Would your students like to use Facebook for science networking? Would you like them to? The link below goes to an article from the Journal of Chemical Education that describes the Elements on Facebook project which allows your students to support their favorite element.

This makes a great opportunity to engage students and the public in National Chemistry Week. We are having a contest to see which element is the most popular by the end of National Chemistry Week (October 24). Encourage each of your students to become a fan of their favorite element.

Article: Become a Fan: Support Your Favorite Element on Facebook

Copyright 2009, Journal of Chemical Education, Division of Chemical Education, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

Most popular elements as of August 15, 2009:

Would you like to excite your students with an interactive periodic table that contains videos, graphing, data, and more? Here’s what it looks like.

Read about Periodic Table Live! and try it with your students! PTL! is a free resource available from the ChemEd DL at http://www.chemeddl.org/collections/ptl/index.html.

This post contains a PDF file of an article from the October 2009 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education. The article describes how Periodic Table Live! can be used effectively in both high school and college courses. Because the Periodic Table Live! is available in a wiki, students can contribute to the information it contains and  assignments can be structured so that students find information about the elements and share that information with others.

Article: periodictableliveexcitesstudents-jce2009p1167.pdf

Copyright 2009 by Journal of Chemical Education, Division of Chemical Education, Inc. Reprinted with permission.

from Erica K. Jacobsen, JCE High School Editor

The rush is over. No, not preparing a classroom for the onslaught of new students or tweaking curriculum. The conference rush. As I write these words, I am happy to have achieved my goal of surviving August, which included two meetings within the space of three weeks. (Cue a sigh of relief.) These recent experiences remain on my mind as I process items collected at the Fall American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting in Washington, DC. As such, an article that wouldn’t normally be on my radar as one to mark of interest to high school teachers caught my attention. In the table of contents for the November 2009 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education, you’ll find a next to Mabrouk’s article. She reports on a Web-based survey of undergraduates who presented their research at Fall ACS National Meetings in 2007 and 2008. The article sparked two parallel trains of thought. One, it took me back to my first conference presentation as an undergraduate, at a Spring ACS National Meeting, after completing a summer research project. Two, it led me to reflect on my attendance at recent meetings and how high school educators might participate in these same meetings.

As an undergraduate, my participation mirrored that of Mabrouk’s respondents. I attended symposia, poster sessions, the exposition, and an organized social event. My participation remains similar these days, although my exposition time now naturally includes time staffing the JCE booth. Are you aware an ACS Meeting offers many events of interest to high school educators? The most widely advertised is the High School Day Program. This fall’s varied program had presentations on the upcoming National Chemistry Week periodic table theme, including a hands-on construction activity from JCE (see photo, as well as JCE’s October 2009 issue), a process-oriented, guided-inquiry learning (POGIL) experience, chocolate research (samples included!), and a demonstration show. The reduced high school teacher registration fee of $90 included the full meeting, all technical sessions, and exposition admission.

Formally organized activities are just one part of the larger conference experience. I agree with Mabrouk’s statement that “participation in informal activities is peculiarly valuable”. As an undergraduate, a loosely organized lunch for members of Alpha Chi Sigma attending the meeting resulted in an introduction to Nobel Prize winner Glenn Seaborg. My recent ACS conference had similar chance encounters. At the exposition, I met Ivan Amato, managing editor of Chemical & Engineering News. During our brief conversation, I shared my thoughts about the magazine’s conversion to digital issues. A random passerby overheard my comments and chimed in that she agreed, as well.

Future meetings will continue to offer similar opportunities. Jeffrey Hepburn, the winner of the 2010 James Bryant Conant Award in High School Chemistry Teaching, will deliver his award address at the Spring 2010 ACS National Meeting in San Francisco. The Division of Chemical Education High School Committee will continue its discussions. There will be a wide range of symposia, to join as a presenter or an attendee. As a high school educator, what are your thoughts about attending (or not) such meetings?

Activity Tester Team

Thank you to those who have responded to the call for JCE Classroom Activity testers in last month’s issue. I quickly put Dani Meyers of Colorado Academy to work; she served as a tester for this issue’s Classroom Activity. Thanks, Dani! There’s still room on the team. Interested? Contact me.

Laura’s Take on the Issue

from Laura Slocum, JCE High School Associate Editor

Many teachers really enjoy doing chemical demonstrations in their classes and other venues. I certainly fall into this category; however, in spite of this, I do not actually do very many demonstrations in my classroom. I prefer to allow my students as much time as possible to do chemistry on their own in the laboratory. There are times when I am willing to trade student laboratory time for demonstration time when the demo fits nicely into my curriculum. Allen, Anderson, and Mattson’s demonstration is one of those. I plan to insert “The Remarkable Chemistry of Potassium Dioxide(1−)” into my prelab instruction when students do a gas synthesis lab to make four gases and test the chemical properties of these gases (see the online supplement). With this one demonstration, I can show students techniques they need for the lab, discuss safety parameters, and provide further information about a new chemical. This helps me to maximize the students’ laboratory time and perform a useful demonstration.

