Senkbeil Attends Chemical Education Conference

SALISBURY, MD--Dr. Edward Senkbeil, professor of chemistry in the Richard A. Henson School of Science and Technology at Salisbury State University, recently returned from the 15th biennial conference on chemical education in Waterloo, Canada. At the conference Senkbeil presented a paper Laboratory Safety in the Chemistry Curriculum: Synopsis of Teaching Experience, which described the successful laboratory safety course developed and taught as part of the chemistry curriculum at SSU. Although laboratory safety is considered an important component of undergraduate chemistry training, Senkbeil said, less than 5 percent of U.S. colleges and universities offer a required course for majors.

While at the conference, held at the University of Waterloo, Senkbeil also attended symposia on inquiry-based learning in organic chemistry/biochemistry and development of chemical demonstrations. Sponsored by the American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Education, the conference allowed chemical educators at all levels of instruction to come together in a collegial fashion to learn from each other.