Catherine Hurt Middlecamp

The preparation of α,ω-dibromopermethylpolysilanes and characterization of these and related chloropermethylpolysilanes by mass spectrometry

The series of α,ω-dibromopermethylpolysilanes, Br(SiMe2)nBr, (n = 2−6) has been prepared by the action of bromine on dodecamethylcyclohexasilane. The mass spectra of these compounds, of the corresponding chlorine compounds Cl(SiMe2)nCl (n = 2−6), and of the 1-chloropermethylpolysilanes Cl(SiMe2)Me (n = 2, 3, 4, 6) have been recorded at 14 and 70 eV. For compounds with n > 3, the formation of the ions Si3Me6X+ and Si4Me8X+ (X = Cl, Br) is strongly favored, with these ions being major or base peaks in the spectra. It is proposed that the stability of these ions is due to cyclization and bridging:

An oxidation number assignment expert for CHEMPROF

To construct a computer program module for CHEMPROF capable of tutoring students in the assignment of oxidation number to inorganic compounds, we have studied the constraints on oxidation number assignment and developed a model that is both reliable for computer implementation and comprehensible by students. The model strives to precisely define and circumscribe this domain and to give it a complete declarative description. This rule-based approach will allow computer-aided instruction to expand beyond the limitations of predefined drill and prescripted solutions to problems

Light Bulbs: A Bright Idea for Teaching and Learning Sustainability

One by one, thousands of lights at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have been turned off, taken down from their fixtures, and safely disposed of. In their place, energy-efficient fluorescent lights and light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been installed. These actions were undertaken by leaders at the university physical plant in the interests of lowering costs and reducing environmental impacts. Unnoticed at first, however, was that these lighting upgrades also provided a means to bridge academics and campus operations. Collaboration among members of the physical plant and faculty has recast the lighting upgrades as content in an introductory environmental science course that employs a campus-based approach to sustainability teaching and learning. This article chronicles the lighting upgrades, connects them to larger national trends, and describes the collaborative process between academics and campus operations that brought the lighting upgrades into the classroom, illustrating how a university campus can be a living-learning laboratory for sustainability.

Converting chemical formulas to names: an expert strategy

The ability to name inorganic chemicals, given their chemical formulas, is essential not only to chemists and students of chemistry but also to computers if they are going to assume the role of intelligent assistants in the chemical laboratory. To study the problems in this formula-to-name conversion, we have developed a model in the form of a PC-based expert system that maps formulas into chemical names. The model strives to precisely define and circumscribe the domain of commonly encountered inorganic chemicals and to handle both systematic and common names. This rule-based approach also provides a trace of its actions in arriving at a name to permit the expert to be used in computer-aided instruction.

Energy education and the dilemma of mitigating climate change

This study argues that enhanced energy education will help resolve the dilemmas of mitigating climate change and thus promote sustainability. Without enhanced energy literacy among both the energy workforce and citizens, society will be hard-pressed to make strategic choices about energy. We build on previous work that defined energy literacy and piloted programs to teach Energy 101 classes. We present a Sankey diagram of the US energy economy as a novel way to orient students to the entire energy economy, not just individual fuels. Higher education must provide two distinct pathways, one for the general education of all students and one for students in programs that specialize in energy in preparation for joining the energy workforce. Four challenges face faculty and administrators: accommodating diversity in the student body, rewarding faculty, building new curricular pathways and courses, and integrating theory and practice. More concerted action is needed despite recent reports of reductions in carbon emissions and some growth of energy education. The changes to date are small, politically contested, and inadequately supported. Institutions need to build new programs and communicate their progress to peers. This paper’s novelty lies in (a) the argument that inadequate energy education hinders the development of sustainability education, (b) the distinctions made between climate and energy education, (c) identification of major steps needed and challenges to be expected in energy education, and (d) the proposition that reform must jointly address both general students and students specializing in energy.

