Chemistry for Everyone
Secondary School Chemistry
Stimulate High School Science Fair Participation by Connecting with a Nearby College Mary Ellen DeClue East Alton–Wood River High School, 777 N. Wood River Ave., Wood River, IL 62095 Kevin Johnson, Howard Hendrickson, and Pamela Keck* Department of Chemistry, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Box 1652, Edwardsville, IL 62026
Each fall, teachers begin thinking and talking about science fair. Some schools and their students are required to participate, while others regard it as optional or unnecessary. Within participating schools, enthusiasm from parents, students, and teachers varies. In general, if the teachers and parents are supportive, the students are enabled. The science fair project incorporates other disciplines in addition to the scientific method and develops student skills in several areas, including: Creative thought. A topic must be chosen, a question asked, and a project designed. Scientific method. Students must understand what a hypothesis is, design an experiment to test it, and evaluate data. Math, graphing, data manipulation. Students must use what they have learned and apply it to a scientific question that they designed. Organization. Students must plan what they will do and when they will do it, and compose a poster to describe their work. Writing. Students must use appropriate grammar and writing skills to describe what occurred in their research and present the information in a paper along with a poster. The purpose, hypothesis, materials and methods, results and discussion, conclusions, and literature review (i.e., a scholarly researched paper) must be included as part of the project.
One of the best methods to promote science fair at the local schools is for a university to provide local, regional, and international support. Our university’s faculty and staff support science fair at all age levels through the following activities: visiting local schools to discuss the scientific method and the benefits of science fair, judging projects at local competitions, mentoring students and teachers for grades K–12, and working one-on-one with students using university equipment. Additionally, the University hosts the regional science fair competition, from which two students are chosen and sponsored to compete at the annual International Science Fair. These commitments are critical to the success of science education on a state as well as a national level. Goal 11 of the Illinois Learning Standards is to “Understand the processes of scientific inquiry and technological design to investigate questions, conduct experiments and solve problems” (1). Moreover, the National Science Foundation’s report on the review of undergraduate education entitled Shaping the Future suggests that schools build into every course the processes of science and a knowledge of what science, math, 608
and engineering and technology (SME&T) practitioners do, and the excitement of cutting-edge research (2). Generally, science fair competition occurs in local schools from January through early April. Our university hosts the regional competition science fair in mid-April. Approximately 80 schools participate, sending an estimated 900 students from grades K–12. Of these, only 6% are in grades 9–12. Students who compete at the secondary level are eligible for the international competition. Although the recognition and scholarship prizes total over a million dollars for international competition, some reasons for low participation include lack of interest among students who have previously participated; level of sophistication for competitive projects exceeding the available equipment or teacher interest; time; the difficulty of generating new ideas year after year; and the extra effort required of teachers and students. This apathy may be overcome, however, through an evolved interaction between high school teachers and local universities. Establishing a relationship with a university (or private industry) for students competing at the secondary level is particularly important because the projects at this level can be rather sophisticated, requiring special equipment. Additionally, resources for competition at this level are scarce in comparison with resources for grades K–8. At the lower levels many books are available, as a visit to the local library or school’s library will show. The main resource for science fair project ideas at the secondary level is the Internet (3), but these are limited. Therefore, establishing links with a local university or private industry is the best resource for ideas and equipment support. One local high school teacher has made such a contact. For the past 6 years, one of us (Mary Ellen DeClue, from East Alton-Wood River High School, located approximately 15 miles from our campus) has interacted with faculty from SIUE. Initially, she borrowed equipment for her class projects, obtained assistance for appropriate standards, and accessed library and computer resources. Five years ago, to further the student–faculty interaction, she began bringing her class of approximately 20–25 students to campus to discuss science fair projects. DeClue’s students are in grades 11 and 12 and are enrolled in the honors section of chemistry. When the students visit the campus for the first time, their preparation ranges from having no idea for a topic to investigate to currently working on a project. Most students have at least a general category in mind for their project. The visits generally begin with an introduction by the faculty, who describe their research and the types of equipment used and suggest some ideas for project topics. After these introductions,
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 77 No. 5 May 2000 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
Chemistry for Everyone
