A desire to draw more tangible connections between foundational chemistry content and its real-world applications has inspired the development of a new general chemistry course for Georgia Tech students that explores the role of science and scientists in public policy and governance. Public policy expertise is provided by collaborations with graduate students in the Masters in Public Policy (MSPP) program in the Georgia Tech School of Public Policy and the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. Public policy basics are taught via case studies of policy decisions and governance at the intersections of chemistry and environmental sustainability, which provide entry to fundamental chemistry concepts. For example, the topics of catalysis and reaction kinetics are introduced by an exploration of the pricing of precious metals, which correlates with their use in automobile catalytic converters as mandated by the US EPA/Clean Air Act. The history of the EPA is discussed, and the role of the modern EPA in addressing global climate change are debated. The chemical and political origins of the Flint water crisis are an entry to equilibrium principles describing sparingly soluble salts. Pharmaceutical patent strategies and protections introduce acid/base reactions and salt formation. This talk will present an overview of the course, including a summary of these and other public policy modules, along with assessment data and plans for expansion.

Chemical principles in public policy, and vice versa

2019 Spring National Meeting

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