be in Hynes Convention Center. Unless otherwise noted here or in the final program, morning sessions begin at 9 a.m. and afternoon sessions begin at 2 p.m. Frank Torre (email:
[email protected]) and Julie Smist (email:
[email protected]) are the Meeting Chairs for the Boston Meeting; Tom Wildeman (email:
[email protected]) is the Program Committee Chair for the Division of Chemical Education.
For more information about the Fall 1998 ACS National Meeting in Boston, here are some places to begin: Meeting program, All ACS Divisions
• Preliminary program, including registration and hotel reservation forms: Chemical & Engineering News, the June 22, 1998 issue and the ACS Web site: http:// www.acs.org/meetings/ • Final Program with session locations: Chemical & Engineering News, the July 27, 1998 issue and the ACS Meetings Web site: http://www.acs.org/meetings/ Division of Chemical Education Program and Activities
• Abstracts of CHED sessions: CHED Newsletter, Fall 1998. The Newsletter is mailed to all Division members in July. Non-members should contact the Division Secretary (see The Information Column, p 978). • General information about Boston such as attractions, museums, restaurants, program highlights can be found in the CHED Newsletter, on JCE Online+, and in the issues of Chemical & Engineering News noted above. • CHED committee meetings will take place in the Boston Park Plaza Hotel; CHED technical sessions will take place in Hynes Convention Center.
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Boston Information
Some of the most exciting innovations in undergraduate education today are taking place in science courses. This includes those designed for non-majors because these are students who do not necessarily need in-depth study but still need some understanding of science and its importance to the world they are preparing to enter. This symposium highlights some of the novel approaches to teaching science—for both majors and non-majors—in nontraditional formats.
E. Chemistry Survival Guide
Chemical Education Today
ACS National Meeting Sunday, August 23 Afternoon A. NSF-Catalyzed Innovations in the Undergraduate Laboratory
DeWitt Stone, Organizer Susan Hixon, Presiding B. Connecting Undergraduate Analytical Courses to Modern Analytical Chemistry: Bioanalytical Chemistry Thomas Gilbert, Organizer, Presiding C. Teaching Science in Nontraditional Formats Stephen Weininger and Richard Rice, Organizers Richard Rice, Presiding D. Physical Chemistry: Taking the Research to the Students
(This symposium is co-sponsored by CHED; it will be in the PHYS division.)
C. High School Program Bette Bridges, Organizer, Presiding
The High School Program will focus on two things: using graphing calculators and a presentation of the best demonstrations from the New England Chemistry Teachers.
Visit the Journal! Booth 826 at the ACS Exposition in Boston
D. Presentation of the Northeast Regional High School Teacher Award
Richard A. Brown, Recipient Adrienne Koslowski, Organizer, Presiding E. Teaching Science in Nontraditional Formats Stephen Weininger and Richard Rice, Organizers, Thomas DeVore, Presiding
Geraldine Richmond and Theresa Zielinski, Organizers; Geraldine Richmond, Presiding
F. Physical Chemistry: Taking the Research to the Students Geraldine Richmond and Theresa Zielinski, Organizers; Marcy Hamby Towns, Presiding
Evening: 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
(This symposium is co-sponsored by CHED; it will be in the PHYS division.)
A. JCE 75th Anniversary: Gala Celebration Doris Kolb and Kenneth Kolb, Organizers, Presiding
G. Opportunities Available in High School Teaching Marci Harvey and John Sowa, Organizers, Presiding
The diamond anniversary of the Journal of Chemical Education will be celebrated with a gala poster session about the Journal’s past, future, and points in between that is concurrent with a mixer with refreshments. A Journal symposium will follow all day Monday. B. General Poster Papers Ronald Wikholm, Organizer, Presiding
Monday, August 24
(This symposium is co-sponsored by CHED; it will be in the Young Chemists Committee program.)
Luncheon, 12:15–1:15 p.m. High School / College Interface Luncheon
Ticket information cna be found with the preliminary program in the June 22, 1998 issue of Chemical & Engineering News or contact Bette Bridges at
[email protected].
Morning
Afternoon
A. JCE 75th Anniversary: “Remembering Yesterday; Looking Toward Tomorrow” 8:30 a.m. Doris Kolb and Kenneth Kolb, Organizers Doris Kolb, Presiding
A. JCE 75th Anniversary: “Remembering Yesterday; Looking Toward Tomorrow” Doris Kolb and Kenneth Kolb, Organizers, Kenneth Kolb, Presiding
This symposium honors the Journal on its diamond anniversary. In the morning speakers will Remember Yesterday; in the afternoon they will describe the present and Look Forward to Tomorrow.
B. Connecting Undergraduate Analytical Courses to Modern Analytical Chemistry: Analyses of the “Real World”
B. Using a Portable Mass Spectrometer in the Undergraduate Laboratory Curriculum Michael Henchman and Colin Steel, Organizers, Presiding
Because modern chemistry relies increasingly on the mass spectrometer, undergraduates must use it in the laboratory. This symposium will describe a simple, inexpensive student mass spectrometer; a set of suitable experiments ranging from freshman to senior year; a computer program that simulates how the mass spectrometer “works”; and examples of the modern use of mass spectrometry, ranging from moon rocks to medical diagnosis.
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Thomas Gilbert, Organizer, Presiding C. High School Program Bette Bridges, Organizer, Presiding D. Undergraduate Research Posters, 1:30 p.m. LaTrease Garrison, Organizer, Presiding
Evening Sci-Mix, 8:00 p.m.