JCE High School Chemed Learning Information Center (CLIC)

This links below describe a neat way for your students to do research on a particular element and display their results to your entire class. Each student constructs an icosahedron with a different kind of information about an element on each of the 20 faces. The icosahedra are then hung from the classroom ceiling in the form of a periodic table. This is a great idea for National Chemistry Week (Oct. 19-23). Information about the elements can be found from Periodic Table Live!, an interactive periodic table available form the ChemEd DL.

This material is reprinted with permission from the Journal of Chemical Education, which holds copyright to the material.

Article. Periodic Table Icosahedra

Supplemental directions for doing the activity and making an icosahedron. Supplemental Directions

Periodic Table Presentations and Inspirations

by Mary E. Saecker

Graphic Representations of the Periodic System

The 2009 ACS National Chemistry Week theme of “Chemistry—It’s Elemental” celebrates the elegant, orderly, and inspirational icon of chemistry, the periodic table. However, as John Moore points out in his August 2003 editorial, Turning the (Periodic) Tables (1), there is not one periodic table:

An enormously successful way of summarizing and classifying the physical and chemical properties of the elements and many of their compounds is to display the element symbols in a format that emphasizes similarities and differences by means of graphic design—a periodic table. Notice that I said a periodic table, not the periodic table.

There have been (2, 3) and continue to be (4) many informative ways to present information about the elements and to represent their properties in graphic form. Numerous articles have appeared presenting various arrangements of the periodic system throughout the history of this Journal (5). A large collection of periodic tables and periodic table formulations can be found in Mark Leach’s online Database of Periodic Table Formulations (6).

In celebration of the Journal’s treatment of this rich subject, several three-dimensional periodic table construction patterns (Figure 1) have been redrawn, and the patterns and construction directions are available in the online material:

A. cut-out chart of the periodic system: cylinder (7);

B. periodic table as a building: variation 1 (8);

C. periodic table as a building: variation 2 (8).

Figure 1. The three constructions can be seen in more detail by clicking on the thumbnail image below. Use the back button to return here. Patterns from which to create 3-D periodic tables are in a PDF file.PerTableTemplates

Three-dimensional constructions are one way to visualize the periodic table. Online interactive periodic tables bring additional dimensions to the design and the way information about the elements can be displayed (9). For example:

Dynamic Periodic Table is an interactive periodic table with many options for what and how the information is displayed (10);

It’s Elemental—The Periodic Table from Chem. Eng. News. links each element to images, information, and a captivating essay (11);

Periodic Spiral is an interactive program that allows users to explore the elements and their interplay (12);

Periodic Table Live! contains videos, interactive crystal structures, a graphing module, and information about the elements, their reactions, their properties, their structures and their histories (13);

A Visual Interpretation of the Periodic Table by The Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) integrates the science and symbolism of the elements and includes Periodic Landscapes, three-dimensional panoramas derived from trends within the periodic table (14).

Periodic Table as Muse and To Amuse

The periodic table has inspired many people to recreate the world through its powerful lens. This chemical muse has captured the imagination of writers, singers, artists, chefs. Such artistic works inspired by the periodic table include:

The Periodic Table by Primo Levi (15) contains 21 essays, each named after and inspired by an element; it is the periodic table as metaphor for life.

Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood (16) is Oliver Sacks’s loving ode to his childhood fascination with the periodic table and his relationship with each element.

Camille Minichino has written periodic table mysteries featuring retired physicist Gloria Lamerino (17); the first eight elements have been featured in the series so far.

In their play Oxygen (18), Carl Djerassi and Roald Hoffmann explore scientific discovery through the discoverers of oxygen.

The Poetic Table of Elements gathers original poems about the elements (19).

Chemist and artist Langley Spurlock and poet John M. Tarrat collaborate to create a fusion of image and verse in a multimedia and haiku celebration of the elements (20).

Beautiful renditions of the periodic table have been made by many artists, including students (21), printmakers (22), and a chemist turned woodworker and photographer (23).

