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New EnglandAssociation ofChemistry Teachers

74thSummer Conference,StonehillCollege,

Easton, MA August 5-8, 2013

It’sAllAtomic!

Table of Contents
Conference Schedule
Abstracts of Presentations
Registration Form
Informationfor Participants
Professional Development Credits and Scholarships
NEACT Apparel and Totes

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Monday, 8/5 NEACT 2013 Conference Schedule (Subject to Change)

Whole Group Sessions (indicated by a star) are in Stanger Hall, Room 209

Workshops follow lunch. Locations are posted.

Time / Topic / Event / Notes / Speaker /Location
9:00 - 11:00 / NEACT Executive Meeting / New Hall (dormitory, #12on campus map)
10-noon / Check-In / New Hall (# 12 )
12:00 / Lunch / Roche Dining Commons, Cleary Faculty Dining Room
1:00 / Welcome Greetings
Dr. Maria Curtin, Dean of Faculty;
Dr. Louis Liotta, Professor of Chemistry,Chemistry Department Chair / Welcome Greetings
Mary Christian-Madden, President, NEACT;
Dr. Mel Govindan, President-Elect, NEACT
1:30 / Tour of ShieldsScienceCenter
Self-Guided Tour follows. / Dr. Louis Liotta
2-4 / “Critical Friends” Jerusha Vogel, GreenwichHigh School (CT)
4:30 / WELCOME BACK PARTY!! Reception: Appetizers, Beverages
6:30 / Dinner / Roche Dining Commons, Cleary Faculty Dining Room
7:30 / “So…You’ve Got an iPad. Now What?” Charles McDonald, Ed.D.,
MiddlesexSchool (MA)
8:30 / Evening Social / New Hall

Enjoy conversation and refreshments at evening socials. Meet new members & old friends in an informal setting.

Tuesday, 8/6

7:30 / Breakfast Roche Dining Commons
9:00 / PBS:“Mystery of Matter: Marie Curie”
Stephen Lyons, PBSProject Director
10:15 / Discussion Break
10:30 / “Chemistry: Challenges and Solutions”a multimedia-based, 13-part course of introductory chemistry. FREE, online, this fall from Annenberg Learner.
Alex Griswold, Executive Producer, Harvard-SmithsonianCenter for Astrophysics
12:00 / Lunch 1:00 Nature Trail Walk
1:00 -3:00 / “Particulate Representations and Reasoning”
Sue Klemmer, Camden Hills Regional HS (ME) / “Measurement of Radon in Air: Test Your Own Home for Radioactivity”
Sheila Adamus Liotta, Ph.D., Dean, School of Arts & Sciences, ProvidenceCollege (RI)
3:00 / Discussion Break
3:15 -4:45 / “Creating and Using Simulation-based Activities”
Dan Damelin, Concord Consortium (MA) / “Guided Inquiry Through the Use of Proposals”
Barbara Anzivino, Laboratory Director and Instructor,StonehillCollege (MA)
5:30 / Conference Photo Location, TBA
6:30 / ANNUAL BANQUET
Reservation with Registration (required) / Fee is included in the full conference price.
Anyone may attend ($25-per person).

Wednesday, 8/7 NEACT 2013 Conference Schedule

Whole Group Sessions (indicated by a star) take place in Stanger Hall, Room 209 Workshops follow lunch.

7:30 / Breakfast
9:00 / “Bringing the Why and the Who into the Chemistry Classroom ”
Catherine L. Drennan, Ph.D., Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor and Investigator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
10:15 / Discussion Break
10:30 / “SURE: Stonehill Undergraduate Research Experience ”
Dr.Louis Liotta,StonehillCollege,Professor and Chemistry Department Chair
Student research poster session follows Dr. Liotta’s presentation.
11:45 / NEACT Recessed Annual Meeting
12:00 / Lunch
1:00 / “Don’t Phlog Phlogiston” Dr. Arthur Greenberg, Professor,University of New Hampshire
2:00 / “Emergency Lesson Plans for Teaching Chemistry across Curricula”
Keith Lindblom, Manager, National Historic Chemical Landmarks program, ACS / “SPORCLE Science”
Christopher Morse, Ph.D., OlinCollege
3:00+ / 3-3:45 “Bringing the Why and the Who into the Chemistry Classroom”follow-up
Catherine L. Drennan, Ph.D., MIT
Anique Olivier-Mason, Ph.D., MIT / 3-4:30 “Claim, Evidence, Reasoning”
Sue Klemmer, Camden Hills Regional HS (ME)
4-5:30 / “iTunesU and your Classroom”
Charles McDonald, Ed.D.,MiddlesexSchool (MA) / “Examine, Make, Take” Stop by to review a variety of lessons, puzzles, half-life simulation, mini white board uses, and more (ongoing)
“Teaching Challenge: How Do You Teach Atomic Theory?” Roundtable, open to all
6:30 / Dinner
7:30 / Plenary Lecture: “It’s All Elementary:
From Atoms to Quarks and More!”
Vandana Singh, Ph.D., Assistant Professor,
FraminghamStateUniversity (MA) / Special tribute recognizingthe 100th anniversary of the Bohr atom 1913 - 2013
8:30 / Evening Social New Hall

