News from Journal House

ChemEd Digital Library Update

Local Workshops

The Chemical Education Digital Library (ChemEd DL) has recently hosted two local workshops for chemistry teachers in Wisconsin. These workshops were designed to introduce teachers, from middle school through college professors, to the resources found in the ChemEd DL. The response to the workshops has been overwhelmingly positive. One of the most frequent comments we heard was,

I had no idea there were so many valuable resources available to me, only a click away!

Do you fall into the category of someone who has not yet explored the ChemEd DL? If so, take the time to investigate the digital library and discover the wealth of extraordinary resources available to you.

The ChemEd DL will use this experience to help design a Moodle course focused on helping others deliver ChemEd DL workshops. It will give course members ideas about recruiting participants to their own local workshops on the ChemEd DL as well as ideas about what to cover, how to cover it, and resources that can be distributed to participants.

A Wealth of Information: Periodic Table Live!

The Periodic Table Live! is one of the fantastic new resources available on the Chemical Education Digital Library (ChemEd DL). This completely interactive periodic table allows students and teachers alike to chose an element of interest and obtain a broad range of valuable information—from details of the element’s discovery to many of its distinguishing characteristics. But the wealth of information does not stop there, you can also learn about different physical (i.e. boiling point, melting point, hardness) and atomic properties (i.e. ionization energies, electronegativity, atomic radius) of your element, see photos, view videos of reactions, and play around with the 3-dimensional crystal structure(s) of that element. An additional function of this periodic table is the ability to chart and sort. You can choose a certain property (or many properties) of a selection of elements and see, in graphical form, how they compare based on where the element is on the periodic table. It’s a wonderful way to teach students about periodic trends.

JCE Online Offers RSS Feed for Journal Current Issue

Do you know about RSS and use it to keep track of news and events on the Web? Or, are you ready to try out this new way to keep up with Web content? JCE Online now offers a new RSS feed for articles published in each current issue of the Journal. Experienced or new to the game, just go to the JCE Online home page and click the RSS icon next to the Current Issue item—it is near the top of the menu on the left-hand side of the page.

If you aren’t yet familiar with the use of RSS feeds or channels, here’s a short primer.

• What is RSS? RSS, Really Simple Syndication, is a tool that can be used to keep up to date on content posted to the Web. It is a popular way to track new blog entries and news headlines; it is used for podcasts. Most RSS feeds give you a short summary of the latest items with a link to the full item on the Web site. RSS is becoming the standard means for keeping up-to-date with changing Web sites.
• Does your computer have RSS capability? Support for RSS feeds now exists in popular Web browsers such as Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 2 and later, and Safari as well as within some email clients such as Mac OS X Mail and Microsoft Outlook. Also, many standalone RSS client applications are available that support RSS feeds.
• Subscribe to an RSS feed. Generally, you subscribe to an RSS feed by clicking the icon for the RSS link itself (see above). RSS service on JCE Online is free to all; you don’t even have to be a JCE subscriber to use our RSS feed. To set up your RSS application for the new JCE Online RSS feed of articles in a current issue, first refer to the Help offered with your program. Then explore this new JCE Online feature. Enjoy!

Awards Announced

2008 James Flack Norris Award

David K. Gosser, Jr., a professor of chemistry at the City University of New York (City College), Jack A. Kampmeier, a professor of chemistry emeritus at the University of Rochester, and Pratibha Varma-Nelson, a professor of chemistry and the executive director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Indiana University–Purdue University, Indianapolis, have been selected as the recipients of the 2008 James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Teaching of Chemistry. The award will be presented on November 13, 2008, at the monthly meeting of the Northeastern Section of the ACS. The award is made annually by the Northeastern Section to recognize an individual whose dedication and excellence in the teaching of chemistry have had wide-ranging effects on the profession. Gosser, Kampmeier, and Varma-Nelson are jointly recognized for their leadership work to develop the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) Workshop model for teaching chemistry.

Gosser, Kampmeier, and Varma-Nelson led the research and development of the PLTL model following its initial pilot at CCNY in the early 1990s. Supported by a NSF “Systemic Change in Chemistry” grant, they worked with colleagues to formulate and implement the “Critical Components” for successful PLTL programs, to broaden the dissemination in chemistry teaching and beyond by encouraging PLTL leadership in biology, physics, mathematics, and computer science, and to develop models for institutionalization of PLTL. PLTL continues to be a national partnership that builds on the contributions of hundreds of individuals; this team of three provided the essential continuity and leadership.

2008 Presidential Green Chemistry Awards

For the 13th straight year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized chemical technologies developed by leading researchers and industrial innovators that are making significant contributions to pollution prevention in the U.S.

