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Published March 10, 2014 | public
Book Section - Chapter

Chemists: Public Outreach Is an Essential Investment of Time, Not a Waste of It

Abstract

In this chapter, we discuss the state of the public image of chemistry and some of the potential consequences of its deterioration. We explain why it is important that chemists engage the public to educate citizens about science and communicate the value of scientific research. Next, as an example of how chemists can interact with the public in a meaningful manner related to their research, we discuss the development and implementation of a multifaceted outreach program by our group at Caltech. We close with suggestions for how chemists can create their own outreach activities and how our field can encourage this work by recognizing and rewarding it.

Additional Information

© 2014 American Chemical Society. Publication Date (Web): March 10, 2014. Our research on solar fuels and the outreach efforts that accompany it are supported by the NSF CCI Program (CCI Solar, CHE-1305124). We thank the many scientists in ccr Solar who power our outreach efforts with their dedicated service as mentors in local schools and clubs. CCI Solar's outreach efforts are coordinated and managed by Carolyn Panerson and Siddharth Dasgupta. The SHArK and SEAL programs owe their success to the instrument platforms developed by Bruce Parkinson, Jay Winkler, and their coworkers. The SEAL program has been coordinated at Caltech by Jillian Dempsey, James McKone, Hill Harman, and James Blakemore, and on an international scale by Jennifer Schuttlefield. The Juice-from-Juice kit was developed by Qixi Mi and Michael Walter (Caltech), along with Debbie Hawks (Blair High School) and Gurupreet Khalsa (Pasadena Unified School District). The project has subsequently been coordinated at Caltech by Shane Ardo, Tania Damton, and Amanda Shing. CCI Solar's ISE efforts have been spearheaded by Benjamin Dickow (WSSC), Ariel Levi Simons (Wildwood School), Anna Beck (Caltech), and P.J.B. (Caltech). P.J.B. gratefully acknowledges an NSF American Competitiveness in Chemistry postdoctoral fellowship grant (CHE-0936996). We also thank ACS President Marinda Li Wu, H. N. Cheng, and Sadiq Shah for organizing the Vision 2025 symposium and for the opportunity to discuss these important issues that face the chemical enterprise.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
January 13, 2024