Abstract for: Infusing Systems Thinking in Chemical Sciences and Education: Perspectives and Cases

Chemical sciences research and education have been very successful through traditional reductionist approaches so far. Since many decades, reductionist approaches enabled scientists to reduce complex problems, making them easier to study and understand, and to create innovative products and technologies that allow us to live as we do currently. However, chemistry faces big challenges in terms of offering wise chemical solutions to the current major and complex global challenges/problems such as sustainable development, depletion of natural resources, unsustainable energy production and consumption, environmental pollution, global warming, climate change, poverty etc. For learning 21st century skills as well as to understand complex issues from chemistry, as central science, point of view in a bigger picture, there is a great need for introducing systems thinking curriculum and modelling framework in chemical sciences and education and research. Students as systems citizens can think holistically and systemically to make evidence-based decisions and science related policies towards addressing complex real-world problems. In this context, this work/paper discusses, through some examples/cases, and emphasizes the importance of infusing systems thinking curriculum in chemistry teaching and learning in classrooms. Implications for teaching and learning are also discussed through the given examples of cases/models.