Thursday, 8/8 NEACT 2013 Conference Schedule

Whole Group Sessions (indicated by a star) take place in Stanger Hall, Room 209

Early and Late Check-Out times will be announced at registration.

7:30 / Breakfast EastCampusCommons, ECC
9:00 / “Radioactive Decay and Modeling with Exponential Functions: A great STEM combo”
Dr. Sandra Kelly, GrotonSchool (MA)
10:15 / Discussion Break
10:30 / “The Periodic Table, Glenn Seaborg, and Me”
Mary Christian-Madden, Lecturer, QuinebaugValleyCommunity College (CT)
12:00 / Lunch
1:00 / NOVA: “Hunting the Elements”

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NEACT 2013 Program Descriptions

August 5Monday Afternoon/Evening

2 p.m. Jerusha Vogel, Greenwich High School, CT

“Critical Friends”

Have you ever attended a professional development eventthat inspired you to teach something right away? It can happen outside of NEACT meetings! Jerusha will explore the skills needed and the advantages of effective “talks about teaching.” In this workshop she will explore different approaches and practice some techniques with participants. Bring 5-6 copies of a lesson plan you wish to build upon and improve.

7:30 p.m. Dr. Charles J. McDonald, MiddlesexSchool, Concord, MA

“So…You’ve Got an iPad. Now What?” iPads are here; many teachers already own one. The tablet brings the Internet into your classroom like never before and creates a dynamic platform for collaborative and data manipulation. The nature of such devices fosters student engagement, collaboration, and innovation. This lecture will demonstrate the iPad as a presentation tool as well as exploring strategies and practices for classroom use.

August 6Tuesday Morning Speakers

9:00 a.m. Stephen Lyons, Producer-Director, PBS Series

“The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements” Award-winning writer and producer, Stephen Lyons, will present the Marie Curie segment from the three hour PBS series slated for broadcast in 2014. Following his 2007 success with the Emmy awarded NOVA program “Forgotten Genius” about Percy Julian, Steve latest project features the human story behind the Periodic Table. The program shows the discoveries of Priestley, Lavoisier, Davy, Mendeleev, Curie, Moseley, and Seaborg, with emphasis on the creative processes they used. Broadway-caliber actors create reenactments using replicas of original lab equipment. In addition to the TV series, the project includes an extensive website and Teacher’s Edition and Guide, designed to convey the discoveries of chemistry through the fascinating stories of the men and women who made them. Stephen will discuss the project and show the series trailer and a 30-minute rough cut of the Marie Curie segment. (mystery-of-matter.blogspot.com/)

10:30a.m. Alex Griswold, Executive Producer, Harvard-SmithsonianCenter for Astrophysics

“Chemistry: Challenges and Solutions” is a free, on-line, multimedia-based course in introductory chemistry available this fall from Annenberg Learner. Produced by the Harvard-SmithsonianCenter for Astrophysics, it will include 13 half-hour video programs explaining fundamental chemistry concepts which are linked to the human impact of chemistry and current research. Designed for advanced high school and first and second year college students, it updates the popular series "The World of Chemistry" with a fresh look, current science breakthroughs, a complete on-line textbook, three interactive labs, and comprehensive course guide.
(Alex returns from his 2012 presentation to show what has emerged in final form!)

August 6Tuesday Afternoon Workshops

1 – 3 Sue Klemmer, Camden Hills Regional HS (ME)

“Particulate Representations and Reasoning”In chemistry, particle models are central; all instructors recognize the value of valid representation of the particles involved in changes. The Next Generation Science Standards challenges students to go beyond passively learning accepted scientific models to actively developing and refining their understanding of scientific concepts by creating, testing, and comparing multiplemodels with a variety of representations. In this workshop Sue will ask you to reflect on your own use of particle ideas and representations, briefly share with you some of my research on how college freshmen use particle concepts and representations in thinking about chemical phenomena, and describe how this will translate intonew representational tools and activities for my high school chemistry students next year. Finally, you will look at your own classes and explore how to use existing activities to improve your students’ representational competence.

