Few of the immediate post-Sputnik education reports and recommendations addressed science for nonscientists.  The major challenge was perceived as increasing the quantity and quality of Americans professionally trained in science, mathematics, and engineering.  Enhanced scientific literacy for the general public was not a significant priority and often treated with not-so-benign neglect.  In many college chemistry departments, a one-size-fits-all approach was followed: what’s good for the majors is good for the masses.  When this proved to be ineffective, another non-ideal solution was proposed: chemistry at infinite dilution.  The next attempt was to present chemistry with a heavy emphasis on its intellectual history, but this strategy was primarily employed at liberal arts colleges.  Textbooks and courses emphasizing the applications and misapplications of chemistry were more interesting to students.  The next step was to lead with issues and applications and imbed the chemistry in its social context.  Over the years there has been a gradual recognition that a scientifically informed public is essential for modern society, and as the needs of this audience have been addressed, certain of the pedagogical innovations developed have emerged as effective in the education of chemists and other scientists as well.<br/>

College chemistry for non-scientists

249th National Meeting (2015)

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