The elegance and order of the periodic table, combined with the idea of a single chart to organize information, has inspired “periodic tables” on many topics other than chemistry (6). These tables of information have their own elements, with unique symbols, and a unique periodicity. The arrangement of the elements is determined by the items in the table. Some examples of this kind include:

A Periodic Table of the Artist’s Colors (24)—organizes shades of embroidery floss on a needlepointed table;

The Periodic Table of Typefaces: Popular, Influential, and Notorious—groups typefaces by families and classes (25);

The Periodic Table of World Literature—categorizes 100 writers from around the globe chronologically by genre (26);

Wine Grape Varietal Table—displays wine grape varieties and how they relate to one another (27).

There have also been many playful treatments of the periodic table, such as the Periodic Table of the Elephants (28) and the Periodic Table of Rejected Elements (29). In this whimsical spirit, Figure 2 presents the Periodic Table of the Beans. The elements have been stripped of their names and replaced with beans that have taken on the character of the elemental letters.

Figure 2. The Periodic Table of the Beans—Elements with Character. (Image courtesy of Bean Room Productions. ZottaBean characters copyright 1998 by Mary Saecker.)

Articles and resources to help understand and celebrate the elements and the periodic table are available throughout this issue. Some additional resources are also listed after the Literature Cited section.

Literature Cited (all sites accessed Aug 2009)

1. Moore, J. W. Turning the (Periodic) Tables J. Chem. Educ. 2003, 80, 847.

2. Mazurs, Edward G. Graphic Representations of the Periodic System During One Hundred Years, 2nd ed.; University of Alabama Press: University, AL, 1974.

3. van Spronsen, J. W. The Periodic System of Chemical Elements: A History of the First Hundred Years; Elsevier: Amsterdam, 1969.

4. For example, Stewart, P. The Spiral Periodic System. Educ. in Chem. 2004, 41, 165; available at http://www.chemicalgalaxy.co.uk/.

5. For example, Quam, G. N.; Quam, M. B. J. Chem. Educ. 1934, 11, 27–32, 217–223, 288–297. For additional J. Chem. Educ. articles on this topic, see Jacobsen, E. K. JCE Resources for Chemistry and the Periodic Table. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1154–1161.

6. Database of Periodic Table Formulations. http://www.meta-synthesis.com/webbook/35_pt/pt_database.php and http://www.meta-synthesis.com/webbook/35_pt/pt.html .

7. Clauson, J. E. A Cut-out Chart of the Periodic System. J. Chem. Educ. 1954, 31, 550–552;

8. He, Fu-cheng; Li, Xiang-yuan. The Periodic Building of the Elements:

Can the Periodic Table Be Transformed into Stereo? J. Chem. Educ. 1997, 74, 792–793.

9. For additional online resources see: Diener, L. News from Online: The Periodic Table of the Elements. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1163–1165.

10. Dynamic Periodic Table. http://www.ptable.com/.

11. It’s Elemental—The Periodic Table. Chem. Eng. News. 2003, 81 (36), cover story; available at http://pubs.acs.org/cen/80th/elements.html. You can support your favorite element on Facebook; see Groat, R. K.; Jacobsen, E. K. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1168–1169. Also in this issue is My Favorite Element. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1131–1141.

12. Periodic Spiral. http://periodicspiral.com/.

13. The Periodic Table Live! JCE Software, 3rd edition. http://www.chemeddl.org/collections/ptl/index.html. See additional information

in this issue about Periodic Table Live!’s development (Banks, A. J.; Jacobsen, E. K. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1144–1146) and use (Moore, J. W. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1147–1148; Slocum, L. E.; Moore, J. W. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1167).

14. A Visual Interpretation of the Periodic Table by The Royal Society of Chemistry (UK); http://www.rsc.org/chemsoc/visualelements/index.htm.

15. Levi, Primo. The Periodic Table; Schocken Books, Inc.: New York, 1984; translated by Raymond Rosenthal. As a teaching tool for chemistry see Osorio, V. K. L.; Tiedemann, P. W.; Porto, P. A. Primo Levi and The Periodic Table: Teaching Chemistry Using a Literary Text. J. Chem. Educ. 2007, 84, 775–778.

16. Sacks, Oliver. Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood. Alfred A. Knopf: New York, 2001. James Marshall’s “Living Periodic Table” (described in J. Chem. Educ. 2000, 77, 979–983 and 2000, 77, 1119) inspired Sacks to visit Marshall to see his collection (J. Chem. Educ. 2003, 80, 879).

17. The most recent installment in the series is Minichino, C. The Oxygen Murder; St. Martin’s Press: New York, 2006. Information about the entire series is available at http://www.minichino.com/in_print/in_print.html.

