Participants at the Second National Workshop on Education and Outreach, which was held in Argentina on 20 and 21 November 2014
A National Workshop on education and responsible use of chemistry was held 20 and 21 November 2014 at the premises of Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), in the city of Bahia Blanca, Argentina. The workshop was organised by the Argentine National Authority to the CWC (ANCAQ) in coordination with the Argentine Ministry of Education and with support of the Assistance and Protection Branch of the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW.
The Workshop is the second of its kind in the framework of a national education and outreach project, and addressed key areas like networking, training of trainers, creation of a virtual classroom and interaction with chemical industry and other stakeholders. It gathered 30 professors from national universities, 49 professors from UNS and 38 chemistry students from UNS.
Participants received ample information on education and outreach activities of the OPCW, including on resources that are now available for chemistry teachers in high schools. Presentations made by Prof. Alastair Hay, from the University of Leeds and retired high-school teacher Chretien Schouteten touched upon the importance of raising awareness among chemistry students with regard to dual uses of chemistry, the lessons learned from chemical warfare and teaching experiences in this respect, in an interactive manner.