Author Archive

Pizza, Flowers, and Fish (July 2008)

from Laura Slocum, JCE High School Associate Editor
What could the three items in the title possibly have in common? For me, they represent three of the 24 different projects my students turned in February 14. In the July 2007 issue of the Journal of Chemical Education, Ami LeFevre shared her Element Project, Bouquets of Periodicity, […]

Posted in Topics: High School, Science, Teaching

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Quantum in me fuit (June 2008)

from Erica Jacobsen, JCE High School Editor
“Coulda, woulda, shoulda” is a loop that often plays in my brain after a conference presentation. Why didn’t I… I could have… I should have… Even after extensive preparation, it’s easy to dwell on what you could have done differently so the presentation would have been even better. Maybe […]

Posted in Topics: General, High School, Teaching

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Connect the Dots (May 2008)

from Erica Jacobsen, JCE High School Editor
My young children are big fans of dot-to-dot puzzles. Each page doesn’t look like much to start—just a jumbled up mess of numbered dots. But if the dots are linked in the correct order, an appealing picture appears. Reading through the May 2008 issue of the Journal of Chemical […]

Posted in Topics: High School, Science, Teaching

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Can I Get Help? Where? (April 2008)

from Laura Slocum, JCE High School Associate Editor
Over the last few months, more high school chemistry teachers than ever before have asked me these questions and I was really surprised. However, as I inquired more deeply, I began to realize that fewer of the “new” teachers (teachers in their first 1–5 years of instruction) than […]

Posted in Topics: High School, Teaching

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Now You See It–Now You Don’t (March 2008)

from Erica K. Jacobsen, JCE High School Editor
“What is the average yearly rainfall for Phoenix?” A social studies assignment asked an extension question of this sort during my grade school years. The answer wasn’t in the text, so tracking down the answer required a trip to the local library, or a telephone call to the […]

Posted in Topics: High School, Teaching, Technology

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Streaming Chemistry, Times Two (February 2008)

from Erica K. Jacobsen, JCE High School Editor
Streaming Chemistry–On the Web
“Amazing DNA. Dee-Dee-Dee-Dee-DNA…” sang Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Collins used his talents as a guitarist and singer, along with his genetics background, to cap off his presentation at the recent National Association […]

Posted in Topics: High School, Teaching, Technology

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Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome (January 2008)

from Erica K. Jacobsen, JCE High School Editor
The unofficial Marine Corps motto that is the title of this column was brought into popular culture by the gravelly voice of Clint Eastwood in the 1980s film “Heartbreak Ridge”. I don’t claim to have anywhere near the constitution or character of a Marine, but the motto has […]

Posted in Topics: Education, High School, Science

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Playing on the Periodic Table (December 2007)

from Laura Slocum, JCE High School Associate Editor
All of us have had students whose passion for chemistry has both surprised us and encouraged us. There is almost nothing more rewarding than having students we have taught go on to study chemistry. This is especially important to me as I hear more about the comparison between […]

Posted in Topics: General, High School

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Resident Experts (November 2007)

from Erica K. Jacobsen, JCE High School Editor
A family friend designs, builds, and sells furniture made from used wine barrel staves. His journey of developing production methods over the past couple of years has led him into new territory. He’s played a bit of the chemist, experimenting with the use and resulting look of various […]

Posted in Topics: Education, High School, Science

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The Many Faces of Chemistry (October 2007)

from Erica K. Jacobsen, JCE High School Editor
Growing up, I moved through a series of career choices. Early on, being a professional tennis player was high on the list. I admired two top women’s players, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert-Lloyd. However, sheer lack of talent nixed that idea. After that, being an optometrist was my […]

Posted in Topics: Careers, Education, High School

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