18. Djerassi, C.; Hoffmann, R. Oxygen; Wiley-VCH: Weinheim, 2001. Reviewed in J. Chem. Educ. 2002, 79, 436.

19. Poetic Table of the Elements: A Periodic Table of Poetry. http://www.everypoet.com/absurdities/elements/.

20. Langley Spurlock. http://langleyspurlock.com/. See also Petkewich, R. Chem. Eng. News 2005, 83 (40), 60–61; Amato, I. Chem. Eng. News 2009, 87 (28), Web exclusive (http://pubs.acs.org/cen/science/87/8728sci2.html).

21. Silva, A.; Barroso, M. F.; Freitas, O.; Teixeira, S.; Morais, S.; Delerue-Matos, C. The Periodic Table: Contest and Exhibition. J. Chem. Educ. 2006, 83, 557. See also http://www.winterhouse.com/vancouver/.

22. The Periodic Table Printmaking Project. http://azuregrackle.com/periodictable/table/.

23. Theodore Gray’s periodic table made up of photographs of the elements can be seen at http://periodictable.com/; his wooden periodic

“table” at http://theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/index.html. See also Thomas, N. C. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1193–1194.

24. Beal, S. Needlepoint: Stephen Beal’s Color Memoirs. Fiberarts 2007, 34 (1), on the Web; available at http://www.fiberarts.com/back_issues/summer_07/needlepoint.asp.

25. The Periodic Table of Typefaces: Popular, Influential, and Notorious

by Camdon Wilde/Squidspot. http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Periodic-Table-of-Typefaces/193759.

26. Periodic Table of World Literature from Teacher’s Discovery. http://www.teachersdiscovery-english.com/english.asp.

27. DeLong’s Wine Grape Varietal Table. http://www.delongwine.com/wgvt.php.

28. Connors, M. B. The Periodic Table of the Elephants. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 1149–1150.

29. Gerber, M; Schwarz, J. The Periodic Table of Rejected Elements. The Atlantic Monthly 1999, 284 (2), 43; available at http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/99aug/9908elements.htm.

Some Additional Resources

Atkins, P. W. The Periodic Kingdom, a Journey into the Land of Chemical Elements; Basic Books: New York, NY, 1995.

Ball, Philip. The Elements: A Very Short Introduction; Oxford University Press: New York, 2004.

Ball, Philip. The Ingredients: A Guided Tour of the Elements; Oxford University Press: New York, 2003.

Dingle, Adrian; Basher, Simon The Basher Science: Periodic Table—Elements with Style; Kingfisher Publications: London, 2007.

Emsley, J. Nature’s Building Blocks: An A–Z Guide to the Elements; Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2001.

Scerri, Eric R. The Periodic Table: Its Story and Its Significance. Oxford University Press, 2006.

Strathern, Paul. Mendeleyev’s Dream: The Quest for the Elements; Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press: New York, 2000.

Supporting JCE Online Material

http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/Issues/2009/Oct/abs1151.html

Supplements

Periodic Table Cylinder, Construction Directions and Patterns, adapted by Riley Houston from ref 7, available as PDFsPerTableTemplates

Periodic Table as a Building, Construction Directions and Patterns,PerTableTemplates

Variations 1 and 2, adapted by Riley Houston from ref 8, available as PDFsPerTableTemplates

Mary E. Saecker is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Chemical Education; msaecker@chem.wsic.edu.

Copyright 2009, Journal of Chemical Education, Division of Chemical Education, Inc. Used by permission.

from Erica K. Jacobsen, JCE High School Editor

Ever experience the phenomenon that occurs once you’re interested in or working on a particular topic? Suddenly, all sorts of examples related to that topic pop up unexpectedly in your everyday life. The examples may have even been there all the time, but you didn’t really notice them. Deep in preparation for this National Chemistry Week (NCW) issue with the American Chemical Society’s “Chemistry—It’s Elemental!” theme, it happened to me. A surprising instance arrived as a newspaper insert. Our local discount grocery has a frequently rotating stock of inexpensive wine. Very occasionally they publish advertisements about the upcoming grocery specials, along with one or two wine selections. I glanced at the color photos on the front page and was drawn to a simple yet striking image on a bottle of wine (see photo): the letters “Au” in a black box outlined in gold. The ad copy stated “Au is the periodic table symbol for GOLD. Our wine buyers are proud to bring you this nugget, a collection of wines from some of the best growing regions in Australia.” I realized they also mean to connect the “Au” to the fact that the wine is produced in Australia, but I was surprised by their mention of the periodic table. Apparently, even wine can be elemental.