NEACT Northern Division Chair, Sue Klemmer, steeped in research while on sabbatical this year, will share her research on the connection between accurate particulate representation and conceptual problem solving.

1 – 3 Dr. Sheila Adamus Liotta, Providence College, RI

“Measurement of Radon in Air: Test Your Own Home for Radioactivity”

Participants will use a radon detector to measure the radon concentration in a location of their own choosing. This experiment can be conducted by high school or college students in conjunction with a study of nuclear chemistry; students will detect alpha particles emitted during the decay of radon. Radon is an intermediate product in the radioactive decay of uranium-238, which is widely distributed on Earth. Once produced in the soil, radon can enter homes through cracks or other holes in the foundation and is typically amore serious problem in houses with basements. Radon can be detected with a small plastic disk or chip made of a high-clarity polymer known as CR-39 used in eyeglasses. When alpha particles penetrate CR-39, they cause damage to the plastic. Although not visible to the eye, it can be revealed by treating the disk with sodium hydroxide and viewing the resulting tracks under a microscope. In this workshop, previously-exposed CR-39 disks will be etched with NaOH and the tracks will be counted by viewing the disks under a microscope. By use of a control disk, the concentration of radon in air can be calculated.
PLEASE NOTE:A CR-39 disk and instructions can be sent in advance to any participants who would like to expose the disk at home and bring it to the workshop. Please indicate this when you register. The required exposure time is four weeks, so quick action is needed to get the disk to you on time. Participants who do not expose their own disks will have others to use at the workshop. Contact Dr. Liotta to receive a disk:

3:15– 4:45 Daniel Damelin, Concord Consortium, Concord, MA

“Creating and Using Simulation-Based Activities”

In this workshop participants have hands-on experience with freely available molecular dynamics simulations that can teach many different chemistry related concepts. Attendees will learn how to embed these into their own web-based systems and how to use our free authoring tool to modify and create new materials, which can be run using the Concord Consortium’s web portal or your own learning management system.

Preview our latest work at:

:

3:15- 4:45 Barbara Anzivino, Laboratory Director and Instructor, StonehillCollege

“Guided Inquiry Through the Use of Proposals”

Guided inquiry laboratories challenge students to think more about theexperiment design than about the results. In most chemistry classes, a student doesan experiment then gets an answer which is right or wrong. In guided inquiry students analyze data during post lab discussion. They think of additional tests or procedures that couldexpand the topic. Later in the semester students propose an experimentusing these post lab discussions. They submit a written proposal which includes background, purpose, procedure and equipment. They then perform the experiment, present their findings, and write a report. This lecture will explainhow to adapt this procedure for your class and how to do so with minimum stress.

7:30 p.m. The John A. Timm Award (TBA) at NEACT Annual Banquet

August 7Wednesday Morning Speakers

9 a.m.Catherine L. Drennan, HHMI ProfessorInvestigator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

“Bringing the Why and the Who into the Chemistry Classroom”

Dr. Drennan teaches introductory chemistry at MIT and wants to convey what modern scientists do and who they are. Aware that a major issue in STEM retention is students’ lack of connection between their coursework and “real-world” problems, Dr. Drennan and her colleagues produced, implemented, and assessed a series of two-minute videos that feature research scientists (including undergraduates), each discussing a chemistry concept in the context of their own cutting edge medical, cancer, or environmental research. Educational research shows that when relevance and utility are revealed, many students report being motivated to persist in science learning (Hershock and O’Neal, 2008; Burn and Holloway, 2006). Embedding the short videos throughout the semester in introductory chemistry lectures helps promote interest in chemistry and diversity awareness and role models for students. (Note: Aware of these only during the last month of the semester, President M. Christian- Madden has used three research videos with good student response.) Free video downloads are at:

10:45 a.m. Dr. Louis Liotta, StonehillCollege, Chair of the Chemistry Department

“SURE: Stonehill Undergraduate Research Experience”The Stonehill Undergraduate Research Experience Program began in 1996 with eight students and six faculty members. By 2013, the program has grown to 50 students and 33 faculty members. Dr. Liotta will describe the history of the program and the auxiliary programs that have formed. He will discuss the impact of undergraduate research on learning and retention in the sciences. A poster session will follow the lecture where we can view the work of current summer research students.

