March 8, 2011
Chemistry, biology, geology and other introductory college science classes need to improve their coverage of issues related to sustainability, says Catherine Middlecamp, a distinguished faculty associate in chemistry at UW-Madison, chair of the Integrated Liberal Studies Program, and an affiliate with the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.
At the 2011 American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in February, Middlecamp argued that it is critical to provide real-world context relevant to both the current interests of students and their longer-term concerns as citizens, parents, voters, professionals and inhabitants of our planet.
This three-way match—between curriculum, concerns about the environment, and student engagement—"is not only timely, it's something we can't delay," she told the crowd.
"If you've looked around, our students are changing. And if you look around, the planet has been changing in some fundamental ways," Middlecamp continued. "There's one thing in that equation that has not been changing… We have a 20th century curriculum for a 21st century planet."
A problem worth solving
Students, she says, want a curriculum that will prepare them for upcoming challenges related to climate change, pollution and environmental health. "You can see, from the questions they ask, the volunteer projects they undertake and the papers they write, that they are intensely concerned about the fate of the planet and the living realm. And because many of our students will not be taking another science course, it's vital that our introductory courses prepare them for their future."
Middlecamp discounts the idea that a focus on sustainability will make courses less rigorous. "The chemical equation I balanced in 1968 is still balanced the same way today, but when I teach about energy, air quality or climate change, the data and the interpretations are changing all the time. They are a moving target."
She supervised the new edition of "Chemistry in Context," a college textbook published by the American Chemical Society, and wrote its new opening chapter on sustainability. She has taught introductory chemistry at UW-Madison for 30 years.
Engaging students with everyday examples
In her courses, Middlecamp must teach the basics about chemical reactions and bonding, but to that she adds key concepts for environmental sustainability, like the carbon cycle and the nitrogen cycle. "Here's a key concept: Everything comes from somewhere and goes somewhere," she says.
Elise Niedermeier, who took Middlecamp's introductory chemistry class in 2007 and is now in graduate school at the University of Minnesota, says, "I was struck by the way she connected her lessons to everyday life. Her enthusiasm and expert teaching made the material she presented on sustainability compelling and easy to link to everyday life."
Middlecamp notes that sustainability allows her to approach standard chemistry topics from new directions. "A class can start by discussing pollution from diesel engines and still cover bonding and how to balance chemical reactions. At the same time, it satisfies a desire to learn about energy and air quality."
The real world and the future are always on her mind as she teaches. "A chemistry course ought to be the start of a conversation, not the end of one. Often, the response I get is 'Thank you for teaching a course that connects with my life today and kind of things I will be doing and caring about for the rest of my life.'"
"These topics are exciting, timely, urgent, and these changes would benefit not only the discipline, but also our students and the university," Middlecamp says. "It's not a choice between teaching content or teaching in context. We can do both, and we must do both. Students are looking to make the world a better place, and we need to do what we can to help."
Related:
- Download "Chemistry for a Sustainable Future," a new chapter written by Middlecamp in the 7th edition of the "Chemistry in Context" textbook (PDF)
- View Middlecamp's slides from her Feb. 18 presentation at the AAAS Annual Meeting, "Matching Our Curriculum to Our Planet: An Interdisciplinary Approach" (PDF)