Citizen science is an expanding field in public education and learning and can bridge the gap between science and society. This benefits not only just citizen learning and scientific research, but also earlier learning in formal science education. Citizen science can foster an understanding of engagement with science as well as the perception of…

Undergraduate chemistry majors should be encouraged to consider chemistry-based solutions to issues that impact their daily lives as well as the lives of poor and marginalized populations worldwide. Some issues that disproportionately influence historically disadvantaged populations are also directly related to or could be impacted by chemistry.…

This paper examines and discusses the views on science and society held among PhD students working in two different industrially and environmentally driven research programmes in the broad area of green chemistry. It is based on thirteen in-depth interviews. The analysis shows three main ways of handling the situation as "post-academic"…

The aim of this research was to explore the effects of two approaches, designated as the historical and the contemporary one, on the level of students' understanding of the properties and the practical use of gases. Our research hypothesis was that the historical context of the discovery of gases and the study of their properties would deepen…

Electrochemical water oxidation is a major focus of solar energy conversion efforts. A new laboratory experiment has been developed that utilizes real-time, hands-on research to discover catalysts for solar energy conversion. The HARPOON, or Heterogeneous Anodes Rapidly Perused for Oxygen Overpotential Neutralization, experiment allows an array of…

Research Experiences for Teachers (RET), funded by the National Science Foundation, offer teachers an opportunity to participate in current, hands-on scientific research in laboratories across the United States. These experiences provide an avenue for teachers to understand the process of research and gain insight on emerging technologies with the…

Describes a program at Santa Clara University, California where undergraduates participated in weekly Ethics in Science discussions while conducting scientific research. The program was successful in improving the ethical sensitivity, judgment, and commitment of the undergraduates. (WRM)

Reviews major science news stories of 1988 as reported in the pages of Science News. Covers the areas of anthropology, astronomy, behavior, biology, biomedicine, chemistry, earth sciences, environment, food science, mathematics and computers, paleobiology, physics, science and society, space sciences, and technology. (YP)

This document contains information on the hole in the ozone layer. Topics discussed include properties of ozone, ozone in the atmosphere, chlorofluorocarbons, stratospheric ozone depletion, effects of ozone depletion on life, regulation of substances that deplete the ozone layer, alternatives to CFCs and Halons, and the future of the ozone layer.…

Describes a four-week laboratory module for an introductory chemistry course that focuses on the analysis of trace levels of xenoestrogenic pesticides in local drinking water and a comparison of the molecular shapes of these pesticides to the hormone estrogen. (WRM)

Because of the changes occurring in the chemical sciences, a new survey of chemistry and its intellectual and economic impact was clearly needed. This report presents a current assessment of the status of chemistry and of the future opportunities in the field. This analysis contains: (1) an introductory chapter (establishing the need for the…

This paper describes the Project for Integrating the University, the School, and Society (PIUES), developed as part of an effort to restructure the teaching of engineering at the Pontifical Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. New courses for high school teachers were developed that focused on the debates over basic concepts in…

Discusses state of chemistry education and new technologies. Reviews recent history of undergraduate chemistry education. Enumerates technologies applicable to chemistry fields. Suggests changes in science courses in higher education. Discusses plans of the National Science Foundation (NSF) stressing funding in chemistry education and chemistry…

Examines the role played by botany and chemistry in the development, exploitation, and later deterioration of tropical economies. Although near equals in 19th-century international trade, the development of synthetics by European scientists in the early 20th century crippled the tropical economies. Research, innovation, and investment protected…