NUDGE: IMPROVING DECISIONS ABOUT HEALTH, WEALTH, AND HAPPINESS by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein Penguin Books, 2009, 312 pp, ISBN 978-0-14-311526-7This book is best described formally as a general explanation of and advocacy for libertarian paternalism, a term coined by the authors in earlier publications. Informally, it is about how leaders, systems, organizations, and governments can nudge people to do the things the nudgers want and need done for the betterment of the nudgees, or of society. It is paternalism in the sense that "it is legitimate for choice architects to try to influence people's behavior in order to make their lives longer, healthier, and better", (p. 5) It is libertarian in that "people should be free to do what they like - and to opt out of undesirable arrangements if they want to do so", (p. 5) The built-in possibility of opting out or making a different choice preserves freedom of choice even though people's behavior has been influenced by the nature of the presentation of the information or by the structure of the decisionmaking system. I had never heard of libertarian paternalism before reading this book, and I now find it fascinating.Written for a general audience, this book contains mostly social and behavioral science theory and models, but there is considerable discussion of structure and process that has roots in mathematical and quantitative modeling. One of the main applications of this social system is economic choice in investing, selecting and purchasing products and services, systems of taxes, banking (mortgages, borrowing, savings), and retirement systems. Other quantitative social choice systems discussed include environmental effects, health care plans, gambling, and organ donations. Softer issues that are also subject to a nudge-based approach are marriage, education, eating, drinking, smoking, influence, spread of information, and politics. There is something in this book for everyone.The basis for this libertarian paternalism concept is in the social theory called "science of choice", the study of the design and implementation of influence systems on various kinds of people. The terms Econs and Humans, are used to refer to people with either considerable or little rational decision-making talent, respectively. The various libertarian paternalism concepts and systems presented are tested and compared in light of these two types of people. Two foundational issues that this book has in common with another book, Network of Echoes: Imitation, Innovation and Invisible Leaders, that was also reviewed for this issue of the Journal are that 1 ) there are two modes of thinking (or components of the brain) - an automatic (intuitive) process and a reflective (rational) process and 2) the need for conformity and the desire for imitation are powerful forces in human behavior. …

Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness

Merchants of Doubt. How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming

Some of the most pressing problems currently facing chemical education throughout the world are rehearsed. It is suggested that if the notion of "context" is to be used as the basis for an address to these problems, it must enable a number of challenges to be met. Four generic models of "context" are identified that are currently used or that may be used in some form within chemical education as the basis for curriculum design. It is suggested that a model based on physical settings, together with their cultural justifications, and taught with a socio-cultural perspective on learning, is likely to meet those challenges most fully. A number of reasons why the relative efficacies of these four models of approaches cannot be evaluated from the existing research literature are suggested. Finally, an established model for the representation of the development of curricula is used to discuss the development and evaluation of context-based chemical curricula.

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On the Nature of “Context” in Chemical Education

We analyze the evolution of the scientific consensus on anthropogenic global warming (AGW) in the peer-reviewed scientific literature, examining 11 944 climate abstracts from 1991–2011 matching the topics 'global climate change' or 'global warming'. We find that 66.4% of abstracts expressed no position on AGW, 32.6% endorsed AGW, 0.7% rejected AGW and 0.3% were uncertain about the cause of global warming. Among abstracts expressing a position on AGW, 97.1% endorsed the consensus position that humans are causing global warming. In a second phase of this study, we invited authors to rate their own papers. Compared to abstract ratings, a smaller percentage of self-rated papers expressed no position on AGW (35.5%). Among self-rated papers expressing a position on AGW, 97.2% endorsed the consensus. For both abstract ratings and authors' self-ratings, the percentage of endorsements among papers expressing a position on AGW marginally increased over time. Our analysis indicates that the number of papers rejecting the consensus on AGW is a vanishingly small proportion of the published research. 2013 Environ. Res. Lett. 8 024024

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Quantifying the consensus on anthropogenic global warming in the scientific literature

This retrospective cohort study characterizes how interest in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) careers changes during high school for more than 6,000 students in a representative national sample of 34 two- and four-year colleges taking mandatory college English courses. Overall, large gender differences in career plans were found, with males showing far more interest particularly in engineering, whereas females were more attracted to careers in health and medicine during their high school years. The key factor predicting STEM career interest at the end of high school was interest at the start of high school. There was an additional effect of gender, indicating both a lower retention of STEM career interest among females and a greater difficulty in attracting females to STEM fields during high school. During the high school years, the percentage of males interested in a STEM career remained stable (from 39.5 to 39.7), whereas for females it declined from 15.7 to 12.7. The students' initial specific (disciplinary) career interests were found to influence the stability of their interest in a STEM career, with those interested in physics careers at the start of high school having the highest retention in STEM. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 96:411–427, 2012

Stability and volatility of STEM career interest in high school: a gender study

0 Chemistry for a Sustainable Future 1 The Air We Breathe 2 Protecting the Ozone Layer 3 The Chemistry of Global Climate Change 4 Energy from Combustion 5 Water for Life 6 Neutralizing the Threat of Acid Rain 7 The Fires of Nuclear Fission 8 Energy from Electron Transfer 9 The World of Polymers and Plastics 10 Manipulating Molecules and Designing Drugs 11 Nutrition: Food for Thought 12 Genetic Engineering and the Molecules of Life Appendixes Appendix 1: Measure for Measure - Conversion Factors and Constants Appendix 2: The Power of Exponents Appendix 3: Clearing the Logjam Appendix 4: Answers to Your Turn Questions Not Answered in the Text Appendix 5: Answers to Selected End-of-Chapter Questions

