Course Organization

Chemistry and Science in the News and in the Marketplace

We read newspapers, watch and listen to news shows and programs. Nowadays, technology, e.g., information technology and electronics technology, are terms that are frequently used and heard.  Why is science and technology so important to be reported in the news? Why is a particular story newsworthy?

For this assignment, you will keep a notebook/file/record of science news stories. I expect you to record at least one news story each week. I will collect and read your findings at various times during the semester. Or, I will select students at random to report to the class what they have found. Or, I will have you trade your notebook with another student so that others can see what you have been doing.

For each news story:

1. record where (newspaper, news magazine, TV news, radio news, internet site) and when (date) you read or heard the story.  

2. Summarize the story in one sentence.

3. Then, speculate why the story was reported and how reliable is the information. For example, politicians want to show how concerned they are about the environment, or corporations want to show how technologically advanced they are, or a scientific society is meeting in town, or a project needs more funding. The story may be a regular science feature, filler to fit an empty spot, or straight news.  Occasionally, a story contains mistakes in scientific facts or principles. Report these mistakes if you find them and provide a correction if possible. The reliability of information is based on its source. Do you believe the source? Would you use this source as a reference?  With the explosion of sites on the internet, how do you know how “good” these claims or information are?

Please keep current with this ongoing assignment. Each finding should only take a few minutes to complete; I do not expect more than a few sentences for each story.

Now that you are familiar with science news, the next part of this assignment will be more specific to chemistry. Starting the week of ___, you will find a “Molecule of the Week”. This Molecule (or ionic compound or element or mixture) must be found in something you use at home or at your work, a substance you read or heard about in the news, or a substance that interests you. For example, calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is found in Tums antacid tablets.

Using the same notebook that you used for your science news stories (you should have 4 news stories at this time), record your “Molecule of the Week”. I expect you to record one substance each week. I will collect and read your findings at various times during the semester. Or, I will select students at random to report to the class what they have found. Or, I will have you trade your notebook with another student so that others can see what you have been doing.

For each substance:

1.  record where you found or heard of this substance.

2.  give the generic or commercial name of the substance, its chemical name, and its chemical formula.

3.  summarize briefly why you think this substance is useful to society or is interesting to you.

Please keep current with this ongoing assignment.  Each finding should only take a few minutes to complete; I do not expect more than a few sentences for each substance.

We buy and use products at home and at work that serve many purposes. How do these products work? Do they work as advertised?  Starting the week of ___, you will find a Consumer Product that you use and use your knowledge of science or chemistry or both to describe how it works.

Continuing to use the same notebook that you used for your science news stories and “Molecules of the Week” (you should have 4 news stories and 3 “Molecules of the Week” at this time), record your consumer product. I expect you to record at least one consumer product each week. I will collect and read your findings at various times during the semester. Or, I will select students at random to report to the class what they have found. Or, I will have you trade your notebook with another student so that others can see what you have been doing.

For each consumer product:

1.  Give the brand name of the product.

2. Summarize how the product works or how advertisements claim the product works. 

3.  Then, describe (or speculate) the scientific principles that are involved in the product and how these scientific principles make the product work.

Or

3.  support or refute the claims of the advertisement.  For example, an antacid advertisement claimed that this antacid "consumes x times its weight in excess stomach acid", Coors Artic Ice beer is spelled incorrectly (should be Arctic, not Artic), some shampoos claim to be pH balanced.

Please keep current with this ongoing assignment. Each finding should only take a few minutes to complete; I do not expect more than a few sentences for each substance.

As of the week of ___, you should have 4 science news stories, 4 Molecules of the Week, and 3 consumer products in your notebook. Do the following as part of your Chemistry and Science in the News assignment:

1.  On a sheet of paper, list your 11 findings from your notebook. For each news story, include the title of the story, the source, and the date the story was published; for each Molecule of the Week, include the name, chemical formula, and its use; and for each consumer product, include the name of the product and a one sentence description of how the product works or how the product is advertised to work.

2.  On the same sheet of paper, describe your perception of science and chemistry now compared to the beginning of the semester. Do you view science and chemistry the same or differently as a result of this assignment and course?

3.  Choose one of the findings out of the 11 that you have. Write a one page paper that elaborates your original finding for that story or product, e.g., your speculation on why the news story was published at that time and the reliability of the source or the scientific principles involved in a product.  Your conclusions should be supported by appropriate evidence to convince the reader. Do not summarize an article or product. This paper should be typed, double-spaced, and have a maximum length of one page.

Your 11 findings, perceptions of science, and one page paper are due on ___. After the week of ___, you do not have to find any more news stories or products.