RESEARCH PROBLEMS for SECONDARY SCHOOL PUPILS

VERNE R. ROSS Technical High School, Springfield, Massachusetts

Simple problems within the scope of ability of high-school types of problems-laboratory and library developwtat. ptlfils are sek ted for inwestigation by the more intelligent The work of these case studies was carried on several pupils. The objective i s not the production of finished re- years ago and later achievement of the pup& observed. search problems, but the development of the unusual pupil. Their work i n high school was a forerunner of later suc- Five case studies are giwa. These are typical of two cess in science or engineering.

D URING the last quarter century the science of chemistry has been presented to thousands of pupils in the secondaty schools of the nation.

Although this science appeals to the interests of the great mass of boys and girls in a manner more or less satisfying to their curiosity, it is only occasionally that the individual appears to whom chemistry presents a great challenge. Such a pupil enters its study with an enthusiasm that, even in his high-school days, car- ries him to heights of achievement which in their per- spective give him a view of the science and its possi- bilities. He is tired with an ambition to enter this field and find his life work.

The pupil of this description is usually of superior intelligence, and his personality is such that he is not satisfied with the ordinary and average achievement of his fellows. Mastering the essentials readily, he has a surplus of energy that may be directed into chan- nels which will develop him into an individual who wiU attain distinction in adult life, and who will make original contributions to knowledge and human welfare. To the chemistry instructor is presented the challenge of inspiring such latent ability and developing these poteutial scientists so that they may take a place in that line which continues and develops knowledge.

It has been the good fortune of the author to have had contact, through many years of teaching experi- ence, with several of these superior pupils and to have, in a measure, guided them into the great opportunities of chemical science and its related fields. This ex- perience has been in Covina Union High School, lo- cated in one of the major citrus-producing districts of Southern California. Chemistry was taught in the junior year of high school, a t which time potential talent was discovered. Nearly every year a limited number of outstanding pupils was discovered, and they were encouraged to begin the study of physics in their senior year. This subject was also taught by the author. The scientific interests of these pupils was so intense that they were willing to work on special

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problems before and after school hours and above and beyond the required curriculum. The laboratories were unusually well equipped by a sympathetic super- intendent and school board, and furnished facilities for the investigation of simple problems.

In all projects of this nature the objective has not been the production of finished research problems in chemistry, hut rather the development of the indi- vidual pupil. Starting with the native curiosity of the student, his superior intellectual endowment and his surplus energy we have made an attempt to utilize these factors of personality in the formation of a char- acter and the production of an individual who can take a place worthy of his talents in the life of the world.

The community being primarily devoted to citri- culture, many simple yet interesting problems are found in this industry or its related activities which are within the range of investigation of a superior high- school pupil. It is the duty of the instructor to lead the pupil to a discovery of these problems and inspire him to a pursuit of their study. Along with the de- velopment of a scientific attitude on the part of the pupils there have been isolated instances in which they have made scientific contributions of some value.

Illustrative of results obtained five typical case stnd- ies are selected from many that have been produced. During the progress of an individual problem, refer- ence work has been encouraged and laboratory note- books kept. The results of the work were always written in the form of a thesis, giving methods, data tables, illustrations and drawings, references cited, and bibliographies.

CASE I-"A STUDY OF SOAP POWDERS USED I N SPRAYING CITRUS TREES FOR BLACK SCALE CONTROL''

An early method for the control of black scale iu- volved the use of soap powders as the active con- stituent of sprays. Occasionally damage resulted to

foliage and fruit. This study undertook a determina- tion of the source of this damage. In an attack on the problem an analysis was made of three brands of soap powders determining moisture, free alkali, total alkali combined with fatty acid, alkali combined as carbonate, combined fatty acids, and insoluble matter. Standard solutions were prepared, titrations carried on, the analytical balance mastered and usual chemical ma- nipulations used. In order to carry on the laboratory work and become familiar with the general aspects of the problem i t was necessary to do much reference work from a library standpoint. From the composi- tions of the soaps as determined analytically it was possible to prepare solutions of their individual con- stituents comparable to concentrations used in commer- cial products. To determine which of these were harm- ful to foliage, controlled plots of young wheat and oat plants were sprayed. Sodium carbonate was found to be the harmful constituent.

This project was carried on during the school year 191415. The boy responsible for its prosecution was one of those outstanding individuals who are a joy to any teacher. On the completion of his high- school course he entered Pomona College where he received the A.B. and A.M. degrees. His graduate work involved a Ph.D. degree from Harvard University followed by a year of study in Germany. During all this time chemistry was his major. At present he is a professor of chemistry a t a leading Pacific Coast uni- versity. Within recent weeks he has been recognized as one of the outstanding research men in the field of chemistry by being awarded $2500 from a famous scientific foundation for detailed research in a very definite field. Although he has published many papers giving the results of his chemical researches he has stated that this high-school problem was, in its limited way, as much of a research project as any of his later studies.

