The challenge of unprecedented, unanticipated, and rapid conversion to online instruction in March 2020 has brought special opportunities in teaching to Generation Z students. In Fall 2019, we had piloted a special study unit on fire, a necessity for civilization, and an increasing concern around global warming. This    POGIL-inspired unit featured the "fire tetrahedron"<br/> and firefighting foams, with emphasis on the interplay of technical and ethical considerations in their applications. In Spring 2020, when COVID-19 hit, we broadened the focus to include similarities in the spread of pandemics. The fundamentals of collision theory have parallels in epidemiology, leading to differential equation models that can be appreciated by students without calculus. Model-based thinking,<br/> ubiquitous in chemistry, sheds light on the effects on rate from diluting a solution and from implementing social distancing. Model-based reasoning can be a powerful tool to understand why relaxing social distancing and other control measures too soon could result in a resurgence of pandemic disease. Other observations, including student opinions, will be shared.

Chemistry for generation z in the time of COVID-19

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.