News from Journal House

Joy of Toys CD-ROM Released

The Joy of Toys CD-ROM has been released by JCE Software and shipped to those who have placed orders. The abstract describing this Classroom Resource Compilation appeared in the July 2006 issue.

• The Joy of Toys CD-ROM is a collection of resources that describes the use of toys to illustrate chemical principles and properties in the classroom and laboratory. It contains more than 100 resources from the Journal of Chemical Education, including video relating to 11 different toys with 30 individual movie files from the popular Chemistry Comes Alive! CD-ROM series and balloon explosions of 14 different elements, two problems from the General Chemistry Multimedia Problems collection, 12 ready-to-use Classroom Activities, and 42 articles from past issues of JCE, including a special issue dedicated to the ACS celebration of National Chemistry Week 2005 with the theme “The Joy of Toys”. Topics include ideas for activities, demonstrations, experiments, and informational articles all related to the joy of toys.
  
  To purchase this CD-ROM or to obtain information about its use by a library or network, contact JCE Software or visit the JCE Online Store.

The Lineup: National Chemistry Week 2006

For those planning ahead for National Chemistry Week (October 22–28), here is a preview of the special theme-related articles that the October issue of JCE will contain.

• JCE Resources for Chemistry and the Home, another useful, popular, illustrated Resource Paper that describes previously published JCE articles related to construction techniques and material
• Chemistry of Cement, a Classroom Activity by Patricia Mason, on preparing cement and observing how various additives affect its properties

Specially written brief articles, illustrated in color and related to the theme:

• Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy in Homes, a report by Betsy True and Danny Aerts
• Polymers: Cornerstones of Construction, a report by John Droske and Charles E. Carraher, Jr.
• Concrete, a report by Mary Anne White
• Radon in Homes: Recent Developments, a report by Charles H. (Butch) Atwood
• News from Online, by Kimberly Destefani
• CLIPs, Chemical Laboratory Information Profiles
• Research Advances feature column, by Angela King; topics covered are: (1) MgO/CaO in Floor Tile Glazes Affects Hardness; (2) Lemongrass Extract’s Architectural Application?; (3) Heavy Metal Concrete?
• House Paint, a From Past Issues feature column, by Kitty Williams
• Chemical Bonding Makes a Difference!, a Powerpoint presentation on polymers by Mary Harris, Polymer Ambassador (available as a Supplement on JCE Online).

You or your ACS Local Section may obtain extra copies of the October 2006 issue—as well as other JCE materials—for use in NCW workshops and celebrations and outreach efforts in general. To do so get in touch with JCE: by phone at 608/262-5153 or 800/991-5534; fax at 608/265-8094.

Awards Announced

Hoffman Receives ACS Service Award

Morton Hoffman, professor emeritus at Boston University, will receive the 2007 American Chemical Society Service Award. As an article (accessed Jul 2006) in the June 9, 2006, issue of Chemical & Engineering News reports, “Hoffman has taken education as the underlying theme of all of his activities supporting ACS at the local, regional, national, and international levels. According to a colleague, ‘No one else comes close to him in this regard. With his astounding energy and dedication, he has become one of the most influential science educators of our day’.”

2006 James Flack Norris Award

Brian P. Coppola, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Michigan, has been selected as the recipient of the 2006 James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Teaching of Chemistry. The award will be presented on Thursday, November 16, 2006. The award is made annually by the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society to recognize an individual whose dedication and excellence in the teaching of chemistry have had wide-ranging effects on the profession.

Coppola received his B.S. degree from the University of New Hampshire–Durham in 1978, and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1984. First taking a faculty appointment at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater during the later stages of his graduate work, he moved to the University of Michigan as a visiting assistant professor in 1986. He was appointed as a lecturer in 1987, and then as an Associate Professor with tenure in 1997; he was promoted to Full Professor in 2002. He currently serves as the Associate Chair for Curriculum and Faculty Affairs in the Department of Chemistry.

Coppola has been very active with the American Chemical Society as well as other professional organizations. He participated in an ACS Task Force on Minority Faculty in the Chemical Academic Community. He currently serves on the ACS Society Committee on Science, and has been a member of the ACS Committee on Professional Relations, the ACS Council, as well as having served a 10-year term as Councilor for the Huron Valley Local Section. He has also served on a number of editorial advisory boards, including those of the Journal of Science Education and Technology, the International Journal of Science Education, The Chemical Educator, and the Journal of College Science Teaching. Coppola has received numerous awards, fellowships, and grants, all of which speak to his expertise in and love of teaching.

Award Deadlines

2008 ACS Award for Achievement in Research for the Teaching and Learning of Chemistry

The American Chemical Society solicits nominations for this award in chemistry education research. This purpose of this award is to recognize outstanding contributions to experimental research that have increased our understanding of chemical pedagogy and led to improved teaching and learning of chemistry. The award will recognize research contributions involving a significant body of work rather than a single project or contribution. This is an international award.

The award honors qualitative, quantitative, experimental research, or case study research that investigates some aspect of the teaching and learning of chemistry over the candidate’s career. Evidence of outstanding research may include, but is not limited to, dissemination of the results of the research via appropriate peer-reviewed science education, chemical education, or science journals; chapters in science education, chemical education, or science books; invited talks at academic institutions; and or invited talks, posters, workshops, and participation in panel discussions at professional meetings.

The award consists of $5000, a certificate, and a plaque. The awardee will be reimbursed for travel, lodging, and meal expenses associated with attending the spring 2008 ACS national meeting. Each award recipient is required to appear in person at the spring ACS awards banquet to receive the award and to deliver an award address on the work that is being recognized at the Spring 2008 ACS national meeting. Prentice-Hall Publishers is the sponsor of this award.