At the recent awards ceremony in Washington, DC, Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards were given in five categories: Academic, Small Business, Greener Synthetic Pathways, Greener Reaction Conditions, and Designing Greener Chemicals.

The 2008 award-winner technologies are:

• A novel method to make complex molecules cleanly and efficiently: developed by Robert E. Maleczka, Jr. and Milton R. Smith, III of Michigan State University, Lansing, MI
• A safe way to harness the reactivity of alkali metals: developed by SiGNa Chemistry, Inc. of New York, NY
• Biobased resins for toner ink that are easily removed during paper recycling: developed by Battelle of Columbus, OH
• A three-part system to monitor and treat cooling water: developed by Nalco Co. of Naperville, IL
• A second-generation green chemistry pesticide: developed by Dow AgroSciences of Indianapolis, IN

EPA’s Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge promotes research and development of less-hazardous alternatives to existing technologies that reduce or eliminate waste, particularly hazardous waste, in industrial production. An independent panel of technical experts convened by the ACS selected the winners from nearly 100 nominated technologies.

Over the past 13 years, the winners’ work has led to the elimination of more than 1.1 billion pounds of hazardous chemicals and solvents, over 21 billion gallons of water, and nearly 400 million pounds of carbon dioxide. These benefits are in addition to significant energy and cost savings by the winners and their customers. More information about the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge 2008 Awards is available (accessed Jul 2008).

Award Deadlines

Vernier and NSTA Offer Technology Award

Every year, Vernier and the National Science Teacher’s Association present the Vernier Software & Technology/NSTA Technology Award to some of the most resourceful science teachers in the U.S. The awards, valued at $3000 each, will be given to seven educators judged to have created the best inquiry-based, hands-on learning activities using data-collection technology interfaced with computers, graphing calculators, and other hand-held devices.

Up to one elementary teacher, two middle school teachers, three high school teachers, and one college-level educator will receive the technology awards. Each award consists of $1000 in cash, $1000 in Vernier equipment, and $1000 toward travel and expenses for attending NSTA’s 2009 national convention. Applications should include an application form, an abstract of the program in 250 words or less, a program description, a copy of an actual lab activity, a Vita for the nominee, three letters of support, and a completed and signed application checklist. Application forms and guidelines may be downloaded from the Vernier Web site (accessed Jul 2008). Electronic submissions are preferred, but materials may be mailed to: NSTA, Vernier Technology Awards, 1840 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201-3000. Entries for the 2009 awards are due by October 15, 2008, and will be judged by a panel of experts appointed by NSTA. Educators may be nominated or self-nominated for the awards.

Courses, Seminars, Meetings, Opportunities

Chemicals That Should NOT Be in Secondary Schools

The ACS Committee on Chemical Safety (CCS), through its Safe Practices subcommittee, undertook the task of compiling a partial list of chemicals that it believes should not be found in a secondary school chemical inventory or used by individuals who are not knowledgeable and skilled in working with high-hazard chemicals. The committee has just issued its recommendations, along with criteria for the selection of chemicals to this list, in the document, Reducing Risks to Students and Educators from Hazardous Chemicals in a Secondary School Chemical Inventory. The document is available at the CSS Web site (accessed Jul 2008). The list of suggested restricted-use chemicals presented in this document is provided as a resource for the secondary school instructor and is not intended to be a comprehensive list of chemicals that should not be found in a secondary school inventory. The ACS CCS strongly urges all high school instructors to make a complete chemical inventory and determine what is needed for teaching and what is simply a waste that requires disposal.

Information about CCS activities and the Committee’s efforts to assist educators in the responsible management of chemicals in secondary schools appeared in J. Chem. Educ. 2008, 85, 1026. For more information about the ACS resources in safety education, please visit the committee Web site (accessed Jul 2008) or contact Marta Gmurczyk.

Earth Portal News Source

The Earth Portal (accessed Jul 2008) is a comprehensive resource for timely, objective, science-based information about the environment. It is a means for the global scientific community to come together to produce the first free, expert-driven, massively scaleable information resource on the environment, and to engage civil society in a public dialogue on the role of environmental issues in human affairs. It contains no commercial advertising and reaches a large global audience. The Earth Portal has three components:

• The Encyclopedia of Earth, with over 3,500 articles, is produced and reviewed by 1,000 scholars from 60 countries.
• The Earth Forum provides commentary from scholars and discussions with the general public.
• The Earth News weekly newsletter offers news stories on environmental issues drawn from many sources, delivered via email.

Access these free resources by going to the Earth Portal Web site (above) and clicking Join the Earth Portal Community.