Yorke Rhodes
An Outstanding ACS Leader
An Outstanding ACS Leader
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Connecting Past Traditions into the Uncertain Future.
by Yorke E. Rhodes
Thomas Friedman tells us “The Earth is Flat”. There is no barrier to getting
information on the information highway. Anyone with a computer search machine
has unlimited access to all the information available, anywhere. Competition is
global.
An editorial in the New York Times (July 19, 2006) in “Public vs. Private Schools”
says the “quality of education offered to students varies widely within all school
categories. The public, private, charter and religious realms all contain schools
that range from good to not so good to downright horrendous. All forms of
education suffer from wide fluctuations in quality and effectiveness. We must
emphasize teacher training and high standards that distinguish the effective
schools from poor ones. Students perform at mediocre levels in reading, math
and science.” There is so much to change.
At the same time, foreign graduates decrease and fewer American take up
science. Our college curricula are out-dated. How to teach fundamentals and
include new areas? We cannot add to the four-year curriculum. What should we
do in graduate education to make broader education? If elected President I will
appoint a Task Force constituted of members of relevant ACS committees to
work with educators including chairs of science departments, administrative
leaders in the sciences and in industry to address these problems and propose
solutions.
We require trained, educated, scientists for creative research necessary to lead
competition for new drugs, to lead in energy, alternative fuels, nanotechnology
and materials science, biochemical science and life sciences, as well as in
traditional fundamental scientific disciplines. How do we get there? We must
work with Congress to increase funding for research and education; significant
increases are needed! We need research collaboration with physics, biology,
geology, medicine, mathematics, and computer science—fields with similar
problems of finding practical solutions. We need liaison with the other science
societies. Basic research must be supported nationally. Our scientific base is a
national resource and has to be treated and funded as the necessary engine to
grow new developments. ACS does many of these things, and we must develop
even stronger relations through congressional offices.
Our most demanding challenge is to develop the scientists of the future. We all
need to take a hand in developing scientists from the lowest to the highest levels
of education. It is a gigantic problem to recruit, develop, nurture, and stimulate
interest in students, but we must solve it, or have no one to educate to do our
science in the future.
Chemistry, the central science, is the creative science for new compounds and
materials. New uses, new synthetic methods that create new materials, new
drugs, and medicines. We make new foods, clothing, and paint colors. Chemists
make things used to make other things that improve our lives. Our understanding
of DNA and genetics comes about through chemistry and chemical interactions.
We need to tell this story at every level, from kindergarten to elementary school, to
middle school, and to high school to assure we have a science-educated public.
To the general society who listen, read newspapers and magazines, and watch
movies and television and computer Web sites and games, we need to tell the
story in every medium. We have a wonderful story to tell and we need to tell it,
everywhere. We don’t do enough of that. We need to share our excitement of
discovery. There’s nothing more infectious. Imagine a weekly science show on
television. Imagine a Sunday evening in a local bistro with a discussion on
science and art. Scientific content is popular.
Join the ACS Tour Speakers. I’ve spoken to 90 of 189 sections from Alaska to
Illinois Heartland to Florida to New Orleans—opportunity to tell your favorite story
(mine is astrochemistry) and to meet and stimulate our members. I also speak in
public schools, to get students involved. Most wonder, “How Big is a Lightyear?” I
get them to calculate it. We need to bring the excitement of scientific discovery to
all levels with students of all ages. We attract high school teachers. We need to
reach middle school and elementary school teachers, too. Young minds are
curious and they like to have fun. Chemistry is fun and science is fun. If we can
light a light of excitement in young minds at every level and keep lighting it, we
can grow the next generations of curious, challenging minds and scientists. What
are you waiting for? Let’s go! We have a lot of work to do.
*********************************************************************
This statement appears in the Journal of Chemical Education, vol. 83 No. 10
October 2006 and carried the following comment about Yorke Rhodes:
Yorke E. Rhodes is a retired chemistry professor from New York University. He
has won student, alumni, and faculty awards for teaching, and has been twice
honored by Who’s Who in College Teachers. He’s been visiting professor at
Harvard, Hunter College, Freiburg Universitat, Technische Universitat
Munchen, and Universite Grenoble. He’s also had research fellowships at Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology.
by Yorke E. Rhodes
Thomas Friedman tells us “The Earth is Flat”. There is no barrier to getting
information on the information highway. Anyone with a computer search machine
has unlimited access to all the information available, anywhere. Competition is
global.
