The theme of the conference is a celebration of
the “Sesquicentennial of the 1862 Land-Grant College Act” which brought higher
education within reach of all Americans. Almost as important, the Act changed
the very nature of higher education to increase its focus on science,
engineering (industrial arts), and (scientific) agriculture.
Exhibits of rare books, manuscripts, and
documents associated with the theme of this BCCE will be displayed. Penn State
has an extensive and remarkable collection of material related to its founding,
the Land-Grant College Act, and college chemistry education in the 1860s -
including the Evan Pugh collection. The Atherton collection has key documents
relating to the passage of the Hatch Act of 1887 and the second Morrill Act of
1890. Penn State also has the most extensive and best collection of original
Joseph Priestley material in the United States (including the handwritten
originals of his autobiography, his will, and letters). A Penn State library
vault is also the repository of the “Great Album.” This precious artifact
documents and illustrates the First National Chemistry Congress held in the
United States (on the Centennial of Priestley’s discovery of oxygen), the event
which directly inspired the founding of the American Chemical Society.
A central theme will focus on building bridges
between chemistry instructors at all levels and include symposia emphasizing
collaborations between and among pre-college, community college, and 4-year
college chemistry instruction and facilitate new and ongoing relationships of
mutual benefit between instructors at all levels.
