Middle School Teachers

Are you an aspiring chemist, a passionate climate advocate, or an interested member of the public? Do you want to change the world through science? Join the IUPAC CHEMRAWN and Beyond Benign throughout 2025 to learn from experts in the field who are leading the charge to solve existential, world needs through chemistry. Speakers will orient their presentations around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), as well as the IUPAC Top 10 Emerging Technologies, to demonstrate the power that chemists hold in shaping, and preserving, the future. 

Each talk will be accompanied by  2-3 minute videos on the topic, for chemistry students in high school, university, and for the general public.

January Webinar 

“From Detoxifying Chemical Warfare Agents to Treating Nuclear Wastewater: Adventures in the Synthesis of Metal–Organic Frameworks” 

Ashlee Howarth, Concordia University

01/24/2025 | 9:00 – 10:00 AM EST

Webinar Description:

Named by IUPAC as one of the “Top 10 Emerging Technologies in Chemistry” in 2019, what can metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) really do? IUPAC CHEMRAWN Committee and Beyond Benign invite you to learn more about MOFs and join the discussion with Prof. Ashlee Howarth from Concordia University! Prof. Howarth is dedicated to using green chemistry principles and practices to design and synthesize rare-earth cluster-based MOFs which can then be applied to clean up wastewater from coal and nuclear power plants, as well as decontaminate military equipment. Other applications investigated by Ashlee also include catalysis, drug delivery, X-ray detection, and chemical sensing applications to solve our current environmental challenges. 

More About Professor Ashlee Howarth:

Ashlee J. Howarth is an Associate Professor and Concordia University Research Chair at Concordia University in Montréal. She was born and raised in London, Ontario. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Western Ontario in 2009, and then went on to do her PhD in inorganic materials chemistry at the University of British Columbia under the supervision of Michael O. Wolf. Before joining the faculty at Concordia, she completed an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship at Northwestern University with Joseph T. Hupp and Omar K. Farha. At Concordia, the Howarth group is focused on the design and synthesis of rare-earth cluster-based metal–organic frameworks targeting applications in pollution remediation, catalysis, drug delivery, X-ray detection, and chemical sensing. Ashlee is also the contact point for the Green Chemistry Commitment at Concordia University.

Unbeatable expertise in science teaching and learning professional development.....

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The UK's largest event focussing on science education professional teaching and learning, the ASE Annual Conference, takes place at the University of Nottingham's University Park Campus from Thursday 9th to Saturday 11th January 2025

• Choose from over 250 sessions from the best science education speakers and practitioners - all in one place.
• Focus on your school’s specific priorities, develop your own subject knowledge and learn from other teachers and science education experts.
• Enjoy fantastic networking opportunities to gain exciting new ideas, approaches and resources that you can share with your whole team.
• Explore an unmissable exhibition of more than 50 science education organisations, full of activities, equipment and resources with exclusive competitions and giveaways.

This is an amazing opportunity to engage in cost-effective, subject-specific professional learning and is perfect for all primary science educators, secondary and further education teachers, technicians, trainees and multi-academy trust science teams.

How much does it cost to attend? One day registration starts from only £99 for ASE teacher-members and even less for trainees-members and technician-members.

Our most affordable Early Bird tickets will be on sale until 23:45 on Sunday 3rd November.

Please note that registration will stay open for the duration of the conference but participants will need to check-in at registration desks upon arrival each day before entry to the main conference sessions.

Where can I find our more information about the Conference? The most up-to-date information can be found by exploring the Conference Webpage, within which you will find the link to the live digital timetable Sched - why not create your own personal agenda to suit your own professional development needs in Sched?

Where can I find my membership number? Your new membership ID number can be found in the top righthand corner on your My Account page of the ASE website after logging in (the numbers issued from the old system that start with an M are no longer valid). If you're not yet a member and would like to get the best conference rates, you can join online or over the phone on 01707 283000.

How can I contact the organiser with any questions? Please email conferences@ase.org.uk with any enquiries or call us on 01707 283000.

