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The Best Book To TV Adaptations Ever
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The two-day Grollman Visiting Professorship Lectureship was established in 2007 by the Dr. Aaron I. Grollman Visiting Professorship and Graduate Program in Life Sciences (GPILS). The annual lectureship brings distinguished and internationally renowned scientists to engage the UMSOM community on the critical health issues and challenges of our time.
Dr. Harris has developed a multidisciplinary approach to study the molecular virology, pathogenesis, immunology, epidemiology, clinical aspects and control of these mosquito-borne viruses. Her work investigates viral and host factors that modulate disease severity and immune correlates of protection and pathogenesis, using in vitro approaches, animal models and research involving human populations.
"We are bringing evidence to communities so that they can come up with their own ways to intervene in the mosquito-lifecycle," Dr. Harris said.
In partnerships with scientists at the University of California, San Francisco's Institute for Global Health Sciences, UC Berkeley and partner institutions including SSI, Dr. Harris has developed tools and technologies to prevent, diagnose, and treat topical diseases for neglected populations in Central and South America. DengueChat is one of these tools, which is a web and cell-phone based application used to motivate community members to remove dengue vector breeding sites.
Following the seminar, Dr. Harris and members of the GPILS community attended a reception. A Q&A luncheon was also organized for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.
The Graduate Program in Life Sciences (GPILS) is a collaboration between the University of Maryland's School of Medicine, Dental School and Graduate School. GPILS offers seven PhD granting graduate programs and four M.S. level programs.
The graduate programs consist of faculty in the basic science and clinical departments of the School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, School of Nursing, a wide array of internationally recognized research centers and institutes on campus, including the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, the Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Diseases, the Institute for Genome Science, the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center and the Institute of Human Virology, in addition to collaborations with other University of Maryland campuses.


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« Courts Can and Must Acknowledge Multiple Comparisons in Statistical Analyses
The Current Crisis – Ebola Comes to the Land of Litigation »
Gad-zooks – Expert Witness Dishonesty
This is the first in what I hope will be a continuing series, tagged as the Expert Witness Hall of Shame.
Shayne Cox Gad is a toxicologist and a principal in the firm, Gad Consulting Services, in Cary, North Carolina. In 1977, Gad was awarded his doctorate in pharmacology and toxicology by the University of Texas (Austin). Some years later, Gad apparently awarded himself a Silver Star, and three Purple Hearts.
The Stolen Valor Act[1], effective in December 2006, made false representations of having received military decorations or awards a federal crime. Gad was charged with violating the Stolen Valor Act, and in February 2009, he pleaded guilty to dishonesty and specious claiming prohibited by the Act.
Before and after his conviction by guilty plea, Gad testified as an expert witness in litigation. He was an expert witness for plaintiff in an Oklahoma state court case, Helton v. Allergan, Inc., in which Dr. Sharla Helton complained that Botox caused her neurologic problems and pain that prevented her from working as an obstetrician/gynecologist.
Whatever the merits of the claims about Botox, Allergan might well have resisted settling a case in which plaintiff's claim rested upon the testimony of an expert witness, convicted for dishonesty. Trial counsel for Allergan, Vaughn Crawford, cross-examined Gad, on April 27, 2010. Vaughn's examination went immediately to prior conviction. "Allergan unmasks anti-Botox expert" (April 28, 2010; updated Aug. 21, 2013). Vaughn sprung the impeachment:
Q You are the same Shayne Cox Gad who has been adjudged guilty by the Eastern Federal District Court in North Carolina for crimes involving false statements and dishonesty, aren't you, sir.
A Yes, sir.
Q Yes. Specifically in February of 2009, you were adjudged guilty by that Court of falsely representing that you had been awarded military decorations and medals including the Navy cross, aren't you, sir.
Helton v. Allergan, Inc., Notes of Testimony by Shayne Cox Gad at 48-49 (April 27, 2010).
Crawford pressed. Not only had Gad confessed to the crime, he had made various acts of contrition in his Pre-sentencing Report, in which Gad asked that he be placed on probation rather than incarcerated. One of the representations Gad made in the Report was that he would no longer testify as an expert witness in litigation. Gad's plea was accepted and he was placed on probation as he and his lawyer requested.
As dramatic as Crawford's impeachment of Gad must have been, the jury shrugged it off and awarded Dr. Helton 15 million dollars, which came to 18 million with pre-judgment interest. Helton v. Allergan Inc., No. CJ-2009-2171 (Okla. Dist. Ct., Oklahoma Cty.) (jury voted 10 to 2 to award actual but no punitive damages). The Oklahoma intermediate appellate court affirmed in an unpublished opinion, and the Oklahoma Supreme Court refused to grant discretionary review. Helton v. Allergan Inc., No. 2009-2171 (Okla. Civ. App. Sept. 6, 2013); "Okla. Appeals Court Backs $15M Award In Botox Injury," Law 360 (Sept. 10, 2013). See PR Newswire, "Botox Victim Wins $18 Million: Oklahoma Supreme Court Affirms Botulism Verdict for McGinnis Lochridge Client Against Allergan, Inc.," (May 9, 2014) (law firm press release misleadingly claiming that the Oklahoma Supreme Court had affirmed, when in fact, the Court had declined discretionary review).
Having pled guilty in federal court, Gad would have recited the facts of his crime in court before the imposition of sentencing, as required under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11. Furthermore, even if Gad's criminal defense lawyer drafted the Pre-sentencing Report, Gad was the principal responsible for his agent attorney's representation that he, Gad, would not testify again as an expert witness.
Gad tried to resist the gist of the cross-examination by suggesting that others, not he, had made the representation. And on redirect, plaintiff's counsel Chester elicited an apology, not to the court, or to the defendants, but to Dr. Helton, the plaintiff:
Q Would you, at least, apologize to my client for me because she hired me and I hired you.
A I do apologize for that.
Q Have you lied about anything in this case?
A No, sir.
Q You put five kids through college; is that right?
Q You've had this career. Why would you do something like this?
A Well, that, of course, was discussed in a lot more detail in the documents having to do with it, but it was something that got out there 25 years ago and I thought it was put away. I did my best to expunge it from the record, and I was unsuccessful. Twenty-five years ago I was a very different person, a lot younger than I am now.
Helton v. Allergan, Inc., Notes of Testimony by Shayne Cox Gad at 141 (April 27, 2010).
The internet is, however, unforgiving and unforgetting. A curriculum vitae for Gad, labeled August 2005, states the following for military service:
"June 1970 to April 1974 (Active):
Served on riverine craft in Mekong Delta of Vietnam and as O.I.C. of Armory, Quonset Point, Rhode Island. Served on USS Intrepid (CVS-11) as special 7 weapons officer, deck division officer and as First Lieutenant. Qualified as O.D. underway on Intrepid. Made several deployments overseas – mainly to Europe and the Mediterranean. Released from active duty in the permanent grade of LT(jg). Received Silver Star, 3 Bronze Stars, 3 Purple Hearts. * * *
Holds current (2003) top secret clearance."
C.V. for Shayne Cox Gad, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., A.T.S. (emphasis added).
The charging document against Gad, from United States v. Gad, also refutes the notion that Gad's false statements occurred in the distant past, but rather that they were made "[o]n or about November 2004, and continuing up to and including March 29, 2007 … ." Immunity from prosecution for perjury in another case, United States v. Caputo appeared to be part of the consideration for the plea deal in U.S. v. Gad. Thus the inclusion of a representation, in the pre-sentencing report, that "[a]dditionally, Dr. Gad has agreed to no longer testify as an expert witness in the future."
The mischief Gad created by his dishonesty was thus not limited to the Helton case. Gad's testimony looks even more dubious in view of the Caputo case, a criminal case in which Gad testified for a federal prosecutor. In Caputo, the prosecutor informed the defendants, executives of AbTox Inc., that Gad "had committed perjury by falsely claiming military experience and decorations." United States v. Caputo, Case No. 10-1964, 397 Fed. Appx. 216, (7th Cir. Oct. 12, 2010) (unpublished). See also "AbTox Execs Seek New Trial Over Witness 'Perjury' – Law360" (Sept. 16, 2010).
