News from Journal House

Special JCE Offer: Buy One, Get One Free

Special Opportunity for ACS Local Sections

The Journal of Chemical Education is offering to ACS Local Sections for the first time the opportunity to “buy one, get one free.” For each subscription to JCE that a local section purchases as an award for a chemistry teacher or a chemistry student, we will provide a second, free subscription-a 50% saving-for the first year. At $45 per subscription, JCE is one of the best bargains around, and this special offer makes it even better!

JCE, The Ideal Award

The Journal of Chemical Education doesn’t simply describe the stages of investigation, analysis, and communication that comprise the scientific enterprise-it makes its readers participants in the process. Can you think of a better way to recognize the achievement of outstanding students and teachers than to make them part of this process? Plaques, certificates, medals are lost or misplaced, or hung on a wall and forgotten. A subscription to The Journal of Chemical Education is a meaningful award that comes every month, will reinforce and expand the enthusiasm and inventiveness of those being honored, and-by extension-will enrich the study of chemistry for all of us.

Act Now!

Taking advantage of this special offer is easy. Get in touch with Mary Virginia Orna, JCE Publications Coordinator (914/654-5302) for a form; fill it out and return it along with your payment and an attached list of awardees (names, mailing addresses, email addresses) at Journal of Chemical Education, Publications Coordinator, 16 Hemlock Place, New Rochelle, NY 10805. This offer expires June 30, 2007.

Award Deadlines

Student Awards in Applied Polymer Science

The Polymer Education Committee of the ACS Divisions of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering and Polymer Chemistry invite applications for the 2007 ICI Student Award in Applied Polymer Science.

Graduate students, either currently in graduate school or not more than one year beyond graduation, are invited to submit a research paper for presentation at the Fall 2007 ACS Meeting in Boston. The paper should conform to the preprint format of the PMSE Division and be commensurate with the regulations and customs of papers presented at PMSE/ACS programs. Up to six finalists will be selected based on the scientific merit of the submitted papers. Out-of-pocket expenses up to $750 will be available to each finalist to attend the ACS meeting and present his or her paper in the ICI Award Symposium within the PMSE program. The paper must be presented by the student, not by the co-author/thesis advisor. The awardee will be chosen by an anonymous evaluation committee that will audit the presentations.

The Award, consisting of $1600 and a plaque, will be presented at the PMSE Division luncheon at the following Spring ACS meeting. All finalists will receive a one-year complimentary membership in the PMSE Division. Instructions regarding application procedures are available from: Thomas D. Hahn, Chair, ICI Student Award Committee, National Starch & Chemical Co., 10 Finderne Avenue, Bridgewater, NJ 08807. Application forms and preprints for the 2007 Award must be submitted via email by 8 a.m. Eastern Time, March 5, 2007.

Courses, Seminars, Meetings, Opportunities

Workshop on Nuclear Power

Washington & Lee University and the Council on Foreign Relations will sponsor an interdisciplinary workshop for educators on the role of nuclear power in meeting future U.S. energy requirements. The workshop will be held June 20-24, 2007, on the Washington & Lee campus in Lexington, VA. Experts in science, technology, economics, regulation, and proliferation will provide information and insights to address the deliberations surrounding this energy source. The presenters representing different positions on scientific and policy issues associated with this important question will be announced in early 2007. Time will also be dedicated to the presentation of these issues in a variety of educational environments. Stipends will be available to participants for travel and living expenses. For more information contact Lynda Bassett-deMaria. The tentative program is available (accessed Jan 2007).

Enriching the Academic Experience of College Science Students

The University of Michigan’s Science Learning Center announces that registration is now open, with an early bird discount before March 2, 2007, for this conference to be held May 22-24, 2007 at the University of Michigan-Ann–Arbor.