Are there minimum age requirements to enter the event? Students accompanying teachers as part of Saturday's Schools Exhibition are also permitted entry. Unfortunately children are not permitted to attend other events throughout Conference.

When will I receive my ticket/delegate badge? All delegate badges will be provided daily at the registration desks at Conference, within Pope Building in Room A15. Please ensure you provide evidence of your Eventbrite booking with your order number at registration. Registration will open at 08:00 on each day.

What's the refund policy? Cancellation of registration before 26th November 2024 will incur a 5% cancellation charge (30 working days before the event). After this date no refunds can be made.

Should you have any queries, please view the FAQs on the Conference webpage and should you not find the answer to your questions please email conferences@ase.org.uk and one of the events team will respond as soon as they are able. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you at Nottingham in January 2025.

New Observe Wonder Think format for 2024-25. This year we are focusing on K-12 teacher peer collaboration. You are our best resource. There will be space for teachers to bring the resources, labs, lessons, articles that they are seeking to implement. What are the things you are learning as you implement? What challenges are you facing as you implement green chemistry in your classroom and lab? What has really worked well for you? Are there elements of your lessons/labs that you really need help with before implementation? Come and talk with your K-12 peers in the Green Chemistry Community of Practice. We are here to support, accompany, encourage and learn together. We will have speakers periodically to share what has worked in their classrooms, or to share lab safety tips. Register to attend. Only speaker sessions will be recorded, included with registration.

Esther Hines, retired chemistry teacher, ACS mentor and coach, adjunct chemistry faculty, will facilitate Observe Wonder Think monthly, third Thursdays, at alternating evening times.

The conference will be held on the beautiful campus of University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky in the Summer of 2024. The 28th BCCE, like all of its predecessors, is designed to provide you with opportunities for interacting with chemistry instructors of all levels in formal and informal settings. There will be a mixture of symposia, workshops, poster sessions, exhibits, and tours of chemistry research areas.

Registration for BCCE 2024 is now live. Early bird pricing is available until May 31!  The registration form includes workshops, on-campus housing options, and more.  Those who have submitted abstracts will be notified in April about their submission.

The conference will be organized around four themes - Classroom Practice and Learning Environments, Curriculum and Cognition, Assessment and Research Methods, and Professional Development - within the K-12, two-year college, and university communities.

Instructions for presenters are available.

Connect with attendees and stay up to date with the conference on the GCTLC's BCCE 2024 forum thread!

Sunday

Workshop: Introduction to Integrating Green Chemistry and Sustainability in Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories
8:30am - 11:45am
Chaired by: John De Backere (University of Toronto)

Authors: Jonathon Moir, John De Backere, David Laviska, Jane Wissinger

Green Chemistry is a framework that helps “minimize or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances” in chemical processes and products. It is our responsibility as instructors to educate our students with respect to green chemistry, sustainability, and environmental issues to prepare them as future members of the workforce and agents of change in the world. Importantly, this has recently been recognized in the new ACS Guidelines for Bachelor's Degree Programs as a critical requirement, whereby curricula must provide students with a working knowledge of the Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry.

This interactive half-day (3h) workshop is aimed towards laboratory instructors at two- and four-year undergraduate institutions teaching curricula in all areas of specialization. We will illustrate the connection between fundamental principles of green chemistry, safety, and traditional teaching laboratory protocols (further examples provided in the accompanying symposium, see below for details). Participants will gain an understanding of not only practical aspects of greening undergraduate labs, but also ways of modifying assessments and content to improve pedagogical aspects of laboratory learning to include more topics around green chemistry and broader sustainability concepts. Participants will then divide into small sub-discipline specific groups to share experiments currently used in their courses, and discuss possible modifications to their own lab manuals to make them “greener”. After reflecting on current curricula, we will explore a number of useful resources for integrating theory into practice, such as the new online Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC). The workshop will conclude by creating personal action plans for implementing sustainable changes, both practically and pedagogically, to current experiments or potentially new experiments to be developed.