The Caputo defendants had been charged with lying to the FDA and selling a misbranded medical sterilization devices. United States v. Caputo, 517 F.3d 935 (7th Cir. 2008) (affirming convictions). In rebuttal, Gad testified that defendants could not reasonably have held the beliefs they claimed to have held in good faith. Because of how the issue of good faith arose, the Circuit held that Gad's perjurious testimony was harmless error that could not support the grant of a new trial. United States v. Caputo, Case No. 10-1964, 397 Fed. Appx. 216, (7th Cir. Oct. 12, 2010).
When the government informed the defendants that Gad had committed perjury, the Caputo defendants moved for a new trial on grounds of newly discovered evidence. The defendants went beyond Gad's perjury disclosed by the prosecutors, and charged that Gad's resume was a sham and that Gad had lied about other credentials as well.
According to the defendants' motion in Caputo, Gad had misrepresented several credentials and misleadingly claimed to have had professional experience in medicine and toxicology, which experience Gad, in fact, lacked. The defendants, in Caputo, alleged other misrepresentations. Gad had testified in their case, and in the Helton case, that he had taught a course at the Duke University Medical School in the early 2000s and had lectured at the school since. Gad's resume listed a professorship of toxicology at the College of St. Elizabeth, where he purportedly developed the school's bachelor of science toxicology program, according to the motion. In their motion for a new trial, the AbTox executives, Caputo and Riley, provided an offer of proof that neither Duke University Medical School nor the College of St. Elizabeth had any record of Gad's faculty status, and St. Elizabeth lacked a bachelor's program in toxicology. Caputo and Riley also adverted to the federal prosecutors' own earlier finding that Gad had lied about his military record during their trial.
I don't know whether Gad testified again. Some of Gad's dubious views on toxicology are cited with approval by legal commentators who would dilute the scientific standard for causation[2].
"Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus." The essence of the crime is specious claiming.
[1] United States v. Alvarez, 132 S. Ct. 1421 (2012) (holding that the Stolen Valor Act was unconstitutional).
[2] See Shayne C. Gad, "Model Selection and Scaling," in Shayne C. Gad & Christopher P. Chengelis eds., Animal Models in Toxicology 813 (1992), cited by Carl F. Cranor & David A. Eastmond, "Scientific Ignorance and Reliable Patterns of Evidence in Toxic Tort Causation: Is There a Need for Liability Reform? 64 Law & Contemporary Problems 5, 27 & n.120 (2001), and by Erica Beecher-Monas, Evaluating Scientific Evidence An Interdisciplinary Framework for Intellectual Due Process at 74 & n.63 (2007) (citing Gad's book at page 826, for the argument that humans may be more sensitive to chemical effects than smaller species).
This entry was posted on Saturday, October 18th, 2014 at 11:22 am	and is filed under Expert Witness Hall of Shame. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


It's time to shift from surviving to thriving, and I'm here to teach you how, show you the way, and support you as you shift! Every person on our planet right now is experiencing a shift in consciousness, but few are aware of what is happening or how to work with the expanding energies around them. Our planet is evolving and experiencing significant growing pains. You likely are, too. If you have felt stuck or frustrated, or if you have had this nagging feeling that more is possible for you, I am here to tell you that you are not alone and I have designed a program to support you through your unique shift and personal evolution! And if you are already thriving, which I hope you are, then my Sage Goddess Soul Shift program will take you and your practice to a whole new level. Click here to learn more about Soul Shift!
The Sage Goddess Soul Shift program is the most powerful online course I have ever designed, and every aspect of it was channeled in journey. If you register now you will become part of the inaugural class, the first cohort to experience a highly integrated and comprehensive experience designed to create a powerful shift in your consciousness. I am so excited to offer this course, because I believe it has the potential to alter every part of your life, improving your health, your relationships, your prosperity, and most of all, your peace and happiness. If you are ready to shift, I am here to help. And Holy Shift are we going to have fun while we do it!
Each month a new Monthly Mesa of sacred tools to support our work will be available for optional purchase! A mesa in the shamanic tradition is the word used to describe the shaman's traveling altar and the tools he or she uses to connect with the natural world as bridges between levels of consciousness. The Monthly Mesa combines all necessary tools, amulets, medicines, and craft materials you will need for the entire month's sessions. Yes, there is ONE kit for everything! Click here to learn more and subscribe to your Monthly Mesa tools.
Magical Sabbatical members have the option of attending one designated Sage Goddess Soul Shift class per month (60-90 min). This monthly class will be a combination of meditation, discussion, and application of the month's theme, and excludes additional class materials. As a Sabbatical member, you will only have access to the Magical Sabbatical Facebook community.
After your initial payment, you will be billed on the first of each month!


A Florida woman has finally been sentenced for kidnapping a baby from a hospital nearly 20 ago and raising her.
According to 13 WMAZ, Gloria Williams, 52, has been sentenced to 18 years with 511 days credited for time served in a quick sentencing hearing on Friday (June 8). In 1998, Williams dressed up as a nurse and stole Kamiyah Mobley from the hospital room of Mobley's biological mother, Shanara Mobley.
Raised as Alexis Manigo in South Carolina, Mobley didn't know her true identity until she was told she couldn't obtain a her driver's license because she didn't have a valid birth certificate or Social Security card.
"There are no winners and losers in this case. It's a very sad case and many people have suffered, including Ms. Williams," Fourth Judicial Circuit Judge Marianne Aho said during the sentencing.
While reuniting with her birth parents started off rocky with her defending Williams initially, the 19-year-old has changed her last name back to her biological mother's name.
"I believe now that this is over, we can continue on our journey of healing together as a family and support our daughter on her decision making," Craig Aiken, her father, told reporters after the hearing.
Williams did apologize to Mobley's parents.


Munin: The impact of Arctic late summer sea ice variability on mid-latitude autumn and winter weather.
The impact of Arctic late summer sea ice variability on mid-latitude autumn and winter weather.
The influence of Arctic summer sea ice area on autumn and winter climate in the extra-tropic Northern hemisphere is investigated. During the last decades, the Arctic has warmed more than twice the global average rate, a phenomenon called the Arctic Amplification (AA). AA involves a remarkable decrease of the Arctic sea ice cover and a decrease of the latitudinal temperature gradient. Both are supposed to influence the global energy overturning circulation system, including atmospheric mid-latitude waves and the polar cell. The present study analyzes how the Arctic September sea ice cover influences the temperature and pressure in the Northern hemisphere extra-tropics in the following months and seeks explanations for this phenomenon in the atmospheric circulation. To obtain good results, the possible connection of year to year variabilities was studied, and underlying external and internal feedbacks were excluded as much as possible. Three approaches were taken: Firstly, real world data, such as temperature and surface pressure, expressed by ERA-interim from the year 1979 to 2014, were regressed on the September sea ice area. Secondly, the state of the art climate model CESM with the atmospheric model components CAM4 and CAM5 was used to study and compare the same regressions as in ERA, but for preindustrial conditions. Thirdly, to verify the chain of cause and effect, the consequences of three forced low-ice scenarios of the CESM climate model were compared to a control run. The first two datasets showed that the Arctic sea ice variabilities are not homogenous throughout the Arctic. Two regions, the Beaufort to East Siberian Sea (Be-ES) region and the Barents-Kara Sea (Ba-Ka) region, with rather independent sea ice area anomaly time series, were observed. Therefore, the climatological response in the two regions was studied independently. The CESM model runs with forced sea ice conditions give some insight of the winter responses to summer sea ice reduction. In autumn the open water in the Arctic act as heat sources, leading to anomalously warm local temperatures. The local warming leads to extending air and anomalously low surface pressure in the Arctic. This reduces the strength of the polar cell and can lead to a strengthening of the Siberian High in winter. In ERA-interim and CESM CAM4 & 5 the negative September sea ice anomalies persist into the late autumn for Be-ES and through the whole winter for Ba-Ka. Autumn responses to the sea ice anomalies are similar between the three datasets for the two regions, while the winter responses contradict each other. Negative September sea ice anomalies in the Be-ES region seem to induce an East Arctic high pressure in autumn, bringing cold conditions to North Siberia. Ba-Ka region sea ice anomalies induce a low pressure over its region in autumn, a pattern opposing the one induced by the Be-ES region. The ERA-interim winter response to the Ba-Ka sea ice anomaly shows an anomalously high pressure over West Russia, bringing cold conditions to Central and East Eurasia. This pattern is refound in literature, but is opposed by the CESM model runs with CAM4 and CAM5.


