Report of
Sixth Biennial Conference on Chemical Education Rochester Institute of Technology National Technical Institute for the Deaf June 22-26, 1980
The Organizing Committee Earl Krakower, General Conference Chairman Leonard Fine, Program Chairman George Stevens, High School Chairman Gail Binder, Accommodations James Wilson, Trecsurer Elizabeth Patton, CHEMothon-80 Helen Dorsett, Conference Administrotiue Assistant Kay Henzel, Coordinator, President's Reception Joseph Lippert, Coordinator, Confeynce Poster Sessions Harriet Moeur, Publicity Arrangements Terence Morrill, Con/eience Exhibits Tim Ferguson, N T I D Local Arrangements Coordinator Donna Mihalik, Publicity John Massey, Publicity Carolyn P . Rankin, Publicity William MeKee, Publicity Barbara Power, Publicity Susan Tew, Publicity Lynda Whalen, Graphics Carol Bauer, Accommodations and Board Arrangements Graduate Student Assistants, RIT Chemistry Department Fred Hamil, Chemical Preparations, Demonstrations
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Eileen Sehatzel, Student Assistant W. J. Hayles, Trouel Arrangements Mark Wambach, Interpreter S ~ r v i c e s Doug Turner, U R Coordinator Andrew Doughtery, Lioson to the President's Office David Crane, Local High School Coordinator Bassam Shakhashiri, Aduisory A. Truman Schwartz, Aduisory David N. Hsrpp, Aduisory Alpha Chi Sigma Frank Bonsignore Matt Bryant Maureen Cain Les Dudek Robin Ertl Mark Evaniak George Fazekas John Koska John Manos Dan Montando Lorin Myers Ellie Olsen Donna Parrini Steve Same Chuck Ullrieh
Introduction Rochester was a hit! B u t which Rochester? T h e Sixth Biennial Conference included 127 papers in three days. There were often several oarallel sessions and few narticinants act u d y attended one and the same sequence of formal sessions, let alone the manv informal small erouo - . huddles. There were many aspects o i attending the Conference about which widespread participant agreement would be readily forthcoming: the smooth organization, the genial hospitality, the high quality of the food, and t h e cordiality of the students a t the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Each morning and afternoon time block began with a stand alone session, h u t Tuesday morning was the only multihour time block with a single activity for all participants. On Tuesday afternoon there were a s many a s six parallel nonrepeated activities from which participants could choose to attend. Readers are cautioned t h a t before participants were half way through the experience they had come to use the term
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"intense" when describing the Rochester experience. There were rarely resting, unfilled moments. This conference report was prepared as the result of efforts by twenty-nine reporters, photographers, and editors whose names, initials, and affiliations are listed below. Since 127 papers were actually presented a t the conference, it is impossible to do justice to them in the space available. Our report attempts to reflect the essence of each contribution in just a few sentences. Additional information can he obtained from the conference abstracts, "Notes 6th: copies of which can be ohtained for $12 each from Dr. Earl Krakower, Department of Chemistry, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York 14623. In preparing the text of this report, only the name of the presenting author has been given followed by the paper number from "Notes 6th" and the initials of the reporter. Full titles and all authors are listed by paper number a t the end of each section.
The Reporters Marearet Andersen. MA. Westfield Hieh Sehool
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Lincoln Roger Festo, RF, Brim McMahon High School Linda S. Fowler, LSF, Formica Corporation, Cincinnati John I. Gelder, JIG, Oklahoma State University Norman E Griswold, NEG, Nebraska Wesleyan Universit" Jan ~ a r r i sJH, , Cypress Fairbanks High School Wilbert Hutton, Jr., WH, Iowa State University Loretta L. Jones, LLJ, University of Illinois-Urbana Elizabeth Kean, EK, University of Wisconsin-Madison Cliff Lewis, CL, Sioux Falls College Catherine H. Middlecamp, CHM, University of Wisconsin-Madison Charles E. Oohardt. CEO. Elmhurst Colleee
Contributions.
