Fall 1998 CONFCHEM Switching Students on to Science

Tragedy at Lake Nyos, Cameroon: Involving introductory chemistry students in a multidisciplinary approach to investigating CO₂(g) budget and hazard mitigation
F. Michael Conway and Scott Donnelly
Department of Chemistry
Arizona Western College
Yuma, AZ 85366-0929
Email: aw_donnelly@awc.cc.az.us

Summary:
A chief complaint of introductory chemistry students at Arizona Western College and likely voiced at other institutions is that chemistry is too abstract and being thus does not relate well to the world around them. In order to make chemistry more relevant, and at the same time perhaps a bit more interesting for students, the authors (Mike Conway and Scott Donnelly) have developed an exercise involving the disciplines of chemistry, geology, and environmental engineering that showcases chemical concepts and their applications in a larger context. Specifically, the exercise focuses on the unique but deadly limnic eruption of Lake Nyos in Cameroon, Africa. Fundamental chemical concepts such as molar mass, density-temperature relationships, Henry's Law, and gas solubilities are integrated with physical volcanology, geochemistry, and natural hazard mitigation. The exercise, an example of what we call "big picture" science, has received very favorable comments from students.