Conference sessions will cover topics related to:

• peer-based programs
• collaborative learning and supplemental instruction
• increasing participation of underrepresented students in the sciences
• science study skills and/or tutoring and/or advising
• innovative uses of technology in science education
• undergraduate research and service learning programs
• learning communities

For more information, check the conference Web site (accessed Jan 2007).

The conference will provide a gathering place for a diverse group of educators, including learning center professionals, faculty, program directors, and others who are committed to supporting undergraduate science students outside of the formal classroom. We are inviting educators from all types of colleges and universities, including two-year community colleges and four-year comprehensive, liberal arts, and research institutions.

The conference will feature approximately 50 concurrent sessions plus two featured speakers: Saundra Y. McGuire, director of the Center for Academic Success at Louisiana State University and Robert Megginson, mathematician and associate dean for undergraduate and graduate education at the University of Michigan.

Sessions will cover a wide range of topics that highlight new and innovative programs, connections between current theory and practice, and discussions about the important questions facing science educators.

Call for Scientists and Engineers–Education Reform

The Los Alamos National Laboratory and the National Science Resource Center (a unit of the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academies) will host a symposium, Changing the Course of Science Education: The Critical Role of Scientists and Engineers, in Santa Fe, NM, April 10–13, 2007. This symposium seeks to engage scientists and engineers from the public and private sectors in providing leadership for K–16 science education reform.

Others who would benefit from information and experiences within this symposium are directors of research, deans and department chairs in science and engineering, and others who have a vested interest in a technologically competent workforce and a scientifically informed electorate.

Among the questions that this symposium will address are these:

• What is the current state of K–16 science education in the United States?
• What does current research say about effective K–16 science learning and teaching
• What are the classroom characteristics of effective K–16 science learning and teaching?
• What are some models of effective elementary, secondary, and undergraduate science education programs?
• How can scientists and engineers contribute to the science education of classroom teachers—both pre-service and in-service?
• What is the role of scientists and engineers in local and statewide initiatives?

Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about the latest cognitive research; develop a shared vision for effective science programs through virtual classroom visits and hands-on, inquiry-based experiences; gain access to data supporting the effectiveness of hands-on, inquiry-based science; and hear from scientists and engineers who are deeply involved in science education reform efforts. There will also be opportunities for those individuals who are currently involved in reform initiatives to present the results of their efforts through a scheduled poster session.

Program details and registration materials can be found on the NSRC Web site (accessed Jan 2007).

2007 Schedule, Center for Workshops in the Chemical Sciences (CWCS)

The NSF-CCLI-ND-sponsored Center for Workshops in the Chemical Sciences (CWCS) announces its 2007 program.

These week-long workshops are designed for faculty and staff with instructional responsibilities at the undergraduate level at universities, colleges, community colleges, and other educational institutions. Individuals who plan to embark on a career in college teaching (i.e., advanced graduate students and post-docs) are also welcome. The workshops are designed to provide a background and modern perspective on various topics in the chemical sciences, along with methods to introduce these topics into the college curriculum. They all involve extensive hands-on activities. Registration, housing, and a per diem for food are provided at no cost to participants. Some support might also be available to cover the cost of travel to the workshops. The workshops have a long history of engaging faculty in new topical areas and providing great support for enhancing the curriculum at a variety of institutions. Established in 2001, CWCS is funded for 2007-2010 by an award from the NSF CCLI (phase 3) program.

Further information about CWCS, descriptions of individual workshops, and an application are available (accessed Jan 2007).

• Modeling Biomolecules: Jackson State University, Jackson, MS. May 20–25, 2007
• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: Washington State University, Pullman, WA. May 20–25, 2007
• Practical Aspects of Process Analytical Chemistry: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ. June 3–8, 2007
• Forensic Science: Williams College, Williamstown, MA. June 17–22, 2007
• Green Chemistry: University of Oregon, Eugene, OR. July 7–12, 2007
• Chemistry of Art: Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO. July 22–27, 2007
• Materials Science and Nanotechnology for Chemists: Beloit College, Beloit, WI. July 22–27, 2007
• Chemical Education: Guided-Inquiry Organic Labs: University of California–Irvine, Irvine, CA. August 5–10, 2007

Vernier Workshops on Integrating Data Collection

Vernier Software & Technology will offer free hands-on workshops in data-collection technology. Educators may register online or sign up to be notified about specific workshops by email. Register online (accessed Jan 2007).