The Old Woman and the Rug: The Wonder and Pain of Teaching (and Learning) Chemistry

Learning can be both exhilarating and painful, as is pointed out in the Sufi tale from which this essay takes its title. In our college classrooms, we (and our students) are spared neither of these emotions when we engage in the learning process. This personal essay reflects on the authors experiences teaching two different chemistry courses that have wider societal issues at their core. The first, Chemistry in Context, is a large lecture course. The second is a small course taught at the intersection of indigenous people and nuclear chemistry. This essay weaves together stories from these two courses. The resulting tapestry can reveal to us something about the nature of who we are and what we do in the classroom, perhaps with a bit of wonder and pain.

CHEMPROF: The Chemical Literacy Problem

The intelligent tutoring system CHEMPROF has been developed over the last five years to give students better access to tutoring in chemical problem-solving and to provide a laboratory for comparing different teaching strategies. Experts have been written to solve chemistry problems to aid the teaching logic and to interpret student inputs. Developing these experts and identifying student weaknesses in the subarea of chemical literacy have helped both to codify chemical knowledge and to identify student preferred modes of learning. Two semesters of evaluation of CHEMPROF have revealed the strengths and weaknesses of using a computer tutor in place of a human tutor as well as strategies for using educational software.

A Triple-Bottom-Line Analysis of Energy-Efficient Lighting

Lighting trends worldwide are shifting toward greater energy efficiency as incandescent light bulbs are being discarded in favor of higher efficiency compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). As energy-efficient lighting becomes the new norm, payoffs are likely to be seen through reductions in utility bills, energy consumption, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. These changes in lighting practices can be used as a framework for students to explore the larger concepts of energy use, energy efficiency, environmental impacts, and sustainability. The activity described in this chapter situates this exploration within the context of the university campus by having students evaluate the sustainability of a campus lighting project using the model of the triple bottom line. Students calculate the payback period of a lighting project, estimate the effects on associated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and reflect on the societal impacts of the lighting project in particular and of energy efficiency in general. After completing the activity, students should be able to (1) compare and contrast the energy efficiency of incandescent, CFL, and LED light bulbs; (2) calculate the costs over time and payback periods for using different models of light bulbs; (3) estimate the CO2 emissions attributed to electricity use for lighting; (4) describe the relationship among energy use, economic costs, and CO2 emissions; and (5) apply the triple-bottom-line perspective to lighting choices and to decision-making on personal and institutional levels.

Campus as a Living Laboratory for Sustainability: The Physics Connection

One of us is a physicist. The other is a chemist. For the past four years, we have been teaching a large introductory environmental science course that uses our campus as a lens through which to explore issues relating to sustainability. Our students “ask questions about the energy we use to heat and cool our buildings, the food we eat, the air we breathe, the electricity to run light bulbs and appliances, the goods we purchase, and the waste we create.” This course fits in the genre of using “campus as a living laboratory,” a term we will discuss later.

Erratum to: Iḷisaġvik Tribal College’s summer climate program: teaching STEM concepts to North Slope Alaska high school and middle-school students

The incorporation of informal science modules with traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) engages students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses. During the summers 2012–2015, Iḷisaġvik Tribal College, located in Barrow, AK, hosted an average of 12 rural Alaska Native middle-school and high school students per year in the college’s summer STEM program called “Climate and Permafrost Changes on the North Slope: In Cultural Context.” Teaching the carbon cycle as a core concept, this 2-week STEM program examined climate change and its effects on the local landscape from a multitude of perspectives. Elders shared their observations and experiences associated with climate change. Local and visiting scientists gave presentations and taught through games, hands-on laboratory simulations, and practical field work—all relevant to the camp’s science content. Pre-assessments and post-assessments using the Student Assessment of Learning Gains measured student interests and conceptual understanding. Students developed and enhanced their understanding of science concepts and, at the end of the camp, could articulate the impact of climactic changes on their local environment.