Student Affiliates Poster Session LaTrease Garrison, Organizer, Presiding
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 75 No. 8 August 1998 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
Chemical Education Today
ACS National Meeting Tuesday, August 25
Evening
Morning
CHED Business Meeting, 5:00 p.m., (Section A meeting room)
A. Hubert N. Alyea Memorial Symposium Bassam Shakhashiri, Organizer, Presiding
Division Social Hour, Cruise, and Banquet, 5:45 p.m. A cruise of Boston Harbor celebrating the 75th Anniversary of JCE and honoring the 70th birthday of Glenn Crosby will meet at Rowe’s Wharf at 5:45 p.m. and return at 9:30 p.m. See the preliminary program in the June 22 issue of C&EN for ticket details.
The symposium will focus on Alyea’s influence in two major areas: demonstrations and microscale chemistry. B. General Chemistry and Chemistry for General Students Basudeb DasSarma and Conrad Bergo, Organizers Basudeb DasSarma, Presiding
Post secondary chemistry is introduced in many tiers— general chemistry for science, engineering, and medicine majors; chemistry for nurses and other soft-tech professionals; chemistry for (non)science majors under titles such as consumer chemistry, environmental chemistry, chemistry for the public, and the like. Is it possible or desirable to agree on some basic concepts that should form the core of all introductory college chemistry? C. Rewards and Challenges: Experiences of Young College Chemistry Faculty Laura Pence and Harry Pence, Organizers, Presiding
There are many challenges facing the young men and women who comprise the new generation of college chemistry professors. Competition for teaching positions is intense. New teachers need to develop new teaching methods, including the use of educational technology. Funding, both from the local campus and from grants, is often more difficult to obtain. These papers describe constructive and innovative ways that faculty who have not yet received tenure are responding to these problems and discussing the types of support that are most useful.
Afternoon A. Hubert N. Alyea Memorial Symposium Bassam Shakhashiri, Organizer, Presiding B. General Chemistry and Chemistry for General Students Basudeb DasSarma and Conrad Bergo, Organizers Conrad Bergo, Presiding C. Symposium in Honor of the Seventieth Birthday of Glenn A. Crosby: Research Morton Hoffman, and Alan Crosby, Organizers Alan Crosby, Presiding
Glenn Crosby of Washington State University has made significant contributions to chemistry for more than four decades through his research in the photochemistry and spectroscopy of transition-metal, coordination complexes and his wide-ranging activities on behalf of chemical education and the ACS. This symposium will honor Glenn on his 70th birthday with speakers who have been influenced by his drive and vision in research and education.
Wednesday, August 26 Morning A. The Role of Chemistry in Art Michael Henchman, Organizer, Presiding
Major art museums today employ analytical chemists to monitor the composition of artworks, their authenticity, their deterioration, and their conservation. This link between art and analytical chemistry provides fascinating examples of chemistry in action, suitable for use in traditional chemistry courses for scientists and science courses for non-scientists. B. Using Symbolic Mathematics Software to Teach and Learn Chemistry Theresa Zielinski and Harold Harris, Organizers, Presiding
The availability of software that permits rapid computation, derivations, and visualization brings tools to the classroom that were previously only available to doctoral students, their mentors, and other researchers. These tools present the potential to revolutionize how instruction takes place in the classroom and to alter dramatically the content that can be explored in courses like analytical chemistry, physical chemistry, and instrumental analysis. This symposium will focus on the use of spreadsheets and mathematical engines such as Mathcad, Mathematica, and Maple in upper-division courses. C. The Graphing Calculator and CBL Technology: Tools for Change in the Chemistry Classroom Patricia Ann Mabrouk, Organizer, Presiding
The development of very powerful and relatively inexpensive graphing calculators has impacted the chemistry classroom largely in the form of calculator-based laboratory (CBL). The CBL system works in conjunction with graphing calculators and data collection probes and allows the student to collect real-world data.
Afternoon A. Chemistry in the Engineering Curriculum Larry Brown, Organizer, Presiding
The role of chemistry courses in the undergraduate engineering curriculum is undergoing scrutiny at a number of institutions, raising many questions. How much chemistry is necessary for these students, and what are the essential topics? Is a materials science emphasis best? How can chemistry be made to seem more relevant to engineering students? Can chemistry be successfully integrated with other subjects in the curriculum? The symposium will attempt to explore all aspects of these questions.
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Chemical Education Today
ACS National Meeting Wednesday, August 26 B. Using Symbolic Mathematics Software to Teach and Learn Chemistry Theresa Zielinski and Harold Harris, Organizers, Presiding; George Shalhoub, Presiding C. Symposium in Honor of the Seventieth Birthday of Glenn A. Crosby: Education
Morton Hoffman, and Alan Crosby, Organizers Morton Hoffman, Presiding
Thursday, August 27 Morning A. Chemistry in the Engineering Curriculum Larry Brown, Organizer, Presiding B. Computers and Collaboration in Chemical Education: Making the Connection George Long, Organizer, Presiding
Two of the most influential trends in chemical education in recent years have been the use of progressive pedagogical methods (such as collaborative or cooperative learn-
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ing) and the use of technology (in particular, computers and the Internet). Some may suggest that these are two divergent ideas in educational practice, with the latter being delivery or faculty-oriented, while the former is student-centered and activity-based. This symposium intends to debunk this myth by examining the relationship of the two trends and providing discussions of how computer technology can be used to encourage and enhance the collaborative process for chemistry students. C. General Oral Papers: Laboratory Programs and Experiments Ronald Wikholm, Organizer, Presiding
Afternoon A. Chemistry in the Engineering Curriculum Larry Brown, Organizer, Presiding B. General Oral Papers: Computer Applications Ronald Wikholm, Organizer William Vining, Presiding C. General Oral Papers: Methodology and Curriculum Ronald Wikholm, Organizer, Presiding
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 75 No. 8 August 1998 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