An editorial in the New York Times (July 19, 2006) in “Public vs. Private Schools”
says the “quality of education offered to students varies widely within all school
categories. The public, private, charter and religious realms all contain schools
that range from good to not so good to downright horrendous. All forms of
education suffer from wide fluctuations in quality and effectiveness. We must
emphasize teacher training and high standards that distinguish the effective
schools from poor ones. Students perform at mediocre levels in reading, math
and science.” There is so much to change.
At the same time, foreign graduates decrease and fewer American take up
science. Our college curricula are out-dated. How to teach fundamentals and
include new areas? We cannot add to the four-year curriculum. What should we
do in graduate education to make broader education? If elected President I will
appoint a Task Force constituted of members of relevant ACS committees to
work with educators including chairs of science departments, administrative
leaders in the sciences and in industry to address these problems and propose
solutions.
We require trained, educated, scientists for creative research necessary to lead
competition for new drugs, to lead in energy, alternative fuels, nanotechnology
and materials science, biochemical science and life sciences, as well as in
traditional fundamental scientific disciplines. How do we get there? We must
work with Congress to increase funding for research and education; significant
increases are needed! We need research collaboration with physics, biology,
geology, medicine, mathematics, and computer science—fields with similar
problems of finding practical solutions. We need liaison with the other science
societies. Basic research must be supported nationally. Our scientific base is a
national resource and has to be treated and funded as the necessary engine to
grow new developments. ACS does many of these things, and we must develop
even stronger relations through congressional offices.
Our most demanding challenge is to develop the scientists of the future. We all
need to take a hand in developing scientists from the lowest to the highest levels
of education. It is a gigantic problem to recruit, develop, nurture, and stimulate
interest in students, but we must solve it, or have no one to educate to do our
science in the future.
Chemistry, the central science, is the creative science for new compounds and
materials. New uses, new synthetic methods that create new materials, new
drugs, and medicines. We make new foods, clothing, and paint colors. Chemists
make things used to make other things that improve our lives. Our understanding
of DNA and genetics comes about through chemistry and chemical interactions.
We need to tell this story at every level, from kindergarten to elementary school, to
middle school, and to high school to assure we have a science-educated public.
To the general society who listen, read newspapers and magazines, and watch
movies and television and computer Web sites and games, we need to tell the
story in every medium. We have a wonderful story to tell and we need to tell it,
everywhere. We don’t do enough of that. We need to share our excitement of
discovery. There’s nothing more infectious. Imagine a weekly science show on
television. Imagine a Sunday evening in a local bistro with a discussion on
science and art. Scientific content is popular.
Join the ACS Tour Speakers. I’ve spoken to 90 of 189 sections from Alaska to
Illinois Heartland to Florida to New Orleans—opportunity to tell your favorite story
(mine is astrochemistry) and to meet and stimulate our members. I also speak in
public schools, to get students involved. Most wonder, “How Big is a Lightyear?” I
get them to calculate it. We need to bring the excitement of scientific discovery to
all levels with students of all ages. We attract high school teachers. We need to
reach middle school and elementary school teachers, too. Young minds are
curious and they like to have fun. Chemistry is fun and science is fun. If we can
light a light of excitement in young minds at every level and keep lighting it, we
can grow the next generations of curious, challenging minds and scientists. What
are you waiting for? Let’s go! We have a lot of work to do.
*********************************************************************
This statement appears in the Journal of Chemical Education, vol. 83 No. 10
October 2006 and carried the following comment about Yorke Rhodes:
Yorke E. Rhodes is a retired chemistry professor from New York University. He
has won student, alumni, and faculty awards for teaching, and has been twice
honored by Who’s Who in College Teachers. He’s been visiting professor at
Harvard, Hunter College, Freiburg Universitat, Technische Universitat
Munchen, and Universite Grenoble. He’s also had research fellowships at Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology.
| The New York MARM '08 Team (on right) and the ACS President and President-elect at Hershey for MARM '06. Paris Svoronos, Don Clarke, Yorke Rhodes, Katie Hunt, Anne Nalley and Luis Vargas |
| One of Yorke's favorite statues and someone he greatly admires "Fiorello H. Laguardia". An optimist like Yorke. |
| Ernie Siew, Ernest Eliel, Yorke, Paul Barkan at NYU for a symposium on "A Century of Progress on Stereochemistry" 1995 |