In Calderón & De La Sierra we have created a firm commitment to support the community in the legal field, through Corporate Social Responsibility.
We focus our resources on projects that have a positive effect on the community and we also encourage our staff to work with Pro Bono, volunteer and participate in community activities.
To achieve our objectives, we have a program that ensures the link between our business strategy and our community activities through the development of volunteering and Pro Bono work; Integration of diversity into all aspects of the company's operations; and the management of environmental impacts within our business.
We also use our experience and skills to help the community with the Pro Bono program of the Mexican Bar Association Foundation.


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Education and Engagement: Key Elements to Achieve a World Free of Chemical Weapons
Alejandra G. Suárez, Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Argentina
Education and outreach are long term strategic tools for the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) that actively promote the peaceful use of chemistry. Thousands of new chemicals are reported every day; which can render enormous benefits for the common good. However, as with any science, there is always the possibility that chemistry may be misused as it has been done in the past. This work will refer to preliminary initiatives undertaken to address awareness-raising about the multiple uses of chemical substances and the potential dual -use of scientific knowledge which are being implemented in different levels of chemistry education and public outreach programs. The OPCW has placed a priority on education and engagement with the development of tools and materials relevant to the Convention; we will describe these tools and the regional and national meetings that were organized to highlight the incorporation of the CWC´s issues into the chemical curricula in South America. The paper will give special consideration to The Hague Ethical Guidelines, another initiative to support a culture of responsibility in the chemical sciences and to guard against the misuse of chemistry. These guidelines were recently formulated by an international group of chemistry practitioners and serve as a set of elements to engage scientists in the ethical dimensions of their work. Education and outreach to future generations to promote the peaceful uses of chemistry is an essential part of achieving the goal of a world free of chemical weapons.
EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT: KEY ELEMENTS TO ACHIEVE
A WORLD FREE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS
Alejandra G. Suárez
Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas - Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Instituto de Química Rosario - CONICET, Suipacha 531, Rosario, S2002LRK, Argentina, asuarez@fbioyf.unr.edu.ar
Chemistry, the discovers of chemistry, and chemical products are vital and beneficial to daily life. Chemicals, both natural and synthetic, are all around us. They are also within us, part of the fundamental structures of living systems. Chemicals can be designed to serve specific purposes, such as in medicine or in a wide array of industrial applications.
In most cases, chemistry is used to improve the quality of life for humans; however, although chemicals supply with a vast array of benefits, they also present the potential for misuse. Important industrial chemicals can be used to create chemical warfare agents, some of the world's most terrible weapons. Despite the screening of thousands of chemicals only few of them satisfied the appropriate physical, chemical and toxicological properties to enable their use as chemical warfare agents. These types of chemicals have been created with the purpose to kill or injure humans, which have been used through history in several regional wars and conflicts.
During World War I, took place the first large scale attack with chemical weapons1 at Ieper, Belgium, on 22 April 1915. Since this event an extensive activity was carried out to develop chemical weapons as well as defense countermeasures.
2016SConfChemP2fig1.png
Throughout history there were several international attempts to codify the ban on chemical weapons, but those agreements did not prevent their use and their production. Finally, in 1993 the countries of the world formulated the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC),2 the first disarmament treaty to include a time frame for the elimination of an entire class of weapons of mass destruction, but it is also the first multilateral arms control treaty to incorporate an extensive verification regime.
The full name is Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons, and on Their Destruction. In 1997 it came into force after 65 nations had ratified it in1996, and subsequently that number has risen to 192 States Parties nowadays, representing about 98% of the global population, as well as 98% of the worldwide chemical industry.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)3 is the implementing body of the CWC, with the mission to destroy all existing chemical weapons under international verification by the OPCW; to prevent their re-emergence in any member State; to provide protection and assistance to the States Parties against chemical threats; to encourage international cooperation to strengthen implementation of the Convention and promote the peaceful uses of chemistry.
2016SConfChemP2fig2.jpg
The OPCW Headquarters is located in The Hague, Netherlands. In 2013, in recognition of its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons, the OPCW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.4 While the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons was the most visible demonstration of these efforts; the real success has been the verified destruction of over 90 percent of the world's declared chemical weapons.5
Everyone engaged in the use of chemicals and chemical technology should understand the intend of the CWC – to recognize what aspects of chemicals it prohibits and to appreciate the much broader applications of chemistry that it not only allows but encourages. Chemicals per se are not good or bad but even chemicals and technologies intended for the best of purposes could be misused.
Education and outreach at the OPCW
Education and outreach are strategic tools for the implementation of the CWC and the peaceful use of chemistry. They are also considered key elements in preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons as well as serve a number of specific purposes including, inter alia:
a. Raising awareness of the Convention among the broad community of relevant professionals who should be aware of the Convention, including students, educators, the global scientific community and the chemical industry;
b. Stressing the potential risks posed by the multiple uses of chemicals;
c. Contributing to national implementation of the Convention;
d. Contributing to the prevention of the misuse of toxic chemicals;
e. Facilitating chemical safety and chemical security;
f. Building skills and capabilities in areas relating to the peaceful uses of chemistry; and
g. Educating future generations of the societal benefits of upholding a world free of chemical weapons and the need to prevent their re-emergence.
The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB),6 a subsidiary body of the OPCW, at its Seventeenth SAB meeting in November 2011 recommended the establishment of a Temporary Working Group (TWG) on Education and Outreach on Science and Technology Relevant to the Convention.7 The Director-General endorsed this recommendation and established the TWG8 that met from 2012 to 2014. Based on the findings and activities carried out by the group during this period, the TWG produced a final report,9 that contains seven main recommendations regarding the sustainability of OPCW education and outreach efforts. Among them, it can be mentioned:
- "Education and outreach with respect to the responsible use of science, particularly as it is relevant to the Chemical Weapons Convention, should remain a core activity of the OPCW, so as to achieve and maintain a world free of chemical weapons".
- "An ongoing expert advisory group on education and outreach with respect to the responsible use of science, particularly as it is relevant to the CWC, should be established to help OPCW fulfill its mandate for education and outreach"
Recently, the Conference of States Parties10 in the twentieth session adopted a decision on the establishment of an Advisory Board on Education and Outreach (ABEO).11 This ABEO is expected to commence its work early in 2016.
Education and outreach has become a core activity of the OPCW, supported by its Member States. Whereas education and outreach was earlier seen in the limited sense of raising awareness among particular groups of society about the provisions of the CWC, today it is seen in a much broader and more substantive sense as an important element of national implementation and as a foundation for preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons.
To facilitate awareness raising about chemical disarmament and chemical safety and security issues the OPCW engages in social media and makes a number of publications intended to be accessible to broader audiences:
• Fact Sheets that cover historical, procedural, and some technical aspects of the work of the OPCW,12
• OPCW Today is an in-house periodical with articles contributed by OPCW staff and outside experts,13
• OPCW Science and Technology Monitor, a science focused newsletter.14
The OPCW website also hosts other links to resources for students and teachers interested in topics relevant to the CWC,15 which includes:
• E-learning modules about the OPCW and online training tools for those involved in CWC related activities;16
• Materials from the conference "Education for Peace: New Pathways for Securing Chemical Disarmament" held from 22-23 September 2014 at the OPCW Headquarters that brought together stakeholders to discuss best practices for raising awareness on disarmament and non-proliferation issues in educational institutions;17
"Fires" project,18 a series of short films exploring personnel stories with chemical weapons related dimensions. Fires stories include the ethical dilemma raised by the use of one's chemistry training to produce weapons (e.g. Fritz Haber)19 and the story of a man who as a child survived a 1988 mustard agent attack in Halabja.18
2016SConfChemP2fig6a.jpg
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• "Chemistry in Conflict" is an educational module for high school students, designed to introduce students to chemical weapons, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and ethics in science.20
The OPCW supports projects by science educators, a recent example being the IUPAC "Multiple Uses of Chemicals" project, to develop an interactive online tool that explores the beneficial uses, misuses, and abuses of multi-use chemicals, both historically and presently; the website is designed to be informative for students, educators and policymakers.21
Link to Multiple Uses of Chemicals Website
Education and outreach in Argentina
Chemists have limited or no exposure to the ethical norms and to the aims of the CWC during their careers. On the other hand, the new developments in science and technology that are paving the way for a multitude of opportunities beneficial to humankind could also open the door to unforeseen challenges and abuses. The scientific literature and technical information is accessible nowadays, which can be searched quickly and thoroughly with adequate computer facilities.22 With the availability of the procedures and some starting materials it makes evident that awareness-raising about the multiple uses of chemical substances and the dual use nature of scientific knowledge is an urgent need, in particular in the field of chemical education.