August 7Wednesday Afternoon

1p.m.Dr. Arthur Greenberg, University of New Hampshire

“Don’t Phlog Phlogiston!”

Dr. Greenberg’s presentation, which will be in discussion format, takes us on a richly illustrated tour of the history of chemistry starting in pre-Renaissance times, moving into the transition to “chymistry” and the development of phlogiston theory in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Although phlogiston theory was proven to be incorrect over a century after its introduction, it serves as an example of the important role a unifying but incorrect theory can play. Dr. Greenberg will describe the discoveries and advances that led to the development of the “French chemistry” at the end of the eighteenth century and then Dalton’s atomic theory. Accompanying illustrations (some “PG”) will be from his 2007 book From Alchemy to Chemistry in Picture and Story.

Ongoing throughout the afternoon

“Examine, Make, Take” Stop by- review articles, lessons, puzzles, half-life simulation, mini white more.

2 p.m.Keith Lindblom, Manager, National Historical Landmarks program

American Chemical Society(ACS)

“Emergency Lesson Plans for Teaching Chemistry across Curricula” A variety of emergency lesson plans, designed to supplement high school courses, are available from ACS. Some are based on subjects in the National Historic Chemical Landmarks program and explore relationships between chemical and historical subjects to teach concepts in context. Others focus on demystifying everyday chemistry. The plans feature reading material, videos, and a variety of online activities that can be used separately or together. They are easily implemented by a substitute teacher, and Keith will explain them for the first time in the Northeast!

2:00 p.m. Christopher Morse, Ph.D, OlinCollege

“SPORCLE Science” The website, SPORCLE: Mentally Stimulating Diversions, features science quizzes and games, in an online source for students to challenge their memories, study for in-class quizzes, or just have fun. The most popular items are chemistry periodic table quizzes! Chris Morse, science editor, will show participants how to adapt these to chemistry classes to challenge and motivate students.

3:00 p.m Sue Klemmer, Camden Hills Regional HS (ME)

“Claim, Evidence, Reasoning for Chemistry”

The ability to construct explanations and argue from evidence takes effort and persistence to learn and to teach. This session will take the work of McNeill and Krajcik – whose expertise in this area was used in building parts of the New Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and apply it to three common classroom tasks: lab conclusions, essay questions, and group discussions. Sue has seen their system of “claim, evidence, reasoning” work for middle school, high school, and college classes. In her own classes it has both reduced the time needed for students to achieve basic competency in these skills and raised their overall achievement.

3:00 p.m. Catherine L. Drennan, HHMI ProfessorInvestigator, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Anique Olivier-Mason, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

“Bringing the Why and the Who into the Chemistry Classroom”follow-up to the morning presentation – How to implement biographies and/or research topics into the chemistry classroom

4:00 p.m. Dr. Charles J. McDonald, Academic Technology Specialist, MiddlesexSchool (MA)

“iTunesU and your Classroom”

Participants will be introduced to iTunes U course management software and, time permitting, the iBook creation tool. Teachers will create an online course outline and lesson with content that can be “pushed” to students who access it from any computer or iPad. They will learn how to maintain and update their course and use the course management tool to push content and resources to students. Option: Participants may bring their own laptop and/or iPad.

7:30 p.m.Vandana Singh, Ph.D., Department of Physics & Earth Sciences, FraminghamStateUniversity

Plenary Lecture: “It’s All Elementary: From Atoms to Quarks and More!”

Sir Arthur Eddington stated “Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.” The exploration of the inner world of the atom certainly bears out his statement.We have explored the atom by throwing things at it and seeing what falls out. This rather unsophisticated approach has nevertheless revealed to us the astonishing fact that there is a veritable zoo of elementary particles. Some, like the electron and nucleons, are old friends, but beyond them are the elusive quarks which can never be found alone, the ponderous W boson that is at the heart of radioactive decay, the ghost-like gluons without which there would be no nuclei, and therefore no atoms, and no us. And, of course, the long-sought Higgs boson, without which matter would not have mass – the feather in the cap of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. Our glimpse into the sub-sub-atomic realm has caused a paradigm shift in our understanding of Nature. Yet particle physicists still refer to the Standard Model as the Sub-Standard Model. Why? And how might we teach the atom in a way that reveals to our students the wonder and mystery of the sub-atomic world? Dr. Singh will enlighten us and help us answer that provocative question.