undo the damaee. Surelv i t would have been smarter ~ ~and ~ more responsihc for chemists, a t least, t o have provided the information in the ouhlic interest. That's no euarantee that the information wifi he communicated and acEkpted without confusion. Finally, I'd like t o tell you about the plethora of opportunities which exist for you t o communicate your science. Schools at all levels are asking for help; civic groups and governmental agencies are eagerly seeking knowledgeable and articulate speakers; radio and television "talk shows" are searching out interesting topics and talented talkers. Both print and electronic media develop feature stories and interviews on news items. These are a few of the opportunities that chemists routinely ignore. And the communication works both ways. Did you ever wonder what an editor, radio news director, or television anchor thinks about science and science stories or why they don't present more science more often and more accurately? Wouldn't that make an interesting local section meeting program, not to say opening the door to future communication and understanding? I'd like to leave you with three rules: ~~~
~
1) Do somethine 2) Tell people &out it. 3) Keep it up.
Chemistry for Mommies and Daddies R. A. Hermens and K. E. McCoy
Eastern Oregon State College La Orande. OR 97850
The auestion arises "How do vou inform the ouhlic about science?" Many scientists ask chis question and try to answer it by collecting.a grouo . . of people to talk about science. When an announcement is made that information on chemistry will he presented, very few people attend except for young children, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders. They are very interested in chemical "magic" shows and most other sciences. How many of you have attended Little League baseball? How manv-of vou . attended Little Leaeue baseball if vou had no children or grandchildren Probably this last auestion has little positive resoonse. Since most oarents and grandparents feel kmpelled to attend hallgat&, then, this wot~ldbe an excellent model to follow fur science education. This iden was pursued and it worked.!' The plan was toadvertise chemical maricshows (dcsianed for young people) in several towns in eastern oregonand southeastern Washington. Certain restrictions were placed on the admission to the shows. First, the student (usually in the grade range of 6 6 ) had to pick up a free ticket for admission. This allowed the project director to note the size of the audience. On the ticket an explanation indicated that the student must he accompanied by aparent or guardian. In practice, however, this was more flexible. It was pleasing to see the students eagerly tugging a t their parents' hands while looking for the proper room number and then anxiously awaiting the start of the show. The "magic" show was specifically directed to the adults in the group. The children absorbed and enjoyed the topics in spite of the intended direction. A hands-on laboratory session followed which included measuring the pH of some household chemicals, ammonia, vinegar, cleanser, etc. As the children started on this phase of the project, some of the parents took the initiative and started performing the ex2Supporl of this project was made possible by the Education Division. ACS Washington, DC, and Eastern Oregon State College. -a Grande, OR. 696
Journal of Chemical Education
~
periments while the somewhat children watched. ~ ~ ~ ~ dejected ~ The project leaders were elated to see the oarental involvement. At the final stages of the session, each parent-child team was issued a 5-g sample of potassium alum with instructions to grow a crystal. A simple calculator was to he the prize for the largest crystal and the "best" crystal. This assignment was to he taken home and crystals were to he mailed to the oroiect leader within two weeks. - This project was successful in that i t did involve adults (mommies and daddies) in scientific explanations and chemistry experiments. Providing the opportunity for adults to participate does not solve the ~rohlem.Gettine adults to partickate is a major task. once they attend tcey will involve themselves.
The Role of the Scientist in Citizens' Organization Steve Mebalf Rockwell Hanford Operations Richland. WA 99352
Members of the scientific community and citizens' groups ("environmentalists") often find themselves in conflict, failing to realize that they are natural allies with much in common. This conflict is lamentable and unnecessary and is based on mutual misunderstandines rather than true incompatibility. These groups are often-distrustful of each other and interact defensivelv. rather than coooerativelv. nursuine . a mutually heneficial path. Scientists should olav a leadine role in huildine trust. not conflict, between themselves a i d citizens' groips. ~ h e s e roles are of three general types: scientist, educator, and citizen-activist leader. The role of the scientist centers on conducting and promoting sociallv heneficial research. The goal of theeduc&or is not to produce more scientists hui to produce citizens capable of comprehending technical aspects and argumenG on issues, f&-ming ratconal decisions, and taking sensible actions. The role of the citizen-activist leader is es~eciallvimoortant because citizen's oreanizations never have adequke resources to tackle all theissues thevface. Thev must set priorities carefullv eet maximum " to ., good from their limited rkources. Some specific actions that a scientist might take are to: (1) join a citizen's group (all groups believe their members more than they do outsiders), (2) promote corporate "good citizenship" and open communication with the public in the work place, (3) orovide eeneral.. simnle . scientific education to thipublic (most people can't read a graph), (4) provide detailed advice in fields of expertise. (5) reoresent the Dublic on issues, stressing content o h en~&iun,(6) cmperarr n,ith technical s t a h utcitirens'arouvs. and (7) act a* n translnror and mediator among the piblic; industry, and government.
