Discusses the general advantages of role playing in education. Presents role-play activities in chemistry for teaching the properties of chemical elements. Activities follow an initial student project of presenting an element's description and picture into the "Element High" Yearbook. A copy of a worksheet for this project is included.…

This study compared the content categories listed in the ANSI/ISO (American National Standards Institute/International Organization for Standardization) abstracting standards to actual content found in 120 abstracts from the chemistry, psychology, and history literature. A lack of correlation between the standards and history literature was found.…

Describes a four-phase chemistry activity designed to offer students an opportunity to gain and practice skills in research, written and verbal communication, database creation and use, and to work as part of a problem-solving team. (ZWH)

Describes activities that allow students to work cooperatively to analyze and study evidence from crime scenes and archaeological digs. The activities demonstrate to students the interdependence of a variety of disciplines in the real world. (ZWH)

Discussed is an approach to learning in which students are given the opportunity to discuss and rationalize the conflict between the students' existing misconceptions and the phenomenon to be studied. Curriculum materials for a unit on acids and bases were developed using this strategy. (KR)

Discusses the reasons why scientists and artists may confound the distinction between natural and unnatural and asserts that the distinction has some warrant. This essay examines an artistic work that is both a fountain and a sculpture. (KR)

Described is the "typical" curriculum necessary for graduation with a biochemistry degree from college. The information was synthesized from over 600 responses to a questionnaire sent to colleges and universities. Biochemical educators and scientists have been asked to review the curriculum and send comments. (KR)

Presents the findings of a task force on general chemistry. Among the findings are the course contains too much material, is not balanced, and too much emphasis is placed on developing rules for calculations. (PR)

Describes the use of a weekly blackboard session as a way to improve instruction in an organic chemistry lecture. The instructor writes problems on the board and either alone or in groups, students write the answers on the board. Later, they explain their solutions to the class. (PR)

Illustrates the basis of carbonless paper using sketches and examines the components of this kind of paper in detail. Discusses important chemical considerations and focuses on microencapsulation of the dye precursor and the reagent layer. (DDR)

Describes an experiment in which the density of solutions of known sugar concentrations is measured. Data are then used to determine sugar content in commercial beverages. (DDR)

Illustrates that acid-base indicators come in many forms and the reversible effects that acids and bases have on the colors of such indicators. An object is dyed in an indicator, which causes the object to turn dark blue at pH less than 3.0 to 5.0. Suggests using dyeable fabric shoes and other cotton articles. (PVD)

Presents an analogy that relates the one-dimensional mechanical equilibrium of a rigid block between two Hooke's law springs and the chemical equilibrium of two perfect gases using ordinary materials. (PVD)

Describes several experiments to teach different aspects of the statistical analysis of data using household substances and a simple analysis technique. Each experiment can be performed in three hours. Students learn about treatment of spurious data, application of a pooled variance, linear least-squares fitting, and simultaneous analysis of dyes…

Arnold Beckman is a chemist, businessman, and inventor who was the first to apply electronics to chemical measurement. For 17 years, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation has given over $300 million to science, focusing on biology and chemistry. The National Academy of Sciences will honor Beckman with its most prestigious award for his…