News from Journal House

JCE Editorials Now Blogged

Beginning with the August 2007 issue, John Moore has been blogging his editorials. This means that you now have the opportunity to respond—with your own view, counter arguments, more information and examples, and even agreement!

The editorial blog is part of the Expert Voices area of the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) and is found on the Web. Look for the Chemical Education Digital Library link and then choose editorial in the categories section at the right side of your screen. Editorials appear in reverse chronological order and your comments can be attached to any of them at any time.

You may also want to explore other blogs in Expert Voices. Are you interested in Connecting News with National Science Education Standards? If so, check out “What’s so Great about the Nobel Prize?” There is also a comment on antifreeze in toothpaste in this blog. Or you can see what’s New in NSDL or learn about Careers in Science.

Your comments about editorials are always welcome. Now there is a new, easier way to provide them.

Changes, Chemical Education Resource Shelf Feature

The ChemEd Resource Shelf, a feature found only on JCE Online, is the gateway to bibliographic information about essentially every chemistry textbook in print as well as software titles, chemical models, and the Hal’s Picks of the Month feature. Teachers of chemistry at all levels find it an invaluable aid.

The feature has recently been redesigned to provide better integrated and more complete service. There is also a new Search feature at the top of the page: Title, Author, or Publisher.

Volume 84: How Many Pages?

Volume 84 has just broken a record, the record for number of pages in a JCE volume, with 2032 total printed pages! That is 144 pages more than in Volume 83, the equivalent of one extra issue. Accepted manuscripts also appear in print faster than ever. The JCE staff and contributing authors are thrilled.

Earth Day 2008

Coming soon! The February 2008 issue will include coverage of Earth Day 2008 on the theme, “Water: Streaming Chemistry”. The issue will arrive in mid-January, giving you plenty of time to prepare for Earth Day on April 22, 2008.

Theme-related articles that are planned for the Chemical Education Today section include:

• A JCE Resource Paper; Research Advances feature column; Report from Nature; News from Online; JCE Classroom Activity; From Past Issues; Report on monitoring drinking water; Report on synthetic marine environments

In the other sections of the February issue you can expect to find several articles in each of these sub-themes of Water Chemistry:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Green Chemistry Experiments
• Solution Chemistry
• Solubility

Note also that Volume 4 of the Chemistry Comes Alive! series (JCE Software) has as one of its two topics, reactions in aqueous solution—and like the entire CCA! series is in streaming video. One more example of “streaming chemistry”!

New: Concepts Maps Feature Column

Concept Maps is a new feature column edited by Boyd L. Earl of University of Nevada–Las Vegas. The column first appeared in the November 2007 issue with the article, Concept Maps for General Chemistry.

The concept maps presented in the article lead off a column devoted to concept maps for chemistry courses. Readers are invited to submit maps that they have developed, and ideas for using concept maps, for use by other chemistry instructors. For those interested in creating concept maps, new technology has been developed by the University of West Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC; accessed Oct 2007) that permits easier and better construction of concept maps; also see J. Chem. Educ. 2004, 81, 1303–1308.

Award Deadlines

ACS Women Chemists Travel Grants

Eli Lilly & Co. is sponsoring a program to provide funding for undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral women chemists to travel to scientific meetings in 2008 to present the results of their research. Grant funds may be used only for registration, travel, and accommodations and are restricted to travel to meetings within the U.S.; only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible.

Full information about application instructions and eligibility may be found at the Web site or contact Cheryl Brown; the application form is online (all sites accessed Oct 2007). The next deadline date for receipt of applications is February 15, 2008. Applications must be received in advance of the review deadline and a minimum of six weeks prior to the meeting date.

Pittsburgh Conference Memorial National College Grants Program (PCMNCG)

The Pittsburgh Conference and its sponsoring societies, the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh and the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh, announce the 2008 PCMNCG Award Program. The programs serves as a memorial to deceased members of the Pittsburgh Conference Committee by promoting excellence in science education. Through the program, small colleges can enhance their science curricula through grants to purchase equipment and course materials. In 2008 at least $115,000 is available for about twelve awards. The maximum funding available for each grant is $10,000.

For further information and an application form, go to the Web site (accessed Oct 2007). The deadline for completed applications and proposals is December 1, 2007.

NCAT/FIPSE Redesign Alliance

The National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT) announces the second round of the Colleagues Committed to Redesign (C2R) program, sponsored by the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE). The purpose of the program is to support the efforts of colleges and universities to redesign their instructional approaches using technology to achieve improvements in student learning while reducing instructional costs. To have maximum impact, redesign efforts supported by the program will focus on large introductory courses with high enrollments.

NCAT will bring four-person teams from 20 institutions together with NCAT staff and 16 Redesign Scholars at a series of four disciplinary institutes: humanities; mathematics, statistics, and computer science; natural sciences; and social sciences. The institutes will introduce the teams to the NCAT redesign methodology, share strategies and techniques for successful course redesign, and help teams develop plans for course redesigns on their home campuses. There will be post-institute support as well. The deadline for applications for the second round is January 15, 2008. A full description of the program and application guidelines may be found online (accessed Oct 2007).

Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowships

Applications are now open for the 2008–2009 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program. The program provides paid academic year fellowships in Washington, DC, for K–12 teachers to work with Congress or in a federal agency. Application forms may be found online (accessed Oct 2007).