Workshop attendees will spend a 4-hour session learning how to integrate data-collection technology into their chemistry, biology, physics, math, middle school science, physical science, and Earth science curricula. Participants will have an opportunity to collect data on computers, TI graphing calculators, and Palm OS handhelds. The workshops will include lunch and a workshop training manual. For a fee, those who choose to do so may earn two (quarter) graduate science credit hours through the Portland State University Center for Science Education.

Workshops are free for training and the manual, or educators may choose a training plus hardware/software package for $250. Packages include either the LabPro Interface, Logger Pro Software and Temperature Probe, or LabPro Interface, Light Sensor, and Temperature Probe.

Workshops will be held in 42 cities nationwide during February, March, April, and May 2007 as well as into the future. The Vernier Web site has a current schedule of cities and dates as well as registration information.

Proposal Deadlines National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) The following NSF deadlines have been established or are anticipated. Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Preliminary Proposals: April 26, 2007 Full Proposals: October 11, 2007 Discovery Research K–12 (DR-K12) Preliminary and Full Proposal dates vary depending on focus; see NSF EHR Web site for details Ethics Education in Science & Engineering (EESE) Full Proposals: April 10, 2007 Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research: Workshop Opportunities (EPS) Full Proposals: accepted any time Informal Science Education (ISE) Preliminary Proposals: March 8, 2007 Full Proposals: June 21, 2007 Preliminary Proposals: September 13, 2007 Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT) Preliminary Proposals: April 5, 2007 Full Proposals (by invitation only): October 5, 2007 Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) annually on the fourth Thursday in January National Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Education Digital Library (NSDL) Letter of Intent: March 14, 2007 Full Proposals: April 11, 2007 NSF Scholarship in Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (S-STEM) Letters of Intent: October 10, 2007 Full Proposals: November 13, 2007 Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) Full Proposals (by invitation only): February 28, 2007 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring Full Proposals: March 6, 2007 Research on Gender in Science and Engineering (GSE) Full Proposals April 2, 2007 Robert Noyce Scholarship Program Letters of Intent: February 28, 2007 Full Proposals: March 29, 2007 Official deadline dates for proposals will be specified in the new program solicitation for each program, to be published at least three months before the relevant deadline date. Consult NSF Education and Human Resources (EHR), Division of Undergraduate Education for the most up-to-date listings and guidelines; phone: 703/292-8670; email. The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc. Camille Dreyfus Teacher–Scholar Awards Program: Janury 9, 2008 Faculty Start-Up Award Program: May 10, 2007 Henry Dreyfus Teacher–Scholar Awards Program: June 28, 2007 New Faculty Awards Program: May 10, 2007 Postdoctoral Program in Environmental Chemistry: May 24, 2007 Senior Scientist Mentor Program: Completed Proposals: October 4, 2007 Special Grant Program in the Chemical Sciences: Preliminary Proposals: June 7, 2007 Completed Proposals: August 23, 2007 Further information and confirmation of the above deadlines may be obtained from The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc., 555 Madison Avenue, Suite 1305, New York, NY 10022-3301; phone: 212/753-1760; email. Research Corporation Cottrell College Science Awards: May 15 and November 15 Cottrell Scholar Awards: September 1 Research Innovation Awards: suspended 2004-2006 Research Opportunity Awards: May 1 and October 1 Special opportunities in Science Awards: suspended 2006-2008. Further information may be obtained from Research Corporation, 4703 East Camp Lowell Drive, Suite 201, Tucson, AZ 85712; phone: 520/571-1111; fax: 520/571-1119; email.