Understanding Chemistry Through Cars

The car is an ideal and untapped pedagogical framework for teaching the science of chemistry. Cars have great general appeal and can easily be used as a source of real-world examples. The main purpose of this book is to help teach the novice chemist basic chemical principles and their value in the context of cars, and to help upper-level chemists synthesize the knowledge they have gained and examine one way it manifests in the real world. In addition, this book serves to increase public interest in the chemical sciences.

Geoffrey M. Bowers is an assistant professor of chemistry and an adjunct assistant professor of materials engineering at Alfred University, New York, USA. He earned a BS in chemical engineering from Purdue University and a PhD in chemistry from The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Bowers’s educational philosophy involves using student-centered techniques and real-world examples whenever possible, stressing authentic assessment, and emphasizing problem solving and teamwork skills in his courses. He has been the recipient of several teaching and mentoring awards. Dr. Bowers is also an automotive enthusiast who loves working on cars, driving, and watching many types of racing.

Ruth Bowers is an adjunct instructor of chemistry at Alfred University, New York, USA. She developed and implemented curricula exploring the chemistry of consumer products as an honors seminar course and a regularly occurring high school summer camp. She earned a BS in chemistry from Purdue University and an M Ed in curriculum and instruction from The Pennsylvania State University. Ruth has also been recognized as an outstanding teacher. She spent her childhood mere miles from the site of one of the first successful test drives of a gasoline-powered automobile in the United States.