Chemistry in Context: Applying Chemistry to Society

Greenhouse gases from human activities are causing climate change, creating risks for people around the globe. Behaviors involving transportation, diet, energy use, and purchasing drive greenhouse gas emissions, but are also related to health and well-being, providing opportunity for co-benefits. Replacing shorter automobile trips with walking or cycling, or eating plants rather than animals, for example, may increase personal health, while also reducing environmental impact. Mindfulness-based practices have been shown to enhance a variety of health outcomes, but have not been adapted towards environmental purposes. We designed the Mindful Climate Action (MCA) curriculum to help people improve their health while simultaneously lowering their carbon footprints. Combining mindfulness-based practices with the Stages of Change theory, the MCA program aims to: (1) improve personal health and well-being; (2) decrease energy use; (3) reduce automobile use; (4) increase active transport; (5) shift diet towards plant-based foods; and (6) reduce unnecessary purchasing. Mindfulness practices will foster attentional awareness, openness, and response flexibility, supporting positive behavior change. We plan to test MCA in a randomized controlled trial, with rigorous assessment of targeted outcomes. Our long-term goal is to refine and adapt the MCA program to a variety of audiences, in order to enhance public health and environmental sustainability.

Mindful Climate Action: Health and Environmental Co-Benefits from Mindfulness-Based Behavioral Training

This paper will examine feminist pedagogy, and relate it to the teaching and learning of chemistry. More correctly, one should refer to feminist pedagogies, as this scholarship is evolving and is a topic for continual debate. Such approaches can benefit all students, not just women.

What Is Feminist Pedagogy? Useful Ideas for Teaching Chemistry

Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities (SENCER) is a national dissemination project for courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. SENCER courses connect science and civic engagement by teaching through complex, contested, current, and unresolved public issues to the underlying scientific principles. This paper describes two chemistry courses for non-majors that are based on the SENCER principles, and lists the full array of SENCER model courses that were developed through the project. It also describes the challenges instructors face in designing a SENCER course, setting and assessing the goals of the course, and in teaching for civic engagement.

Chemistry, Society, and Civic Engagement (Part 1): The SENCER Project

Engagement (n): An act of promising, committing, becoming engrossed, occupied, interlocked, enmeshed, entangled, or otherwise involved. What engages students? And what engages faculty in engaging them? Both of these questions need our attention as we consider how and why we should teach. The stakes are high. If students do not engage, they are unlikely to learn. And if we do not engage, we are unlikely to engage our students. Furthermore, if we do not engage, we miss out on opportunities to learn ourselves. Thus, the engagement of all involved in the teaching and learning processes would seem to be a worthy and mutually beneficial goal. Worthy or not, engagement is no simple process. It involves the commitment of self and energy from students and instructors. And even with such a commitment, engagement may remain an elusive goal. These observations serve as the rationale for the assertion made in the title; namely, that engagement is an art. Engaging one's students is not simply a matter of dutifully following a set of rules. Rather, like any art, engagement requires creatiNity and must be developed and continually practiced. In short, the art of engagement is worthy of reflection and study over the entire span of one's teaching career. A Philosophy of Engagement I teach a large general chemistry course for non-science majors. In my experience, these students are smart, multitalented, and themselves engaging, although occasionally a bit science-phobic. Recently, a student from this course e-mailed me: After taking the final today, I realized how great it felt to take a test after learning about things that I really care about. I never wanted to take chemistry in college-I came into this class thinking of it as nothing more then a prerequisite. But you changed something for me. What changed for this student? Although several explanations are possible, I propose that at some level, she engaged. As is common for many nonmajors in our science courses, she was not taking the class by choice. Yet something changed her mind, and many others over the years have echoed similar sentiments. My students are diverse. In terms of their area of study, just over a third are from the College of Letters and Science, and many have yet to declare a major. Another group (20 percent) is from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, including majors such as biological aspects of conservation and agricultural journalism. Nurses are required to take one semester of chemistry early in their program and usually elect this course. Elementary education majors also often elect this course and co-enroll in a learning community designed to help them prepare chemistry activities for their future classrooms. No matter which areas of study students bring, these are an asset for me to tap. In exploring the complexities of real-world problems, the prior knowledge, interests, and experiences of students serve as a resource for classroom interactions. As my colleague Conrad Stanitski from the University of Central Arkansas once cautioned. 'Don't let your students park their majors at the door." My students also enroll in large numbers, that is, 150 to 300 each semester. In the spring, the number is lower, presumably because of the timing of the course with respect to their major. In either semester, the course carries five credits and has no math prerequisite. The course meets three times a week for lecture, twice for small discussion sections with a graduate teaching assistant (TA), and once weekly for lab. My role includes both engaging the students in the lecture component of the course and creating an atmosphere in which the TAs can most readily engage the students in the other activities of the course. Engagement in Content Finding a "content hook" is one way to engage students in their study of chemistry. To be successful finding a hook, you must know your audience, know your subject, and find a connection that strategically brings the two together. …

Catherine Hurt Middlecamp

Papers

Chemistry in Context: Applying Chemistry to Society

Mindful Climate Action: Health and Environmental Co-Benefits from Mindfulness-Based Behavioral Training

What Is Feminist Pedagogy? Useful Ideas for Teaching Chemistry

Chemistry, Society, and Civic Engagement (Part 1): The SENCER Project

The Art of Engagement