Hazari, Shakhashiri, Fortman, and Katz at the American Chemical Society Central Regional Meeting (CERMACS) 2007
May 25, 2007
The 'Fantastic Four Science Guys' performed, cajoled, and demonstrated on behalf of science education at the May 20-23, 2007 Central Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society. Asked about the importance of chemical demonstration, Professor John Fortman commented "Demonstrations illustrate how science can best be learned by seeing and doing instead of only by reading books or listening to teachers. It is a way of learning things that can be applied to everyday life. As babies we learn only by experiencing but as we get older formal education goes to books and lectures. No description of a chemical or physical change can match actually seeing it. Students also remember it better. Demos are entertaining while also being educational. The shows help encourage students and the public to learn some chemistry and not to be fearful of science."
Over 200 attendees witnessed the proceedings of the 'Four' over a two-session sequence on Sunday and Tuesday. The event was the first of its kind for an ACS Regional meeting where four of the country's leading demonstrators were assembled for a single event. The 'Fantastic Four' were sponsored by MeasureNet Technology Ltd.
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Al Hazari (left) of the University of Tennessee Knoxville and Bassam Shakhashiri of the University of Wisconsin-Madison also known as "The Lebanese Connection."
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David Katz of Pima Community College, Tucson examines the volume of dissolved CO2 in a soft drink.
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John Fortman (left) of Wright State University and Ed Escudero (right) of Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati together with MeasureNet's Michael Kurutz (center).
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Hazari demonstrating the wonders of sodium polyacrylate with a trusting member of the audience.
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Shakhashiri handles dry ice inventory as immersion of a dry ice piece into room-temperature water creates a memorable display.
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Katz simulates a sunset and the scattering of shorter wavelength blue and violet light.
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More than half a century of demonstration experience on stage... Fortman and Escudero still employ safety goggles.
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Shakhashiri with a huffing and puffing audience member demonstrating lung capacity, pressure, and Bernoulli's principle.
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More than fun... Shakhashiri discusses the importance of science in civilizational development.
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High-energy Hazari begins 'Making Chemistry Exocharmic.'
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MeasureNet Technology Ltd. manufactures patented, network-based data acquisition interfaces for science teaching laboratories. It is a spin-off of the University of Cincinnati's Department of Chemistry and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Measurenet's award-winning, PC-reducing design helps reduce laboratory maintenance and operational costs while giving students access to high quality shared UV-vis spectroscopy, gas chromatograph and HPLC connectivity, and an array of innovative probeware. Its acclaimed intuitive design provides improved transparency to enable better science-focused learning. Winner of the Ohio Governor's Award For Excellence in Energy Efficiency, MeasureNet networks are found in universities, community colleges, high schools, and vocational training centers across the United States and around the world.
For more information contact:
Len Weibel
Director of Business Development
tel. toll-free: 866-396-6765
lenweibel@measurenet-tech.com
> 'Science is Fun' Site of Bassam Shakhashiri at the University of Wisconsin
> Additional Photos From CERMACS 2007
> CERMACS 2007 Session Posters of the 'Fantastic Four'
Monday, July 31st
Web-based Storage, Manipulation, and sharing of Electronic Data from the Chemistry Lab
Symposium: About the General Chemistry Laboratory
Session: Session 3 of 4: General; Monday, July 31st, 2006
Paper Start Time: 15:45:00
Author: Estel Sprague
Presenter: Estel Sprague
Abstract: The purpose of this presentation is to describe a convenient system for storing, manipulating, and sharing the large amounts of electronic data often generated in modern chemistry lab experiments using MeasureNet® data collection equipment. The system allows data sets to be easily and automatically uploaded directly from the laboratory into one or several individual, password-protected student accounts on a remote server. Students retrieve their uploaded data sets later using any web-connected computer. When desired, the instructor can provide data analysis assistance by means of Excel workbooks containing macros written for specific types of data. Sharing of data by groups of students is greatly facilitated, since data sets can be saved for all members of a group, giving each student access to all of the data sets uploaded by the group. Illustrative examples of the use of this system will be presented.
Exhibit Area, Booths 1-3
MeasureNet Hospitality Suite
A variety of alcoholic and nonalcoholic refreshments and snacks
Union Club Hotel
#328
12:00-23:99
Tuesday, August 1
Exhibit Area, Booths 1-3
MeasureNet Hospitality Suite
A variety of alcoholic and nonalcoholic refreshments and snacks
Union Club Hotel
#328
12:00-23:99
Wednesday, August 2
Practical Laboratory Final Exams Featuring MeasureNet to Assess Student Learning
Symposium: General Chemistry: Improving General Chemistry Instruction Through Lab Practical Assessment
Session: Session 1 of 1
Paper Start Time: 09:45:00
Author: Bobby Stanton
Presenter: Bobby Stanton
CoAuthor: Lin Zhu
Abstract: During Fall semester 2005, we implemented Laboratory Practical Final Examinations into the General Chemistry laboratory curriculum to assess students’ mastery of chemical concepts, basic laboratory techniques, and their ability to implement the scientific method. We observed some unusual patterns in students’ abilities to perform certain types of laboratory techniques. For example, a majority of students were able to determine the concentration of an unknown acid via titration, but relatively few students were able to determine the concentration of an unknown base via titration. Understanding the reasons for these observed differences will allow instructors to enhance their students’ laboratory learning experience.
Exhibit Area, Booths 1-3
Thursday, August 3
Workshop: MeasureNet – The High School Setting
Fee: None
Room: BRWN 2134
Workshop Start Time: 08:00:00 - 11:00:00
Leader: Edmund Escudero
CoLeaders: Edward Kentrup
Description: Experience Measurenet. Hear how the system is used in two different high school settings. Course use ranges intro. physical science through AP Chemistry and AP biology. While at the workshop you will have the opportunity to perform a series of experiments that demonstrate the broad range of overall experiments available with the system.
