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Secondary School Feature Articles
Stimulate High School Science Fair Participation
by Connecting with a Nearby College by Mary Ellen DeClue, Kevin Johnson, Howard Hendrickson,
and Pamela Keck, p 608.
JCE Classroom Activity: #27. How Does Your
Garden Grow? Investigating the "Magic Salt Crystal
Garden", edited by Nancy S. Gettys and Erica K. Jacobsen,
p 624A.
Some Articles of Interest
photos by Jerrold J. Jacobsen and Nancy S. Gettys
This month's issue covers a wide variety of topics,
from historical notes to the latest software from
JCE. Gas burners are such familiar items in the laboratory that little thought
is given to their development. An interesting article by
Kathryn Williams (pp 558-559) explains how these humble
devices came into being, beginning with Robert Bunsen's
invention in 1857, through their adaptation in the United States in
the 1930s to burn natural gas. Bunsen, in collaboration
with Gustav Kirchhoff, used his invention in
constructing an emission spectrometer that could be
used in chemical analysis. A drawing of the
instrument appears in the Williams article.
The spectrometer is described in more detail in an article titled
"A Brief History of Atomic Emission
Spectrochemical Analysis, 1666-1950".
Author Richard Jarrell traces the history of this important
and lasting method of analysis from Isaac Newton's discovery of the
visible spectrum to the development of the
powerful analytical instruments that were in use in the 1950s.
For readers who have a deeper interest in atomic emission
spectroscopy, Jarrell's article is the first of five that are based on
a symposium conducted in 1999 (pp 573-607).
Visualizing the structure of ionic crystals is the topic
of articles by
Keenan Dungey (pp 618-619),
Bruce Mattson (pp 622-623), and
J. Kamenícek and M. Melichárek (pp
623-624). The ionic crystal theme is also carried out in
JCE Classroom Activity #27 (pp 624A-B)
and a demonstration on the preparation of sodium iodide,
written by Zelek Herman (pp 619-621). Together, the five articles provide an
interesting combination of ideas for investigating and describing both
the macroscopic and the submicroscopic views of ionic crystals.
Is It the "Write" Time for You?
The end of the school year is approaching quickly.
In previous years, several readers have submitted
manuscripts soon after the end of the school year, while ideas were
fresh in their mind and there was relief from the demands of
daily classes. If you have an idea for an article, I encourage you
to think about writing as soon as the school term ends. I
can probably guess what you are saying, "I don't have
anything that readers would be interested in." This is a common
reaction, to which we frequently respond by reminding
high school teachers that this is "your journal" and the only
way to ensure that topics of interest to you are considered or
published is by your active participation. In this presidential
election year I am reminded of the familiar sentiment, "I
voted in the election, so I have earned the right to complain
about the politicians." I do not wish to encourage complaining, but
there is a relevant correlation. By
submitting manuscripts to the Journal, you
are ensuring that you will continue to get your money's worth because it will include
topics of interest to you.
When considering a submission, many prospective authors are
overwhelmed at the thought of preparing a complete manuscript. Don't let that stop you. If you have an idea,
an outline, or a rough draft, any of the feature editors or I
would be happy to discuss it with you. This one-on-one
interaction during the development process will help you express
your ideas more effectively. Many teachers across the country
who are faced with similar situations and problems each day
would benefit from an article discussing innovative teaching
strategies or a new way to look at principles we teach every year.
As you begin to formulate your ideas, I would like
to emphasize five features whose editors are fellow teachers:
Information about the expectations for each feature
and contact information for each feature editor may be
found online,
http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/AboutJCE/Features/index.html.
So review the various features today, and drop one of the editors or me an email briefly discussing your
idea. We will begin a dialogue to explore the topic more
thoroughly and do our best to provide feedback to help you submit
the best possible manuscript.
If you have selected a topic and are ready to prepare
a manuscript for submission, be sure to consult the Guide
to Submissions (JCE 2000, 77, 29-30 or
http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/Journal/Authors/Guidelines.html).
If you are considering writing about a laboratory experiment, consult
Supplemental Guidelines, JCE Lab-Experiment Manuscripts
(
this issue, p 562). We look forward to hearing from you soon.
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