Records of the American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Education

The Division of Chemical Education (DivCHED) is a currently active division of the American Chemical Society. Its origins date back to the 1921 ACS Spring Meeting, when Edward Ellery presented the paper “Research for the Undergraduate” to the Division of Physical and Inorganic Chemistry. This paper attracted the attention of ACS President Edgar F. Smith and Neil E. Gordon, who recognized the value of papers like Ellery’s and suggested the formation of a section for papers on chemical education. Smith’s and Gordon’s suggestion was well-received the by ACS’ membership. This resulted in the foundation of the Section of Chemical Education shortly after the 1921 ACS Fall Meeting.

The new section experienced rapid growth. It was awarded ACS division status in 1924 and was renamed the Division of Chemical Education. Recognizing a need for a journal devoted to chemical education, the new division started publishing the Journal of Chemical Education that same year. By 1930, the division’s Examination Committee had made plans to offer an annually issued exam in chemistry. The first of these exams, the ACS General Chemistry Exam, was introduced in 1934.

From its beginnings, the Division of Chemical Education has concerned itself with the improvement of the chemistry curricula in schools at every level. The Soviet Union’s 1957 launch of the Sputnik satellite spurred the division’s efforts to re-vamp old methods and to create advanced chemistry curricula, which led to its development of the CHEM Study Project (CHEMS) and Chemical Bond Approach (CBA) high school chemistry courses.

The Division of Chemical Education currently works toward the stated goal of “focusing and enhancing the interests and efforts of all constituencies involved in the teaching and learning of chemistry at every level”. Over the course of its existence, the division has sponsored numerous symposia and workshops. It also sponsors several awards.

Sources

American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Education Website - http://divched.org/

American Chemical Society Exams Website - https://uwm.edu/acs-exams/about-us/history/

Browne, Charles Albert and Mary Elvira Weeks, A History of the American Chemical Society, Seventy-Five Eventful Years, Washington, D.C.: American Chemical Society, 1952.

Records of the American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Education, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.