This scenario motivated different debates in the academic and scientific community in our Institution, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas - Universidad Nacional de Rosario. It was arrived to the general consensus that chemistry educators have a duty to prevent the misuse of chemistry and the need to educate people about chemical safety, waste disposal, and the responsible use of chemistry. This approach represented a new challenged for educators, scientists and decision makers. During the debates, one of the main question that rose was:
How to address awareness raising about the multiple uses of chemicals and the CWC in higher education?
Some professors were not aware about the need to introduce these subjects into the chemical curricula and for the ones who considered it important, it was not evident for them how these concepts can be introduced. On the other hand, there was a generalized idea that it will implied to create new subjects in the already crowded curricula. A general consensus was that awareness raising about the multiple uses of chemicals and the potential dual use of the scientific knowledge need a multidisciplinary approach, chemist, pedagogist, specialist in e-learning and ethics, among others. The new objective was focused on the consideration of issues of ethics, responsibility and the CWC in the chemistry curriculum at all levels of education. After a deep debate and taking advantage of the design a new curricula for the Degree in Chemistry in our Institution, it was decided to include these topics in curricular activities, elective courses and complementary activities.
Among the curricular activities, the seminars for undergraduate students of the first and second years of the career, which usually approach different topics related to the student future professional activities, were reformulated to stress the achievements of chemistry and its contribution to the humankind, examples of the misuse of chemistry (waste disposal, chemical accidents, and chemical weapons), the history of chemical weapons, the objectives of the CWC and the achievements of the OPCW. Second year, exercises of certain topics includes case studies regarding problems arise from inappropriate waste disposal. Other subjects along the careers includes "Epistemology and Methodology of Research" in which it is discussed the responsible use of the scientific knowledge; "Legislation, Hygiene and Safety", topics of this subject consider particular aspects of the CWC. Among the elective courses, related to the responsible sciences it can be mentioned "Green Chemistry", "Bioethics" and "Education for sustainability".
The students are also invited to participate in all complementary activities that were developed. The first of them was a pilot workshop entitled "Chemistry for Peace: ethics and professional responsibility in education" was held in Rosario, Argentina, on 27 and 28 June 2013.23
Members of the TWG on E&O and former SAB members that participated in the workshop
The participants were academics, scientists, and representatives of professional and scientific associations, from all over the country. The objectives of the workshop were to provide an opportunity to exchange experiences, and to develop proposals for chemical education related the prevention of the misuse of toxic chemicals; facilitate chemical safety and chemical security; build skills and capabilities in areas related to the peaceful uses of chemistry; raise awareness of the CWC among the broad community of relevant professionals who should be aware of it; and build networks in chemical education.
The workshop included two round tables: one on institutional policies, and one on strategies in chemical education. The round table panels were made up of representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Research Council, Professional and Scientific Associations, and the Forum of Deans from Schools related to chemistry.
The topics of general discussion were:
• How can undergraduate and postgraduate education programs address the ethical and practical aspects of preventing the misuse of chemistry?
• How can we encourage universities to reflect the issues of the CWC in their curricula?
• What information should be provided?
• Strategies for the implementation
• Teaching material for professors
The main conclusion from the workshop was a complete general consensus on the urgent need to address the subject of professional ethics and responsibility at different levels during the careers of the future professionals. The OPCW has contributed to the participation of international experts who belonged to the OPWC´s TWG on Education and Outreach. The workshop had an important recognition and the results were reflected by radio interviews and articles in newspapers to the general public. This workshop was the first activity in Argentina regarding E&O relevant to the CWC, which was a catalyst to generate different educational programs that are supported nowadays by the National Authority and the Ministry of Education, as well as additional initiatives in other universities of the Argentina.24
Participants of the event
Another activity that was organized devoted to teachers and professors in chemistry as well as graduates and undergraduates students from our institution was the workshop "The challenge to educate in Chemistry" (November, 2014).25 Thanks to the support of the OPCW, it was possible to have the participation of Mr. Chretien Schouteten, a retired chemistry teacher from the Netherland who spent most of his career being concerned about chemists´ responsibilities towards society.26 Among the different activities develop during the workshop, undergraduate students interpreted an extract from "The Chemist" a moving play wrote by Mr. Schouteten about the tragic life of Fritz Haber and his family. This activity was used as starting point for a general debate among the participants to create awareness about the potential misuse of chemistry and challenging them to imagine what they would do if their knowledge were demanded not for noble causes, but for evil purposes.
The 22 of April 2015 was the centenary of the first massive use of chemical weapons,27 which was a paramount opportunity to promote the objectives of the CWC and the achievements of the OPCW as well as the responsible use of chemical substances and the scientific knowledge among chemistry educators and students. For this reason, it was organized the event "The commemoration of the Centenary of the First Massive Use of Chemical Weapons" (April, 2015), focused to raise awareness about the OPCW and its activities, but also to promote responsible science. There were different presentations about the history of chemical weapons, the purpose of the CWC and description of the main achievements of the OPCW.
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2016SConfChemP2fig12.png
"The Chemistry Week" is activity carried out annually devoted to teachers and high school students.28 It's a great opportunity for youth to get connected with the wonders of chemistry and to appreciate the positive aspects of chemistry through hands-on experiments, games, demonstrations, lectures, exhibitions and more. Teachers are encouraged to explore with their students the impacts of the chemistry involved in everyday life. Taking advantage of this event we introduce topics of the responsible use of chemical substances and the scientific knowledge by the conference "Chemistry for Peace".
Although our Institution was able to make good progress in our objective towards including relevant educational issues related to the CWC in the chemical curricula, some aspects are still being implemented, and the project is constantly under review. We are devoted to the design of tools to measure the impacts of the new curricula in order to make the necessary modifications to achieve our objectives.29
In April 2014 took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the First Regional Meeting on Education in the Responsible Application of Knowledge of Dual-Use Chemicals for the Latin America and the Caribbean region. The OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, delivered an opening statement to the regional meeting, in which he mentioned that education and outreach are opening "a new front" in the OPCW's efforts to guard against chemical weapons, a front that "must bring together a well-integrated community of scientists and researchers working proactively for chemistry that benefits, and never harms, humankind".30 This workshop was a result of the need to disseminate the topics and issues contained in the Convention among professionals of the chemical, industrial, academic area, and society in general.31
Awareness of the CWC could be placed in a broader educational context of ethical concerns in chemistry. As a way of promoting a culture of responsible conduct in the chemical sciences and to guard against the misuse of chemistry, the OPCW facilitated two workshops involving a group of more than 30 scientists and chemistry professionals from over 20 countries, including all regional groups. The objective of these events was to discuss and draft possible ethical guidelines for the practice of chemistry under the norms of the Convention. The workshops took place at OPCW Headquarters in The Hague.
The first workshop on Ethical Guidelines for the Practice of Chemistry under the Norms of the CWC was held from 10-11 March 2015,32 included eighteen participants representing academia, industry and chemical societies. Key elements of CWC relevant ethical guidelines, principles and best practices for drafting guidelines, and synergy with other current initiatives were discussed. A report from this workshop is available on the OPCW public website.32
The second workshop took place the 17-18 September 2015,33 with the attendance of thirty-three participants, chemistry practitioners from all regional groups, including fifteen of the original eighteen participants of the first workshop. The workshop arrived at a consensus text, The Hague Ethical Guidelines, which was endorsed by participants from both workshops held in March and September, is posted on the OPCW public website.34
2016SConfChemP2fig12a.PNG
The Hague Ethical Guidelines is intended to serve as elements for ethical codes and discussion points for ethical issues related to the practice of chemistry under the Convention. The core element of the guidelines, which draw on many existing elements, is based on the premise that "achievements in the field of chemistry should be used to benefit humankind and the environment". The guidelines provide a useful framework for debating the vital dimension of ethics in relation to chemical disarmament and non-proliferation.