This workshop complements the symposium entitled “Frontiers in Integrating Green Chemistry and Sustainability into the Teaching Laboratory”, which will provide recent examples of "greener" teaching experiments.

Monday

Poster: Addressing the knowledge gap through professional education initiatives for educators to promote the global integration of sustainable chemistry into curricula

6:00pm - 6:55pm

Presented By: Monica Nyansa

The design for sustainable solutions to global challenges creates a critical need to develop a future workforce proficient in practicing and teaching the principles of sustainable chemistry. This entails equipping present and future scientists with the requisite skills in green chemistry and sustainability. The American Chemical Society (ACS) recently updated its Guidelines for Bachelor’s Degree Programs to incorporate green chemistry and sustainability into the learning outcomes as a normal expectation for coursework in ACS-approved degree programs.

Beyond Benign, an educational nonprofit that is a prominent advocate for green chemistry education worldwide plays a pivotal role in supporting the integration of green chemistry and sustainable practices into the chemistry curriculum. This support extends to the development and dissemination of curricular materials and resources created directly with educators and strategic partners through their Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) and the Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC) platform. Another way Beyond Benign supports this endeavor is through the exploration of professional educational opportunities, empowering educators to integrate green chemistry and sustainability principles into the chemistry curriculum effectively, thus nurturing the next generation of scientists adept at addressing global challenges through sustainable chemistry practices.

This presentation aims to highlight the ongoing efforts of Beyond Benign, a champion of green chemistry education, to explore professional educational opportunities for educators, facilitating the integration of green and sustainable chemistry into the chemistry curriculum for a sustainable future.

Tuesday

Green Chemistry Education: Empowering the Global Community
in S60: Promoting Global Collaboration in Chemistry Education: Insights from International Initiatives |8:30am - 10:00am

Talk Presented By: Amy Cannon

Development of an open-access, community-driven, peer-reviewed library of green chemistry educational materials in Drupal 10: The Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC)

in S233: Computers in Chemical Education | 10:15am - 11:45 am

Talk Presented By: Jonathon Moir

The Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC) is a virtual space for higher education faculty and lecturers as well as K-12 teachers to find and share resources, participate in peer-to-peer learning, and connect and network with other users from around the world. The mission of the GCTLC is to help advance the integration of green chemistry across education systems worldwide to help train the next generation of scientists and workers with the knowledge and skills to address sustainability challenges across the globe. The platform allows users to connect with others through forums, group spaces, events, a job board, and more. Of particular note is the GCTLC’s open-access, peer-reviewed and community-driven library of over 190 curriculum resources. These include greener lab experiments, course modules, lecture slides, assessments and exams, journal articles, and more. Users can browse the existing collections via searching based on keyword terms, by contributor, by title, or by other filters, and can submit their own original work to the library or submit existing resources found elsewhere on the internet. Submitted resources undergo a simplified peer review process, managed by the GCTLC’s Chief Editor, and upon acceptance are published in the GCTLC’s searchable library (and, if warranted, added to new or existing curated collections on the platform). This presentation will overview the development and management of the GCTLC’s library and peer-review system using Drupal 10, including use of taxonomy terms, moderation states and workflows, and dynamic content displays. Ultimately this presentation will showcase the utility of open-source programming in creating inclusive spaces for educational communities of practice.

B19: Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC) Get-Together and Share-a-thon

1:00pm - 1:45pm
Chaired By: Jonathon Moir and Nimrat Obhi

This Birds of a Feather is a chance to come learn about the GCTLC and meet other GCTLC users (in-person!) from around the world. After some informal socializing, Beyond Benign's team members will walk through the basics of the GCTLC platform and jump into a group sharing session including an in-person resource upload (hackathon style)! We ask all attendees to bring their personal laptops to participate in the share-a-thon!

Attendees may ask for a "to go" container for their lunch from Champions Kitchen and bring it with you to the Birds of a Feather session.

