Joseph S. Schmuckler
The Chemistry Student and
Hoverford Township High school Havertown, Pennsylvan~a
the Chemical Industry
and Irwin Siegelmanl
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
I
A cooperative p r o g r a m
W h a t does the high school chemistry teacher answer to questions such as "What, does a chemist do?" and "What is the difference between the work of a chemist and that of a chemical engineer?" The best answer a teacher can give is "Go and see." This answer means little, though, if the student is left to his own endeavors. I t is a challenging invitation to an exciting experience for the student if it can be implemented by an established program of cooperative visits to chemical laboratories. 'Vacations" in the Laboratory
Such a program has been in operation between Haverford Township Senior High School and the various chemical industries and medical institutions of the Philadelphia area for the past seven years. During this time 184 students have spent part of either their Christmas or Easter vacations observing and/or working in 17 different, laboratories. The Philadelphia Sect,ion of the American Chemical Society not only lends its support to this program, but, for a while, attempted to broaden it through its own Student[ndustry Subcommittee. Each year senior students from the chemistry classes of the school volunteer to be placed in some industrial or medical laboratory to observe first-hand what t,he chemist does. The choice of the laborat,ory is made on the basis of the student's interest: analytical chemistry, chemical engineering, nursing, medicine, etc. Usually no student is allowed t,o participate more than once in the program. This is due t,o the great enthusiasm among students for the program and the limited number of openings in it,. At its inception, the cooperative program failed in some cases to meet the students' needs. These cases involved situat,ions in which bright student,^ were assigned t,o observe laboratory technicians at work. Often, the technician was unable to explain the basic nature of the research work involved, a consequent source of intellectual frustration to the student. Such situations have been minimized through t,he efforts of t,he teacher and the participating institutions. The mechanics of the cooperative program are ohvious, hut also time-consuming for the teacher. Considerable reciprocal correspondence between the teacher and the laboratories t,akes place long before each visit. Personal contacts, by phone or interview, may then follow to complete the necessary arrangements and
' Chairman, p ~ otempme, Chemical Education Group, Philadelphia Section, ACS. 148
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Jovrnol of Chernicol Mucotion
commitments. If a laboratory agrees to participate in the program it assumes several responsibilities. Primary among these is the assignment of a student, wherever possible, to a research chemist. Some lahoratories have been able to place as many as four students under this stipulation. In some cases, it may be necessary t,o assign more than one student to one chemist. However, the program is far more effective if a single student can have the undivided attention of the chemist to whom he is assigned. The chemist agrees to a constant supervision of the student, and, most significantly, to set aside time for talking mith his charge. During such time the chemist formalizes his previous informal discussions with the student at the laborat.ory bench, instructast,he student in other aspects of chemistry or chemical engineering or allied fields, and counsels the student on educational or career opportunities. Finally, the host laboratory is invited to report on the st,udent visitors, and to forward suggest,ions mhich would improve the program. "Real Chemistry with Real Chemists"
Experience has shown that the host laboratories not. only fulfill their formal obligations to the program but. contribute significantly beyond them. In most cases, for example, the student is encouraged to participate directly in the work at hand. Seemingly minor aspects of an operational procedure, such as particle counting t.hrough a microscope or controlling a distillation temperature, become "doing chemistry" for the student and are invaluable asset,s to t,he swcess of the program and the attitude of the student. Genuine friendship bet,ween t,he chemist, and his visit,ing student has developed repeatedly. The chemist,^ oft,en cont,inue contact wit,h bot,h st,udents and t,eacher in concern ovel. the st,udents' progress. In some cases, a host lahorat,ory has donat,ed needed equipment for the school laborat,ory. The st,udent assumes important ohligations when he volunteers for the program. I t is expected t>hat,he will learn as much about his placement situat,ion as possible during his s h y . A visit may last from one day to a full week. At t,he conclusion of the visit the student is required to writ,e s formal report on his experiences, a copy of mhich is sent to the host lahorntory. Finally, the teacher must maintain a close supervision of the program. In addition to the pre-visit, correspondence, among which should be a letter of
introduction of the student which will give the host laboratory an idea of the background and interests of its charges, the teacher should maintain contact during the visit. This has always been accomplished by a trip to the laboratory and has served several purposes. The teacher can observe his students and suggest, perhaps, new lines of approach which the student might take in his attempt to learn all he. can about his placement situation. The teacher also establishes a personal contact with a professional chemist, a mutually beneficial situation in most cases; the teacher learns something of the new developments in the field; and the chemist learns of some of the problems attendant to the teaching of high school chemistry. The results of this program have been heartening. The chemists who have been involved have been most enthusiastic in their continued support of it. As has been noted, some follow up the progress of the young men and women with whom they have been associated. The teacher has found an increased motivation and
confidence among the participating students. Moreover, their infectious enthusiasm spreads to their classmates who give more thought to sacrificing a school vacation to learn first-hand what a chemist does. The success of such a program can only be measured in terms of the participating students themselves. Two typical comments are: "This excursion did me good in that it showed where my interests in chemistry really lie. This will affect my choice of a college. I'm glad I discovered it now." And "Altogether, I was impressed with the tremendous scope in chemistry. There is so much to learn, and so much to do; hut I am sure now that I want to learn it and do it." The authors feel that this program has been most successful and worthy of continuance and expansion. If the high school chemistry teacher has been able to motivate his better students into considering chemistry as a career, a program of this nature is of invaluable aid to the student in his attempt at making a judicious decision.
Volume 38, Number
3, March 196 1
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149