The workshop participants deeply discuss the best way to promote and disseminate The Hague Ethical Guidelines, and recommended that the document could be usefully shared with all National Authorities of the CWC, education ministries in CWC States Parties, government agencies and ministries responsible for the practice of chemistry, scientific societies and professional associations, among other relevant stakeholders. It is expected that the new Advisory Board on Education and Outreach of the OPCW will contribute to this efforts.
Workshop participants and observers, 17-18 September 2015
Education and outreach efforts should be tailored to different types of audiences (such as: age, profession, educational background, country and region). The educational programmes should be addressed to primary and high school students and teachers, university undergraduate and graduate students and faculty, professionals, trainers, scientists, journalists, lawmakers, and diplomats. The important role of partnerships between national and international scientific organizations, national academies of sciences, and other international organizations should allow increasing cooperation to maximize efficiencies and avoid duplication of efforts. The challenge is to cover holistically all disarmament and non-proliferation issues including chemical-, biological-, and nuclear-focused organizations.
Only with a focus on the long-term of education and outreach to future generations we will come closer to the goal of a world free of chemical weapons and make chemistry always be at the service of humankind.
"What is a Chemical Weapon?"https://www.opcw.org/fileadmin/OPCW/Fact_Sheets/Fact_Sheet_4_-_CW_types.pdf.
a) "The Chemical Weapons Convention: A Synopsis of the Text". https://www.opcw.org/fileadmin/OPCW/Fact_Sheets/Fact_Sheet_2_-_CWC.pdf. Full text available at: https://www.opcw.org/chemical-weapons-convention/. b) "Origins of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the OPCW". https://www.opcw.org/fileadmin/OPCW/Fact_Sheets/Fact_Sheet_1_-_History.pdf.
"The Structure of the OPCW". https://www.opcw.org/fileadmin/OPCW/Fact_Sheets/Fact_Sheet_3_-_OPCW_Structure.pdf.
https://www.opcw.org/special-sections/nobel-peace-prize-2013/.
To be informed about the updates statistics of the OPCW visit: https://www.opcw.org/.
The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) is formed by 25 members from different States Parties, that renders specialised advice to the Director General in the areas of science and technology relevant to the Convention. SAB members serve in their individual capacity as independent experts. This board meets once or twice a year at the headquarters of the OPCW in The Hague. The SAB reports are publically available on the SAB website at: www.opcw.org/about-opcw/subsidiary-bodies/scientificadvisory-board. More information about the SAB: a) Suárez, A. G. The Scientific Advisory Board. OPCW Today, 2014, 3, 6-7. b) "Scientific Advisory Board". https://www.opcw.org/fileadmin/OPCW/Fact_Sheets/Fact_Sheet_11_-_SAB.pdf.
Subparagraph 16.6 of SAB-17/1, dated 23 November 2011, available at https://www.opcw.org/index.php?eID=dam_frontend_ push&docID=15239.
Temporary Working Group on Education and Outreach in Science and Technology Relevant to the Convention. The TWG was chaired by Professor Djafer Benachour and comprised 14 international individuals with expertise in: education and outreach in science and technology, perspectives from chemical industry, representatives from relevant international organizations, professional associations and scientific unions.
Education and Engagement: Promoting a Culture of Responsible Chemistry; Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, November 2014, and references cited therein. Full document available at: https://www.opcw.org/fileadmin/OPCW/SAB/en/Education_and_Engagement-v2.pdf.
The Conference of the States Parties is the plenary organ consisting of all members of the OPCW. It is the principal organ of the Organisation, and has the general power to oversee the implementation of the Convention, and to act in order to promote the object and purpose of the Convention. More information can be found at: https://www.opcw.org/about-opcw/conference-of-the-states-parties/.
(C-20/DEC.9, dated 3 December 2015).23.1 https://www.opcw.org/fileadmin/OPCW/CSP/C-20/en/c2005_e_.pdf.
Fact sheets. Available at: https://www.opcw.org/documents-reports/fact-sheets/.
OPCW Today. Available at: https://www.opcw.org/documents-reports/opcw-today/.
OPCW Science and Technology Monitor. Available at: https://www.opcw.org/special-sections/science-technology/science-technology-monitor/.
See https://www.opcw.org/special-sections/education/.
OPCW e-learning tools can be found at: https://www.opcw.org/special-sections/education/e-learning/.
https://www.opcw.org/special-sections/education/education-for-peace/.
Fires project. http://www.thefiresproject.com/.
Fires: A Teachers Mission; https://www.opcw.org/special-sections/education/fires/.
Chemistry in Conflict. Juurlink, L. Chemistry in conflict: Spreading the word to high school students. OPCW Today, 2013, 2, 25-26.
Multiple Uses of Chemicals. http://multiple.kcvs.ca/site/index.html. See also: a) Mahaffy, P.; Zondervan, J.; Hay, A.; Feakes, D.; Forman, J. Chemistry International. September –October 2014, 9-13. b) Hay, A.; Mahaffy, P. Multiple Uses of Chemicals: Choices for Chemists and the Public. OPCW Today, 2013, 2, 23-24.
Sydnes, L. K. Update the Chemical Weapons Convention. Nature, 2013, 496, 25-26.
Suárez, A. G.; Spanevello, R. A. Projects in Education and Outreach Relevant to the CWC: A Pilot Activity in Argentina. OPCW Today, 2013, 2, 27-28.
a) More information about the National Project in Education at: www.mrecic.gov.ar/proyecto-nacional-de-educacion. b) National Authority: Each State Party of the OPCW is obliged to designate or establish a representative called National Authority to ensure that the Convention is implemented effectively. More information at: https://www.opcw.org/about-opcw/member-states/national-authorities/.
More information at: http://www.unr.edu.ar/noticia/8770/taller-quotel-desafio-de-educar-en-quimicaquot.
Schouteten, C. Chemistry and Ethics in Secondary Education: 25 years of experience with classroom teaching on chemical weapons. OPCW Today, 2013, 2, 33-35.
Everts, S. When Chemicals Became Weapons of War. Chemical and Engineering News. 2015, 93 (8), 8-21.
Press release: a) http://www.unr.edu.ar/noticia/8406/entrevista-con-organizadores-de-la-semana-de-la-quimica-acercando-facultad-y-escuelas;
b) http://www.lacapital.com.ar/ed_educacion/2015/6/edicion_267/contenidos/noticia_5021.html.
Research projects: a) "Química en contexto: estrategias para el mejoramiento de su enseñanza en el marco de la responsabilidad social" (Ref. 2010-148-14). Secretaría de Estado de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación de la Provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina. b) "Responsabilidad social en la formación en química para la promoción del desarrollo sustentable" (Ref. 1BIO505). Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Argentina.
More information at: https://www.opcw.org/news/article/director-general-meets-senior-government-officials-in-argentina-opens-1st-regional-meeting-on-educa/
http://www.dgmn.cl/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/INFORME-Final-XV-GRULAC-ingl%C3%A9s.pdf
Report of the First Workshop on Ethical Guidelines for the Practice of Chemistry under the Norms of the CWC. https://www.opcw.org/fileadmin/OPCW/SAB/en/March_2015_Ethical_Codes_Workshop-Report.pdf.
Report of the Second Workshop on Ethical Guidelines for the Practice of Chemistry under the Norms of the CWC.
https://www.opcw.org/fileadmin/OPCW/SAB/en/Hague_Ethical_Guidelines_2nd_Workshop_Report.pdf.
The complete text of "The Hague Ethical Guidelines", preamble, key elements and endorsement, in the official languages of the OPCW can be found at: https://www.opcw.org/special-sections/science-technology/the-hague-ethic....
May 9, 2016 - 11:37am — Bob Belford
Hi Alejandra,
First, let me say what an amazing paper you have written, in fact, it seems like you have written two papers, the first dealing with OPCW education programs, and the second with programs in Argentina. I honestly must say that I am very impressed with what you have been doing at your school, and in Argentina. Frankly, I do not believe most schools consider ethics to be part of the science curriculum and I suspect you are facing many of the same challenges the green chemistry movement in the US has faced.
Are you familiar with the GEMs (Greener Education Materials for Chemists) data base/site Julie Haack at the University of Oregon runs?
http://greenchem.uoregon.edu/gems.html
The GEMs site allows people to contribute a wide variety of instructional material related to Green Chemistry, while also giving people an opportunity of performing refined searches, and discuss their experiences with the material. Is anything like GEMS being developed with regard to OPCW education outreach?