If you look at the Chemical Education Today section of the Journal of Chemical Education’s special October NCW issue, you’ll see it’s grown to epic proportions. The broad appeal and applicability of the periodic table theme became evident once others involved in the chemistry community heard about some of the article ideas. For example, see the series “My Favorite Element”. We invited several authors to submit articles on their favorite elements, beginning with M. Frederick Hawthorne, the 2009 Priestley Medal winner. The idea that many people have favorite elements was underscored when I read the beginning of a March 23, 2009 article in Chemical & Engineering News on Hawthorne. He stated “Boron is my element—not that I own boron, but it owns me” (1). When others heard of the project, many told us their own favorite element, and the series grew. Ober and Krebs even tell us about several invented elements from fantasy and science fiction literature and television shows. What’s your favorite element? The opportunity to share it in the pages of the October 2009 Journal issue are past, but you can still become part of the Division of Chemical Education’s “Elements on Facebook Project”. Rachel Groat and I describe the project and how you and your students can get involved. Each element has its own page on the Facebook social networking Web site. Any Facebook member can visit an element’s page and use the “become a fan” feature, as well as add new information about the element, including videos, images, text, etc. After NCW (October 18–24), JCE will report again on the five elements that have the most fans and the element that most dramatically increased its fan base. Wondering what the top five were when we wrote the article? Take a guess. Then visit Facebook and register your support for your own favorite.

A Farewell to the Moores

The October 2009 issue of JCE is the last for editor-in-chief John W. Moore and his wife, associate editor Elizabeth A. Moore. I think it is one of the best issues produced under their guidance and hope you will agree. I am privileged to have worked with the two of them.

Laura’s Take on the Issue

from Laura Slocum, JCE High School Associate Editor

This issue is full of extraordinary ideas that apply to National Chemistry Week (NCW) and I am looking forward to trying some new ideas in my classroom this year. However, two articles in this issue, not related to NCW, really jumped out at me, especially since I am teaching my Introduction to Biochemistry class in the spring. Millard describes how she uses clips from the medically oriented TV programs ER and House in her biochemistry course. I have talked about these shows and others in class, but have never used the actual clips and will add these this spring. In A Quick and Accurate Oxygen-Based Pressure-Sensor Assay for Catalase Activity, Lewis et al. describe an experiment to follow the enzyme kinetics of catalase on hydrogen peroxide. I have been doing a rather complicated and expensive enzyme kinetics lab that leaves about half of my students frustrated and asking for a different lab—I think I may have found the answer to my students’ request in the Lewis, et al. article. My students have already used gas-sensor probes in a number of experiments in their first-year chemistry course, so they should find this experiment much simpler.

Literature Cited

1. Ritter, S. K. Chem. Eng. News 2009, 87 (12), 12–14 (accessed Aug 2009).

JCE High School Chemed Learning Information Center (CLIC)

This issue is all about the chemical elements—the building blocks from which come the more than 49 million inorganic and organic compounds registered by the Chemical Abstracts Service and the many benefits those substances bring to our society. I hope that you learn a lot more about the elements from this issue and the resources it refers to. I also hope that you will pass along what you learn to your students and colleagues.One of the features this month is a series of articles by chemists/teachers about their favorite elements and why those elements are so likeable. Every one of these articles contains tidbits that you can use to spice up your teaching and bring more of the human element to your students. Another article describes the Elements on Facebook project, which enables anyone to become a fan of one or more elements. A good assignment would be for students to choose a favorite element, do research on its properties, uses, and other characteristics, and then enter information into the element’s page in Facebook. A similar project that does not involve Facebook is also described.

With all the talk about favorite elements, I started thinking about my favorite elements, but with a slight twist. My favorite elements are those that have been the building blocks of success for this Journal during the 13 years of my editorship. In this my last editorial I want to thank those elements that have made your Journal what it is.

Let’s begin with cerium (Ce). Copy editing is essential to maintaining high quality in any journal. Bernadette Caldwell, Arrrietta Clauss, and Liana Lamont have many properties that have helped authors to improve their manuscripts beyond the many comments the reviewers have made. That is attested to in this letter to the editor. Like all but one of the elements whose symbols begin their names, they readily react to content that is unclear or poorly stated, providing authors with suggestions and clarifications. Even the unreactive Ar can enlighten when an electric discharge passes through it, and Arrietta is always highly charged, so these favorite elements are well suited to their responsibilities.

Next we have germanium (Ge). Graphics editing for the JCE has been handled for nearly all of my 13 years by Randy Wildman. Sometimes he seems to emanate radiation, so great is his enthusiasm for his job, but usually he provides a steady light, as does a tungsten filament. High quality graphics, both drawings and photographs, have been Randy’s responsibility and his passion—to our benefit.

Another favorite is meitnerium (Mt). Manuscript tracking is an essential service that Alice Teter has provided for all of my 13 years. Interacting with the authors and reviewers of more than 700 papers every year is a big task that requires both tact and toughness. Pure aluminum is soft, but when alloyed it is much stronger—even when alloyed with tellurium. Alice has displayed the qualities of pure and alloyed aluminum in just the right mix throughout her tenure with the JCE.