Science, Schools, and You! M. Jay Haney Hanford Science Center Richland. WA 99352
A program started in the Richland schools over 10 years ago called "Inquiry into Science" takes high school seniors \vho are completing their sc~ence/mnthpnlgrams and places them in lahoraturit.~with srwral Hanford contractors u,hich includr Westinghouse Hanford Company and Hattelle Pa.
cific Northwest Laboratories. Students are assigned specific tasks, on a half-day basis, in support of work being conducted, and they receive wages for their services. While this program provides "hands-on" learning experience, it also provides many with an opportunity for summer employment after high school as they work toward their degrees at colleges and universities. Retired scientists working as volunteers in service t o science education are virtually an untapped resource. The followine success storv ooints out how valuable thev can he. A .. retired engineer provides support for science education classes at Pasco Hiah School acting as a mentor as well as giving assistance in the completion of homework. His enthusiasm and perseverance has resulted in the organization of community resources that will pay for the costs of bringing Julius Sumner Miller, science education notable, to area schools in October of this year. Some 10,000 Tri-City students will view Miller's science demonstrations in person or on live television in their classrooms. A recently completed program a t Hanford called Frontiers '85 orovided 77 students from 77 different hieh schools in the state of Washington the opportunity to spend one week in orohlems-solvine activities. At the center of the program were mentors working with students solving specific problems in the individual mentor's field. Mentor activities ranged from Desert Ecosystems and Artificial Intelligence to Nuclear Radiation. Students described their obserGations in journals as a requirement for the technical writing segment of the program. Participants in the program a t Hanford included the Centrum Foundation. a nonorofit education organization, Hanford Contractors Tri-City Universitv Center. Tri-Cities area school districts. NORCUS. and the ~ o l i d Inn. a ~ The Holiday Inn contributed signifi: cantly by providing rooms, meals, and meeting facilities for just over $100 per student. The student costs were paid by their own schools. Other programs that support science education at Hanford include speaker programs that make available presenters on a wide variety of topics. One is the ~ a t t e n erobot "Cuhot" that solves the Ruhic Cube in 30 seconds or less and looks at it only one time. This presentation is one of six available from Battelle in its DOE-funded Sharing Science with Schools program. Battelle operates an education program that supports teacher education aimed a t enhancine science activities in the classroom. The DOE'S Hanford Science Center conducts school tours that emphasize the concept of the Center as an extension of the classroom. I t also conducts two teacher workshops each year on energy. Science kits on nuclear science, electricity, and engines are available on loan as are some 40 energy and science films. The Science Center also operates a children's Summer Energy program for 250 young people ages 9-13 emphasizing activities on energy. I encourage you to offer your resources to similar science centers in your own community. NORCUS, Northwest Colleges and Universities for Science. coordinates the worklstudv. oroeram that hrinas some 60 Gaduate students and collegeluniversity educators to work in their fields a t Hanford in order to complete graduate work and become hetter acquainted with work being conducted in the field. I'm sure each of you has a concern about the need to strenethen science oroarams in vour schools. Think of vourself as a resource and bk ready to share what you haveas a n individual. a chapter, or an industrv. After vou decide that you want to be a ;eso&ce, he cautio;~ and take some time to find out what others have done so that you can take advantage of their successes and their "bloody noses". There are many of us who are more than willing to share our experience for the benefit of science, schools, and you!
What Should We Teach Them in High School? Keith 0. Berry Universily of Puget Sound Tacoma, WA 98416 Look at them-the freshmen sitting in your high school science class. Imagine where they will be in just 8 years. How many will need your course for college? The truth is that in 8 years more than twice as many of your students will have spent time behind bars than will have a bachelor's degree in either biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, or science education.3 Let us look a t the type of analysis Michael Leyden did to produce the above conclusion, because i t is instructive to recognize the type of "clientele" we have in our student body. Take 100 students as a samole class. The national hieh school dropout rate is 2870, leaving only 72 who graduate &d have even a n o~portunitvto attend colleee.4 ~treitbergerihosea of college from California, all of whom taught introductory college chemistry. If you believe those professors who were polled, the following conclusions can he drawn. 1) Students entering their classes had marginal preparation in hieh school chemistrv. i) There should de better training in basic algebra, particularly proportions, exponents, significant figures, and dimensional analysis. 3) Students should have more opportunity to think and express rhamselws in qunnlirarive term*. 4 1 Thp high school chrmistry content for those who will he nonstienre mairlrs should he different iwm the cuntent offered 11, vn,. speetive science majors. 5) Hieh sehool ebemistrv should focus on "basics". such as: notncnclature, formula uriting, percentage composition calwlatiuns, balancing equatims,~asIms, the mnlrconrept. a~io"sirnple"atumic thrury. Furget ahout qunntum mechanics, nlolecular orbitalr, and free energy. 6) The high sehool course should not try to duplicate college chemistry. 7) There should he an interrelationship between topics selected from nontraditional chemistry areas, into the high sehool eurriculum.
I wish to comment on some of those conclusions just a bit. Items 1.2.3. . . .and 5 surelv must have been anticioated. Those professors are telling us, through Streitherger's essay, that th~.irstudents are underoreoared. Which of us hasn't heard or made the same lament? TO make the job of the professor easier, and the learnina hv the student more comolete. . . studentsshould come with ietter skills in chemistry, mathematics, English, writina, - logic. - Notice also that the results showed that those professors polled had specific suggestions of things that should not he taught in high school. First, we must rle~~elopcurricu~la whichhn not shortrhnnge the aspiring scirntist hut whirh more closely serve the needs argue that it is of that other large group of students. because we have "fiddled" with the old straightforward chemistry curriculum that we have lost students. They suggest that when we adopt Madison Avenue's approaches to sell our product, then we are on Madison Avenue's turf, and they are likely to win the game. Let's stop developing new courses and get back to teaching chemistry, they say. In my judgement, we do need to reestablish a sense that chemistry is useful both as a profession and as a course of study. We need to demonstrate that there are desirable, enjoyable opportunities for all students. And we must do i t without for-
any
This ratio was taken from recent figures from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and The National Center for Education Statistics. Quoted in Leyden, Michael €3. Sci. Teach. 1984, 51 (March),27. "non., Times-Courier, 1983, (April),88. Volume 63 Number 8
August 1986
697
