Chemistry 2.0 Creating Online Communities
by Javier Garcia-Martinez nels of communication to share information. In other cases, it means creating opportunities for them to ow things have changed since we were kids. share and create content that is useful for them. Doing Nowadays, teenagers spend almost as much so, will allow students to discover their own passions Htime watching TV as using social networking and share their own interests with kids from all around websites, technology that did not exist just a few the world. years ago. More precisely, accordingly to a survey of According to one study, students using the web 2.0 over 1200 students organized by the National School have excellent communication, creativity, collabora- Boards Association in the USA, 9- to 17-year olds in the tion, and leadership skills and technology proficiency.1 USA spend 10 hours a week watching TV compared to Their natural interest in new technologies makes them 9 hours a week on web-based social networking activ- ideal candidates to learn and share more about science ities. However, when our kids network online, they are and technology. Many educational institutions realize much more active and innovative—creating content, that using the web 2.0 they can reach this targeted sharing information, and blogging—than when they audience. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology watch TV.1 has put 1900 courses online. Hundreds of videos and additional educational material can be downloaded This generation is totally into the web. In the USA, for free as part of the MIT OpenCourseWare initiative an astonishing 96 percent of students who have online launched in 2002. iTunes U, part of Apple’s iTunes access report that they have used social network- Store, launched in 2007, already has over 75 000 files ing technologies. Fairly new technologies, such as from universities from all around the world available to chatting, text messaging, blogging, Facebook, and download for free. And of course, there is Wikipedia, MySpace, are part of the daily lives of the kids who 15 million articles written collaboratively by volunteers fill our classes. And it’s not all about sharing music or around the world, which has changed the way we organizing a plan for next weekend. Nearly 60 per- share and look for information. cent of our students use social networking to discuss Additionally, professional chemical associations education-related topics, and more than 50 percent such as the American Chemical Society (ACS) or specifically discuss schoolwork to support their edu- the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) have created a cation.1 wonderful set of web 2.0 initiatives. On 15 March 2010, Recognizing the potential risks of irresponsible use the ACS Mobile Application “ACS Mobile” became of the web, there is great potential in the new social available on Apple’s iTunes store. The new application networking technologies to reach our kids using their provides readers with a live stream of peer-reviewed own language and help them find their own interests. research content from across the spectrum of ACS In many cases, this simply consists of using their chan- journals right in their cell phones. More recently, Molecule of the Week, a popular feature on the ACS website since 2001, has been launched as a Mobile From Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 App. A new molecule is delivered to subscribers’ The term web 2.0 is typically used to define a new generation of websites iPhones each week for them to guess what each mol- characterized by community content creation, user-centered design, and ecule is, based on an image and the clue supplied. interactive collaboration. Some typical web 2.0 applications include social- Both the ACS and its flagship journal, the Journal networking sites, wikis, and blogs. The web 2.0 is based on the goal of moving of the American Chemical Society (JACS) are now on from a web-as-information-source to a web-as-participation platform in an Facebook, both with thousands of followers. These effort to build a more participatory web. According to Wikipedia, “A web 2.0 sites are regularly used to announce events, hold dis- site allows its users to interact with other users or to change website content, cussions, and provide breaking news, making them in contrast to noninteractive websites where users are limited to the passive probably the fastest and most up-to-the-minute way viewing of information that is provided to them.” to know what is going on in chemistry. But there is much more, the JACS beta site is a truly web 2.0 expe-
4 CHEMISTRY International July-August 2010 Chemistry 2.0 Creating Online Communities rience, with podcasts, mobile applications, and online problems” can be found on its website for anyone to interviews about new chemical discoveries, published solve. For example, if you manage to come with an weekly. environmentally friendly method for converting a di- The Royal Society of Chemistry also has a won- olefin to a mono-alcohol, a cash award of USD 10 000 derful set of web 2.0 initiatives, like the RSC and awaits you. For those posting the challenge, called the Chemistry World blogs. Personally, I am a big fan of “seekers,” there are greater benefits. For a relatively its podcast on the chemical elements, Chemistry in modest amount of money, they can get hundreds of its Element, as I am of Distillations, the “extracts from minds thinking about an innovative