Science Education Outreach by Mobile Units Richard A. Hermens, Editor Eastern Oregon State College. La Grande, OR 97850
Introduction C. Marvin Lang Universitv of WisconsiwStevens Point Chairman, Van Task Force of the American Chemical Society on Public Affairs and Public Relations Vans and other mobile demonstration units, fitted with modern instrumentation and hands-on science equipment, are supplementing and enriching the science experience i n rural and urban areas of Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana, Oregon, California, and Wisconsin. The funding for these units, and for other types of portable demonstration and hands-on instruction programs, comes primarily from the Sorional Scimce Foundation, colleges and private science and technology related corporations. The Van Task Force of the ACS Board Committee on Public Affairs and Public Relations i s studying the educational (both formal and informal) and public-outreach potential of these programs. In a report to the Board last vear. the Task Force emohasized that "the kev element judged most important to the success of [van] programs i s local community involvement, with participation from several community groups who are committed to the success of the oroaam." The Task Force undoubtedlv will recommend ;harthe ACS takes steps to encourage and facilitate the a o w t h of such communitv uroerams. . suuuorted .. . To promote awareness of chemistry vans within the lareer .. chemical communitv." . the ACS invited several van sponsors to display their units and conduct tours and dcmonstrations oftheir units ;it the 205th national meeting of the American Chemical Society in April 1993, i n ~ e n v e r . The four units t h a t were displayed, and which are described in the remainder of the article that follows, were Occidental College's TOPS van, the Eastern Oregon State College science education laboratory trailer, Purdue University's "Chemobile" van and Juniata College's "Chemistry i n Motion" van. At year's end, the Van Task Force will present its final report to the Board with recommendations for additional avenues of ACS involvement. d
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Eastern Oregon State College Science Education Laboratory Richard A. Hermens Eastern Oregon State College La Grande OR 97850 Providine chemistw and uhvsics enhancement for elementary teachers in-eastern Oregon has challenged the faculty a t Eastern Oreeon State College. A survey of elementary teachers resufied in some anxiety for science and scarcity of formal education in the sciences, especially chemistry and physics. The average teacher had fewer than two credits in chemistry and physics combined i n their college education! It is important to provide these established teachers with science content and activities for immediate use in their classrooms. The area served is in excess of 150 x 300 miles. Inservice for elementary teachers on the college campus i s difficult
to achieve due to the distances teachers must travel. Afour or five hour drive from towns most distant from Eastern Oregon State College is common and more difficult i n the winter time due to ice and snow on the mountain passes. It is easier and less expensive for one person, such as a science specialist, to travel to the elementary schools to provide inservice for the elementary teachers there. One full-time science specialist is employed and she provides insenrice education during the academic year to K-6 teachers (not elementary students!) i n chemistry and uhvsics a t their location. For each teacher served. 20 to 30 klekentary students will benefit. To solve the p;oblem of distance teachers must travel, a mobile science laboratory was envisioned and was constructed with funds ($41,000) orovided bv Mever Memorial Trust foundation. A urooosal was funded by the National Science Foundation tdsnpport the oueration of the uroiect for two years. he mobile laborato& i s a 35-foot, fifth-wheel trailer towed by a pickup. I t i s a self-contained classroom equipped with chairs, movable tables, balance, fume hood, refrieerator, sink, toilet, furnace, air conditioning. 5 Kw110 ? generator, and adequate storage. seating& available for 12 teachers. Experiments suitable for elementary classrooms are conducted by the participating teachers. Science content accompanies the experiments. We have accommodated insenlre for 394 teachers rapprommarely 67% of the teachers In the 11 eastern counties of Oregon) fbr a total of 794 teacher-days, an average of nearly two days per teacher. The mobile science laboratory has logged more than 24,000 miles during this time and has enhanced science involvement of thousands of elementary students.
TOPS: Teachers + Occidental = Partnership in Science April Mazzeo Occidental College Los Angeles. CA90041
This program is a high school outreach program planned and directed by a steering committee of high school teachers and Occidental College faculty members. I t is staffed bv a full-time resource teacher. a half-time oromam coordinator, and a half-time faculty release for the program administrator. in addition to the time and assistance orovided by fo& other Occidental faculty members. The centerniece of the TOPS oromam is its soecisllv outfitted van, awalk-through step van with roll-up do&, lift eate and "E" track for securing careo...uurchased a t a cost of $32,000. The van carries up to four wooden cabinets and two to four stainless steel carts with larger instruments (gas chromatography and W-Vis spectrophotometers). The cabinets (a cost of $650 each) were custom desimed and built with adjustable shelves and casters. The carts were purchased and modified on-site with gas cylinder mounts and steel screws for anchoring the instruments. The capital outlay for the van and major equipment was provided by Occidental College and by grants from Pacific Telesis and the Drown Foundation. The van is equipped with all supplies necessary to conduct the experiments; lab
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Volume 72 Number 2 February 1995
165