Fostering a sense of belonging on the Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC) online platform

in S98: Effective Approaches to Inclusive Chemistry Education | 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Talk Presented by: Nimrat Obhi

Green chemistry education is essential in helping chemists and people with chemistry training to achieve global sustainability targets such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Inclusive communities of practice are needed to foster and facilitate transformative change in chemistry education for widespread knowledge and adoption of green chemistry. Beyond Benign – a non-profit organization advocating for global green chemistry education – has created the Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC), a free online platform that is the meeting place for a global green chemistry education community of practice. The GCTLC offers community-driven spaces and peer-to-peer mentoring, access to a searchable library of open-access green chemistry educational resources, an events calendar, a job board, and more.

Ensuring the GCTLC is and remains an inclusive community of practice for green chemistry educators involves interweaving diversity, equity, belonging, and respect principles throughout the entire development and sustenance of the platform. This presentation will outline our efforts to design an online space prioritizing educators’ feelings of belonging, community, and growth. We will discuss drafting a Code of Conduct for the platform, creating equitable and accessible community spaces, finding open-access resources for educators that include methods to decolonize and diversify green chemistry, running global community events, and creating an inclusive community engagement strategy for all users. Ultimately, we will discuss using open-access online platforms to strengthen a pipeline of green chemistry practitioners who are empowered to transform chemistry education.

Wednesday

B24: Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) Program: Lunch and Learn about Professional Development and Grants
12:00pm - 12:45pm

Chaired By: Amy Cannon, Monica Nyansa

Join Beyond Benign staff and faculty from Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) institutions for sharing green chemistry education best practices and networking over lunch. This session is open to all who are interested in incorporating green chemistry into their curriculum or interested in learning more about Beyond Benign’s Green Chemistry Commitment program and/or the Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC) online platform. Attendees will learn about the new benefits of the GCC program, including the GCTLC platform, green chemistry education challenge awards, and free on-demand professional development in green chemistry and toxicology for signing institution members to access through the GCC program only but open to all at a sustainable cost.

Attendees may ask for a "to go" container for their lunch from Champions Kitchen and bring it with you to the Birds of a Feather session.

S31: Current Research on the Undergraduate Chemistry Laboratory
Chaired by: Nikita Burrows (Monmouth University) , Monica Nyansa (Michigan Technological University, Beyond Benign) , Mary Ross (Central College)

This symposium will focus on current qualitative and quantitative research related to the undergraduate chemistry laboratory curriculum. Contributed papers should address research related to any aspect of the undergraduate laboratory. This includes, but is not limited to, general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, instructors, students, laboratory curriculum, pre-laboratory assignments, laboratory assessments, cognitive, affective or psychomotor factors, etc. Related research on laboratory design for exploring student’s engagement in chemistry laboratory may also be addressed.

Two-Day Symposium: Integrating Green Chemistry and Sustainability into Chemistry Education

Chaired By: Loyd Bastin (Widener University), and David Laviska (ACS Green Chemistry Institute)

This symposium will highlight the incorporation of green chemistry and sustainability principles throughout the chemistry curriculum as well as through co-curricular activities such as clubs, organizations and service-learning opportunities. The focus will be on green chemistry and sustainability materials and models rooted in the Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry that are designed to educate high school, community college, four year college and graduate students. These materials will include classroom teaching modules/courses, learning methods, educational research, laboratory experiments and experiences, the integration of toxicology into the chemistry curriculum, and the use of systems-thinking.

“Dear colleagues,

We are happy to welcome you to the ECRICE 2024, the 16 European Conference on Research in Chemical Education, to be held at NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus da Caparica, Lisbon, September 5-7, 2024.

This conference on research in chemical education, recognised by EuChemS, is an important event to disseminate new research and developments. It is important to know how learners acquire knowledge, how to facilitate this acquisition and trigger it. It is relevant to examine different learning environments, new educational tools, and new ways in which neuroeducation, technology and artificial intelligence, can be integrated into chemical education, and promote the engagement of students in the learning process. But nowadays this is not enough. It is necessary to do this through the lens of sustainability, having in mind the 17 SDGs. Therefore, ECRICE 24’s theme is “Chemical Education for Sustainable Development: Empowering Education Communities”

The ECRICE24 Committees of this International conference invite all chemistry education researchers and teachers to come to the conference and challenge them to showcase presentations, submit abstracts, and present work, regarding new developments in Chemical Education, through the lens of sustainable goals, and participate in the ECRICE 2024 meeting.

