*Thomas Manning and **Aurora Pérez Gramatges recently asked the publisher of their book, Computer Based Projects For a Chemistry Curriculum, to provide educators open access to the resource. Bentham Science has agreed and the eBook will be open access through June 30, 2020.
*Valdosta State University, Georgia,USU, ** Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil (formerly Higher Institute of Technologies and Applied Sciences (InSTEC), Cuba)
Computer Based Projects For a Chemistry Curriculum is filled with computer based labs that can be used in a range of classes from high school chemistry to an undergraduate course in physical chemistry. Specific exercises can be adapted to different courses. The activities employ applications such as MS excel (spreadsheets) and Spartan (computational modeling). Each project is explained in a simple, easy-to-understand manner. Each chapter is supplemented with practice guidelines and exercises.
There are 24 chapters containing activities on a variety of topics, One activity is a geography exercise that pushes the students to examine the chemical industry in countries around the world and would fit with an AP environmental science or an added activity for a university class. There are exercises that teach students the basics of using excel, while others teach students how to construct their own nuclear stability belt. There are molecular modeling exercises that general chemistry courses can use that teach a range of topics from simple molecular geometries to more advanced exercises that involve nano-structures like nano tubes, buckyballs, quantum computers and protein molecules. Finally there are kinetic simulations using excel that focus on nuclear reactions.
This book was developed as a collaborative effort, fostered by the ACS International Division, the Cuban Chemical Society and the NSF-NUE program. In addition, institutions in Havana, Cuba and Valdosta, Georgia (Valdosta State University) supported this activity and the collaborative effort.
Bentham Science has generously provided free online access to the book through June 30, 2020. They hope that high school students and teachers in the US and around the world will benefit from the resource.
FREE ACCESS to eBook (Available through June 30, 2020)
The book and this PICK are both co-authored by Thomas Manning and Aurora Pérez Gramatges.