Oranges are legally ripe when the ratio of total acids (as citric) to total soluble solids is 1 to 8. This study undertook a determination of the rate of development of this ratio, along with the rate of growth of the orange. The laboratory work called for the prepara- tion of standard solutions, the use of the analytical balance and the Brix hydrometer. The acid content of the fruit juice was determined by titration and the soluble solids by the hydrometer, and, as an occasional check, the use of a pycnometer. In the field work definite orange trees, both navel and valencia, were selected in a normal grove. On these trees individual oranges were labeled and their growth was determined by periodically measuring the circumference with a steel tape. Fruit from the immediate neighborhood of these marked samples was picked and the acid con- tent and soluble solids determined. About two months'

time was found to be required for the orange to mature after the color had begun to turn from green to yellow.

The fruit on the south side of the tree matured about three weeks in advance of that on the north side.

The boy responsible for this project was a brother of the one described in Case I. He did the work in the school year 1918-19. He attended Pomona College where he received the A.B. degree, went to Harvard for the Ph.D., and followed this with a year in Germany. At present he is a professor in a leading Western institu- tion. In addition to his teaching duties he carries on an extensive research program and has many publications to his credit.

The removal of the orange trees from a five-acre plot for the development of a new athletic field presented the opportunity of determining the relative proportions of fruit, leaves, wood, and roots in a tree. A mature tree seventeen feet tall was selected and all the leaves picked and weighed. The branches and trunk were cut, the stump and roots pulled, and each weighed. Leaf. snr- face was determined by fitting samples of leaves into a two square foot pattern on a table top and thus deter- mining the weight of a given area of leaf surface. The make-up of the tree was found to be eleven per cent. leaves, fifty-five per cent. wood, twenty-three per cent. roots, and eleven percent. fruit. The entire leaf surface was calculated as 2333 square feet. To this point the work was largely mechanical. The laboratory aspects involved the determination of the per cent. of moisture, ash, and organic matter in the leaves, fruit, hark, wood, and roots, and qualitative tests which revealed the presence of twelve elements and radicals.

The boy who pursued this problem did it in the school year 192425. He wasoneof the few who didnot gointo science or engineering as a life work. He attended a professional school for two years and then entered busi- ness in his home community.

The advent of the Garvan Prize Essays in Chemistry offered to high-school students a reward of $20 in gold in each of six divisions for each state in the Union and six national prizes equivalent to $500 per annum and tuition in any standard university for four years. The preparation of these essays was largely from a library and reference standpoint and did not involve laboratory work. The rewards held out by this contest had a great appeal to students. The nature of the essays somewhat modified the activities of the science depart- ment of Covina Union High School in its attempts to utilize the energies of ambitious pupils. Laboratory work not being a part of the contest conditions, this phase of the activities was not pushed during the years the Garvan Contest was held. Several students wrote essays each year and the school was for five successive years represented by winners in the state contest and one took second place in a division of the national con- test. Cases four and five are selected from these papers.

The boy who treated this subject was an ardent amateur photographer and built his essay on his inter- est. He developed the topic from the historical side, illustrating the document with exhibits showing various stages in the growth of the industry. Through the paper the part that chemistry played was stressed. In the preparation of the paper a large volume of reference work was required and the boy went to original sources in many cases. The paper won first place in its division in California and a gold eagle for its author.

This boy, an American, came to high school from his home in Central Mexico and returned there on the com- pletion of his course, entering the employ of an iuterna- tional mining corporation. He has pursued photog- raphy as a hobby and has won recognition in several national and international exhibitions. From the test- ing laboratory of the mining company he has advanced by successive steps to a responsible executive position.

This paper gave a complete description of the scien- tific aspects of the citrus industry dwelling particularly on the contribution of chemistry in fertilization, pest control, and the development of by-products. These latter have become a vital source of income dealing with fruit that is not up to standards of commerce. For- merly it went to waste. Chemistry has developed this industry, and definitely supervises its operation. In the preparation of this paper anextensivesearchof thelitera- ture was made, conferences were held with leaders in the industry and visits made to industrial plants dealing withcitrus products. This paper was written in 1927-28, and took first place in its division in California and sec-

ond place in the national contest. The paper was pub- lished in the California Citrograph and the National Chemistry Pamphlets.

The boy who wrote this paper entered the field of medicine, receiving the A.B. degtee from Stanford University and the M.D. from Harvard. He made brilliant scholastic records in each institution. At pres- ent he is serving an internship in a Boston hospital. He has published the results of several research prob- lems in the field of physiology.

These five case studies are those which stand out from many others. Among these have been problems which were concerned with testing a dairy herd for quality and quantity of milk, a study of the mineral content of irri- gation water from various sources, a comparison of com- mercial brands of gasoline, the composition of the car- bon deposit in the cylinder of an automobile engine, the deterioration of the cylinder oil in the crankcase of an automobile engine, and attempts a t its regeneration. Through all the projects the development of the individ- ual was the primary objective. In most cases the boys who made these studies have gone into some type of scientific or engineering work and have achieved beyond the level of the average high-school graduate.

If we subscribe to that philosophy of education whicb says that school is life, these pupils have been endowed at the high-school level with a superior quality and quan- tity of intelligence and have in this respect stood on a plane above their fellows. There can be little doubt but that their work on these extra-curricular projects gave to them a challenge to use their superior intelli- gence and in a measure trained them for superior achievement in adult life.

The discovery of such pupils and the possibility of their development is a privilege knocking a t the door of every chemistry teacher in the land.