Attention K–12 teachers: Are you an experienced educator who is ready to make a difference on a national scale? If so, consider applying for an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship and prepare for a year of unique opportunities. As an Einstein Fellow you will spend a school year in Washington, DC sharing your expertise with policy makers. You may serve your fellowship with Congress or one of several government agencies such as the Department of Energy, NASA, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The goal of the Einstein Fellows program is to provide an opportunity for teachers to inform national policy and improve communication between the K–12 STEM education community and national leaders. Selection is based on excellence in K–12 mathematics, science, or technology teaching; demonstrated leadership; an understanding of national, state, and local education policy; and communication and interpersonal skills. The Fellowship program was created in 1990 with support from the MacArthur Foundation. Congress formalized the program in 1994 by passing the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Act. The Triangle Coalition administers the program under the direction of the Department of Energy. The online application opens October 1, 2007—the deadline date for all applications is January 13, 2008.

Apply online. For more information about the Einstein Fellows program visit the Web site or contact Liz Burck, 703/516-5963.

Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards

Toshiba and the National Science Teachers Association invite students in grades K–12 to create and explore a vision of a future technology by competing in the ExploraVision Awards program. This year up to $240,000 in savings bonds will be awarded to students for the most innovative ideas that combine imagination with the tools of science. Laptop computers for schools and other prizes for students, teachers, and mentors will also be presented. The deadline for applications is January 29, 2008. To enter:

• Obtain the 2007–2008 entry kit, brochure, rules, resources and tips (accessed Oct 2007); alternatively phone 1-800-explor-9 or email.
• Organize students into teams of 2, 3, or 4—simulating real research and development teams
• Have teams select and explore a technology and imagine what it could be like in 20 years.
• Submit a report describing an invention or innovation that applies the tools of science, creative thinking, and problem solving.

Awards Announced

ACS 2008 National Awards

The American Chemical Society has announced the recipients of its 2008 national awards. Vignettes of all award recipients will appear in C & E News in early 2008. Recipients will be honored at the Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, April 8, 2008, in conjunction with the 235th ACS national meeting in New Orleans.

ACS Award for Achievement in Research for the Teaching and Learning of Chemistry, sponsored by Prentice Hall

• Dorothy L. Gabel, Indiana University

ACS Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students into Careers in the Chemical Sciences, sponsored by the Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation

• Susan V. Olesik, Ohio State University

ACS Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the Chemical Sciences, sponsored by the Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation

• Esther M. Conwell, University of Rochester

ACS Award for Research at an Undergraduate Institution, sponsored by Research Corporation

• John T. Gupton, University of Richmond

Award for Volunteer Service to the American Chemical Society, sponsored by American Chemical Society

• Thomas L. Netzel, Georgia State University

James Bryant Conant Award for High School Chemistry Teaching, sponsored by Thermo Electron Corp.

• Richard Goodman, Horace Greeley High School, Chappaqua, NY

George C. Pimentel Award in Chemical Education, sponsored by Rohm and Haas Co.

• Richard N. Zare, Stanford University

Priestley Medal, sponsored by American Chemical Society

• Gabor A. Somorjai, University of California, Berkeley

Courses, Seminars, Meetings, Opportunities

Get Involved! Contact Division of Chemical Education

Want to become more involved in the ACS Division of Chemical Education? It’s easy—just complete the online nominations form.

If you want to become more involved in DivCHED activities, or perhaps serve on a Division committee or run for office, it is now easier than ever. Go to the Division’s Web page, scroll down to New Online Nominations Form, click on the link, and complete the form. When you complete the form, it goes to Marcy Towns, chair of the Division’s Committee for Personnel and Nominations (CPN). Then we will try to match you up with your interests.

The first step to serving on a committee is to simply let us know that you’d like to serve. Tell us by filling out the online form. This is a volunteer organization—we need you.

Fellowships at Miami University

Miami University announces the funding from the National Science Foundation to provide fellowships for graduate students in chemistry education research. The Chemistry Education Research Doctoral Fellows Program will provide each Fellow with the following for five years: $30,000 annual stipend; tuition, fees, and health insurance; laptop computer; travel to two conferences per year. Fellows will earn a Ph.D. in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and will partner with both university chemistry faculty and K–12 teachers to design curricula and investigate the processes of teaching and learning chemistry. For more information contact Stacey Lowery Bretz or go online (accessed Oct 2007).

Chemistry Olympiad Mentors Wanted!

High School educators are invited to apply for a position as mentor for the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad program. Duties during the three-year term include helping to conduct the national study camp for high school students held at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado during mid-June 2009, 2010, and 2011. Generally, in their second and third year, mentors accompany four U.S. student competitors to the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO). During the competition, the mentors will serve as members of the IChO Jury. The 2010 and 2011 IChO events are scheduled to be held in Japan and Turkey, respectively. Most students at the study camp have completed Advanced Placement Chemistry or the equivalent; therefore instruction at the camp is well beyond the level of high school general chemistry courses. The curriculum also includes considerable laboratory work.

Successful applicants are expected to have background in one or more of the areas of organic, inorganic, analytical, physical, or biochemistry with classroom experience and should demonstrate involvement with students in special projects or activities. Applicants must be prepared to make a three-year term commitment as outlined above. ACS pays all expenses and travel costs, as well as an honorarium.

Interested individuals may obtain an application form online (accessed Oct 2007) or by contacting Margaret Thatcher (202/872-6328) or Cecilia Hernandez (202/872-6169) at the American Chemical Society. The deadline for completed applications is January 28, 2008.