April 11 , 2006
MeasureNet has enlisted Metro Tech of Puerto Rico to assist with distribution and service activities for its network-based teaching lab systems in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. The 24-year old company has operated for the past ten years from a new corporate complex in San Lorenzo, approximately 43 km south of the San Juan metroplex and well-placed to enable quick island-wide reach with convenient access to the Marte International Airport.
Julio Cay, founder and president of Metro Tech, has guided the company through an impressive period of growth. Metro Tech currently employees 16 full-time staff and represents some 20 firms that include Brinkman, Jasco, and Buchi in addition to MeasureNet. The company also is ISO 17025 certified. Javier Otero has served as Metro Tech’s General Manager for the past eight years.
“I can’t think of a better partner to help promote the growth of MeasureNet’s Puerto Rican and Caribbean business.” commented Michael Kurutz, MeasureNet’s Director of Marketing. “Julio Cay is well-known in academic and private sector chemistry circles in Puerto Rico and his firm has established a well-deserved reputation for exceptional personalized sales and support. Julio and I have worked together extensively and I’m confident that Metro Tech will strongly complement MeasureNet's reputation as the leading technology provider for teaching laboratory instrumentation. The chemistry and engineering qualifications of his staff are first rate.”
MeasureNet Technology Ltd. manufactures patented, network-based data acquisition interfaces for science teaching laboratories. It is a spin-off of the University of Cincinnati's Department of Chemistry and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Measurenet's award-winning, PC-reducing design helps reduce laboratory maintenance and operational costs while giving students access to high quality shared UV-vis spectroscopy and an array of innovative probeware. It's acclaimed intuitive design provides improved transparency to enable better science-focused, not technology-focused, learning. Winner of the Ohio Governor's Award For Excellence in Energy Efficiency, MeasureNet networks are found in universities, community colleges, high schools, and vocational training centers across the United States and around the world.
For more information contact:
Len Weibel
Director of Business Development
tel. toll-free: 866-396-6765
lenweibel@measurenet-tech.com
MeasureNet Spectrum
I was attending a reception for a guest speaker at the University of Cincinnati chemistry department the other day, held in the Departmental Apparatus Museum. The museum is part of The Oesper Collections in the History of Chemistry, which also includes books and journals displaying the history of chemistry from 1600 to 1959. What struck me the most was the collection of early 20th century chemistry instrumentation. On display were early pH meters and a battery powered Beckman DU spectrophotometer. Remember, not all laboratories had reliable electricity back then; in fact the early polarograph (not on display) developed by Heyrovsky, had a hand cranked generator for a power source. Therefore it took two people to conduct an experiment--one to turn the crank at a constant speed, and another person to manipulate the polarographic apparatus. The importance of these instruments is that they were among the first commercial instruments available that paved the way for what we have today. Prior to the availability of commercial instruments it was difficult for research laboratories to directly compare the results of experimental data collected with instrumentation. The instruments were hand-built, to the specifications of each investigator. Even if one investigator tried to build to another researcher’s specifications, there were likely to be differences in the final construction.
For example, consider a hypothetical situation: let’s say that we want to compile information on the measurement of the freezing point of cyclohexane—a routine MeasureNet experiment. Employing a coaxial test tube arrangement to hold the sample so that we can accurately measure the liquid to solid transition, we have three groups conduct the experiment. Group #1 uses a mercury thermometer, group #2 uses an instrument with a slow response sensor (unknown to them); and group #3 uses an instrument with a fast response sensor. Group #1 feels comfortable taking temperature readings every 10 seconds, while the other two groups let their instruments collect data every second. All three groups employ constant stirring and expect the cooling curves to show an abrupt change when freezing begins, thus allowing the freezing point to be determined from the cooling curve. Each group repeats the experiment several times and averages the results.
The freezing points found by groups #1 and #2 agree, however group #1 reports occasionally observing a spurious data point in the cooling curve occurring somewhat below the freezing point. Group #3 consistently observes a small dip (or glitch) in their plot, instead of a simple break, occurring at the freezing point in the temperature-versus-time curve. The group does not have an explanation for the dip but observes, if one extrapolates across the glitch, their freezing point is in agreement with that of groups #1 and #2. Group #3 reports their findings, including a description of the glitch.
Other researchers see the report by group #3, purchase identical instrumentation, and start to investigate the “strange glitch.” They immediately rule out instrumentation effects and conclude that in the freezing process of cyclohexane, the sample remains in the liquid state in spite of reaching a temperature about 0.20 degrees C below the freezing point of the solution. Then rather suddenly the solution starts to crystallize and the temperature starts to rise until it equals the amount it had dropped in the dip. Finally, one researcher gives the phenomenon a catchy name of “supercooling dip” and the name sticks. The phenomenon is then observed in other liquids as they freeze. Thus a new phenomenon that occurs in the freezing process is discovered.
Of course the above story is a simplified description of how science works. It was written to show the important role that chemical instrumentation played in the laboratories of the past and continues to play in the laboratories of the present. While the occasional “spurious” data point observed by group #1 hinted at the effect, it was only possible to examine it in detail with the appropriate fast sensing instrumentation.
My colleagues and I at MeasureNet Technology strive to produce the most intuitive and functional chemical instrumentation for your freshman and advanced chemistry laboratories. If you’re stuck on a probeware issue or need helpful guidance on its best use, contact me!
See you at the ACS meeting in Atlanta…
Elwood Brooks, Ph.D., is a MeasureNet Senior Applications Specialist frequently seen circling Cincinnati on a variety of motorcycles. He can be reached at brooks@measurenet-tech.com