News from Journal House
Newsletter for Demonstrators
Jim Maynard, lecture demonstrator in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and co-author of volume 7 of Chemistry Comes Alive!, announces the release of “The Demoist”, a newsletter designed to facilitate the exchange of information among those who both prepare and perform chemical demonstrations.
“When I toured several colleges, I immediately recognized an isolation among my peers,” Maynard states. “This newsletter attempts to address that need.”
Maynard encourages contributions—articles, questions, and comments about “The Demoist”—from other demonstrators. To receive this free electronic newsletter, and the accompanying survey, simply send your request for a subscription.
Do You Prepare Demos?
Ever want to find out how to set up or perform a certain demo, but don’t know where to look? Do you want to know about potential hazards in prep, the safest or least expensive way to do a demo without a full search of the Internet? Get an insider’s perspective on all this and more in “The Demoist”, a new electronic publication for people who prepare and perform demos, or simply love to read about those who do.
“The Demoist” is a professional electronic correspondence with several regular reader-driven features such as the “Where did you get that?” and the “How did you do that?” sections, as well as articles and reports about demo lab safety, demonstration history, an interactive Web site with direct Internet access to assistance from a professional demonstrator, and the opportunity to have from one to dozens of views on a particular demo. It is a great way to get to know something about other demo professionals as well as to share experiences and hints with your counterparts all over the U.S., and maybe the world!
“The Demoist” is also a great resource for demonstrators who are new at their position and would like an efficient way to get advice that is especially crucial to those who are the lone demo prep professional at a school. Read “The Demoist”, and if you’d like to get this newsletter, or know others who might like it sent to their in boxes, simply send a reply to get on the mailing list. The newsletter will arrive approximately four times a year, free of charge! If your school is a subscriber to the JCE, you can also access the “JCE DigiDemos: Tested Demonstrations” site, another valuable demonstration resource.
Awards Announced
TCEA’s Friend of Education Award
The Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) has announced that Caleb M. Schutz, president of the JASON Foundation for Education, is the recipient of their Friend of Education Award. The award is presented to individuals whose devotion and innovative efforts have expanded the use of technology in education through a partnership with TCEA. Schutz received the award for his previous work in founding and directing the Marco Polo Education Foundation, an online curriculum and professional development program.
Courses, Seminars, Meetings, Opportunities
ACS Academic Employment Initiative
If you are seeking a faculty appointment, or
If you are seeking new faculty for your department…
…you should participate in the ACS Academic Employment Initiative (AEI) interdisciplinary poster session that is part of the SciMix poster session at the ACS National Meeting in Washington, DC, on Monday evening, 29 August 2005. If you are seeking a faculty appointment, present a poster on your present research, your research interests, and/or your teaching experience and interests. If you are seeking new faculty for your department, take the opportunity in this relatively informal setting to meet several more prospective candidates than you could otherwise. For more information on submitting and presenting a poster or recruiting at this AEI poster session visit the Web site.
Weird Science Workshop
The 2005 Weird Science Workshop will continue the highly successful format of the previous 10 years on the University of Illinois at Chicago campus August 8–12, 2005. It is offered as Chem 572 (Teaching Methods in Chemistry), a three-semester-hour graduate-level course. Weird Science consists of documented chemistry demos, labs, computer applications, make-and-takes, and lectures that chemistry teachers can really use. As Education Week says “The group gives teachers ammunition to use in the classroom.” In addition to Bob Lewis, Lee Marek, and Wade Freeman, the course will involve Jesse Bernstein making inquiry-based labs work and forensic chemistry; Jason Neil presenting Chemistry Inquiry; and Bruce Mattson doing microscale gas chemistry. For more details, see the Web site (accessed Mar 2005). For additional information contact Wade Freeman, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chemistry Department, 845 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60607; phone: 312/996-3161.
Workshop for Science and Math Teachers
No Question Left Behind: Bringing Guided-Inquiry Curricula into Science and Mathematics Classrooms is the title of a workshop for middle- and high-school science and mathematics teachers; stipends are available for in-service teachers. The workshop will be held June 20 and 21, 2005, in the MBNA Conference Facility in Northport, ME. It is sponsored by the University of Maine Center for Science and Mathematics Education Research and The Jackson Laboratory, with support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Balfour Foundation. This workshop will explore ways to give students the opportunity to develop their own evidence-based understanding of science and math concepts by researching and solving content-rich problems. Drawing from examples in physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, and earth sciences, presentations will focus on using research in the classroom to identify what students know and how they learn, then using that information to develop guided-inquiry instruction for students. Additional sessions will delve into the use of technology in teaching inquiry, strategies for guiding students through inquiry, strategies for creating a classroom culture that facilitates inquiry, and assessing student learning.
The workshop is open to 60 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. At least 45 spaces will be held for in-service and pre-service teachers. In-service teachers will receive a $200 stipend for attending the entire workshop. The workshop is free of charge to participants and includes accommodations for Monday night and all meals. To register contact Leisa Preble, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Maine; phone: 207/581-1016. For questions about the workshop or for a detailed conference schedule, contact Molly Schauffler; phone: 207/581-2707.
Materials Available
Free Materials from NIH
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) distributes free science magazines and PowerPoint slide kits for high school science educators. In Findings, the magazine that “puts a face on science”, discover how lead disrupts protein function and what one bioengineer learned from his invention, the cell spinner. Findings informs students about basic research advances that are helping patients, offers a glimpse of cutting-edge researchers inside and outside the lab, and reinforces learning with crossword puzzles based on its stories. The tutorials provide an easy way to teach science and supplement lectures. Order free print copies of Findings and other educational publications here (accessed Mar 2005).
Molecular Modeling Software
Advanced software for electronic structure studies is available without charge from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a national laboratory operated by the U.S. Department of Energy. The award-winning Extensible Computational Chemistry Environment (ECCE) is an integrated suite of Linux/UNIX-based graphical user interface applications that can set up calculations and launch, monitor, and analyze results. More than 1,000 government, industry, and university locations have installed this laboratory’s molecular science software for research use. It is now being implemented successfully in the chemistry classroom. For details see this Website (accessed Mar 2005).
An Ancient Universe
The American Astronomical Society (AAS) has published An Ancient Universe: How Astronomers Know the Vast Scale of Cosmic Time, a 20-page illustrated guide explaining how astronomers know that the cosmos is old and that it changes with time. The Astronomy Education Board of the AAS has put together an article first published in a newsletter for teachers on the Astronomical Society of the Pacific Web site, which has been expanded and updated into a booklet designed for school boards, principals, parents, and those who want to see the scientific perspective on the age of the Earth and the physical world. An Ancient Universe is available for free downloading (accessed Mar 2005). The authors explain the evidence showing that we live in a universe that is between 10 billion and 15 billion years old and that both the universe and its contents undergo evolutionary change. A list of written and Web resources is also included.
Proposal Deadlines |
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National Science Foundation
Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) |
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The following NSF deadlines have been established or are anticipated.- Advanced Technology Education (ATE)
Preliminary Proposals April 26, 2005
Formal Proposals October 18, 2005 - National Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Digital Library (NSDL)
Letters of Intent (optional) March 9, 2005
Formal Proposals April 11, 2005 - Course, Curriculum and Lab Improvement (CCLI)
Full Proposals, Phase 1 from organizations located in states or territories: - beginning with A through L May 17, 2005
- beginning with M through N May 18, 2005
- beginning with O through W May 19, 2005
Full Proposals, Phase 2 and 3 January, 24, 2006
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. |
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- Camille Dreyfus Teacher–Scholar Awards Program: November 10, 2005
- Start-Up Award Program: May 12, 2005
- Henry Dreyfus Teacher–Scholar Awards Program: June 30, 2005
- New Faculty Awards Program: May 12, 2005
- Postdoctoral Program in Environmental Chemistry: May 26, 2005
- Senior Scientist Mentor Program:
Completed Proposals: August 25, 2005 - Special Grant Program in the Chemical Sciences:
Preliminary Proposals: June 2, 2005
Completed Proposals: August 25, 2005
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 |
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- Cottrell College Science Awards: May 15 and November 15
- Cottrell Scholar Awards: September 1
- Research Innovation Awards: suspended 2004-2005
- Research Opportunity Awards: May 1 and October 1
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. |
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