Those of you who have visited JCE booths at meetings or wanted JCE publicity materials shipped to you will be familiar with Linda Fanis. Like the elements whose symbols adorn her name, Linda reacts rapidly and completely to such requests. Linda’s activity level is very high and will be higher in the future now that she is business manager for the Journal. JCE issues are prepared for JCE Online by Ed Fedosky. It seems fitting that the technical aspects of Journal production would involve iron, an element that in one way or another has long been associated with information storage.

Another important element in our success is Erica Jacobsen. Currently she serves as the high school editor, as editor of the JCE Classroom Activity column, and in several other capacities. Like erbium, Erica never tarnishes. Every time the bar is raised she clears it handily. She is a joy to work with and she continually comes up with new, useful, interesting ideas. Not only that, she carries them out—on time and at the highest level of quality. Erbium is a super element.

Next are the most important elements of all. Sulfur, holmium, and molybdenum. Mary Saecker, Jon Holmes, and Elizabeth Moore have been associate editors for the JCE since 1996; before that Jon and Betty did essential work for JCE Software.

Mary supervises submissions from acceptance to publication. She supports serendipity by juxtaposing articles that are related, and performs myriad other tasks that take the Journal’s quality to the highest plane. Like sulfur she is bright, cheery, and creatively involved in a broad range of contributions to everyone’s well being.

Holmium is a rare earth that is always found in combination with other elements. Jon Holmes is a rare combination of technical expertise and ability to make technical information understandable to those who need to know. He has been instrumental in devising and implementing the many technical advances the JCE has made during the past 13 years. Many of these, such as JCE Online are visible, but others, such as our manuscript handling data base are not. All work to perfection.

More than 80% of molybdenum is used in alloys, and it also is contained in many catalysts. Betty Moore has alloyed herself with every aspect of JCE (and earlier JCE Software); she has also catalyzed much of the work all of us have done in bringing the Journal to where it stands today. That she has transformed the Chemical Education Today section in support of JCE and ACS outreach is obvious in every issue and especially in this one. This Journal would be a much duller place without her efforts.

These essential elements of the JCE deserve your strongest possible thanks. They certainly have mine.

Idea Bank: Presidential

This is my penultimate editorial. After 13 years as editor of the Journal of Chemical Education, I will be handing the blue pencil (or green pen, in my case) to Norb Pienta on the first of September. Norb has been handling all new submissions since April 1 so that when he takes over he will have made editorial decisions on papers published on his watch. My responsibility ends with the October issue—this year’s National Chemistry Week extravaganza. We will finish work on it in mid-August and you should receive it in the mail and/or be able to view it online in early September. You won’t want to miss this issue because the theme is chemical periodicity, and there is a wealth of information about the properties of the elements, their relationships with other elements, and how to intrigue the general public with demonstrations of those properties. The change in editors comes at a time when a lot else is changing for journals in general and this Journal in particular. I recently received an email and a letter informing me that print editions of most ACS journals will henceforth have a new “rotated and condensed” format where two facing pages are printed landscape fashion on a single page. Beginning in 2010, all individual ACS journal subscriptions will be online only. The reasons given are the fact that fewer than 3% of eligible subscribers choose print subscriptions and the economics of journal publication—the Web-only editions cost less to deliver. The ACS communication takes pains to point out that the JCE, which is published by the ACS Division of Chemical Education, Inc., will continue to be printed in traditional format.

Last November in an editorial titled, “Does Information Want To Be Free”, I asked whether readers wanted this Journal to provide them with the highest possible quality and pointed out that “high quality information needs to cost something” (1). Responses that were sent directly to me appear in this issue beginning on p 1028. Several others appear in this blog. I encourage you to read all of them. They pointed out to me some aspects of the discussion that I had either not mentioned for lack of space or not thought to mention at all. Many of these involve the fact that this Journal is unique: in its readers, in its authors, in its reviewers, and in its editorial staff.

Most respondents want high quality but wonder whether such quality could not be delivered at lower cost or free. From its inception this Journal’s philosophy has been to provide the best possible information to the broadest possible audience, and it has been remarkably successful. The JCE is a non-profit operation; it does not generate a surplus for its publisher, and subscription costs (institutional and individual) have been kept far lower than for any other similar journal. The cost of delivering printed journals to readers of the JCE is largely offset by the revenue obtained from advertising printed in each issue, which constitutes about a fifth of our budget. Our advertisers have not been very interested in online advertising, so the revenue we would lose by Web-only publication would roughly equal the cost of printing and mailing the issues. Therefore we do not charge less for Web-only access.

