Black Lives Matter

The first 12 years of my professional life were spent at Chicago State University, a primarily minority serving undergraduate institution located in South Side Chicago. I remember very clearly my interview with the faculty, often being asked how I (a white guy) could contribute to the successful education of young black scientists.

Having grown up in a very monolithic community, the only honest answer I could give was to state that I was open to guidance, willing to learn and committed to doing what it takes to promote student success.

I experienced many joys when students became the first graduates of their families; I experienced great sorrow mourning the loss of students who were victims of gang violence. My students and I continued to challenge one another, learn from one another and become better because of one another.

I feel sorry for racists who do not value diversity. Their ignorance puts them at a disadvantage and makes them weak. It closes doors to them that would lead to remarkable experiences and growth.

The students of Chicago State opened my eyes and mind in ways that I still find difficult to express because they still impact me three years after leaving the college for another school. I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to teach chemistry to the future black leaders of our field and to learn about learning in an environment very different from what I had known.

This is why Black Lives Matter to me, and why I stand by those who continue to fight against the injustice and inequality that should have been left behind in the last millennium.

COVID is just a catalyst

Science educators have been grappling with the challenges of remote instruction long before the pandemic. The virus has simply lowered the activation barrier to implementation.  The chemistry education community has yet to adopt a remote alternative to time and resource intensive laboratory instruction, and the result of this nonconcurrence is the messiness, fear and uncertainty you witness today.

There are plenty of alternatives to face-to-face laboratory instruction: virtual laboratory simulations; videos of faculty performing experiments; kits where students can perform experiments at home.  These solutions may have worked adequately this past semester, given that those of us who had a week to transition to on-line formats were considered “fortunate”, but they are not long-term solutions.  The reason being: we don’t really know what problem we are trying to solve.

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