Award Deadlines

Green Chemistry Opportunities for Students

The Green Chemistry Institute of the American Chemical Society has opportunities for students. One is the Kenneth G. Hancock Memorial Award, which was established in 1997 as an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to compete for a prestigious memorial award in recognition of their studies and/or research in green chemistry. The awards honors the late Kenneth G. Hancock, Director of the Division of Chemistry at the National Science Foundation, for his contributions in the field of green chemistry. The award provides national recognition for outstanding student contributions that further the goals of green chemistry. These goals include the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances. The Hancock Memorial Award is open to all undergraduate and graduate students. The winner is recognized at the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards ceremony held in June in Washington, DC. The deadline for submissions for the 2007 award is February 1, 2007.

More information is available here or contact Kathryn Parent; 202/872-6102.

Courses, Seminars, Meetings, Opportunities

Chemical Education Conference, CHEMED007

The Australia/New Zealand Chemical Education Conference will be held in Auckland, New Zealand, July 1-4, 2007. This conference will be held jointly by the New Zealand Association of Science Educators (NZASE), the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry (NZIC), and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI).

January 20, 2007	deadline, call for abstracts
February 1, 2007	registration opens
July 1–4, 2007	conference takes place

The conference has the sub theme of “Where chemical agents bond”, which will provide lots of opportunities for involvement in the various aspects of chemical education. There will also be a significant emphasis on developing the ­secondary-tertiary chemistry education interface.

For more information see the conference Web site or send an email. Expressions of interest should be made here (both sites accessed Dec 2006).

Scandinavia: Science History Tour's 10th Anniversary

The itinerary for the 2007 tour is not finalized, but we shall probably begin in northern Germany and travel north through Denmark and Sweden. Along the way we will see some of the towns in Schleswig-Holstein (such as Lubeck and Stralsund), cross to Sweden by ferry to visit Lund and Tycho Brahe’s island of Hven, then stay in Copenhagen for some interesting visits. An exhilarating ride over the new bridge joining Denmark and Sweden will start us on a journey to Uppsala and Stockholm.

Since 2007 is the 300th anniversary of the birth of Linnaeus, we will study his garden in Uppsala and also look at other aspects of classification; the Periodic Table for example, since many elements were discovered in Scandinavia. We will also look at early museum culture by studying some wonderful cabinets of curiosity or “wunderkammer”. In Copenhagen we will look at modern physics, and in Stockholm will visit the Royal Academy of Sciences, seeing special objects not on public display, such as those associated with Berzelius. Other Scandinavian scientists such as Arrhenius, Celsius, and Ole Romer will be on our agenda too.

We will visit other places of cultural and historical interest, for example the castle of Elsinore where Shakespeare’s Hamlet was set, the place where the Nobel Banquet is held, and the Carlsberg brewery. A graduate credit course is available and CPDUs come free for teachers.

The tour will begin in Germany on June 20, and end in Sweden on July 4. Price is not yet determined, but will be higher than last year’s $2975 due to the recent severe decline of the US dollar. You will find, though, that our reputation for “excellent value” is justified.

For further information and a view of previous years’ trips, go to Lee Marek’s web page and click on “History of Science Stuff”.

If you are interested in joining us for this tour, please send an email to either Lee Marek or Yvonne Twomey.

TechEd 2007, Technology in Education Conference

The Community College Foundation has announced TechEd 2007, the 12th Annual Technology in Education Conference & Exposition, which will take place March 25-28, 2007, in the Ontario Convention Center, Southern California, 2000 East Convention Center Way, Ontario, CA. There will be more than 250 sessions designed to bring educators up to speed on technology in the classroom.

The conference will be hosted by Chaffey Community College and DeVry University and has as its focus education professionals and the learning environment. The conference Web site is located here, and the conference program is available here (both sites accessed Dec 2006). Early Bird Registration (expires February 5, 2007) is $215; group discounts are available.

“Technology is constantly changing,” says Matson Breakey, the marketing director of the conference. “These days it can be difficult for teachers and schools to keep up with students’ appetite for the latest technological innovations. TechEd helps bridge the new digital divide between the schools of today and the youth of tomorrow.”

TechEd brings together educators from around the world to share cutting-edge best-practice solutions for the problems found in classrooms. With more than 250 sessions and innovative hands-on labs, individuals representing all levels of education (K through 20) learn new skills, achieve better understanding, and gain new inspiration in preparing our students for the world of tomorrow.

The theme for TechEd 2007 is Inspiring the Vision. “At TechEd 2006 our theme was ‘Sharing the Vision’,” adds Matson. “This year we are taking it to the next step by ‘Inspiring the Vision’. By which we mean to inspire a vision of the future. For the last few years, schools and institutions have been playing catch-up to technology. Today we are finally seeing a shift to a more pro-active environment. Our focus in TechEd version 12 includes mobile learning, workforce education, Web strands, conquering the digital divide, creative funding, and much, much more!”

TechEd also features special exhibits including The Classroom of the Now and symposia like Funding in the Gates Age, The Role of MySpace, and The School of the Future.

Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference

The 11th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference will take place June 25-28, 2007 at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC. The theme of this year’s conference is From Small Steps to Giant Leaps-Breakthrough Innovations for Sustainability.

The deadline for submission of papers is February 28, 2007; conference registration opens February 1, 2007. More information is available here (accessed Dec 2006).

People

Director, ACS Education Division

Mary Kirchhoff has been confirmed as Director of the ACS Education Division by the Board of Directors after an extensive national search.

Kirchhoff has served as acting director of the division for the past year. She is recognized as a leader in the education community. She holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of New Hampshire, an M.S. degree in chemistry from Duquesne University, and B.A. in chemistry from Russell Sage College.

She served as Assistant Director for Special Projects in the Education Division and was previously Assistant Director of the ACS Green Chemistry Institute for three years, where she managed day-to-day operations of GCI, including development and implementation of new programs, ­budget and personnel management, grant writing, and coordination with other ACS units and external partners. She emphasized green chemistry education through the development of educational materials, special programs for students, and presentations at colleges and universities, and also organized conferences and symposia on green chemistry, including the annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference. Mary also has worked at the U.S. EPA and was an associate professor of chemistry for nine years at Trinity College in Washington, DC (including a stint as chair of the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics). Kirchhoff edits this Journal's Green Chemistry feature column.

Proposal Deadlines National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) The following NSF deadlines have been established or are anticipated. Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Preliminary Proposals: April 26, 2007 Full Proposals: October 11, 2007 Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) Letters of Intent: February 5, 2007 see NSF Web Site for deadlines for Full Proposals Discovery Research K–12 (DR-K12) Preliminary and Full Proposal dates vary depending on focus; see NSF EHR Web site for details Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research: Workshop Opportunities (EPS) Full Proposals: accepted any time Informal Science Education (ISE) Preliminary Proposals: March 8, 2007 Full Proposals: June 21, 2007 Preliminary Proposals: September 13, 2007 Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) Full Proposals: January 25, 2007 Fourth Thursday in January, annually thereafter NSF Scholarship in Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (S-STEM) Letters of Intent (Feb. competition): January 15, 2007 Full Proposals: February 16, 2007 Letters of Intent (Nov. competition): October 10, 2007 Full Proposals: November 13, 2007 Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) Full Proposals (by invitation only): February 28, 2007 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring Full Proposals: March 6, 2007 Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering (REESE) Full Proposals: January 29, 2007 Research on Gender in Science and Engineering (GSE) Full Proposals April 2, 2007 Robert Noyce Scholarship Program Letters of Intent: February 28, 2007 Full Proposals: March 29, 2007 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: January 9, 2008 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 4, 2007 Special Grant Program in the Chemical Sciences: Preliminary Proposals: June 7, 2007 Completed Proposals: August 23, 2007 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.