the students are grouped according to their interest (e.g., biochemistry, electrochemistry, environmental chemistry, physics, biotechnology). The appropriate faculty member then meets with each group of three to five students to discuss their projects in more detail. These discussions range from designing a specific project to determining the number of replicates needed for a particular experiment. Phone numbers and email addresses are exchanged, and, depending upon the equipment and sophistication needed for the projects, the students may contact their mentors for advice or make an appointment to return to the University to use equipment. In addition to bringing her class to campus, DeClue encourages her students to review projects from previous classes. Since she has had a class participating in science fair for 6 years, she has accumulated, through her students, a large number of projects. Recently, she asked her students to consider evaluating past projects as starting points for their current projects, pointing out that building upon one’s own and others’ results is common practice in research. Three projects and their subsequent improvements are described below. Levels of Benzene in Soil from a Local Community Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is located near refineries. The quantitation of benzene in soil was chosen as a topic to investigate because benzene is either an intentional product or a by-product in the oil refining process. Its presence was therefore expected in the local area. In the original project, a student removed a single soil sample from each of eight sites, stored the samples in the cold for various times after collection, and then extracted them with methanol and used high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) to quantitate the benzene in the extracts. In a subsequent year this project was modified by another student, who also determined benzene levels in soil but collected triplicate samples from 10 sites and used a more elaborate method of sampling. Rather than just boring down 10 inches into the soil as was originally done, this student used passive sampling devices (PSDs). The PSDs were left in the soil for eight days and then brought back to the university, where the samples were extracted and immediately analyzed using gas chromatography, rather than being stored for various times in the cold before extraction. Levels of Zinc in Human Hair from Individuals in an Industrialized Area This project was chosen because the level of zinc in hair is a pollutant indicator. Originally, a student took single samples from five individuals and extracted with nitric acid using uncontrolled conditions, and obtained variable data. A subsequent student improved this experiment by collecting samples from 15 individuals in rural and urban communities, using a more extensive extraction procedure to enhance the release of zinc with perchloric and nitric acids, and preparing standards under the supervision of a teacher. This student obtained consistent data.
Analysis of Metal Concentrations in Water and Soil Samples The study involved comparing an area of possible lead contamination with an area of probable contamination. Single water samples from eight sites and soil samples from six sites were collected and stored for analysis on an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. A subsequent student analyzed not only for lead but also for two other harmful heavy metals, chromium and nickel, in the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. These rivers have many bordering industries such as mining, plating, and refining that discard metal wastes into the waterways. Triplicate samples were taken from nine sites along the rivers and heavy metal concentrations were quantitated using atomic absorption. Discussion In all cases, the continued projects yielded more comprehensive and extensive reports. In addition, the students that continued with the initial projects learned about scientific critique by designing more accurate and precise methods. Rather than spending time determining a new question they focused on developing a more thorough scientific design. The students involved in these projects worked closely with faculty from the university to enhance the design of the projects. All three received outstanding awards at both regional and state science fair competitions. In summary, an established collaboration with a local resource, whether it be a university or trained professionals from local industry, can enhance the enthusiasm, resources, and experimental design of science fair projects. If the high school has not developed such collaboration, it may be worth contacting the dean of the sciences or several university faculty members to initiate a program. One could also contact the human resources division of local industries. Many companies will sponsor or support employee involvement with local schools. Mary Ellen’s initial interaction with SIUE’s faculty was a result of her discussions with university faculty members during workshops she participated in during the summer. It was her initial inquiry that led to productive interactions with faculty and subsequent rewards for her students. Literature Cited 1. Illinois State Board of Education. Illinois Learning Standards, adopted July 1997. 2. National Science Foundation. Shaping the Future, A Report on Its Review of the Undergraduate Education by the Advisory Committee to the NSF; National Science Foundation: Washington, DC, 1996. 3. The following Web sites are helpful: The National Health Museum/Genentech. Access Excellence; http://www.gene.com/ae/ index.html (accessed Mar 2000). Gormley, P. Science Resource Center; http://chem.lapeer.org/ (accessed Mar 2000). Wolfe, M.; Internet Public Library Staff. Your Science Fair Project Resource Guide; http://www.ipl.org/youth/projectguide (accessed Mar 2000).
JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu • Vol. 77 No. 5 May 2000 • Journal of Chemical Education
609