This Journal is also unique because its readers and its authors encompass a much broader range of educational level and interests than most academic journals. Most of our authors have not been supported by federal grants and are not so lucky as to have a library that could pay to support publication of their work. In some cases authors have reported that administrators have objected to their writing for this Journal as a waste of time the author should have spent on teaching. It would be unconscionable to expect such authors to pay to publish their work. Many contributors, even experienced ones, tell us that the thorough review and editing their submissions receive from our excellent staff have greatly improved what the reader sees in our pages. For these reasons we believe that charging a reasonable subscription fee is the best way to serve our readers and authors.

Because change is inevitable, it is wise to do one’s best to influence what changes will be made. You can do just that. New editor Norb Pienta, with advice from the Journal staff and Board of Publication, has developed a survey to collect and analyze input from JCE readers and others. The survey is online. Even if you are not an online person, I strongly encourage you to fill out the survey and provide Norb with feedback about where the JCE ought to go next. Such decisions are vitally important in a time of great change.

For 13 years I have spent an average of 40 hours per week on JCE business. My department and university have been very cooperative in providing facilities and support for this enterprise, but they have not provided released time for JCE work. For the first 10 of those 13 years I received no compensation from the JCE whatsoever. It seemed more important for the budget to break even than for me to obtain summer salary, and every year the budget was very close to being in the red. I am happy to be able to pass along a Journal that is well respected and in good financial shape. Please do your part by providing your opinions via our survey and continuing to support this Journal in every possible way. The Journal’s long history of excellence and innovation in chemical education deserves no less.

Open Science Directory

from Laura Slocum, JCE High School Associate Editor

Probably like many of you, I connect light and color through science—an object absorbs various types of light and then the color of the object is a result of the light that it reflects. The color we see also depends on how our eyes and brains translate that input. For example, dogs don’t “see” colors the same way we do. However, this summer I had the opportunity to think about light and color in a whole new way.

I grew up in Indianapolis and never saw a lighthouse until I was in my mid 20s. Then, during the 16 years that I lived in Connecticut, I saw numerous New England lighthouses and fell in love with exploring them. When I happened to travel near one, I always visited it. All of the lighthouses that I ever saw were white and round (although one did have a red stripe in the middle of it). Thus, I thought that lighthouses had to be white and round. Well, I was wrong!

This summer I traveled for a week along Lake Michigan in Wisconsin and Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where I saw 12 lighthouses in all shapes, sizes, and colors. The lighthouses that were painted completely red especially surprised me. I asked about why they were red and not white, but no one could give me a direct answer. Does anyone have a suggestion about why they are red?

Then I opened this month’s issue of the Journal and found even more lighthouses to explore in Patricia McKean’s article in the Classroom Activity Connection. She links children’s literature, lighthouses, and lightsticks. She even has a model of a lighthouse made from a tennis ball can, and it is red. I immediately went out and bought the book she talks about, Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie, for my niece and nephew and read it to them. I enjoyed the book as much as they did. What a great way to enjoy my summer and learn more about light and color.

However, what I learned about light and color was not more about the science, it was about my own misconceptions about lighthouses and their color. They do not all have to be white—some are even brown and gray. However, the ones that are still needed do have to work, and McKean makes some wonderful connections in her article for us to share with students.

Algoma Pierhead Light on Lake Michigan in Algoma, Wisconsin. Photo by L. Slocum.

Preservice Teachers and Technology

Daniel Tofan describes a course offered at his university to preservice teachers on the use of various types of software to teach chemistry. As I read this, I thought about how fortunate those teachers must be to know how to use many of the different types of technology in their classrooms when they first start to teach. Just trying to know what textbook to use can sometimes be a daunting task, let alone how to use all the various pieces of technology that are available—trying to figure out how best to teach our students using these various technological tools is not a simple task, either.

Each of us has faced these challenges in various ways, and I think that the more we can help to prepare new teachers for the classroom, the better they will feel about being teachers. Our profession is a wonderful one, but not a simple one, and the more we can collaborate and support each other, the better we will all be professionally.

I wish each of you a wonderful 2009–2010 school year and please let Erica and me know if there is a particular way that the Journal of Chemical Education can help you more.

