Erik Joling Microscale chemistry in the Netherlands UNIVERSITEIT

Erik Joling Microscale chemistry in the Netherlands UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM Faculty of Science 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000

Four points of view • Industry and government (I) • Teachers in secondary education (T) • University (U) • Pupils (P) 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 2

Where are the Netherlands? 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 3

What are the Netherlands? • A small country between England (overseas), Germany and Belgium • 9220 km (5730 miles) from Mexico City • 15, 750, 000 people • World’s largest port: Rotterdam • Home of Shell, Akzo-Nobel, Unilever, DSM 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 4

What is produced in the Netherlands? • Windmills (a few) • Wooden shoes (some more) • Flowers (lots) • Peanut butter (World’s #2) • Chemicals (tons) 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 5

Chemical industry (I) • • • Largest branch of industry 60% bulk / 40% fine 15% of industrial production 20% of industrial export 10% of employment 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 6

Chemical industry (I) • Twice as much academics as in other branches • Achilles heel: number of chemists educated 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 7

Interest in chemistry Final exams 1999 (I) 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 8

Interest in chemistry Final exams 1999 (I) 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 9

Interest in chemistry First-year students in 1999 (I) • University 537 (≈2%) • Higher Laboratory Education 472 • Higher Vocational Education 214 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 10

Consequences for secondary chemistry education (I) • Chemical industry and government are willing to spend money! • Schools adopted by companies • Projects are initiated and supported • AXIS-project to promote science and technology 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 11

Change of doctrine in uppersecondary education (T) ‘Studiehuis’ ≈ study-home • independent learning • streams • projects introduced summer 1998 and 1999 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 12

Consequences for secondary chemical education (T) • Need for a real-life approach • Need for example projects • Need for a student oriented lab 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 13

Late eighties (U) Universiteit van Amsterdam: Desire for a microscale laboratory in second year Mayo, Pike & Trumper Microscale Organic Laboratory • very interesting • too expensive 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 14

Method and kit (U) Williamson ‘Macroscale and microscale organic experiments’ • economical 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 15

Introduction into the curriculum (U) Williamson visited Europe • instruction for Ph. D students summer 1989 • half of the second year organic lab miniaturised winter 1990 • conversion complete 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 16

Results (U) Reduction of • waste • chemicals • cost of breakage to 15% 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 17

Further steps (U) summer 1997 • second year inorganic lab miniaturised Szafran, Pike, and Singh ‘Microscale inorganic chemistry’ 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 18

Consequences for secondary chemical education (U) Lecturer was member section chemical education of the Royal Netherlands Chemical Society • promoted microscale chemistry • initiated a project 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 19

Project Microscale experiments Universiteit van Amsterdam & Chemistry Communication Center Foundation November 1996 - December 1999 • glassware • low-cost heating device • manuals • 23 Maytraining 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 20

Glassware 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 21

Low-cost heating device 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 22

Manuals Adaptation of existing experiments Teachers manual and students manual are loose-leaf: • flexible • rearrangeable • supplements 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 23

Training Over 330 schools (> 50%) 600 teachers One afternoon training • on-site • at the University 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 24

Future plans • • more experiments projects including a teacher-training coupling with computer (Coach 5) Ph. D-research project: another road to organic chemistry • Axis-project: Industry on microscale 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 25

Industry on microscale • 3 -year project • teachers and industrial chemists work together to make: • teaching materials related to real contexts • blueprint for school-company co-operation 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 26

Other microscale initiatives (U&I) Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam & Chemistry Communication Center Foundation • Chemistry in droplets 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 27

Other microscale initiatives (T) Frans Killian (teaching assistant) & Aonne Kerkstra (teacher): Miniaturisation of their own school laboratory • 96 -well microplates • micro titrations • µ-GLC 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 28

(P) Why microscale experiments? Michael Schallies (Heidelberg, Germany): “We must focus on the 95% pupils that do not choose to become a chemist” “Their chemistry in school is the only change in their lives to explore nature by experimenting” 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 29

Contact me micro@chem. uva. nl www. chem. uva. nl/chemeduc/microschaal …/Micro. Quim 2000 23 May 2000 Micro. Quim 2000 30