.. Gratefully Acknowledged
American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Education PRF-SEO Rochester Section Eastman Kodak Company Pennwalt Corporation Praetor and Gamble Company Dupont Company Celanese Corporation Union Carbide Corporation Mobil Oil Company GTE Sylvania University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics Chemistry Department Dynalah Corporation, Rochester, New York Visual Horizons, Rochester, New Yark Rochester Institute of Technology President's Office College of Science and Department of Chemistry National Technical Institute for the Deaf Perkin-Elmer Corporation State of Connecticut. Housatonic College Columbia University, Department of Chemistry
geles Jerry L. Sarquis, JLS, Miami University-Middletown Ethel L. Schultz, ELS, Marblehead High School A. Truman Schwartz, ATS, Macalester College Robert G.Silberman, RGS, S.U.N.Y. at Cartland Douid H.Smith, DHS, Doane College Douglas D. Smith, DDS, Guilford High School Thomas E. Taylor, TET, Texas A&M University Thomas J. Tipton, TJT, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Philip K Welty, PKW, Miami University-Oxford J . Edmund White, JEW, Southern Illinois UniversityEdwardsville Lloyd G. Williams, LGW, Hampshire College C h e m i c a l Exposition American Chemical Society Bausch and Lomh J. G. Edwards Co. Oxford University Press Perkin Elmer Corp. Ssrgent Welch Scientific Co. Sybron Laboratory PnKluets John Wiley and Sons, Inc. National Science Foundation Programs for Learning, Inc. Worth Publishers, Ine. Volume 58, Number 1, January 1981 1 3
Contemporary Issues Related to Chemistry Some areas of great technical interest to chemists are in the public spotlight today. The conference organizers arranged for speakers in many such areas. There were several contrihuted oresentations in these areas as well. The formal nuhlicitv of the conference focussed upon the invited energy speakers, hut all invited . navers . were well received. and no one .naner . in particular received special enthusiasm from the particinants.
Energy A great emphasis was placed upon nuclear energy sources by the three invited speakers in the energy area. Some speakers used talks in inorganic chemistry to hring the relation of innovative chemistry and energy conservation into focus. Little attention was aid to fossil fuels. solar enerev, -.. eeothermal energy, or other alternatives. The nroeram commenced Sundav evening with M. J. Lubin's presentation (I, JLS) on fusion. ~ e g i n n i nwith ~ a summarv of the concepts of fusion, he quickly reviewed progress-and came to the-current status of fusion asa potential commercial power source. The "pellet" technology wherein a tiny, carefully engineered pellet of fuel is heated rapidly using lasers was described. The special requirements to he met becomes viable were set forth. Earlv before this annroach . decisions frequently lock development into unique channels, and Lnhin cautioned that it was too soon to limit develon11~en1d optidn. ,it this lime. 111 r e q ~ ~ m Ist *?one que:tim, he incli~.:it(,dth,i~ri burst or dddirtcmal iu~ldine - in this nrw likt I\. would not he especially fruitful. G . T. Seabora (2. JLS) reviewed svstematicallv the magnitude of the energy problem, and he enumerated specific mechanisms for dealing with the uroblem. Conservation alone will not suffice. ~ossifieservesin coal and shale must he exploited. Solar energy can be expected to play an important if limited role, especially in areas such as space heating. Seahorg reviewed the nuclear options, both fission and fusion, and indicated a need to pursue conventional nuclear reactors. Finally, he speculated that hydrogen produced from solar enerev mav " one dav make an imnortant contribution to our energy needs. H. A. Bethe (93.JLS) reiterated manv thoughts ex~ressed hy Seaborg hut spent much time on the nuclear energy area. He reviewed issues regarding reactor safety and the need for special training programs. He argued that nuclear wastes could be disposed of safely. His analysis included a discussion of relative risks of nuc1ea;versus co"ventional fuels, especially health and environmental risks. During the question and answer period after Dr. Bethe's presentation, Dr. B. Sen of Louisiana State University rose and requested the opportunity to make a statement of several minutes length. Dr. Lubin, the session chair, denied this request, whereupon significant amounts of applause arose from the audience and Dr. Sen left the auditorium in protest. A comnromise between Sen and conference organizers was worked out that night (Tuesday), and Sen addressed a group of participants during a special session on Wednesday afternoon. group, Chemical educators are a conservative . . and our organlzrrl niertiny-. h:lw nruitlvd intellic 1k1131ew e r Current ., is>ucs. 1 hv pna.e(lu:rl I.WC r:iiacd hereconwrnrd :m.hirving
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a balance between the respect we feel to he due to an eminent for a simultaneous nublic scientist aeainst the on~ortunitv .. ,tir~nydpu;nr.i ur view ctmtrary to rmn-e / h e exprr,r .. In this case, huth thr Hethe and Srn prrsenuti