Erica’s Take on the Issue

from Erica K. Jacobsen, JCE High School Editor

Reading Laura’s comments on white vs red lighthouses spurred me to drag out a photo album from a long-ago trip to Massachusetts and do my own informal research. Would the several lighthouses I’d photographed be white? red? both? The verdict: all were white, except for one that was white with a red band on the top. I hadn’t noticed the pattern at the time, but it reminds me now that observations such as this can come from anywhere, and can lead us to look at the world around us in a new way. Sally Mitchell’s Conant Award Address is another reminder of real-world connections to science. Much of her teaching focuses on the chemistry of cooking, and has resulted in more than one student “…who understands and appreciates chemistry each and every time she enters a kitchen”. I plan to do some informal research on supersaturation based on some of Sally’s handouts—particularly her Cookies and Cream Fudge recipe.

JCE High School Chemed Learning Information Center (CLIC)

The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers have launched a drive for national content standards for K–12 education. Subsequent to a meeting in Chicago in April, 46 states have agreed to draft voluntary, common standards by July to specify what students should know by the time they finish high school. Grade-by-grade standards are to be developed by the end of 2009 (1).

National standards are attractive. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandates that schools reach proficiency on reading and mathematics tests by 2014, but the states define proficiency. States’ achievement tests often diverge widely from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). One state’s test indicated 87% proficiency among fourth graders while NAEP indicated only18% proficiency. If a state’s standards are low, that state will be more likely to avoid federal sanctions under NCLB. A common set of standards, if translated into appropriate assessments, should result in fairer comparisons.

It also makes sense that the quality of education a student receives should not depend on whether the student is in Alabama, Wyoming, or any state between (alphabetically). National standards, properly applied, ought to contribute to greater equality of what students learn and should ease the burden on students who move from one state to another. Finally, any project that can obtain agreement among governors and chief state school officers from 46 states ought to be applauded for diplomacy and persuasiveness.

So what’s not to like about this? I can think of two important things: The new, common standards appear to be restricted to content. There appears to be little or no involvement of K–12 or post-secondary teachers in developing the standards.

The original National Science Education Standards (NSES) include a much broader range of standard-setting than just content (2). Fewer than half the pages (106 of 262) are devoted to science content standards; 110 pages are devoted to standards for science teaching, professional development, assessment, science education programs, and science education systems. The NSES considered an entire educational system, not just what students should be expected to know. The importance of this breadth of standard-setting can be seen in the science education system standards. Policies that influence science education must be congruent with the program, teaching, professional development, assessment, and content standards; coordinated within and across agencies, institutions, and organizations; sustained over sufficient time to bring about changes; supported with significant resources; reviewed for unintended effects on classroom practice; and carried out by individuals who aim to achieve a new vision of science education. Content standards alone are unlikely to achieve a new vision and are likely to have unintended consequences.

According to the press releases the new, common standards will be drafted by the College Board, ACT Inc., and a Washington-based group, Achieve. The commitment to common standards by the 46 states was by governors and chief state school officers. I doubt that they have consulted with classroom teachers. A committee of experts in content standards will review drafts of the standards, but the experts will be chosen by the governors and chief state school officers. This appears to be yet another failure of the public, elected officials, and those charged with overseeing school systems to recognize teachers as professionals who have a great deal to contribute to the betterment of education.

Shortly after I commented on the value of recognizing K–12 teachers as professionals two months ago, I became aware of the short book, Science Teaching as a Profession: Why It Isn’t. How It Could Be. by Sheila Tobias and Anne Baffert (3). Tobias and Baffert argue that science teachers should have substantial control of “curriculum content, pedagogy, pacing and assessment” and should become leaders at the school, district, state, and national levels. In addition to documenting the fact that teachers do not now have such control, Tobias and Baffert suggest ways that science teachers can take more control of the future of science education: write about the problems and solutions; speak out locally and nationally; form communities and action groups to press for reform; identify young teachers and encourage them to do the same; and “sing the praises of outstanding science teachers”. They describe ways to attract science teachers to governance positions in schools and districts; suggest establishing science teacher councils in schools or districts to recommend on hiring, promotion, evaluation, and curriculum; and suggest much greater interaction among teachers and scientists through summer research and workshops. Read this short book and act on what you read!

It is generally recognized that the most important factor in a student’s success in learning science is a good teacher. Let’s work to make certain that the importance of science teachers as professionals is recognized and celebrated.

Literature Cited

   1.  McNeil, Michele Education Week 2009, 28(33); viewed online at http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/06/01/33standards.h28.html?tkn=OLSFMiMEtX62W3pmvC32l5ixVKicSASMnV9l (accessed Jun 2009).

   2.  National Science Education Standards, National Academy Press: Washington, 1996; available online at http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=4962 (accessed Jun 2009).

   3.  Tobias, Sheila; Baffert, Anne Science Teaching as a Profession: Why It Isn’t. How It Could Be. Research Corporation for Science Advancement: Tucson, 2009; available for download at http://www.rescorp.org/ (accessed Jun 2009).

National Science Education Standards