solution. Some the past, present, and future of chemistry” from the of their challenges have over 1000 active “solvers” Chemical Heritage Foundation. thinking about how to crack the problem. Of course, Nature.com is another excellent web 2.0 site. Nature the number and quality of the “solvers” are of critical Network is probably the best example of the use of importance. That is why InnoCentive has teamed up social networking technologies to connect scientists. with Nature Publishing Group to offer its readers the Whereas, Nature Chemistry’s blog, The Sceptical opportunity to participate in research and develop- Chymist, is one of the best of many blogs on chemis- ment challenges through an online platform called try that are available today, including the very popular Open Innovation Pavilion. There are many other open CENtral Science of Chemical and Engineering News. innovation companies, each one with its own char- [email protected] brings together all of the acteristics and focus, like NineSigma, Starmind, yet2. chemistry content from Nature Publishing Group in com, MillionBrains, and Tekscout, One Billion Minds, one place. A unique resource mainly for the academic PRESANS, and Innoget, among others. chemistry community, this attractive site effectively Even well-established large chemical companies integrates various services such as chemistry news, like Procter & Gamble are now fully engaged in online research highlights, blog posts, and podcasts in one open innovation: 50 percent of product initiatives at single place. the company already involve significant collaboration But online social networking also can be used to with outside innovators. Now, they are asking every- solve problems, really big problems. InnoCentive is a one to become their “partner of choice” for solving global innovation marketplace, and a great example their R&D challenges, which range from polymers of open-innovation, where creative minds solve some to cosmetics, by participating in their P&G Connect of the world’s most important problems for cash + Develop web portal. As stated in its presentation awards up to USD 1 million. Hundreds of “challenge video: “click the link below and open the door.”
The Periodic Table of the Web 2.0.
CHEMISTRY International July-August 2010 5 Chemistry 2.0
Sure, the academic and professional community element. The University of Greenwich Department of has plenty of web-based resources, and the institu- Chemistry probably has the most popular Facebook tions and publishers behind them are quickly expand- group dedicated to chemistry, with more than 11 000 ing their online followers who share services as they news, discussions, attract more well- and future events targeted costumers. about chemistry. Not Unfortunately, there bad at all. are fewer high-quality The beauty and educational 2.0 web- novelty of web 2.0 sites for students, over conventional who are actually the sources of informa- ones who use the net- tion is that the con- working sites more tent is collectively frequently. A good created by its users. example of the great Nowhere is this potential of high- more obvious than quality and enter- in Wikipedia, a web- taining content is the based, collaborative, series of YouTube multilingual encyclo- videos called Periodic pedia project built by Videos, a collection of millions of volunteers. short videos, originally on the elements of the Periodic The Wikipedia Chemistry Portal, created by people Table but now also on useful or just curious molecules who share a common passion for chemistry, contains and other chemical-related topics, made by a team feature articles, selected biographies, news, and plenty of chemists from Nottingham University. This effort is of information about chemical techniques, chemical led by Martyn Poliakoff, who is a fairly popular figure databases, and online resources. now, since his videos have been seen over 8 million Most of us were attracted to chemistry because times. Periodic Videos is now a truly 2.0 platform, of the colors, explosions, and surprises of chemical with its own website and YouTube channel, a great demonstrations. Unfortunately, many students do not behind-the-scenes blog, a Facebook group, and, of have access to such wonderful experiences. The web course, a Twitter presence, with hundreds of followers. now has excellent online resources, with stunning vid- Unsurprisingly, many of them are quite young and pas- eos and safe demonstrations for the classroom. Some sionate about chemistry. Just the right audience, con- of the experiments can even be safely performed nected with the click of a mouse, all sharing content, at home. The websites Chemistry Comes Alive!, of interests, and common projects. the Journal of Chemical Education, and Delights of As part of the 2009 U.S. National Chemistry Week, Chemistry, of the Leeds University Department of the American Chemical Society’s Division of Chemical Chemistry, are just two great examples of how to Education started a nationwide project on Facebook attract students and create enthusiasm for chemistry to build public awareness and interest in the peri- among the next generation through online videos of odic table through the “Become a fan” feature of chemical demonstrations. Facebook.2 The organizers of this initiative asked stu- Many traditional chemistry demonstrations can dents to support their favorite element of the Periodic be found in Classical Chemical Experiments, a book Table. More than 7 000 students joined the project. from the RSC that can be downloaded for free from Regardless of which element won the competition, and LearnNet, an RSC website for teachers and students of yes, it was carbon, this was an extraordinary opportu- chemistry at all levels. This website provides access to nity for thousands of students to revisit the Periodic products and resources, most of them available for free. Table, learn more about the properties of the chemical A number of virtual chemistry labs offer inter- elements, and delve into the wonders of their favorite activity and web 2.0 content. The Virtual Lab of
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2.0 opportunities for the 2011 IYC over 545 million cell phones and it is estimated that by 2015 there will be over a billion.3,4 Both the cell phone The three goals of the 2011 IYC, namely i) increase the public appreciation and internet providers know this and are working of chemistry in meeting world needs, ii) encourage interest in chemistry together to change the way we use our cell phones. among young people, and iii) generate enthusiasm for the creative future of Content providers are working quickly to make sure chemistry have in common the need to reach a large audience, mostly young they also show up on the screens of our smart phones. people. Coordinating and promoting this effort is really where the web 2.0 As mentioned before, the professional chemical asso- can help by providing a large and inclusive platform, efficient networking ciations and many universities are providing applica- tools, and enabling technologies for everybody to contribute. It is the perfect tions for smart phones (apps) that complement their tool to encourage people to participate; they can spontaneously self-organize online offerings. This is a new and increasingly more in groups of interest, share ideas, and post them for everyone to know about. important platform through which to promote science This is exactly what chemistry2011.org is trying to do with the National among the youth and increase public appreciation of Nodes and the Participation area, where everyone can share ideas, post chemistry. As Chemistry World recently stated “Mobile chemistry has arrived.” And it has done so with excel- activities, or announce events. There are more than 1000 members already lent apps for publishers, educators, and students, such registered, who have contributed dozens of ideas. But there is much more as online journals, study guides, chemical calculators, that can be done to make the site a truly web 2.0 experience. Perhaps a video databases, and much more.5 welcoming all visitors and asking for ideas and their active participation, The web is a huge and user-friendly source of interviews with famous scientists supporting the IYC, news, podcasts, a blog, quickly updated content, but more important, it is and links to social networking sites. a great platform for interacting with people sharing Last summer, I conducted an experiment to check the potential of social common interests. What better place for education to networking sites to reach young people from all around the world. I opened a occur. The web doesn’t substitute for the invaluable Facebook group on the International Year of Chemistry, and I sent a message personal interaction between teacher and student, to my Facebook friends asking them to join. After a week, there were already but it does open up new opportunities that, without more than 100 members; today the group has almost 1000. Most of them I being a silver bullet, should be added to our ammuni- have never met. Many are college students, some even younger. We share tion to increase public understanding and appreciation of chemistry, especially among the new generation of information, videos, ideas, and an excitement for chemistry, and the group is scientists and technologists. quickly growing as we get closer to the beginning of the year 2011. References 1. Creating & Connecting: Research and Guidelines on Oxford University, launched eight years ago, contains Online Social—and Educational—Networking. National interactive organic mechanisms, a virtual laboratory School Boards Association. 2007. 2. a) Groat, R.K.; Jacobsen, E.K. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, (LabChem), and many chemical demonstrations. 1168 and b) Groat, R.K.; Jacobsen, E.K. J. Chem. Educ. For those of us who love the periodic table, 2010, 87, 237. WebElements.com is a must-visit site. The site is not 3. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, www.trai.gov.in, only an inexhaustible source of information about the Press Release No. 79/2009, New Delhi, (23/12/2009). chemical elements and their main compounds, but 4. “India to Have ‘Billion Plus’ Mobile Users by 2015: also an excellent source for news on everything related Executive,” Economic Times. Retrieved 18 Nov. 2009. to chemistry through the WebElements Nexus. In 5. “Mobile Chemistry—Chemistry in Your Hands and in addition, the site showcases books on chemistry, and Your Face,” www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/Issues/2010/ much more, like T-shirts, mugs, games, and posters for May/MobileChemistryChemistryHandsFace.asp, Royal periodic table maniacs. Society of Chemistry (14/06/2010). Sure, all of this is great, but not everybody has access to a computer. What about those living in Javier García-Martínez
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