SCACT

Spring '99 Newsletter

Dear SCACT members,

As our school year casts aside one semester for another, I can safely say I survived my first experience with the 4 x 4 semester block. After wiping off the sweat from racing through my chemistry courses, I find it interesting to note how we have managed to surreptitiously water-down our curriculum simply by changing bell schedules on an annual basis.

I hope everyone has experienced a good year both professionally and personally. I enjoyed seeing some of you at (SC)2 in the fall and look forward to seeing more of you at our Spring meeting, March 13th, at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in Columbia. I would like to extend a special thanks to Sondra Wieland for setting up the "Chemistree" at the State Museum which we sponsored along with the SC and Western Carolina sections of ACS and to Sarah Hudson for handling the judging for the NCW Poster Contest.

Make certain you make your reservation for the March meeting soon. Gwen has a great day planned for us! Check this newsletter for details. See you soon!

Angie Muse

SCACT President

SCACT ANNUAL MEETING

"It's Elementary, Watson"

SATURDAY MARCH 13, 1999

HEATHWOOD HALL SCHOOL

COLUMBIA, SC

Our featured speaker will be Dr. Steve Morgan of USC,speaking on "Forensic Science". After lunch there will be mini-sessions for elementary, middle and high school teachers with hands-on activity stations led by Sondra Wieland, Denie Ravenel, Martha Fout, Johanna Killoy, and Angie Muse that will involve "Who Done It?"-type crime-solving activities using chromatography, precipitations, and other chemical classroom techniques. Gwen Gore is the progarm chair for the meeting. A registration form can be found later in this newsletter.

At the November 1996 Annual Convention of the South Carolina Science Council in Greenville1 SC, Dr. Daniel J. Antion, immediate past president of the South Carolina Academy of Science and a science educator at the University of South Carolina in Columbia received the Helms Citation of Excellence. Dr. Antion was cited "for exemplary contributions to the development of educational opportunities for both students and teachers in the areas of science and technology1 and for advocacy of all worthy endeavors to raise the level of public consciousness toward science education in the State of South Carolina." In receiving the Helms Award, Dr. Antion accepted the recognition "on behalf of all his colleagues (past and present); on behalf of all the teachers who have participated in his programs (and survived); and on behalf of all the teachers who have worked so hard to improve science and mathematics education in South Carolina." The award is cosponsored by the South Carolina Science Council and the South Carolina Hall of Science and Technology. The South Carolina Science Council has a membership of more than 2,000 K-12 teachers and science educators and is the state's chapter of the National Science Teachers Association.

At the November 11, 1998 meeting of the South Carolina Section of the American Chemical Society in Orangeburg, SC, Ms. Sondra F. Wieland, past president and current treasurer of the South Carolina Association of Chemistry teachers and the chemistry teacher at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in Columbia, SC, was named the Section's 1998 Chemistry Teacher of the Year. Ms. Wieland was cited for her sustained commitment to long-term professional self-improvement and her singular efforts to provide interesting, effective and stimulating science enrichment experiences not only for her own students but also for thousands of other students as well. The South Carolina Section also noted her exemplary service to the profession as a recognized leader in science education as exemplified by the many invited workshops and in service sessions she has conducted for teachers and other science professionals in South Carolina, in other states and in other countries. The selection committee concluded that, "Ms. Wieland seems to be the type of chemistry teacher that we all wish we had in high school and that we hope our children and grandchildren will have." The award, which consisted of an engraved plaque, a framed citation and a monetary stipend, was presented by Dr. Thomas W. Brooks, Chairman of the South Carolina Section and Mrs. Deborah Heizer, Chair of the Selection Committee. Ms. Wieland's portfolio will be entered in the competition for the ACS Regional Awards in High School Chemistry Teaching.

I am pleased to provide this report on the "Chemistree" Project which was co-sponsored by the South Carolina Section, the Western Carolinas Section and the South Carolina Association of Chemistry Teachers.

The "Chemistree" was a coniferous tree that is decorated with common everyday objects. Each object is fashioned into an ornament and labeled with its chemical composition. For example, a penny would be labeled as Cu and Zn; a nickel would be labeled as Ni; a sugar cube would be labeled as C₁₂H₂₂0₁₁; a lump of coal would be labeled as C; etc.