I also have a rather simple question that you may not be able to answer, but the high-school level "Conflict in Chemistry" material is being revised and has been take off the OPCW website, do you, or anyone else on the list know when it will be reposted?
May 9, 2016 - 2:22pm — Alejandra Suárez
Dear Bob
Thank you very much for your kind comments.
I am familiar with Greener Education Materials for Chemists you mentioned, as we considered this data base site to prepare the elective subject we teach at University "Introduction to Green Chemistry". Through this subject we also find a great opportunity to consider with our students the concept of responsibility in chemistry and responsible science.
The material for education and outreach related to the CWC and the OPCW can be found at the official web page of the organization. I am not aware if something like GEMS is being developed. I guess that Joseph Ballard, one of the authors of the previous paper, can give us information regarding this matter as he is taking care of issues of education at the OPCW. I guess that he can also give more details about the status of "Chemistry in Conflict", which I found very useful material for high school education.
May 9, 2016 - 12:46pm — mbishop
Science primer for non-science majors
Thanks you for providing us with a very interesting and useful paper.
I think there are different challenges for introducing the issues relating to chemical weapons, depending on whether these issues are presented in a chemistry class or a class in other non-science disciplines. The students in classes taught by participants in this conference will have the necessary science background to understand the material available about chemical weapons. The challenge for these instructors is to find the class time in an already packed schedule to present the issues relating chemical weapons. For students and instructors outside the science realm, the challenge is more likely to be a lack of understanding of basic science. I'm more interested in what the OPCW might have done to help instructors and students in the second category.
I team-teach a class with a biologist and a physicist called Science and Technology for Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. The goals of this course are (1) to teach enough basic science to allow the students to understand the issues relating to chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, (2) describe these weapons, and (3) explore the issues relating to them. MIIS is a graduate school, so my students all have an undergraduate degrees, but most of these degrees are in non-science areas. It's a real challenge to figure out how to introduce the basic science in a minimum amount of time that allows enough time to explore chemical weapons in some detail. Has the OPCW made an attempt to develop a primer that introduces the non-science major to the fundamental scientific concepts and tools necessary to understand the issues relating to chemical weapons? I'm thinking of some sort of a brief introduction to atomic theory, chemical bonding, molecular structure, the symbolic ways chemists describe molecules (e.g. Lewis structures, ball-and-stick models, space-filling models, line drawings), chemical changes, and chemical equations.
Dear Mark
As far as I know all materials developed for education and outreach relevant to the CWC are at the web site of the OPCW.
Regarding your concerns about the need of material for education devoted to students and instructors outside the science realm, I think that is a good issue to consider by the new Advisory Board on Education and Outreach from the OPCW recently created.
I am really interested in your valuable teaching experience. I hope to have an opportunity to learn more about it.
From my perspective, education and outreach material relevant to the CWC and other international treaties is very important. I hope that some of the international organization related to weapons of mass destruction can organized an event regarding education so as to share experiences and lessons learned. It would be very useful.
May 9, 2016 - 4:54pm — Jonathan Forman
Science for Non-Scientists
Hi Mark and Alejandra,
While we have not put together a formal primer on chemistry (and other sciences relevant to our work), we have been using our "Science for Diplomats" initiative to provide introductory science lessons/concepts related to specific topics of interest to non-technical decision makers; the initiative began as a way to help explain the technical dimensions of Scientific Advisory Board recommendations. More information can be found here
www.opcw.org/special-sections/science-technology/science-for-diplomats/
Looking across the science for diplomats materials, materials available for in-house training and presentations produced by some of our staff members, we certainly have enough information to compile and edit appropriately to produce a primer like you suggest. I can see a possible intern project in the making.
May 9, 2016 - 7:31pm — mbishop
Fundamental Chemistry and Science for Diplomats
Although I have not yet looked at all of the presentations for the OPCW Science for Diplomats course, what I have seen has been very interesting. I especially appreciated the information about CW as unintended products or intermediates in industrial processes, the brief description of the pre-treatment for nerve agent exposure, and the new possible treatments for nerve agent exposure.
I noticed that your name was mentioned at the beginning of the presentation for the first PDF on the www.opcw.org/special-sections/science-technology/science-for-diplomats/ page. Have you been the instructor for the Science for Diplomats course? If so, what sort of response have you gotten from the crowd when you present a slide that contains line drawings, ball-and-stick models, and space-filling models. For example, the fourth slide in the presentation contains symbolic representions that blend line drawings with some indications of geometry. Do the members of the crowd know what they describe? Does it matter whether they do or not? Is it assumed that the attendees already know about these things? Do you try to briefly explain them?
May 10, 2016 - 4:35am — Jonathan Forman
Science for Diplomats (and Diplomacy for Scientists)
Thanks for looking at some of the science for diplomats materials, it is a fun project (and has been quite helpful for improving our science communication with policy makers, from every session we learn more about how to best relate the scientific concepts to issues that concern the policy makers through the Q&A).
It's not really a course, more a series of briefings designed to focus on a specific topic that has been gaining visibility to the policy makers (often through Scientific Advisory Board Reports). The format is to bring in guest speakers and I facilitate and give a short introductory presentation. As the topics change from session to session and often cover multiple scientific areas ("convergence" of the sciences as I often hear it called), we've taken the approach to explain fundamental science concepts required to appreciate the presentation as they are needed, rather than expect the audience to already be up to speed or to have been taught it at an earlier event. Feedback has been positive (and I've learned that is easier to convey scientific concepts and why they are important to the issues at hand to the diplomats, than it is to try and explain diplomacy and all its nuances to scientists!).
In the introductory session in 2014 (which took place during the world cup), I did explain a few fundamental chemistry concepts and used an infographic of the chemistry of a soccer ball to explain that many other international organizations have a need for chemistry in decision making too! The OPCW Lab provided some nice explanations of chemical analysis methods for non-scientists (and showed 3D movies of enzymes to explain how nerve agents and their countermeasures work) in the sessions they helped with as well. The presentations from 2014-2015 have been compiled in the pdf you mentioned www.opcw.org/fileadmin/OPCW/Science_Technology/Diplomats_Programme/Science_for_Diplomats_at_the_OPCW_2014_2015.pdf
In addition to the science for diplomats, I give several presentations every year outlining some basic scientific concepts and science and technology issues that come up at workshops held in The Hague for CWC National Authorities, at a yearly workshop where we welcome new diplomats at OPCW and occasionally for OPCW staff members. Some of these presentations are available on the science for diplomats page of the OPCW website as well. In general, the presentations are designed to be descriptive and highlight concepts rather than dive deeply into the nuts and bolts of a more traditional science lesson, this has been helpful in getting some of the non-technical people to engage in discussion on the topics.
May 10, 2016 - 10:38am — mbishop
PowerPoint files available?
Thanks for the detailed response. I noticed at the beginning of the science for diplomats materials that, "Graphics and materials contained within this document may be freely used elsewhere provided that the material is reproduced verbatim and acnowledgement of its source is made." Is it possible to get the PowerPoint files for your presentations? It would be great to be able to use some of the graphics and photographs in my own presentations for my MIIS class.
May 10, 2016 - 2:27pm — Jonathan Forman
Original Files and Graphics
As only the pdf files are hosted online, best to contact me directly
May 10, 2016 - 6:26pm — mbishop
I made an attempt to figure out how to contact you directly and failed. My email address is mbishop@miis.edu. (My apologies for bothering the rest of you with this personal message.)
May 10, 2016 - 3:14am — Joe Ballard
Thanks for this comment. As a non-scientist myself and an OPCW staff member, I'm really aware of the need to ensure that basic understanding of the science behind CW underpins all of the discussions here. You've pinpointed an area that we could be doing better in our broader outreach. As Jonathan noted, he and his team have developed a really interesting series to help inform the national delegates to the OPCW about these issues, but we haven't really got a more publicly available and consolidated primer. With the help of our new Advisory Board on Education and Outreach, we're going to look to develop our offering in this area, including through a planned revamp of our website. Your suggestion will be really useful in that respect.
Joe Ballard
Chemistry in Conflict
Thanks Bob - The link to the Chemistry in Conflict module was removed from the OPCW pending a revision, as you note - I don't have a timeline on getting it back up again but we'll try to get it back up as soon as possible! It's a great resource that many have already benefited from.
