NSF Award
9950416
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University is developing a project-based curriculum in chemistry. Such an approach to chemical education better prepares students for industry, graduate and professional schools by developing independent reasoning and problem solving skills in a chemical environment. To enhance this program, students are using a 300 MHz FTNMR spectrometer alone and in conjunction with the other instrumentation within the department to complete projects ranging from characterization of natural products and the analysis of syntheses in sophomore organic laboratories, to the determination of polymer phase equilibria in physical chemistry, the determination of complex structures in instrumental analysis and the investigation of tertiary peptide structure in biochemistry. Experiments are adapted from the research literature and from the Journal of Chemical Education to create these projects that are designed to promote independent thinking and problem solving by the students, and to illustrate the full power of NMR techniques in a broad spectrum of chemical fields while remaining feasible for a one-semester course. Many of our students choose to complete their chemical education with a research project. Here the spectrometer is especially useful in the characterization of intermediates and the proof of results.<br/><br/>The University has a commitment to the education of minorities and women. Currently approximately 65% of our undergraduate science majors are female, and 20% are members of minority groups. We expect the implementation of this program to continue to improve the education of our minority undergraduates and to continue to attract minorities and women into the chemical sciences.
