Educational Professional Activities and Service
Section Editor, Chemical Abstracts Service, 1960 1970
Referee for: Journal of Chemical Education, Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics, Analytical Chemistry, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, Journal of Physical Chemistry, Canadian Journal of Chemistry, Petroleum Research Fund, Research Corporation, Fluid Phase Equilibria, I&EC Process Design and Development, Journal of Solution Chemistry, CRC Press, I & EC Fundamentals, Office of Standard Reference Data, Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Science, Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada, United States/Israel Binational Science Foundation
Editorial Board, Solubility Data Series, IUPAC/Pergamon
Titular Member, Commission V.8 on Solubility Data, IUPAC
Member, Subcommission on Gas Solubility, IUPAC
Editorial Board, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data
External Examiner for six Ph.D. theses from India, one from Canada, two from New Zealand, and two from South Africa
Chairman, Symposium on Teaching Chemical Thermodynamics, ACS National Meeting
President, Milton H. Erickson Society of Dayton
Research Professional Activities and Service
Section Editor, Chemical Abstracts Service, 1960 1970
Referee for: Journal of Chemical Education, Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics, Analytical Chemistry, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data, Journal of Physical Chemistry, Canadian Journal of Chemistry, Petroleum Research Fund, Research Corporation, Fluid Phase Equilibria, I&EC Process Design and Development, Journal of Solution Chemistry, CRC Press, I & EC Fundamentals, Office of Standard Reference Data, Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Science, Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada, United States/Israel Binational Science Foundation
Editorial Board, Solubility Data Series, IUPAC/Pergamon
Titular Member, Commission V.8 on Solubility Data, IUPAC
Member, Subcommission on Gas Solubility, IUPAC
Editorial Board, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data
External Examiner for six Ph.D. theses from India, one from Canada, two from New Zealand, and two from South Africa
Chairman, Symposium on Teaching Chemical Thermodynamics, ACS National Meeting
President, Milton H. Erickson Society of Dayton
A. Technical Talks - Thermodynamics of Solutions
1. The Partial Molar Volumes of Gases in Water - A Preliminary Study
2. The Solubility of Gases in the 1-Alkanols
3. The Solubility of Gases in n-Alkanes
4. The High-Precision Solubility of Gases in Water
5. A Brief History of Thermodynamic Notation
6. Modern Mysteries in Chemical Thermodynamics
7. High-Precision Physical Chemical Measurements - A series of ten lectures on various topics such as pressure, density, mass, temperature, etc.
Note: RB has published over seventy research papers, primarily in the thermodynamics of solutions. He has also edited two volumes of gas solubility data (Nitrogen and Air; Oxygen and Ozone) for the IUPAC Solubility Data Series. He has co-authored with S.E. Wood an introductory text on chemical thermodynamics, and an advanced monograph on the same subject.
B. Chemical Education
1. Interesting and FUN Ways to Teach at University - Covers a variety of topics including: the importance of the opening lecture, eccentricity, expectations, Whimbey pairs, the three-minute essay, modeling, being polite, the use of skits, participatory demonstrations, etc. This is a motivational talk.
2. Interesting and FUN Ways to Teach Chemistry - Similar to the previous, but with examples taken mainly from chemistry.
3. A FUN Approach to Thermodynamics - A multi-media lecture using a dramatic reading, a skit, a movie, an audio tape, and simple relevant demonstrations.
4. Some Modern Mysteries in Chemical Thermodynamics (This can be a technical talk or a chemical education talk.)
5. Chemistry Demonstration Shows - These shows last from 30 to 90 minutes and are designed for the particular audience involved. Audiences for these shows could be: university chemistry teachers, high school chemistry teachers, science teachers, university students, public school students, or the general public. The host institution will be given a choice of the demonstrations they would like to see, and a list of instructions about the necessary preparations for those demonstrations. The demonstrator will bring along some specialized equipment, but will ask the host institution to supply the chemicals (e.g., liquid nitrogen, dry ice, hydrogen gas) and glassware and hardware, which can be obtained locally. This also includes, of course, relevant safety equipment.
RB has published about seventy papers in chemical education and has been presenting more than fifteen 90-minute shows for school children each year for the past 17 years. He and his colleague John J. Fortman have prepared three sets of videotapes of their demonstrations, which they sell world-wide. (The first two sets are three hours each and the third set runs four hours. They come with teacher guidelines. The cost is US $30.00 per set, with additional small charges for overseas delivery and PAL format.) One of the more popular demonstration shows is based on supermarket chemistry.
C. Chemical Demonstration Workshops
These workshops are half-day or full-day and are designed to help science teachers improve their skills at doing demonstrations. This will mostly be done via RB doing show-and-tell demonstrations with an emphasis on how to do the demonstrations for maximum impact. The principles of effective demonstrating will be discussed and illustrated. The emphasis is always on using easily available and inexpensive materials. There will always be some time for the participants to share their own favorite demonstrations with the rest of the group. Participants will be asked to provide everyone with a write-up of their demonstration.
The host institution will be given a choice of the demonstrations they would like to see, and a list of instructions about the necessary preparations for those demonstrations. The demonstrator will bring along some specialized equipment, but will ask the host institution to supply the chemicals and glassware and hardware, which can be obtained locally. This also includes, of course, relevant safety equipment. The audience for these workshops can be: university chemistry teachers, high school chemistry teachers, or science teachers.
D. The History of Early Flight
RB has edited a book with H.R. DuFour and J.D. Arehart entitled: The THREE Who Flew at Kitty Hawk: Charles E. Taylor and the Wright Brothers Engines. This book is an oral history of those who knew or were related to Charles E. Taylor, the man who built the Wright Brothers engines. The research done for this book and his long tenure at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio have made him knowledgeable about the history of early flight, especially those aspects centering on the Wright Brothers. He can offer two 60-90 minute illustrated talks on the following subjects:
1. The Genius of the Wright Brothers and the Construction of an Accurate Full-scale Replica of the 1903 Flyer - In addition to personal histories of the Wright Brothers and their family, material will be presented to show how scientific they were in their approach to flying. The Wright Brothers were interested in studying aerodynamics. The three mentioned above received a grant to construct a full-scale replica of the 1903 Flyer which now hangs int he atrium of the Wright State University library. Details of how this replica plane was constructed provide insight into the Wright Brothers procedures. (The construction was under the supervision of H.R. DuFour.)
2. Charlie Taylor and the Wright Brothers Engines - Charles E. Taylor was the mechanical genius who built in thirty working days the engine that powered the Flyer in 1903. The design and construction of the engine will be discussed, along with interesting material from Taylors life. This talk includes a section on The Flight of the Vin Fiz. Calbraith Perry Rodgers was the first man to fly across the United States. He did this in 1911 to win a prize of $50,000 offered by William Randolph Hearst. Rodgers did not win the prize, but made aviation history. The fascinating story of this flight and Rodgers life will be illustrated with many slides. Charlie Taylor was Rodgers mechanician for this historic flight.
Department of Chemistry
(937) 775-2855
Department Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
chemistry@wright.edu