May 11, 2016 - 11:14am — Kristopher Ooms
Users of the educational resources
Thank you for this nice contribution. It is great to see so many educational resources being developed and made available. I have two somewhat related questions.
First I wonder what recources are being developed for the less scientificaly literate audience. I not the previous comments about non-majours and your discussion of "chemistry week", but I am more thinking about OPCW material targeting school age children and those who do not have access to university or college level science courses at all. Are specific resources being developed for these groups of citizens and what is the educational plan for this
Second, which is related, is a question about how the resources are being used. For example, has anyone developed a way to track who is using the multiple uses of chemicals website? Is it university lecturers that are pointing students to the resources? Are citizens finding the recources apart from university level classes and events? Do you know if grade school classes are picking up on the recources?
It strikes me that future resource development would depend on answers to these types of questions.
Thanks again for your great article.
May 11, 2016 - 2:05pm — Alejandra Suárez
Dear Kris:
Regarding the educational resources for high school student, the Chemistry in Conflict book is very useful. Unfortunately it is not available at the moment. You may consider initiatives developed by Mr. Chretien Schouteten, who has a very valuable experience in high school education regarding the topics under consideration. I am not aware about other specific educational material for school age children.
I use some material from the "multiple uses of chemicals website", even to make presentation for high school students, and found it very inspiring and useful. Prof Peter Mahaffy led this joint IUPAC/OPCW project "multiple uses of chemicals", I guess he can provide information about who is using this web page. As far as I noticed from my experience, it will be important to consider "train the trainer courses" to encourage and train teachers and professors to use this and other educational resources related to the CWC.
I am very confident that the new Advisory Board on Education and Outreach of the OPCW will consider some initiatives to develop more educational materials relevant to the CWC for all type of audiences.
May 13, 2016 - 5:08pm — Mckenzie Oliver
Demographic Tracking
Hello Kris and Alejandra,
Thank you Alejandra for this paper, it was a fascinating and thorough summary of many of the issues I have heard mentioned quite consistently over the time I have spent at my university (The King's University). Also, thank you Kris for the comments you have made, you've raised several very important ideas.
Though I did not personally help with creating the Multiple Uses materials, I am a current employee of The King's Center for Visualization in Science, one of the groups that helped develop it. Unfortunately at this time we have not developed any programs that would record this sort of specialized tracking. However, it is an interesting question that you raise. Though these resources were developed with a specific audience in mind, understanding who these resources are actually targeting is a question that needs to be answered before future resources are developed. Demographic tracking is certainly something for resource developers to consider.
May 15, 2016 - 12:32pm — Alejandra Suárez
Dear Mckenzie
I know that the group in your university has a very valuable experience in Multiple Uses materials. I am wondering if there can be other way to continue discussion this topics, share experiences and lessons learned beyond this ConfChem for all the ones interested in this issues.
May 15, 2016 - 1:06pm — confchem
Continued Discussions
Hi Alejandra and all,
If there is an interest in a continued "birds of a feather" discussion people can self-subscribe and continue discussions. At the end of the discussion I unsubscribe the ConfChem list, but if you and others self-subscribe, you can continue the discussion.
There is also the option for an international intercollegiate hybrid course like the Cheminformatics OLCC that we ran in the Fall of 2015 and are organizing for the Spring of 2017, http://olcc.ccce.divched.org/ . On that site we have additional features like file sharing, and the ability to follow both comments and updates to a page, and see who else is following (so you know who is getting an email). The thing is, you have to log in to see anything beyond the paper and the discussion. But we have extended the ConfChem system to enable intercollegiate courses and one of our objectives was to enable projects that students from different campuses could collaborate on. We could easily set one of these up if there was an interest.
May 13, 2016 - 4:39pm — Rachel Hislop-Hook
I enjoyed reading your insights on the importance of education in the multiple uses of chemistry.
As you emphasized, applications of chemistry can be used to harm or benefit humankind and the environment. Raising awareness on this issue can help promote peace.
As an undergraduate student in science, I was wondering what you feel is the best way to educate science students on this topic.
Do you propose that ethical uses of science be more widely integrated into existing course curriculum or do you feel it would be more effective to create a separate course altogether on the Ethics of Science that would be made mandatory to all science majors?
Or alternatively, do you believe this topic be best presented in the form of a discussion in a seminar?
Rachel Hislop-Hook
Hi Alejandra
With my colleagues we considered the different approaches you mentioned to introduce awareness raising about the multiple uses of chemicals. The introduction a new course like Ethics of Science was not the alternative of choice as the chemical curricula is overcrowded, this seems to be the situation in other universities within the country and worldwide.
We decided to make discussion seminars for the first and second year of the career and developed case studies as examples for the exercise certain topics in chemistry. I would like to stress that students had an important involvement in the complementary activities, as we asked them to prepare specific topics regarding the responsible use of chemistry to share with the educational community.
We are also focused on the development of tools to measure of impact of this approach to evaluate the strategy and improve the methodology applied.
At our school there are meetings each month with the participation of professors, undergraduate and graduate students, to discuss academic issues; students always express their strong support to every activity we offer for awareness raising about the multiple uses of chemicals.
We are open to any suggestion of experience you would like to share with us.


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Home Biotechnology Vibrations of coronavirus proteins may play a role in infection
Vibrations of coronavirus proteins may play a role in infection
Study suggests mechanical properties of spike proteins can predict infectivity and lethality of different coronaviruses
Credit: Markus Buehler and Yiwen Hu/MIT
CAMBRIDGE, MA — When someone struggles to open a lock with a key that doesn't quite seem to work, sometimes jiggling the key a bit will help. Now, new research from MIT suggests that coronaviruses, including the one that causes Covid-19, may use a similar method to trick cells into letting the viruses inside. The findings could be useful for determining how dangerous different strains or mutations of coronaviruses may be, and might point to a new approach for developing treatments.
Studies of how spike proteins, which give coronaviruses their distinct crown-like appearance, interact with human cells typically involve biochemical mechanisms, but for this study the researchers took a different approach. Using atomistic simulations, they looked at the mechanical aspects of how the spike proteins move, change shape, and vibrate. The results indicate that these vibrational motions could account for a strategy that coronaviruses use, which can trick a locking mechanism on the cell's surface into letting the virus through the cell wall so it can hijack the cell's reproductive mechanisms.
The team found a strong direct relationship between the rate and intensity of the spikes' vibrations and how readily the virus could penetrate the cell. They also found an opposite relationship with the fatality rate of a given coronavirus. Because this method is based on understanding the detailed molecular structure of these proteins, the researchers say it could be used to screen emerging coronaviruses or new mutations of Covid-19, to quickly assess their potential risk.
The findings, by MIT professor of civil and environmental engineering Markus Buehler and graduate student Yiwen Hu, are being published today in the print edition of the journal Matter after being posted online on October 30.
All the images we see of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are a bit misleading, according to Buehler.
"The virus doesn't look like that," he says, because in reality all matter down at the nanometer scale of atoms, molecules, and viruses "is continuously moving and vibrating. They don't really look like those images in a chemistry book or a website."
Buehler's lab specializes in atom-by-atom simulation of biological molecules and their behavior. As soon as Covid-19 appeared and information about the virus' protein composition became available, Buehler and Hu, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering, swung into action to see if the mechanical properties of the proteins played a role in their interaction with the human body.
The tiny nanoscale vibrations and shape changes of these protein molecules are extremely difficult to observe experimentally, so atomistic simulations are useful in understanding what is taking place. The researchers applied this technique to look at a crucial step in infection, when a virus particle with its protein spikes attaches to a human cell receptor called the ACE2 receptor. Once these spikes bind with the receptor, that unlocks a channel that allows the virus to penetrate the cell.
That binding mechanism between the proteins and the receptors works something like a lock and key, and that's why the vibrations matter, according to Buehler. "If it's static, it just either fits or it doesn't fit," he says. But the protein spikes are not static; "they're vibrating and continuously changing their shape slightly, and that's important. Keys are static, they don't change shape, but what if you had a key that's continuously changing its shape — it's vibrating, it's moving, it's morphing slightly? They're going to fit differently depending on how they look at the moment when we put the key in the lock."