We are looking forward to welcoming you in Lisbon.

Enjoy the conference!

Sincerely,

Isabel Ribau, Conference Chair

A. Jorge Parola, Secretary General of the Portuguese Chemical Society

Juaquim Luís Faria, President of the Portuguese Chemical Society"

NOTE: This course will NOT be offered in 2024. It is undergoing redesign and is planned for relaunch in 2025.

This certificate program provides professionals with new tools for incorporating chemical
toxicity and human health considerations into product design, materials selections and supply chain decision-making. The courses focus on sustainability business models and green chemistry principles to prevent and reduce pollution at the source. Program participants may register for all 3 courses at one time, or register at least 2 weeks before the start of each course. During this 3-course program, you will explore:

• Business drivers and barriers to implementing sustainable practices
• Frameworks for incorporating chemical toxicity and human health considerations into
  product design, material selections, and supply chain decision-making
• The 12 guiding principles of green chemistry
• Environmental, economic, and societal benefits of green chemistry
• Latest research and regulatory developments in the field
• New tools for chemical design and methods for comparative chemical hazard
  assessments 

Courses included are detailed below:

3 required courses:

COURSE I: Sustainability, Toxicology, and Human Health 

September 25, 2023 - December 8, 2023 | Cost: $910 | CEUs: 5

Overview of fundamental principles of toxicology, human health, and material science. Participants will review their own business’ sustainability drivers and barriers while investigating the health and environmental hazards that contribute to human disease.

COURSE II: Principles of Green Chemistry 

January 2, 2024 - March 8, 2024 | Cost: $910 | CEUs: 5

Fundamental principles of green chemistry, including the human and ecological reasons for considering less toxic alternatives and the various green applications to chemical design. overview of new tools and cutting edge research for the design of 21st century chemicals that minimize hazards to health and the environment.

COURSE III: Assessment Tools for Safer Chemical Decisions 

March 25, 2024 - May 31, 2024 | Cost: $910 | CEUs: 5

Decision-making tools and methods used for comparative chemical hazard assessments. Participants will have an opportunity to use these tools through the completion of a culminating project.

More information is available through the following website:

https://oshce.uw.edu/pages/green-chemistry-chemical-stewardship-online-certificate-program

The Philippine Chemistry Congress is the biggest annual conference of chemists, chemistry educators and chemistry researchers in the Philippines. This brings chemists from academe, industry and government together in one venue to interact, share new knowledge and to collaborate. The 38PCC&2024IC2 will also feature technical exhibitors who will be able to showcase new products that can improve your performance and productivity, create partnerships, and generate new ideas.

Registration closes Monday, July 15, 2024

On the territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ First Nations of the Pacific Northwest, the trees are deep in conversation and negotiation via mycelial networks. The salmon return to make the stream bed fresh and cool for the next generation, while coastal nurseries provide a place to rest where old meets new and salty meets sweet.

Join us for a week to observe and explore how Nature creates the richness and complexity of life through chemistry. Adventure through the ecotones to learn the ways in which Nature operates at the molecular scale to communicate, assemble/ disassemble, purify, clean, colorize, protect, detect, repair, and a host of other functionalities that parallel those needed in commerce.  

Tune your senses through exploration, experience, and experts to understand the critical ways in which Nature’s chemistry differs from modern commercial chemistries to achieve the same functional end, and how this learning can broaden and benefit your approach to Nature-positive R&D.

The fields of chemistry and biomimicry will converge to explore the profound lessons nature offers for shaping a world characterized by high-performing chemistry strategies and materials that benefit the people and places in which they are made, used, and managed. Sip tea and watch the eelgrass sway while you practice Biomimicry Thinking with Nature’s recipes and methods.

While the content is designed with the non-chemist in mind, chemistry professionals will gain valuable insights into Nature’s life-friendly chemistry principles and hands-on training using the biomimicry research methodology.

