Two Week Summer Training Program in Environmental Chemistry at UCI for Science Teachers of Grades 7-12

  • Do you want to know what causes the Santa Ana Mountains to disappear from view on hot, sunny days?

  • Would you like to learn how scientists measure the amounts of air pollutants in the air you breathe?

  • Are you curious to know how the molecular properties of these air pollutants are calculated?

  • Do you want to simulate the effect of removing all cars from local highways to see how it affects the air quality in the Los Angeles basin?

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If you are intrigued by these questions and concerned about our environment, sign up for the training and outreach program in Environmental Chemistry for Science teachers at UCI.

You will have access to modern instrumental analysis and computer laboratories under the guidance of professional researchers from the AirUCI Environmental Molecular Sciences Institute at UC Irvine. 

You will visit cutting-edge research laboratories while using modern analytical instruments and computer packages for environmental research. 

A deposit of $50 is required to hold your space in class, which will be refunded upon completion of the course.  For those who must cancel before the class begins, this deposit is refundable up to two weeks before the start date. 

For those with hypersensitivities to chemicals, please note that time is spent in laboratories each day, though we've only had one participant  who had an issue with this in all the years we've held the course.

Come and share the excitement of scientific discoveries with us!  View the course web page

Sponsor:           AirUCI Institute, with support from NSF
Date & Time:    June 28 - July 9, 2010 from 9 am to 4:30 pm each day (July 5 holiday)
Location:          UCI Chemistry Department
 Course Code:  CHEM X416 (6 quarter units)

Administrative Details: Participating teachers will receive a stipend of $1000 each.  In addition, lunch will be provided each day and free parking permits will be issued to teachers.  Class size is limited to 20 attendees.  Registration deadline is May 1, 2010.

Program Goals: To provide middle school and high school teachers with hands-on laboratory and computational experience in environmentally-oriented problems.  High school teachers from schools in Orange County and the Southern California region will receive strong preference. Applications from residents of other states and countries will not be considered.

Program Description: This is a two-week training program consisting of lectures in the mornings followed by laboratory work in the afternoons.  The hands-on lab work will focus on selected environmental problems.  Supporting lectures will be offered by AirUCI faculty members.  There will be a tour of several UCI research laboratories.

Sample Projects:

  1. Simulations of molecular structures of simple air pollutants such as ozone and nitrogen dioxide

  2. Simulations of air pollution dynamics in the Los Angeles basin

  3. Measurement of ozone levels produced by certain indoor air purifiers

  4. Detection of PAHs in cigarette smoke and soils with liquid chromatographic technique

To Register:

  1. Download and print the enrollment form.

  2. Fill out the form completely (and legibly, please!).
  3. Include a $50 deposit check made payable to UC Regents, refundable up to two weeks prior to the class start date.
  4. Send the check and enrollment form by post to:

Melissa Sweet
UCI Chemistry Dept
1102 Natural Sciences 2
Irvine, CA  92697-2025

Some Comments from Teachers in Previous Workshops:
"This program was an incredible experience for me... every day I still find it hard to believe that you were paying me to be here!"

"This was one of the best professional development workshops I have ever attended... the coordination of the whole program was truly impressive!"

"This program was the best experience I’ve had as a science teacher!  The chemistry was both a good review, but also very relevant to our world.  I can’t wait to get my lesson for next year together!"

"For those of us who have students who will be imminently attending UCs, this program significantly enhances our ability to effectively convey what opportunities they’ll have as options.  This also enables us to speak with more authenticity when the odd/off-the-wall queries from students arise.  Thank you!"

The depth and breadth and knowledge of the professors, researchers, and graduate students is phenomenal.  It was like having a door opened to current research in environmental science that is normally kept shut except to those fortunate enough to be directly involved with it.


 

We are honored that our summer teacher workshop has been cited by the National Academy of Sciences as an exemplary outreach program, and that our workshop is described in depth on page 26 of their downloadable 2009 publication, Strengthening High School Chemistry Education through Teacher Outreach Programs.

Orange Coast College Chemistry Professor John "Mickey" Laux is also a main organizer of our teacher workshop.  Dr. Laux is seeing our results firsthand in his classes at OCC.  One of his top three General Chemistry students out of 140 in Spring 2009 told him she was NOT a chemistry person in high school until she took a class with Valerie Thompson, one of the high school teachers who attended our 2007 workshop.  Valerie's class was so motivating to this student that she changed her major to chemistry, and Valerie recommended that she take Mickey's class at OCC due to the impact of our program on Valerie's class syllabus.  This is one of several anecdotes that illustrate how the dividends of our workshop are coming full circle and broadly impact 3000-4000 science students annually throughout the region — at least 35,000 students to date!  Watch Dr. Laux teach one of our classes

UCI Contacts:
Prof. Sergey Nizkorodov, Summer Training Program Instructor
949-824-1262   nizkorod@uci.edu

Melissa Sweet,  AirUCI Project Coordinator  
949-824-2628   msweet@uci.edu 



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