History

Book Review: "Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction" by Peter Atkins

Lowell Thomson | Sat, 03/18/2017 - 10:43

I was at a workshop recently, when a friend suggested I read, Chemistry: A Very Short Introduction by Peter Atkins, Oxford University Press. The friend suggested the book would not take long to read, and given the name included the phrase "A very short introduction" who was I to argue? So I bought the Kindle Version of the book for about $7 U.S. and got to reading.

JCE 94.03 March 2017 Issue Highlights

Mary Saecker | Tue, 03/14/2017 - 14:06

Journal of Chemical Education March 2017 Cover

Promoting Problem-Solving and Discovery Learning

The March 2017 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available online to subscribers. Topics featured in this issue include: protein chemistry; making connections in in chemical education research; chemical bonding; importance of non-technical skills; courses built on reactivity; periodic table; heterocyclic compounds; teaching resources; from the archives: Using Wikipedia and Wikis to teach.

ACS Celebrates the Achievements of Women Scientists in American History

Deanna Cullen | Fri, 03/03/2017 - 10:11

Women’s History Month (March 1 - 31, 2017) honors the contributions of women to American culture and society. The American Chemical Society has selected some women scientists that contributed to important discoveries during times of rampant gender discrimination. Consider sharing these with your students.

JCE 94.02 February 2017 Issue Highlights

Mary Saecker | Tue, 02/14/2017 - 14:30

Journal of Chemical Education February 2017 Cover

Fostering Creativity in Chemistry

The February 2017 online issue of the Journal of Chemical Education is now available to subscribers. Topics featured include: surface chemistry; chemical identity thinking; conceptual understanding; communicating science to the general public; activities and labs linking chemistry and art; history and chemistry; early access to research; technology as instructional support; synthesis laboratories; from the archives: bottle chemistry.

The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan

Hal Harris | Tue, 01/10/2017 - 11:35

The untold story of the women who helped win World War II by separating the atomic bomb isotopes.

The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements video series

Doug Ragan | Mon, 12/05/2016 - 08:07

If your not familiar with the video series "The Mystery of Matter, Search for the Elements" then I highly recommend their use as part of your curriculum. The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements is a PBS series about the amazing human story behind the Periodic Table. The videos, most of them 4-12 minutes long, draw on the interviews, re-enactments, animations and photographs that were shot and collected for the PBS series, with supplementary animations and images as needed. In all, the videos make up about three hours of programming. I shared several of the video clips with my high school students and they really seemed to enjoy them mentioning the reason was because the videos were done using actors to tell the stories and it was similar to watching a movie.

Introducing Superheavy Elements to Students

Michelle Okroy | Sat, 11/05/2016 - 22:13

In July of 2016 we learned the names of the four new elements that were confirmed in January; Nihonium (Nh), moscovium (Mc), tennessine (Ts) and oganesson (Og). Although the newest superheavy elements complete the seventh period of the Periodic Table, curiosity has been reignited in our classrooms as students ask, what’s next?

Walking in the Footsteps of Scientists Who Came Before Us

Laura Slocum | Mon, 09/26/2016 - 18:52

I started teaching in a chronological order when I began using Modeling Instruction in my classroom. During the second year of "walking in the footprints of the scientists that came before us", I wanted my students to see where they were walking and a colleague and I came up with the idea of making footprints for each of those scientists and posting them on a timeline.

The Poisoner’s Handbook

Doug Ragan | Tue, 06/21/2016 - 23:11

In the June 6th, 2016 Chemical and Engineering News magazine put out by the American Chemical Society, C&EN talks with Deborah Blum, journalist and author: From the article’s description, ‘The Poisoner’s Handbook’ writer talks about the beauty of chemistry and why she wants people to know more about it.

New PBS Series: The Mystery of Matter

Erica Posthuma-Adams | Thu, 08/20/2015 - 22:40

PBS has a wonderful new mini-series titled, "The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements". At the time of this post, the series is freely available to stream through your local PBS station.