A recent article in this Journal nresented an assessment

W. N. Bigler, G. A. Takacs, T. S. Turan, and T. P. Wallace

Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, New York 14623

~ ~~~ ~

of the needs for improving chemist& teaching in secondary schools based on input received from high school teachers ( I ) . The teachers strongly desired continuing education with lahoratory "hands-on" experience in environmental chemis- try, chemical instrumentation, and special projects for ad- vanced students. Recognizing this same need, Master of Arts in Teaching programs sometimes include courses in experi- mental chemistry (2). Minicourses (with various amounts of lahoratory work) have been reported in this Journal for a varietv of students, including high school teachers (3,4). As

Minicourses for High School Teachers and Students

far as b e know, no &icours& have been reported which are specifically designed to meet the continuing educational needs of the high school teachers and to allow participation of high school students along with their teachers.

Since 1972, we have attempted to meet some of these needs by annually offering a non-credit minicourse for high school teachers. Each teacher was nermitted to brine one or two students. Limiting the nnmier of students h& resulted in selection of verv canable students who meatlv appreciate the . .. exposure to the coilege environment. The teachers and stu- dents iointlv nerformed each exneriment. . .

b:ach miniwurse had presentations on three surressive Saturday mornings. Each morning started with a one-hour lecturc, followed by a discussion period with refreshments, and ended with two or thrre hours of laboratory work. The three lectures overed differrnt wpects of the minicours~ lopic. The labnratory groups were kept to 16-24 members. In some ses- sions, the groups rotated through twoor three laboratory ex- perienres each Saturdav: in other minicourses, the attendees spent all of the two- or three-hour period on a single pnqect, hut were rutated through the available laboratory experiences on surreeding Snturdays. Some experiments required weekly attention from the attendees and some had a take-home component. Each minicourse inrluded hoth experiments that could he adapted tn a high school curriculum and that exposed the trachers and stlldmts to scientific information and technolorn that is nt:w but available primarily in a university setting. Attendanre at the lectures was unlimited hui the laboratory work spaces were filled in the order of the teachers' responses toa mailed program. Individuals whocould not he accommodated in the Iahratory were provided with tuurs of departmental facilities and the campus, and were informed ahout (l~~partmental programs.

Initially. the minicourst:~ were a project of the Chemistry ~ e ~ a r t m e n t , hut recent offerings ha& been multi-depart- mental, interdisciplinary programs with heavy emphasis on chemistry. Individual minicourse titles, lecture topics, and laboratory experiments have been

Chromatography Lectures 1. Paper and thin layer chromatography (tlcf 2. Column techniques 3. Gas chromatography (gc) 1.nhorntories .~ ~~~

I . Grl idrrnrion of dinitrophenol and blur drxrrnn 2. 1)rv column rhnmstnqaphy of frrrorene and acetylfern,. .. .." 3. GC-separation of alkanes 4. Pap~r rhramaloyraphic separntion of inks nnd pigments 5. T1.C-separatim of an analgesic mixture

Spectroscopy Lectures

1. Ultraviolet and visible (uv-via) 2. Infrared (ir) 3. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (nmr) Laboratories 1. Determination of a uv-vis spectrum, Am.,, and molar ab-

sorptivity 2. Analysis of a two component mixture by uv-vis spectropho-

tometry 3. IR analysis of an unknown 4. Demonstration of an nmr spectrometer

Ionizing Radiation 1.mtures ~~ ~~~~

1. Physical principler 2. Rsdiochrmrstry and tracer techniq~res 3. Ui<,lug~ml rfferLs Laboratories 1. Half-life determination, radiation absorption characteris-

tics 2. Geiger-Mueller counter characteristics 3. Seed germination versus radiation dose 4. Demonstrations of an inexpensive cloud chamber, liquid

scintillation and gamma counting methods We are What We Eat?-Biological, Chemical, and Dietary Aspect8 of our Nutritional Environment

Lectures 1. Mineral pollution and mineral nutrition of plants and ani-

mals 2. Biochemical and dietary aspects of the genetic ahnormali-

tie-laetase deficiency and phenylketonuria 3. Vitamins Laboratories 1. Spectraphotometric determination of Vitamin C in fruit juice

and urine 2. Redor titration of Vitamin C in fruit juice and urine 3. Seedling growth inhibition by heavy metals 4. Demonstration of the amount of lead in glazed pots using

atomic absorption spectroscopy 5. Laetase-kinetic analysis of activity, pH optimum, and

temperature effects Environmental Science in the Greater Rochester Region

I . ~ c t u r e ~ 1. Chemical aspects and mnnnuring of nlr p#dutanrs 2 .Micnhiologs of water pollutim R Ccmrmrison of the olankroniv communities in rwo uv.ttrn

~ew'york lakes -~ ~

Laboratories 1. Chemical and spectroscopic determination of Con and NO1

NO2 ratio in automobile exhaust (5 ,6)

4. Demonstration of chem'&l engineering methodologies for water testing

There has been no charge to the teachers or students for the courses. Although each minicourse runs approximately ten - hours, there has been no formal mechanism for obtaining continuing education credit. However, a t least one teacher has heen regularly granted credit for our minicourses bv his school hoard. Attendanre at minicourses offered in the fall has heen higher than a t those offered in the spring.

The offering of minicourses has put an additional load on our faculty. This load tends to shift among the faculty each year, depending on the minicourse topic and the area of ex-

Volume 54. Number 8, August 1977 1 501

pertise of each faculty member. Approximately seven faculty members have been involved in each minicourse.

In general, the minicourses have been enthusiastically re- ceived and on a number of occasions we have been asked to offer more of them. The fact that the great majority of the teachers and students attend all three Saturday morning sessions indicates that they feel the courses are of value. This minicourse series has had ramifications that have henefited every one involved and has tended to increase interaction between the area high school teachers and college faculty. Listed below are some of the benefits, interactions, and &- tivities that have resulted

1, Numerous i.olleye faculty seminarsand vrsirp in high schools. 2) Better understandmy ut the wirnre r~~rrirula of high school-. .3) Summerernplqtnent oi high srhool forulry m genpml rhzmiarr)

programs andlor as research assistants. 4) Joint grant proposals in such areas as instructional media,

computer-assisted instruction, and curriculum design.

5 ) Reducing the transition that students have to make in going from the high school to college environment.

6 ) High school students concurrently finishing high school and beginning their college freshman year.

7) Improved mwhanierns i l l d~ssrminatinr: mrwr informntmn to high srhool srudrnrs earlier in rheir ararlemir experience.

81 Srlrnulu~ to high rrhool faculty to undertake formal rontmulno education programs ranging from a single course to a graduate program.

Finally, the effects of the above activities on the image of the college and its ability to attract high school students have been quite satisfactory,

Literature Clted (1) Anderson, W. P., and Wmd. V. E., J. CHEM. EDUC.. 52.604 (1975). (2) Eastlind.G.Jr., J.CHEM. EDUC.,52.392 (1975). (3) Hill, J. W., Murrey,B. B.,endPavlik, J. W., J. CWEM.EDUC.,52,515(1975). (4) Lygre, D. G.. Haabrouek. R. W.. Gaines, R. D., Duncan, L. C., Hsbib. H. S.. Meany, J.

E.,andNewaehwsnder, W. W., J.CHEM. EDUC.,52,135(1975). (5) Suplinkas, R. J., J. CHEM. EDUC., 49,24 (1972). (6) Stern, A. C., "AirPoliution,"Academic Press, New York, 2nd Ed., Val. 11,1968.

502 / Journal of Chemical Education