By bulk mailing to schools throughout the entire state of South Carolina, I solicited ornaments for the "Chemistree" from K-12 students. By December 1, I received approximately 100 ornaments made by the students. A six-foot artificial tree, lights and garland were purchased. The tree was set up on December 7 in the South Carolina State Museum and decorated with the ornaments.

The "Chemistree" was on display in the science wing of the State Museum all during the Christmas holidays. It is estimated that 50,000 visitors to the Museum were able to see the display.

On behalf of the South Carolina Association of Chemistry Teachers, thank you for providing funding and assistance to promote this wonderful project that creates interest in chemistry and helps generate public understanding of the importance of chemistry in our everyday lives. I was most happy to volunteer my time for this project.

Sondra F. Wieland

Heathwood Hall Episcopal School

Thanks to Sarah Hudson, NCW Poster Contest Chair!

President: Angie Muse, Ft. Dorchester High School, Summerville

Past-President: Denie Ravenel, Ashley Hall, Charleston

President-elect: Gwen Gore Marion Intermediate School, Marion

Vice-President: Mike McClure, Richland Northeast High School

Treasurer: Sondra Wieland, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School

Secretary: Martha Fout, Socastee High School, Myrtle Beach

Executive Council Member At-Large: Dan Antion, USC

Executive Council Member At-Large: Clarice Wenz, Goose Creek High School, Goose Creek

Membership Chair: Ruth Wasserman, Fort Mill High School

Awards Co-chairs: Norma Ashburn and Jo Killoy

Historian: Dianne Earle, Dorman High School, Spartanburg

Poster Contest: Sarah Hudson, Summerville, High School

Newsletter Editor: Jim Deavor, College of Charleston

Lee Marek is the March tour speaker for the American Chemical Society. Lee is a catalyst Award winner, a nationally renown chemical demonstrator, and frequent guest on the David Letterman Show. His schedule, March 15-19, is located below.

Section(location) Meeting Date Contact Person Email

Northeast Georgia Mon. March 15 George Majetich

Savannah River Tues. March 16 Brian Anderson Bandganderson@mindspring.com

S.C.Section (Columbia) Wed. March 17 Pat Meier Meier@smtpgw2.musc.edu

Carolina Piedmont Thurs. March 18 Amy Hignite amhignit@sourcesvc.com

Western Carolina Friday March 19 Pete Vahjen pvahjen@lander.edu

If you cannot make one of those, Lee will present the same talk to students and teachers on Saturday, March 6 at CofC. Email: martine@cofc.edu

Sister Mary Virgina Orna, will be speaking to the South Carolina Section of the American Chemical Society on Friday night September 25. Her talk is entitled "Case Histories in Pharmaceutical Discovery: Defeating and Controlling Disease". More detail swill be announced over the summer. Her latest honor is that Dr. Orna is the 1999 recipient of the ACS George C. Pimentel Award in Chemical Education. She is a professor of chemistry at the College of New Rochelle and editor of Chemical Heritage magazine. She was the plenary speaker at the 1997 SCACT annual meeting.

SCACT has its own web site at http://www.cofc.edy/~chem/scact.html. If you have access to the internet and have not visited it yet please do so. If you wish to have your own web page on the site please contact Jim Deavor at deavorj@cofc.edu or 843-953-8095.

1999 NSTA 47th ANNUAL NATIONAL CONVENTION

Boston, Massachusetts, March 25-28, 1999

1999 NSTA AREA CONVENTIONS

Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, October 21-23

Tulsa, Oklahoma, November 18-20

Reno, Nevada, December 2-4

Mark your calendars for the Lab Safety Workshop course to be held noon Wednesday August 4 - noon Saturday August 7 at the College of Charleston. The LSW is a non-profit national center for health, safety and environmental affairs. The Workshop's mission is to make health and safety an integral and important part of science education. Dr. James Kaufmann of Colby College is the director. Totaling 24 hours of invaluable instruction, discussion, and demonstration of lab safety. Visit http://www.labsafety.org/ for more information, e-mail labsafe@aol.com. Or call 1-508-647-1900. Topics covered include: