Demonstrating Rapid Qualitative Elemental Analyses of Participant-Supplied Objects at a Public Outreach Event

Schwarz, Gunnar; Burger, Marcel; Guex, Kevin; Gundlach‐Graham, Alexander; Käser, Debora; Koch, Joachim; Velicsanyi, Peter; Wu, Chung‐Che; Günther, Detlef; Hattendorf, Bodo

doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00391

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 14 publications

(18 reference statements)

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“…In addition, the sensitivity of the instrument was described via instruction on LLOQ determination. Other public activities with ICP-MS have sometimes shied away from calibration because of the additional time needed and the complexity . Because our activity was at its shortest a half-day in length and was scaled upward to a six-week lab internship, we could also adjust the level of involvement of participants; our student interns also analyzed the data and reported it back to collaborators as well as performed other research experiments under the School of Pharmacy faculty mentors (not related to this activity).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the United States, drinking water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the auspice of the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, and the general public considers it safe for consumption. , In 2004, the safety of municipal drinking water in Flint, Michigan, came into question after high levels of lead were detected. , In the ensuing “Flint Water Crisis,” citizen scientists organized by a team of researchers at Virginia Tech were key contributors to the discovery of high levels of lead in the drinking water. − These citizen scientists collected water from their homes in Flint, which was then tested for lead content at Virginia Tech. The work of these citizen scientists contributed to policy changes at the federal, state, and city levels that included changing the source and treatment of drinking water in Flint to ensure its safety.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seeing the “Unseeable,” A Student-Led Activity to Identify Metals in Drinking Water

et al. 2020

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Municipal drinking water, regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency via the Safe Drinking Water act, has long been assumed to be contaminant-free. However, crises related to drinking water have emerged, most notably the “Flint Water Crisis” in Flint, MI, where high levels of lead (Pb) were detected in the area’s water. Much of the water-sampling data collected in Flint was obtained by “Citizen Scientists” working closely with a team of researchers at Virginia Tech, who used the analytical technique of Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) to quantify metal ions present in the water. Inspired by these efforts, we developed adaptable public water testing outreach efforts, led by students in Baltimore city (Middle School, High School, and College), to test the city’s drinking water. These “student-scientists” read news and scientific articles to understand the public health impact of lead in drinking water and the analytical approaches scientists use to detect metal ions in water. The students then developed a written “water collection protocol” and sought participation from colleagues (other students, faculty, and staff) who collected their home drinking water to be tested. The student scientists prepared and analyzed samples for lead (Pb) as well as copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) metal ions commonly found in drinking water, to be tested via ICP-MS. Data were then plotted onto a map of Baltimore City, with the metal levels indicated for each Zip code. This outreach event connects science to real-life news events while teaching analytical methodology and can be tailored to students at various stages of their education.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seeing the “Unseeable,” A Student-Led Activity to Identify Metals in Drinking Water

et al. 2020

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“…A vast number of programs have been initiated with the aim of improving public science literacy including new museum exhibits , and online videos, such as Periodic Videos and ACS Reactions . Some programs are led by national societies to increase awareness and appreciation of chemistry, such as the ACS National Chemistry Week and Chemists Celebrate Earth Week, while other efforts engage the public through demonstrations − or target students through carefully designed courses on scientific communication. − …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community Engagement in Science Through Art (CESTA) Summer Program

2020

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Despite the importance of chemistry in addressing many of society’s most significant challenges, there is a growing stigma associated with chemicals in our nation, often termed “chemophobia”. We sought to appeal to the public, not only through education, but also through art as an avenue for appreciation with the development of a new one-of-a-kind chemistry-art summer program. In the Community Engagement in Science Through Art (CESTA) summer program, chemistry, sculpture, and engineering students work collaboratively to design and construct an interactive art piece that brings chemistry to the local community. The program was designed to develop a unique and critical set of cross-disciplinary communication skills among our student participants while fostering a broad appreciation of the importance of other fields and their contribution to society. The schedule consisted of a brainstorming phase, including team development activities and field trips to science and art museums, prior to the building phase in which students presented and discussed sketches and small-scale prototypes of their ideas. Each summer culminated with the construction and public unveiling of a final collaborative sculpture. The outpouring of community and media interest in this program suggests promise for the opportunity to use art to improve the public’s relationship with chemistry.

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“…The importance of outreach activities and opportunities for scientists and science students to practice communicating with the public is reflected in numerous articles appearing in Chemical & Engineering News − and the most prestigious scientific journals. , There are several published examples of successful models of scientific outreach activities focused on children and youth in chemistry − and other sciences. , Outreach to adult nonscientists is often presented as a discussion of what to present or how to present rather than reports of successful outreach to this group, , although it might be reasonable to assume that the authors are engaged in some form of scientific communication with the public. Community engagement with general audiences through performance and demonstrations, museum installations, and real-time analysis of participants’ samples have been reported. Other activities that could be converted to outreach, such as writing popular science and jingles or using storytelling, have been reported as means to engage science students with science.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Encouraging the Art of Communicating Science to Nonexperts with Don’t Be Such a Scientist

Angelo

2018

J. Chem. Educ.

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Randy Olson’s book, Don’t Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style, was used to supplement a senior seminar in nanomaterials. While students learned about the chemistry behind useful properties of nanomaterials, they also analyzed how nanomaterials applications are presented to the public through advertising, science news, and popular culture artifacts. By using Don’t Be Such a Scientist, students learned how scientists can fail at communicating with the public and how they can become more effective communicators. To experience communicating to nonexperts, they presented outreach projects such as a video, activity, or discussion on nanomaterials. Example student projects in nanomaterials are discussed; however, Don’t Be Such a Scientist could easily be incorporated into a variety of scientific courses to include effective scientific communication to the public, a meaningful skill for all scientists and science students.

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Demonstrating Rapid Qualitative Elemental Analyses of Participant-Supplied Objects at a Public Outreach Event

Cited by 9 publications

References 14 publications

Seeing the “Unseeable,” A Student-Led Activity to Identify Metals in Drinking Water

Seeing the “Unseeable,” A Student-Led Activity to Identify Metals in Drinking Water

Community Engagement in Science Through Art (CESTA) Summer Program

Encouraging the Art of Communicating Science to Nonexperts with Don’t Be Such a Scientist

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