The incorporation of science, technology and society (STS) into the high school science program is necessary to acheive the goals of the National Science Education Standards. The ChemCom curriculum emphasizes problem-solving and decision-making skills while giving the student a balanced view of chemistry, how it interfaces with society and technology, and how it will serve them in the "real world" in which they live. ChemCom includes many of the chemical concepts that are in the "traditional" chemistry course and it accurately reflects the substance of contemporary chemical science. The chemical concepts are centered around eight themes or topics. These topics are: supplying our water needs; conserving chemical resources; petroleum: to build or to burn?; understanding food; nuclear chemistry in our world; chemistry, air, and climate; chemistry and health; the chemical industry: promise and challenge. The chemical concepts covered in this program include: metric measurement, physical and chemical properties, states of matter, solutions and solubility, elements and compounds, nomenclature, formula and equation writing, atomic structure, chemical bonding, periodicity, mole concept, acids, bases & pH, biochemistry, organic chemistry, and nuclear chemistry. The course involves laboratory work and mathematical calculations.