The Ball Method: A Short Film Celebrating Alice Augusta Ball

Storytelling as Pedagogy: The Power of Chemistry Stories as a Tool for Classroom Engagement

“…37 Ball was a young chemist, who developed the first viable treatment for leprosy in the early 20th century, which was a serious public health crisis during that time period. 38,39 Julian, a brilliant organic chemist, is the fourth African American to earn a PhD in chemistry and developed treatments for glaucoma and arthritis. 39 When reflecting on the content of the documentary, students developed profound questions related to issues of JDEI.…”

“…Lesson plans and strategies to align these chemistry narratives about Brady, Ball, Greene, and Julian with chemistry concepts have recently been described by Collins 4,42 and other researchers. 37,38 Organic chemistry instructors can certainly have students design their own experiments focused on the synthesis of a carboxylic acid or ethyl ester following a CRE Model and screen the films focused on Brady (Twenty Whites & One Other) and Ball (The Ball Method) outside of class with their students. The Brady film is only 5 min in length and can be watched during class time.…”