Sputnik to Smartphones A Half-Century of Chemistry Education ACS Symposium Series

This book describes the profound changes that occurred in the teaching of chemistry in western countries in the years immediately following the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik, the first artificial Earth satellite, in 1957. With substantial government and private funding, chemistry educators introduced new curricula, developed programs to enhance the knowledge and skills of chemistry teachers, conceived of new models for managing chemistry education, and experimented with a plethora of materials for visualization of concepts and delivery of content. They also began to seriously study and apply findings from the behavioral sciences to the teaching and learning of chemistry. Now, many chemistry educators are contributing original research in the cognitive sciences that relates to chemistry education. While Sputnik seemed to signal the dawn of far-reaching effects that would take place in political, diplomatic, and strategic, as well as in educational spheres, the seeds of these changes were sown decades before, mainly through the insight and actions of one individual, Neil Gordon, who, virtually singlehandedly, launched the ACS Division of Chemical Education and the Journal of Chemical Education. These two institutions provided the impetus for the United States to eventually become the undisputed leader in chemistry education worldwide.

Mary Virginia Orna received her doctorate in analytical chemistry from Fordham University. She has served as Professor of Chemistry at the College of New Rochelle, New York, and as Editor of Chemical Heritage magazine and Director of Educational Services at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. She is an active member of both the ACS Division of the History of Chemistry and the ACS Division of Chemical Education. She has won numerous national awards for excellence in chemical education, including the George C. Pimentel Award in 1999. She was also a Fulbright Fellow for Israel in 1994-1995. She has authored or edited 15 books and numerous papers in the areas of chemical education, color chemistry, archaeological chemistry, and the history of chemistry.