Series I. Chemical Bond Approach Project Files, 1957-1972

The Chemical Bond Approach (CBA) Project was a program established to develop a new and improved high school chemistry curriculum. Largely begun as a response to the challenge posed by the Soviet Sputnik project to the United States’ scientific preeminence, the CBA Project grew out of conferences for high school chemistry teachers held at Wesleyan College in 1958 and Reed College in 1959. Work had already begun on the drafting of a new curriculum for advanced placement chemistry students when the program obtained funding from the National Science Foundation.

While at Earlham College, Laurence E. Strong served as Director of the CBA Project. During his tenure as Director, a textbook, a teachers’ guide, and a laboratory manual were produced.

Arranged in its original order, this series contains Laurence E. Strong’s Chemical Bond Approach Project files. The files in this series, which include materials generated during Strong’s stint as Director, pertain to matters regarding the CBA Project, including the Reed College Conference on High School Chemistry, the development of project materials, and publicity. The contents of these files include correspondence, proposals, textbooks, publicity materials, and a preprint. Of particular interest is Strong’s annotated copy of Chemical Systems, the basic textbook of the CBA Project.