EDUCATION PROGRAM
Representing the New Faces of Chemistry
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Schedule (please click on boxes or scroll down for more information)
Friday, September 26th, 2008
- 4:00 – 5:45 pm: Ice Cream Opening Social. Come bond and mingle with other chemistry teachers and students in the region. Take this opportunity to network as you enjoy ice cream sundaes and beverages.
- 6:00 – 7:00 pm: ACS Career Services Presentation. Wondering what kinds of chemistry careers are available for your students? Dr. Kenneth J. Barr, the director of medicinal chemistry at Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, will discuss the answer to the question “when am I ever going to use this?”
Near- and Long-Term Opportunities for Undergraduate Students in Chemistry:
I. Looking Forward to Graduate School
II. Highlights of Career Opportunities in Scientific Research
III. Alternative Careers For Professionals Trained In Chemistry
Presented by :
Kenneth J. Barr, Ph.D., Director of Medicinal Chemistry at Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Without the benefit of experience it is challenging for students of chemistry to imagine the myriad types of career opportunities available to them, let alone how best to pursue these opportunities. Presented in three parts, this lecture will provide a summary overview of graduate school in the sciences, aspects of certain careers available to those skilled in chemistry, and a brief discussion of alternative careers for those with interests in chemistry who choose not to make or continue their careers in research.
Saturday, September 27th, 2008
- 8:30 – 9:30 am: Keynote Address. Dr. Clemens Heske (UNLV), well known for both his cutting-edge research in materials science and for his skills in the classroom, will discuss current trends in the area of alternative energy sources.
So, when will there finally be a breakthrough for these solar thingies?
Clemens Heske, Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV)
Whenever I’m asked about what I do at UNLV, I state that my group utilizes a “tool chest” of experimental techniques to study surfaces and interfaces. This, in general, does not get anyone excited. Then, I say that, with this tool chest, we team up with people who make solar cells or other devices that convert solar energy into other forms of energy. This, in general, gets (almost) everyone excited, and the question is inevitable: “So, when will there finally be a breakthrough for these solar thingies”?
In this presentation, I will shed light on this question using examples from current research. I will focus on what “solar thingies” are, how they work, which ones indeed need breakthroughs and which ones don’t, and why this is a really exciting area for aspiring scientists (in particular chemists and physicists) to work in.
- 10:00 am – 12:00 pm: Poster Session. Over 55 undergraduate students and secondary teachers will share information about the research projects that they have completed in their labs and in their classrooms. Come learn about their experiences!
- 12:30 – 1:30 pm: Awards Luncheon. Come see who will win the prizes from the poster session and to honor the winner of the ACS Division of Chemical Education Western Region Award for Excellence in High School Teaching, Judie Baumwirt of Granada Hills Charter High School. Drawings* will be held during the luncheon for raffle prizes (including an iPod!).
- 1:30 – 5:30 pm: Symposia. Technical sessions that focus on teaching chemistry in high school and college will be presented by some of the best teachers in the region.

SYMPOSIA ON CHEMICAL EDUCATION
Education poster session - Undergraduate chemistry research
Organizer: MaryKay Orgill (marykay.orgill@unlv.edu), UNLV Department of Chemistry
Education poster session - Secondary teacher research and best practices
Organizer: Kent Crippen (kcrippen@unlv.nevada.edu)
UNLV Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Chemistry in context - Nanoscience
Organizer: Ellen Ebert (ekebert@interact.ccsd.net) Clark County School District, Las Vegas .
In this session, representatives from the National Center for Learning and Teaching Nanoscale Science and Engineering will lead participants through a series of hands-on activities about size-dependent properties.
Teaching AP chemistry
Organizer: Ellen Ebert (ekebert@interact.ccsd.net) Clark County School District, Las Vegas
In this session, Sherry Berman-Robinson will discuss strategies you can use to motivate your students to master the challenging topics presented in a second year high school chemistry course.
Using technology in the chemistry classroom
Organizer: Kent Crippen (kcrippen@unlv.nevada.edu)
UNLV Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Using technology in the chemistry classroom will feature talks about the digital resources available from the Journal of Chemical Education, online homework programs, the Vernier LabQuest, and personal response systems, among others.
Best practices and best activities in secondary and tertiary chemistry
Organizers:
Ellen Ebert (ekebert@interact.ccsd.net) Clark County School District, Las Vegas
MaryKay Orgill (marykay.orgill@unlv.edu) UNLV Department of Chemistry
Best practices and best activities in secondary and tertiary chemistry will feature talks about POGIL, general chemistry curricula, study abroad opportunities for science students, and nanoscience curriculum materials. A highlight of these sessions will be a presentation about using creativity and project based learning to motivate students to learn chemistry, given by the winner of the ACS Division of Chemical Education Western Region Award for Excellence in High School Teaching.
*Each person who participates in the keynote address or in the education program poster session on Saturday will receive a raffle ticket for the drawings that will be held during the awards luncheon.
Registration is only $30 for pre-college teachers and $40 for undergraduate students (early registration price) and can be done online on the conference website. An informational meeting for those interested in receiving CEUs for participating in the program will be held during a portion of the ice cream opening social on Friday, September 26.
For more information email chemical.interactions@gmail.com.
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