1998-1999 Annual Report Text

Dr. Williams has given much attention to his GEMS 210 course, the Science of Power, part of the College’s general education program, teaching it each semester. He continues to try new lab experiences and exercises in this popular course. His well received senior seminar, Science and Human Values, may have been offered for the last time since Dr. Williams is developing a new seminar, The History and Use of the Atomic Bomb with History Professor, Larry Penrose. As students signed up for classes in the Fall of `99, this new course was the first to close.

For our majors, Don coordinated the CHEM 111 and 121 sequence. This year a new module on global Warming was successfully introduced. Perhaps a second module will be added this fall. The Department continues to discuss the nature of this course and how it can effectively meet the needs of all students, a challenge viewed positively by Dr. Williams who sees the course as the most important in the Department. Dr. Williams has returned to teaching both semesters of the majors laboratory and quickly adjusted to use of the interfaced computers.

Both Dr. Williams and Dr. Mungall taught sections of a new course for the First Year Seminar Program on Discoveries in Science. The two sections had much in common but Dr. Williams section emphasized the general act of creativity since it was dominated by students in the fine and performing arts.

As in the past, Dr. Williams coordinated the Hughes Foundation sponsored program for minority high school students, steadily taking more leadership in this effort to make science careers more accessible to all. He also makes science accessible with his many public presentations, including a week at Minnesota State University, Mankato, 3 Rotary Clubs speeches and a delightful update on Radwaste Issues at a West Michigan American Chemical Society meeting. It is obvious why Dr. Williams received the Nuclear Society’s Public Communicator Award last year. Dr. Williams continues to review manuscripts for an inorganic journal and various textbook publishers, and serves on the Environmental appeals Board for Ottawa County. He recently wrote a requested article on Global Warming for the Reformed Church Perspectives.