Chemical education articles within Nature Chemistry

Featured

  • Comment |

    Critical realism distinguishes the ‘real’ world from the ‘observable’ one, which scientists explore as actors rather than as passive, neutral observers. Through this lens, it is clear that a diverse community that interrogates the world from different angles is an asset to the practice of chemistry itself.

    • Margaret A. L. Blackie

  • Comment |

    Critical race theory — an academic framework that serves to understand systemic racism in the USA and beyond — can help inform endeavours to advance justice and equity in the chemistry community.

    • Terrell R. Morton

  • Q&A |

    Matthew Horwitz, creator of the Synthesis Workshop video podcast, talks to Nature Chemistry about using podcasting as a driver of professional-level education in the chemistry community.

    • Katherine Geogheghan

  • Thesis |

    There are plenty of online resources to ensure that learning can continue for students who cannot access universities during a pandemic, but what options are there for practical aspects of science courses? Daren J. Caruana, Christoph G. Salzmann and Andrea Sella offer a manifesto for home-based experiments.

    • Daren J. Caruana
    • , Christoph G. Salzmann
    •  & Andrea Sella

  • Thesis |

    Michelle Francl worries about the long-term effects of playing by pandemic rules.

    • Michelle Francl

  • Editorial |

    Two Q&As in this issue consider aspects of chemical safety in industry and academia. And when it comes to the latter, a Review Article concludes that much more research is required to better understand — and improve — safety in academic laboratories.

  • Q&A |

    Dave Laffan, a Director in Chemical Development at AstraZeneca, talks to Nature Chemistry about safety in industry labs and his role on the Safety, Health and Environment committee.

    • Katherine Geogheghan

  • Q&A |

    Marc Reid, a researcher at the University of Strathclyde and co-founder of Pre-Site Safety, talks to Nature Chemistry about safety, both as an academic scientist and as a director of a safety-focused company.

    • Katherine Geogheghan

  • Review Article |

    Despite the regular occurrence of high-profile accidents leading to serious injuries or deaths among lab personnel, the state of academic lab safety research has languished. Existing studies in this area are summarized and critiqued in this Review and suggestions are made for future research directions.

    • A. Dana Ménard
    •  & John F. Trant

  • Thesis |

    As another semester of organic chemistry comes to a close, Bruce Gibb looks back on what he has learned about learning.

    • Bruce Gibb

  • Commentary |

    As compared to the drug discovery process, the development of new 18F PET tracers lacks a well-established pipeline that advances compounds from academic research to candidacy for (pre)clinical imaging. In order to bridge the gaps between methodological advances and clinical success, we must rethink the development process from training to implementation.

    • Michael G. Campbell
    • , Joel Mercier
    •  & Tobias Ritter

  • Commentary |

    Imagine a class without lessons, tests and homework, but with missions, quests and teamwork. Video games offer an attractive educational platform because they are designed to be fun and engaging, as opposed to traditional approaches to teaching through lectures and assignments.

    • Ronald A. Smaldone
    • , Christina M. Thompson
    •  & Walter Voit

  • Thesis |

    Michelle Francl wonders if more chemists should be reading science fiction on the job.

    • Michelle Francl

  • Editorial |

    Chemistry research and education face challenges anywhere in the world, but more so in less developed — or less stable — economies. These countries and their more economically fortunate neighbours can all contribute to the development of chemistry and its ability to tackle local and global issues.

  • Interview |

    Mauricio Erben, a researcher at the National University of La Plata and the National Scientific and Technical Research Council, talks to Nature Chemistry about his experience of research in Argentina, and how it is inherently linked to the country's political climate.

    • Anne Pichon

  • Commentary |

    Chemistry education and research in Africa is challenging — a fact that is clearly reflected by publication metrics. Yet this is far from the full story on a continent that has youth on its side, a cultural link to chemistry through its strong interest in plants and indigenous medicine, and an increasing number of ways forward.

    • Berhanu Abegaz

  • Commentary |

    The practice and overarching mission of chemistry need a major overhaul in order to be fit for purpose in the twenty-first century and beyond. The concept of 'one-world' chemistry takes a systems approach that brings together many factors, including ethics and sustainability, that are critical to the future role of chemistry.

    • Stephen A. Matlin
    • , Goverdhan Mehta
    •  & Alain Krief

  • Thesis |

    Michelle Francl explores the concepts that could help non-chemists see the world more like those trained in the subject.

    • Michelle Francl

  • Thesis |

    Michelle Francl suggests that students should be trained to write in a fashion similar to how they are taught the principles and practice of NMR spectroscopy — by providing them with a limited set of patterns and parameters.

    • Michelle Francl

  • Thesis |

    When it comes to practical chemistry demonstrations designed to provoke the senses, Bruce Gibb suggests that we should follow our noses rather than it all being about bangs and flashes.

    • Bruce C. Gibb

  • Thesis |

    Back-of-the-envelope calculations are an important part of chemistry argues Michelle Francl.

    • Michelle Francl

  • Thesis |

    Michelle Francl ponders ways in which we can talk about chemistry without triggering chemophobia.

    • Michelle Francl

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