Throughout this workshop, our world-renowned biomimicry instructors will teach participants to: 

• Recognize the roles chemistry plays in the natural world and their relevance to the roles chemistry plays in commerce and industry,
• Distinguish between biotic and abiotic chemistries in the natural world,
• Discover the principles underlying Nature’s elegant and sophisticated life-friendly chemistries,
• Understand the principles underlying Nature’s multifunctional, life-friendly chemistry-based materials,
• Use Biomimicry Thinking tools to abstract chemistry design principles and deep patterns from specific, function-based natural strategies, and
• Apply Biomimicry Thinking tools to solve a chemistry-related challenge.

This workshop is open to professional and university-level participants from all backgrounds and levels of experience with biomimicry. The agenda is designed for:

• Innovators within commercial sectors touched by chemistry, such as chemicals, cosmetics, packaging, textiles, electronics, personal care, medical, and energy, who are interested in bringing Nature’s Chemistry and materials genius to their project work and innovation strategies through Biomimicry Thinking.
• Innovators without chemistry training who are interested in gaining the knowledge that would allow them to be productive partners alongside professional chemists as they work to bring Nature’s Chemistry and materials genius to their project work and innovation strategies.
• Sustainability champions who want to be inspired by the natural world at the molecular scale as they work to solve humanity’s toughest sustainability challenges.
• Educators who want to bring Nature’s Chemistry and materials genius into the classroom.
• Students enrolled in the Graduate Certificate in Biomimicry program with Arizona State University interested in the Biomimicry Specialist Certification. This Immersion Workshop counts as one of two required in-person units. Learn more about the requirements for the Biomimicry Specialist Certification here.

If you’re a science teacher looking to create a safer, more engaging learning environment for your students, this is the course for you!

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Are you a science teacher looking to create a safer, more engaging learning environment for your students? Learn how to weave Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) sustainability content into your classrooms in this remote learning course for middle school and high school science teachers.

Beyond Benign Lead Teacher Erin Mayer will teach this course through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous learning. Participants will leave with a toolkit of resources and access to a network of other like-minded educators in the region.

*Discounts available for NY teachers, Environmental Justice Communities and other states with code

THIS COURSE IS RIGHT FOR YOU IF:

•  You’re interested in engaging strategies for NGSS-aligned chemistry labs

•  You want to foster a safe and engaging classroom environment

•  You’re interested in how problem-solving with chemistry helps create solutions for sustainability challenges

BY ENROLLING YOU’LL LEARN:

•  How to weave NGSS sustainability content into your classroom

•  How to spark student interest and increase self-efficacy in your classroom

COURSE TOPICS INCLUDE:

•  NGSS aligned labs featuring easily accessible and safe materials

•  Plug and play lessons for physical science in chemistry classrooms

•  Lessons based on real-world innovations

The 40th Fall Conference will showcase innovative lessons, provide networking with fellow science teachers and a place check out the latest resources from our many exhibitors. The conference includes two 50-minute workshop sessions, a keynote speaker, exhibitors, dinner and door prizes.

Using Green Chemistry to Implement NYSSLS Based Labs

Lead Teachers Annette Sebuyira and Stefanie Loomis

Session 1 5:00-5:50

In this activity, we are going to capitalize on it being Halloween season and sticking with the conference theme of scary. These green labs have been tweaked so as to include a storyline. That has a link to forensics and a murder mystery and poisonous lemonade... Participants will be able to use their investigative skills as chemistry practitioners to explore how to implement the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry through these two fun activities!

This session is designed to empower Educators with green chemistry practices which will aid in acquiring the knowledge, skills and opportunity to engage and collaborate with parents, families and other community members. Educators will learn how to practice more sustainable methods to improve instruction and student achievement in a respectful, trusting and safe environment.

• Who: K-12 Educators,:Elementary, Intermediate, High School Chemistry, General Science, Applied Science, Environmental Science, Engineering, Forensics Etc. 
• When: October 13th, 2023
• Where: Schenectady Community College
• How: Registration here.