The more the "key" can change, the researchers reason, the likelier it is to find a fit.
Buehler and Hu modeled the vibrational characteristics of these protein molecules and their interactions, using analytical tools such as "normal mode analysis." This method is used to study the way vibrations develop and propagate, by modeling the atoms as point masses connected to each other by springs that represent the various forces acting between them.
They found that differences in vibrational characteristics correlate strongly with the different rates of infectivity and lethality of different kinds of coronaviruses, taken from a global database of confirmed case numbers and case fatality rates. The viruses studied included SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, SATS-CoV-2, and of one known mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is becoming increasingly prevalent around the world. This makes this method a promising tool for predicting the potential risks from new coronaviruses that emerge, as they likely will, Buehler says.
In all the cases they have studied, Hu says, a crucial part of the process is fluctuations in an upward swing of one branch of the protein molecule, which helps make it accessible to bind to the receptor. "That movement is of significant functional importance," she says. Another key indicator has to do with the ratio between two different vibrational motions in the molecule. "We find that these two factors show a direct relationship to the epidemiological data, the virus infectivity and also the virus lethality," she says.
The correlations they found mean that when new viruses or new mutations of existing ones appear, "you could screen them from a purely mechanical side," Hu says. "You can just look at the fluctuations of these spike proteins and find out how they may act on the epidemiological side, like how infectious and how serious would the disease be."
Potentially, these findings could also provide a new avenue for research on possible treatments for Covid-19 and other coronavirus diseases, Buehler says, speculating that it might be possible to find a molecule that would bind to the spike proteins in a way that would stiffen them and limit their vibrations. Another approach might be to induce opposite vibrations to cancel out the natural ones in the spikes, similarly to the way noise-canceling headphones suppress unwanted sounds.
As biologists learn more about the various kinds of mutations taking place in coronaviruses, and identify which areas of the genomes are most subject to change, this methodology could also be used predictively, Buehler says. The most likely kinds of mutations to emerge could all be simulated, and those that have the most dangerous potential could be flagged so that the world could be alerted to watch for any signs of the actual emergence of those particular strains. Buehler adds, "The G614 mutation, for instance, that is currently dominating the Covid-19 spread around the world, is predicted to be slightly more infectious, according to our findings, and slightly less lethal."
The research was supported by the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, the Office of Naval Research, and the National Institutes of Health.
s_mcd@mit.edu
https://news.mit.edu/2020/vibrations-coronavirus-proteins-1119
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.matt.2020.10.032
Biomedical/Environmental/Chemical Engineering
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Guest post by Chris Long at Home Depot: At some point, we've all done it – we've gone on vacation and said "forget about it!" when it comes to being careful about indulging in everyday luxuries. We've cranked the thermostat as far as it would go, we've taken extra-long showers, and we've left the lights on in every room even when we're not there. Because, heck, we've already paid for the rental, so we might as well use it, right?
This "vacation waste" mentality is the bane of most vacation home owners' existence. And not only does this attitude drive up the cost of renting the home for future vacationers, it's also a strain on the local environment and your own pocket.
But how do you curb this mentality without impinging on your renters' stays? By giving your house the ability to do some of the saving for you.
The biggest wastes in terms of electricity in a vacation home are lights, electronics and temperature. But there are ways to cut down on all of these without your renters even noticing. In fact, if they do notice, they might consider it an upgrade.
While installing an entire smart home package can get pretty pricy, you can selectively install smart home elements without incurring the total smart home cost. Take your rental home's lights. If you're having problems with renters leaving them on at all hours of the day and night, even when they're not there, you can cut down on these electrical drains by installing intelligent switch controls.
place the device on a schedule that you can alter as needed.
Additionally, you can control the switches wirelessly, so once your renters leave, you can switch all of the connected devices off with the click of a button on your smartphone. WeMo switches can be purchased by the piece, too, so you can install them one at a time, as needed, instead of purchasing an entire system.
Traditional water heaters work by keeping a tank of water heated at all times in an insulated storage container. Maintaining the heat of up to 80 gallons of water on a constant basis can be a big drain on your electrical or gas usage. Instead, consider installing an energy-efficient tankless hot water heater. By heating water only on demand, you cut down not only on those "standby losses" incurred from storage water heaters, but you also help to ensure a steady supply of hot water.
As an added bonus, most homeowners can get a tax credit for installing a tankless hot water heater.
Thermostats make up half of your home's energy expenditure. But instead of putting a lock on your thermostat or letting renters crank the temperature to ridiculous settings, let your thermostat do the work by intelligently keeping the house at just the right temperature. The Nest thermostat is a great example of intelligent temperature control. Another device that you can control wirelessly from your smartphone, the Nest learns from its surroundings, determining how long it takes to bring certain rooms up to the ideal temperature and adjusting power usage so that you can set it to maximize energy efficiency without affecting comfort levels.
Low-flow fixtures are the best way to cut down on abundant water usage without cutting down on comfort. By using a combination of aeration and water pressure, low-flow showerheads, for example, can mimic the luxury of a standard showerhead while using up to three times less water. You can also install low-flow faucets and low-flow toilets without impacting the luxuriousness of your home.
For a quick water usage fix, you can also place filled water bottles in toilet tanks to cut down on the amount of water used with each flush.
Cutting down on electrical and water costs in your vacation home doesn't mean cutting down on your renters' experience. A few adjustments, and some intelligent electronics here and there, can go a long way toward making a vacation rental easier not only on the environment but on your wallet, as well.
Chris Long is a store associate at a Home Depot in the Chicago area. He has been helping customers on DIY plumbing projects since 2000. Chris also provides advice on water heaters and plumbing fixtures for the Home Depot website.
Find supplies for these home projects and more at the Home Depot in Hyannis.
While in concept the idea of lights switching themselves on and off is a good one in theory, I find that it becomes most annoying when after a moment we need to do the light wave periodically. This is especially so when I am writing quietly and then must jump up in order to get the light back on. It becomes a 7th-ining stretch exercise.


Leeds United boss Garry Monk has hit out at Charlie Taylor's advisors after the young defender refused to play against Wigan on Sunday.
The 23-year-old full-back is out of contract in the summer, and has been linked with moves away from Elland Road all season, with West Brom, Burnley and Bournemouth Premier League clubs reportedly interested.
Taylor refused to play against the Latics, in which a 1-1 draw finally ended any dreams Leeds had of a play-off spot, and he now looks closer to the exit door than ever before.
Taylor has grown up at Leeds, having been in the academy since he was nine years old, and after making his debut in 2011, has gone on to make over 104 first-team appearances.
Last summer, he told the club he was not interested in opening talks on a new deal, and had a transfer request rejected in August as he tried to force through a move before the window slammed shut.
With Gaetano Berardi and Luke Ayling comfortable at left-back, Taylor's departure might not be a huge blow to Leeds fans, but their boss is still bitterly disappointed with the whole episode.
"I understand he's very young, and we've tried to help him and guide him from within, but it's very difficult to get him fully committed," Monk said.


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Now on to the serious stuff…My photographic journey started when I was just 8 years old when my Uncle Jim gave me a very nice Olympus rangefinder camera. Even before that, I was an enthusiast. My family photographed, developed and projected everything. With all the vivid colors of Kodachrome 64 captured by advanced amateur photographers on Nikon and Rolleiflex cameras, I saw memories come back to life. It was captivating then and has driven me since.
Raised in the arts, both musical and visual, I had an insatiable appetite for knowledge and the desire to put into play all that I could learn. In my first career as a musician then recording studio engineer, or now as a professional photographer, I can never know enough about the medium that I am involved in. My learning process is ongoing and enjoyable.
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Sports enthusiasts everywhere have a new reason to shout! Creatable Inflatables recently built an awesome, custom 20 x 40 LA Dodgers Misting Tent. Say goodbye to long, sweaty hours of unbearable heat waiting in line. With a cool 20 x 40 Misting Tent the cool mist and shade will combat the elements while you enjoy the cool mist on your face. Companies have found this product especially useful because it performs on several levels; it cools guests, the custom tent with logo and graphics promotes their team, and provides shade from the relentless sun. When attendees are comfortable and they are their experienced is enhanced then, they are likely to return to a venue and continue to build a tradition with their families surrounding successful events. Creatable Inflatables is proud to be a part of building successful relationships and your superior products.