The Conference in Retrospect Marjorie H. Gardner Conference Organizer University of Maryland, College Park, MD The 6th International Conference on Chemical Education (ICCE) was a very special event. I t brought together 518 chemical educators (plus more than an additional 100 accompanying family members and friends) from 80 nations, the largest such gathering in the history of chemical education by a substantial margin. Very evident were a seriousness of purpose and spirit of cooperation as participants engaged in the pursuit of excellence in chemical education through exchanging ideas, extending learning, establishing communications, planning collaborative projects, formulating resolutions and recommendations, and, in general, setting directions for chemical education for the next decade. Since incoming wrrrspun~lrnwand fulluu,-upucti\itics: >tronf$y indicale that this Cunfrrence was deemed hy participiult.~11, h:we hem wry successful, let's retrace its origins, its evolution, and its fruition in August 1981 as a record for future reference. The 6th ICCE at Maryland had its roots in the earliest chemical education conferences, such as the 1971meeting in Frascati. Italv. the even-earlier 1970 Snowmass-at-Amen conference i d meetings of chemical educators in washi& ton, DC, in 1968 and SSio Paulo, Brazil in 1969. I t was based, too, on more recent ICCE's in Warsaw, Poland; Madrid, Spain; Liubliana. Yueoslavia: and Dublin. Ireland. From its earliest stirrings, when those engaged in teaching and learning chemistry first began to assemble in the 1960's until the Maryland meeting in 1981, a steady increase in interest, sohist tic at ion, and commitment amonr chemists and chemical kducators around the world has been evident. The origins were also tied to the ornanizations and indiu f ~ h t 1981 , Cunrerencc. viduals w h o guided the dc~vdol~lnent i ~ a schg~ol Coming frum a diversity of hackrn~undsi ~ ~ c l u dhirh chemisiry teaching, teacher education, university level chemistry teachinn, and working in research laboratories, conference organi7era ptrdea their k~~mvletlgt. to design on i~mhitiousinternatiunal event. Key inaividuuli and thtw ur~itnizationsinrhidt~lDr. (1. iT.Isw . . &THIS
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During the Conference national representatives of the IUPAC/CTC chaired the task groups that further refined the resolutions and recommendations. The total conference membership of over 500 conferees was divided into 25 groups to rework the resolutions and recommendations with freedom to alter them as dramaticallv as thev wished. The fmal draft of the resokions &d recommendations was presented to the conference in the closing Plenary Session. After minor modifications, it was approved by the Conference. This vitallv i m ~ o r t a n~t r o d u cof t the Conference, essentiallv an action agenda for the 198O9s,can he found in this report and in the "Proceedings". Secondary school chemistry teachers organized themselves into a special group under the direction of Jan Harris from Cyprus Fairbanks High School in Houston, Texas. This group formulated a set of recommendations as an addition to the general Cont'erenrr rrrtmmvn~l;~tions. These can he iuund on page 116.l'he group alju a d ~ l ~ the d last majur rccunimr~~dat;m to the Confertm.~list sonst:rning caiet). in the labmatory. Each Conference participant accepted the responsibility to take the resolutions and recommendations home, implement them to the deeree nossible in his or her own conntrv or locale, and report LackLthrough correspondence with ;he IUPACICTC or to the 1983 Conference on successes, failures and general progress made. As an early beginning, the document was presented by the representative from Singapore to the Presidents of Chemical Societies at their September 1981 meeting in Belgrade where i t engendered a lively discnssion. Conference Infrastructure and Managerial Mode A number of earlv decisions regarding Conference management paid large dividends in rontrulling wnierence cmts and imwnr,ing eiticiency ut'~~l~rrutiun. This required a higher than usud level o i financial rrspnnsihility, and the nwperalitrn and volunteer help uf a \cry large numher of indi\.iduals .ind campus units, each accepting conference assignments and carrying through effectively. For example, the 6th ICCE incorporated housing and meal plans into the general Conference fee structure in place of the conventional pattern of registrants navine~.for their accommodations and meals independently. This procedure had a numlicr of arlv:lntnyei: 1) It facilit~ltedefficient olanninc!of meal; iind the nccomvan\~ine . . . iimhience: 2) It encuuragtd wrryane 10 he hgether, nut trnly durinrr meeting times hut durinr the inturmd limes ior dis-
