Award Deadlines

Green Chemistry

The Green Chemistry Institute (GCI) and the American Chemical Society (ACS) established in 2000 the Joseph Breen Memorial Fund, which commemorates Joseph Breen’s commitment to and accomplishments for the advancement of green chemistry. Each year the fund will award one or more Joseph Breen Memorial Fellowships. The award funds are used to sponsor the participation of a young international green chemistry scholar in a green chemistry technical meeting, conference, or training program. In order to promote green chemistry among young scientists, the award criteria limiting this fellowship to a “young” international scholar is defined as undergraduate and above but below the level of assistant professor. Application deadline is May 1, 2003. The contact person is Mary Kirchhoff, Green Chemistry Institute, American Chemical Society; phone: 202/872-4562.

Courses, Seminars, Meetings, Opportunities

ACS Chemistry Workshop, June 26–30, 2003

Have you been trying or considering an activity-based, student-centered approach to teaching your general chemistry course? The new textbook, Chemistry (a project of the American Chemical Society), is designed to support and reinforce this approach. The textbook is part of a bold new initiative to re-think and re-work the general chemistry course that too many students perceive as a barrier rather than a pathway to their future. Chemistry includes traditional chemistry concepts in a non-traditional order using pedagogy built on active learning and group interactions. The concepts and principles in Chemistry are developed as often as possible by the analysis of data obtained in classroom activities.

Because the approach requires more effort on the part of both students and instructors and what we are trying to accomplish may be unfamiliar, the ACS is supporting an intensive four-day workshop to help prospective users develop a better understanding of the textbook’s content and pedagogy. The workshop will be held at Collin County Community College near Dallas, TX, on June 26–30, 2003.

Space in the workshop is limited; participants will be chosen based on the order in which applications are received, with the exception that preference will be given to faculty committed to using Chemistry for Fall 2003. For more information on applying for the workshop or obtaining a copy of the textbook, contact Marta Gmurczyk before April 18, 2003. Applicants will be notified whether or not they have been accepted as soon as possible, but no later than April 25, 2003.

DNA Anniversary Poster

The year 2003 marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most important breakthroughs in science—the discovery of the DNA double helix by James Watson and Francis Crick in Cambridge in the spring of 1953. A photograph of the pair with their original model of DNA, taken by Antony Barrington Brown in May 1953, has become an icon of scientific discovery, heralding the creation of the biotechnology industry.

To celebrate the discovery of the DNA double helix, Science Photo Gallery has produced this anniversary poster of Watson and Crick with their DNA model (see below). The poster’s text explains how the DNA double-helix structure works, provides a short history of the discovery of the DNA structure, and gives biographies of Watson and Crick. The poster costs U.S. $14.99, plus shipping. To order a copy or for further details go to this Web site.

(photo and poster courtesy Science Photo Library)

For more information about the discovery of DNA, visit the Nature Web site. You will find a special 50th anniversary collection of reprints of the 1953 papers that were the basis for proposing a double-helix structure with complementary pairing of nitrogenous bases. In addition there are 20 contemporary articles that provide historical context for the discovery and views toward the future of research in the field. If you are interested in the role played by Rosalind Franklin and her X-ray data in the discovery, in how it was learned that DNA is the carrier of genetic information, or a nicely crafted description of how DNA behaves differently in cells from our standard textbook abstractions of its structure, go to this Web site. It provides fascinating information about science and scientists in a readily accessible format.

New NSF Solicitation

The Teacher Professional Continuum (TPC) program at the National Science Foundation announces new funding opportunities to conduct research studies, as well as research and development projects for K–12 science, technology, and mathematics (STM) education. This professional continuum includes K–12 experiences, teacher preparation programs, instructional practice, professional development, leadership development, and other life and professional experiences.
The principal mission of the TPC program is to promote quality K–12 STM teaching through the production of resources, the development of infrastructure, and the advancement of knowledge. To fulfill its mission, the TPC program set these goals, seeking to:

• Improve the quality and coherence of the learning experiences that prepare and enhance STM teachers
• Develop innovative curricula, materials, tools, ideas, and information resources that prepare and support STM teachers and administrators
• Research, develop, and identify models, organizational structures, and systems that support the teacher professional continuum
• Research teacher learning throughout the teacher professional continuum and its impact on teaching practice using scientifically-based investigations
• Advance the knowledge base on the preparation, enhancement, and retention of STM teachers, and on the strategies that strengthen and diversify the STM teaching profession
• Disseminate this knowledge and research, as well as innovative models and resources, to a national audience

Research studies from first-time Principal Investigators are especially encouraged. The deadline for required preliminary proposals is May 19, 2003. For more information and the TPC program solicitation visit the NSF Web site. Other programs in the Division of Elementary, Secondary and Informal Education (ESIE) include: Centers for Learning and Teaching, Informal Science Education, Instructional Materials Development, and Presidential Awards.

Call for Experiments, National Educators’ Workshop

In 2003 the 18th annual National Educators’ Workshop (NEW): Update teams up with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) joining NASA’s Celebration of 100 Years of Flight. The workshop will focus on gathering experiments and teaching strategies related to newer materials developments for faculty at both the college and pre-college levels. The Workshop will be held October 19–22, 2003, in Hampton and Newport News, VA. It will emphasize experiments and demonstrations for use in classrooms and lab courses, improved methods for teaching technical content, and plenary sessions on emerging technology. To date more than 600 experiments and demonstrations have been generated through NEW: Updates and are available on CD-ROM.

Request registration materials by writing a short note, including your name and address, to NEW: Update 2003, School of Science and Technology, Norfolk State University, 700 Park Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23504-8060; Attention: Jim Jacobs. Consult the Web site for further information. Those interested in providing experiments should submit a brief abstract to the postal or email addresses above no later than May, 1, 2003.

Mole Day 2003

National Mole Day celebrates its 13th anniversary on October 23, 2003, with the theme Rock ‘N Mole. Mole Day, celebrated each October 23 from 6:02 a.m. until 6:02 p.m., commemorates Avogadro’s Number and is coordinated by the National Mole Day Foundation. Information about the foundation, its award program, and projects and celebrations in previous years is available at the Web site or by writing or emailing the National Mole Day Foundation, Inc., Maurice Oehler, Executive Director, 1220 South 5th Street, Prairie du Chien, WI 53821.