ScienceMakers Toolkit Manual - The History Makers

Chemistry
From 1943 to 1947, Gardner-Chavis was employed as a research assistant on the Manhattan Project, which
resulted in the United States developing the atomic bomb, the use of which ended World War II in 1945.
Immediately after leaving this position, Gardner-Chavis was unable to fi nd a job as a chemist, so he worked as a
waiter from 1947 to 1949. Gardner-Chavis was eventually hired as a research chemist and project leader at the
Standard Oil Company in Ohio, where he remained for almost twenty years. Gardner-Chavis then took a
teaching position in Cleveland State University’s Chemistry Department, where he remained a full-time
employee from 1968 to 1985. Gardner-Chavis later combined part-time teaching with work in the research lab
of Molecular Technology Corp., a private fi rm where he also served as the vice president of research and on the
board of directors. Gardner-Chavis went on to hold emeritus status in the CSU Chemistry Department, where
he continued his research on catalysis and molecular technology, topics on which he published numerous scholarly
articles.
Dr. Ralph Gardner-Chavis became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity in 1942 and AICHE in 2001.
Discussion Questions
Personal:
1. What did you like best about listening to Dr. Gardner-Chavis?
2. Where was Dr. Gardner-Chavis born? Locate it on a map. How far away is this from where
you live? What are the names of his parents? Where did Dr. Gardner-Chavis attend high
school? What do you suppose high school was like for him?
3. How old are you? In what year was Dr. Gardner-Chavis your age? What was happening in the
country that year? What was happening in the world that year? What do you suppose his life
was like when he was your age?
4. Dr. Gardner-Chavis talks about a diffi cult teacher that he had; describe the situation. How did he deal
with it? Have you ever had a problem with a teacher? What did you do to deal with the situation?
(See Clip #1)
5. Dr. Gardner-Chavis talks about a very frustrating time in his life. What happened? Have you ever been
in a position that frustrated you? What did you do? How did you resolve the situation? (See Clip #5)
Science:
6. What do you think a chemist does? Would you like to be a chemist? Why?
7. If you were a chemist, what kind of questions would you study?
8. Dr. Gardner-Chavis explains how the atom bomb works. Diagram this process, paying particular
attention to Einstein’s equation as the demonstration of the tremendous energy that is released during
nuclear fi ssion. (See Clip #2)
9. Describe the tension that Dr. Gardner-Chavis discusses about the scientists working on the Manhattan
Project. Have you ever been “between a rock and a hard place” about something important? How did
you make your decision about how to act? If you were on the Manhattan Project, how would you have
decided what to do? (See Clip #3)
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