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cnssion over breakfast, lunch, and dinner; 3) It opened the possibility of attracting commercial support for some of the social hours associated with meal functions. This mode of operation required Conference organizers to assume additional financial responsibilities, hut the system resulted in efficiency and congeniality. Chemistry teachers from local secondary schools, community colleges, and universities assumed conference responsibilities and engaged in an unbelievably varied array of voluntary activities that made our visitors comfortable and kept Conference costs low. These tasks ranged from bedmaking, shuttlebus scheduling and supervision, handling registrations and reservations, manning airport desks, supervising menus, arranging housing, room scheduling, audiovisual projecting, preparing demonstration materials, and other participant services. These persons were unsung heroes of the Conference--their efforts helped make a highly complex organization run smoothly. Afternoon and evening options managers, Dwaine Euhanks and Vera Zdravkovich, completed all of the "behind-the-scenes" efforts necessarv. to . Dace the nroeram. More than 100 volunteers served on management tea& and contributed to the overall success of the Conference. The Hospitality Center
Another idea used for die first time in an international Center. This had lnvw dw14~ped merting was the H~~spirality rarlirr by the I)i\.iaion or Chemical Education ior A('5 Siltional Meetings. Functioning under the direction of Robert Brasted from,the University of Minnesota, this center was open daily from mid-afternoon to late evening. I t served as a gathering place where people could meet, seek help, exchange ideas, or just relax. Beverages and snacks were available. as was audiovisual eqnipment. This equipment made it possible for participants to show slides. videotanes or motion oictures. Tanes of some of the special events oi the conference, such as ihe demonstration sessions and the evening lectures, also were played regularly in the Hospitality Center. This unit quickly became the message and congeniality center for the Conference. Long Term Results and Goals How does one evaluate the success of any conference? This must he done in two ohases: immediate and lone ranae - evalnation. While there have been many expressions in person, by letter, by telephone, and by messages carried from abroad to the effect that the 6th ICCE was successful and that i t set new standards for international conferences, such welcomk and generous praise may pale after the warm glow of the Conference wears off and everyone again faces the realities and complexities of chemical education in his or her homeland. Other immediate results from the Conference which suggest .. i t was a u r r c i u l in~dudesuch intiingihlei :ls the fnc~thirt thtrt. w r t : no pirlitisal irr international incidents, althuuxh the po-
tential for them was uresent. Also, an unusual s ~ i r i and t rappurt developed, and'rhe large majurity oi wnicrr& .irrived early dnd rcrnainrd throuch rhc entire rmierrme to t:ake full advantage of the opportuiities available. The ultimate success of the Conference, however, must be measured through long-term results. To what degree will the "Sourcebook" be used by teachers around the world? How often will the plenary lectures, the abstracts, and the discussion summaries be read and incorporated into chemical education activities? How manv national and regional chemical education nmirrence, will he run\.ened l)etwee~in m and the :I h IIY'E'.' Huu mian\. Ilnwuxtiw i~rticleiim chrmicnl (.(IIIcation that cite the ~hnferenceas a source of inspiration will appear in the professional literature around the world? Will the level of follow-up correspondence and activity remain high a t Maryland, at the IUPAC Secretariat for Chemistry Teaching, in the UNESCO Science Education Division, and in conjunction with the planning for the 1983 Conference? Important questions remain to be answered. For example, (1)How can the gains from this conference he best operationalized? (2) What is the responsibility of participants, individually and collectively, to disseminate information and ideas to their colleagues who were not able to attend? and (3)
How can we incorporate the improvements more quickly into our teaching that will provide students with a more np-todate, more insightful, more valuable education in chemistry? In conclusion, let me now enunciate the ultimate goals and overarching purposes of the Conference. One was to take a giant step in the direction of defining chemical education as an area of research and development within the discipline of chemistry. Just as organic, inorganic, physical, analytical, environmental, and nuclear chemistry are established and legitimate areas of chemistry, so is chemical education. In fact, it is the one that draws the broadest audience of chemists into participation and has the largest payoff. It is directed a t developing human resources, the most valuable of a l l resources. The other ultimate goal was to increase international understanding and harmony-in essence to make a contribution toward a peaceful and productive world. We came together as individuals, we departed as members of a family, as a community with a spirit of compassion, commitment, and willingness to try to understand one mothers' cultures, needs, and achievements. T o what degree did the 6th ICCE achieve these two global goals? Only time and the continuing efforts of each participant will tell.
Volume 59
Number 2
February 1982
87
