Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Service Learning Creates Good Chemistry

Photos and story by James Hill

by Susan HerefordCarmen Martinez, a chemistry instructor at PCC’s Rock Creek Campus, and 90 students in her 100- and 200-level classes tried something new this school year – community service tied to the chemistry curriculum. For some time, Martinez had wanted to involve her chemistry students in a program of learning and serving the community. The service learning movement began on college campuses across the country during the ?90s. The establishment of AmeriCorps and the desire of college students and faculty to connect more with their communities helped propel the movement. It has become a way for students to serve their communities, earn credits and apply their classroom materials to "real life."To Martinez, it just made good sense. "Doing service learning in chemistry classes provides an opportunity for the students to learn a tough subject by looking at its direct relevance to everyday life. Most importantly, it empowers the students by giving them the opportunity to show command of newly learned concepts while making a difference in their communities? right now."Martinez did not select their sites, make the contacts or even design the service work. She left all the figuring out to the students, asking each of her fall term classes to divide up in teams, research opportunities, find ways to connect volunteering to the chemistry curriculum and present the information to classmates. They developed a total of 10 service projects. Students volunteered winter and spring terms, performing a minimum of five hours each term. Two groups worked at Beaver Acres Elementary School; one helped with third-grade education, the other ran an after-school science program. Some of the students even created an outside ball game to play with the students while explaining the nature of an ionic bond. Another group volunteered at the Oregon Zoo in the pygmy goat petting zoo. They discovered that the pygmy goats have microchip implants for tagging and suffer from arthritis and are treated with glucosamine.The students also visited farm labor camps through the Western Farm Workers Association and planted 1,800 trees for the Oregon Department of Forestry on a field trip to the Tillamook forest."Amazing what happens when you give the students the right tools, set high expectations and let their imagination and creativity run loose," Martinez said of her students’ efforts.Here are three of the students:Michah BrasseurAge: 18Course: Chemistry 222Resides: Rock Creek areaPlans after PCC: Transfer to PSU or Pacific UniversityService Learning Project: Beaver Acres Elementary School volunteerQuote: "At first I had a ?we’ll see’ attitude. You know, ?I can live with this.’ On the other hand, I hadn’t really ever volunteered before, so I was kind of curious to see what it would be like. We went to the school one day a week, on Wednesdays, and did experiments – explained scientific method and then later the kids designed their own. One kid had a cup of water and a cup of coke and his experiment was to see which evaporated first. The best part of the experience is just the interaction with the kids. They like you ? you get a little group following you around."Natalie BoguesAge: 19Course: Chemistry 222Resides: Forest GrovePlans after PCC: Currently enrolled as a junior biology major at Pacific University and taking several science courses at PCC.Service Learning Project: Oregon Zoo volunteer, working with pygmy goats.Quote: "I was actually really excited about the project. I really don’t like chemistry. I was excited to be able to do something that applies, that is hands-on because I learn better that way. I’m a biology major and want to work with animals. I had a fun time with this and it challenged me to really think how it would apply to chemistry. Even the goat trainer said, ?I don’t know how you’re going to apply this.’ The goats have microchips and we researched how the microchips are used and made. We also researched the different medicines the goats receive and how that applies to chemistry. I haven’t ever taken a class that involves service learning. I think it should be a vital part of higher education."Kelly DuvendackAge: 37Course: Chemistry 100Resides: VernoniaPlans after PCC: Enroll in the East West College of Oriental Medicine once her science prerequisites are completed; holds a bachelor’s degree in art with a minor in anthropology. Service Learning Project: Migrant farm workers volunteer, through the Western Farm Workers Association.Quote: "I was a bit relieved when I heard we were expected to do service learning, because it is a way to make chemistry less abstract. Plus, with the farm workers, the course would have a cultural component.This is my first real volunteer effort. I always thought I should volunteer, but I’d get on line and I was kind of mystified and never really had any direction as to what to do ? what can I offer? I found out, basically, that all of our limited backgrounds could come into play. We delivered food baskets to a berry farm in Hillsboro. From our field trip, we realized there is a need to translate to Spanish the cleaning products’ warnings and the potential hazards of mixing certain products like ammonia and bleach, for example. We created a flyer in Spanish to hand out that also listed the 9-1-1 number. The project heightened our awareness of this part of our community and what we can do to help, even buying U.S. produce in the grocery stores. I plan to continuing volunteering outside of class."