Project Details:

Inter-Union meeting on education

Project No.:2001-054-1-025
Start date:2001-11-01
End date:2003-12-31
Division:Committee on Chemistry Education
Objective:

To organize a meeting of scientific Unions in the physical sciences and mathematics to discuss strategies for developing education in basic sciences and mathematics and to establish collaboration between disciplines.

Description:

The proposed meeting will bring together the heads of the education activities of IUPAC, IUBMB, IUBS, IUPAP, and IMU. The intention is to lay the groundwork for future interdisciplinary exchange and cooperation in this vital area. In the case of primary and secondary education, the activities of all the Unions are directed at the same classrooms. It is expected that sharing of experiences will bring new insights to the participants. Plans for future collaboration should also be a significant result of this meeting.

Progress:
At a meeting of the chairmen of the education committees of some ofthe scientific Unions held 17-18 February 2002, it was decided thata useful first step towards collaboration on the solution of jointlypressing problems would be a workshop in which the Unions presentedtheir problems and approaches to solutions to members of other Unions.

As a result, an Inter-Union Workshop on New Directions in the Teachingand Learning of Science has been arranged for Friday, August 9,2002, in Beijing, China, and during the 17th ICCE. In it, we shall hearhow members of two biologically orientated Unions (IUBS and IUBMB) tacklethe problems of science education in their disciplines in the hope thatwe can learn new approaches from them. (Sponsored by UNESCO and ICSU,arranged by IUPAC)

Speakers:

  • Professor Ellis Bell, University of Richmond, Virginia (IUBMB)
    Teaching biochemistryand molecular biology for the 21 st century
  • Professor Rodolphe Toussaint, University of Quebec (IUBS) with ProfessorA. Giordan
    Scientificliteracy and its implications for biology education

Chairman: Professor R. Bucat,University of Western Australia

> read workshopreport, Chem Int Jan/Feb 2003, p.7

Chairman: