comment The importance of storytelling in chemical education Storytelling can be a powerful educational tool to help address equity in the chemical sciences. Sibrina N. Collins magine a chemistry professor leading stories using the molecules or systems a laboratory discussion with a group that we choose to investigate; why not Iof students about organic esters, those tell the stories of the chemists behind the carboxylic acid derivatives that are so compounds too — such as that of Ball while important for many societal needs. While discussing organic esters — ensuring that talking through their practical applications, everyone’s contributions are captured? the professor shares an image of a young A few years ago, in American Scientist, African American chemist named Alice Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann pondered Augusta Ball and tells the students about on the importance of scientific storytelling her contributions to chemistry, medicine in research articles4. Conducting a literary and society. In the early twentieth century, analysis of, as an example, the first report Ball developed the first viable treatment for of Taxol synthesis in 1994, Hoffman writes, leprosy (also known as Hansen’s disease) “Note the dual protagonist of this tale: the by successfully synthesizing ethyl esters molecule to be sure, and the chemists who from extracts of chaulmoogra tree seed oil. made it.” He also emphasizes “Science has Chaulmoogra seed oil had been used as a stories to it. Scientists shape these stories, remedy against this terrible disease with and the protagonists of these stories need mixed results — the oil was thick and not not be human. These narrative qualities are particularly soluble in water, which meant not only important to composing research that injections of it were painful (causing papers, but also to effective teaching.” blisters and abscesses) and rather inefficient. Indeed, both Ball and the organic esters Ball’s breakthrough was to convert the active are protagonists in the tale that led to a ingredients, long-chain carboxylic acids, Credit: Giulia Lampis treatment for leprosy. into esters that could be injected in patients As much as I love being an inorganic much more easily, resulting in much higher chemist and enjoyed my studies in this therapeutic success rates1. field, I never saw myself reflected in the To further emphasize Ball’s scientific the fields of history and history of chemical sciences while pursuing my contributions, in addition to mentioning science, I wrote about her story2. This education — I rarely saw images of Black her highly unusual position — she was both led to a collaboration with Marie Anne chemists in textbooks or anywhere else the first African American and the first Torres-Lopez in 2019. While studying media throughout the chemistry curriculum. An woman to become a chemistry instructor at communications at Lawrence Technological important goal of my teaching philosophy the College of Hawaii (now the University University, leading a team of students, as a chemistry professor was to change that of Hawaii) — the professor highlights that Torres-Lopez wrote, directed and produced in my classroom. I wanted to incorporate leprosy was, at the time, a serious public a powerful 30-minute documentary storytelling in the curriculum to broaden health crisis. The challenges in developing entitled Women Untold, which includes the image of a chemist for all the students therapeutics to treat it were perhaps not Ball’s story3. Prior to a laboratory exercise enrolled on my courses. too dissimilar to the current issues we face focused on organic esters, I would suggest Although a wide variety of anecdotes with COVID-19. Unfortunately, Ball died at that chemistry professors encourage their can be associated with class content, the young age of 24. She didn’t see the full students to watch the film, not only to grasp my approach to storytelling in chemical impact of her scientific contributions and the importance of esters, but also to inspire education really focuses on addressing society also missed out on any advances that students to share their own experiences equity in the field. Ball’s story is just one would have come from her further work. about overcoming barriers in life. In this example; that of Marie Maynard Daly is Yet, beyond Ball’s chemical and medical manner, chemistry students would be given equally fascinating5. Daly is the first African legacy, one way her story can continue the opportunity to incorporate their own American woman to have earned a PhD in to be impactful is simply by being shared stories in chemical education. chemistry in the United States (Columbia widely — this shouldn’t be overlooked. The problem is that few chemistry University, 1947) — and yes, that historical Imagine the effect of sharing Ball’s story faculty teach in this way and they often miss ‘first’ is compelling in itself. She investigated with chemistry students, particularly women the opportunity to intertwine classroom the critical relationship between cholesterol and students of colour. content with the stories and intellectual and heart attacks in the 1950s, which is I was fascinated by Ball’s scientific achievements of women and chemists of still very relevant in today’s society. Daly’s accomplishments, and because I adore colour. Chemists can tell very compelling story could certainly be incorporated in the NATURE CHEMISTRY | VOL 13 | JANUARY 2021 | 1–2 | www.nature.com/naturechemistry 1 comment chemistry curriculum with content focused scientific arguments. All of the students took popular movie is an excellent resource for on steroid chemistry, along with that of part in a role-playing exercise, acting as the student engagement and teaching, from organic chemist Percy Lavon Julian, whose researchers involved in the story, proposing trends of the periodic table, to the behaviour brilliant contributions to birth control and points and counter-points. Compared to of transition metals, to relativistic effects18. treatments for arthritis and glaucoma have what is illustrated in most textbooks, the How can chemistry professors engage had lasting impacts. Imagine an organic exercise conveyed a more diverse image of their students more effectively in the chemistry curriculum that features the who can be a chemist. I was tremendously classroom and beyond? Simply by telling stories of Ball, Daly and Julian! That’s proud of these young chemistry majors for compelling stories about compounds, powerful storytelling, poised to not only their level of engagement and effort. chemists and even fictional science. Effective draw the attention of chemistry students to At other times, it is a molecule that storytelling in chemical education is the scientific importance of the compounds takes centre stage and grabs the attention important and matters. Imagine a chemistry discussed, but also to address equity in of a chemist. The motivation for my own curriculum that was truly inclusive and chemical education6. research was cisplatin, an anticancer celebrated the intellectual achievements of As an inorganic chemistry professor drug widely used against various types of everyone. Now, that would be a compelling teaching at a predominately undergraduate tumours12,13. Together with my students story. The chemistry community can do institution (PUI) in the Midwestern region and research collaborators, I focused on so much better. ❐ of the USA, I shared the story of Gregory H. developing metal-based therapeutics Robinson in the classroom with third-year for treating lung cancer. What I found Sibrina N. Collins ✉ chemistry majors. Robinson is an inorganic fascinating about the story of cisplatin (or Te Marburger STEM Center, Lawrence chemistry professor who, in 1997, published cis-diamminedichloroplatinum(ii)) is that it Technological University, Southfeld, MI, USA. a ground-breaking paper on the first was first reported14 in literature in 1844, by ✉e-mail: [email protected] ferrogallyne — a compound containing an the Italian chemist Michele Peyrone, yet it iron–gallium triple bond — while I was would be over a century before its anticancer Published online: 22 December 2020 a graduate student in the Department of behaviour was discovered and subsequently https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-020-00617-7 Chemistry at The Ohio State University7. described15 in 1965. Its antitumour activity References That same year, the group led by Robinson was discovered accidentally by US-based 1. Wermager, P. & Heltzl, C. Chem. Matters 25, 16–19 (2007). also reported a compound that contained a researchers Rosenberg, Van Camp and 2. Collins, S. N. Alice Augusta Ball: chemical drug pioneer. Undark gallium–gallium triple bond8. This discovery Krigas while they were investigating the role Magazine https://go.nature.com/AliceAugustaBall (2016). 3. Torres-Lopez, M. A. et al. Women Untold. Youtube https:// was widely challenged in the inorganic of electric currents on cell division using go.nature.com/YoutubeWomenUntold (2019). 9 chemistry community , focusing on the fact Escherichia coli cells in ammonium chloride 4. Hofmann, R. Te tensions of scientifc storytelling. Am. Sci. that no triple bonds between these elements buffer with platinum electrodes16. This truly https://doi.org/10.1511/2014.109.250 (2014). 5. Collins, S. N. Unsung: Marie Maynard Daly. Undark Magazine had previously been reported. No formal fascinating development makes cisplatin an https://go.nature.com/MarieMaynardDaly (2017). consensus was reached at the time; in 1999, interesting protagonist in drug discovery 6. O’Brien, A. T. Percy L. Julian: ‘forever fght to keep hope alive!’ Robinson specifically described the Ga–Ga stories to be shared with chemistry students. Chem. Eng. News https://go.nature.com/PercyLJulian (2007). 7. Su, J., Li, X.-W., Crittendon, R. C., Campana, C. F. & interaction as “two weak donor–acceptor Storytelling does not have to be limited Robinson, G. H. Organometallics 16, 4511–4513 (1997). 10 bonds and one π-bond” . This episode had to compounds and people, we can also use 8. Su, J., Li, X.-W., Crittendon, R. C.