The deadline for all nominating material for all 2008 ACS awards is November 1, 2006. A completed nominator form with a recommendation of not more than 1000 words evaluating the nominee’s accomplishments and a specific identification of the work to be recognized is written by one individual. More information about the award, the nomination process, and rules of eligibility may be found on the ACS Web site (accessed Jul 2006), under the “Awards” category.

Citations for Chemical Breakthroughs: New Award

The ACS Division of History of Chemistry (HIST) has announced a new award program, the HIST Citations for Chemical Breakthroughs. These Citations will recognize breakthrough publications and patents worldwide in the field of chemistry. Plaques, to be placed in the hallways outside the office or laboratory where the breakthroughs were achieved, will be presented annually to the institutions at which these breakthroughs occurred. Jeffrey Seeman, Chair-Elect of HIST, summarized this new award: “We believe that identifying and celebrating chemical successes are important to the continued prosperity of chemistry worldwide. We envision that our colleagues and friends, seeing these plaques, will feel pride and inspiration in being a contributor to the sciences.”

In June 2006 a Citation award was presented to Harvard University’s Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology for the 1965 Woodward–Hoffmann publication on orbital symmetry.

The selection process will involve open solicitation of nominations from the scientific community. An awards committee comprised of eminent scientists and historians of science will provide careful screening of the nominees and selection of each year’s (multiple) awardees. HIST intends to enlist the involvement of ACS Local Sections, HIST Division members, and for international recipients, sister chemical and history organizations to participate in the awards ceremonies. Additional information may be found on the HIST Web site (accessed Jul 2006).

Citations for Chemical Breakthroughs now joins HIST’s Edelstein Award and its predecessor, the Dexter Award, presented annually since 1956. These latter two awards honor individuals having outstanding achievements in the history of chemistry. Annually, HIST also awards the Outstanding Paper Award, to recognize and encourage outstanding scholarship in the history of chemistry.

Vernier–NSTA Technology Award

Full-time science teachers from elementary to college level are eligible to apply for the Vernier Software & Technology–NSTA Technology Award. There will be up to seven awards, each valued at $3000, for educators who demonstrate innovative uses of data-collection technology using a computer, graphing calculator, or other hand-held device in the science classroom.

Awards will be given to one elementary teacher, two middle school teachers, three high school teachers, and one college-level educator. Each awardee will receive a $1000 cash award, $1000 in Vernier equipment, and $1000 toward travel and expenses to attend NSTA’s National Convention in 2007. Entries will be judged by a panel of experts appointed by NSTA and are due by October 15, 2006. Downloadable applications and guidelines are available online (accessed Jul 2006).

Courses, Seminars, Meetings, Opportunities

Free Vernier Workshops

Vernier Software & Technology will offer a variety of free hands-on workshops in data-collection technology to science and mathematics educators across the country. Educators may register online (accessed Jul 2006) or sign up to be notified by email when registration opens for specific workshops.

At the workshops—which will be held in 30 cities nationwide in September, October, and November 2006—educators will spend a four-hour session learning how to integrate data-collection technology into their chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, middle school science, physical science, and Earth science curriculum. Participants will have an opportunity to collect data on computers, TI graphing calculators, and Palm OS handhelds. Workshops are free for training and the manual. Workshop attendees may earn graduate credit for participating in a workshop. Full information is at the Vernier Web site.

Proposal Deadlines National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) The following NSF deadlines have been established or are anticipated. Advanced Technology Education (ATE) Full Proposals: October 12, 2006 Alliances for Broadening Participation in STEM (ABP) Full Proposals, LSAMP: October 15, 2006 Course, Curriculum and Lab Improvement (CCLI) Full Proposals, Phase 2 and 3: January 10, 2007 EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Grant Program (RII) Full Proposals: October 6, 2006 Informal Science Education (ISE) Preliminary Proposals: September 14, 2006 Full Proposals: December 14, 2006 Preliminary Proposals: March 8, 2007 Full Proposals: June 21, 2007 Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT) By invitation only: September 29, 2006 Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) Full Proposals: January 25, 2007 Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) Full Proposals: August 30, 2006 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring Full Proposals: March 6, 2007 Research Experiences for Undergrads (REU) Full Proposals, REU Site proposals: August 17, 2006 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP) Letter of Intent (Type 1 and 2): August 15, 2006 Full Proposals (Type 1 and 2): September 26, 2006 Official deadline dates for proposals will be specified in the new program solicitation for each program, to be published at least three months before the relevant deadline date. Consult NSF Education and Human Resources (EHR), Division of Undergraduate Education for the most up-to-date listings and guidelines; phone: 703/292-8670; email. The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc. Camille Dreyfus Teacher–Scholar Awards Program: November 9, 2006 Faculty Start-Up Award Program: May 10, 2007 Henry Dreyfus Teacher–Scholar Awards Program: June 28, 2007 New Faculty Awards Program: May 10, 2007 Postdoctoral Program in Environmental Chemistry: May 24, 2007 Senior Scientist Mentor Program: Completed Proposals: October 5, 2006 Special Grant Program in the Chemical Sciences: Completed Proposals: August 24, 2006 Further information and confirmation of the above deadlines may be obtained from The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc., 555 Madison Avenue, Suite 1305, New York, NY 10022-3301; phone: 212/753-1760; email. Research Corporation Cottrell College Science Awards: May 15 and November 15 Cottrell Scholar Awards: September 1 Research Innovation Awards: suspended 2004-2006 Research Opportunity Awards: May 1 and October 1 Special opportunities in Science Awards: suspended 2006-2008. Further information may be obtained from Research Corporation, 4703 East Camp Lowell Drive, Suite 201, Tucson, AZ 85712; phone: 520/571-1111; fax: 520/571-1119; email.