CAS CONNECT 2015

18 1975 JOHN GELDER RECEIVES HIS DOCTORATE IN INORGANIC CHEMISTRY FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA. 1977 GELDER BECOMES A PROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY AT OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY. 2015 THIS SUMMER HE RETURNS TO HIGH SCHOOL. OSU’s Gelder maintains passion for chemical education for more than 40 years AP Chemistry MR. STORY AND PHOTOS BY Jamie Hadwin Dr. John Gelder is playing a key role in training high school Advanced Placement (AP) chemistry teachers to teach their students at levels similar to an introductory college chemistry course. “It’s an opportunity for students in high school to be challenged with content and expectations that are going to happen when they go to college,” Gelder says. “Chemistry is unique in some respects because students who receive a 4 or a 5 on the AP chemistry exam would receive nine hours of college credit at most universities.” His introduction to AP chemistry began in 1989 when Gelder and a former colleague at OSU, Dwaine Eubanks, were awarded a National Science Foundation endowment to develop an AP chemistry satellite course as part of an online course initiative from the former dean of the OSU College of Arts & Sciences, Dr. Smith Holt. CONTINUES