Curricular Models for the Involvement of First and Second Year Students in Research Nancy Mills Department of Chemistry Trinity University San Antonio,

Curricular Models for the Involvement of First and Second

Year Students in Research

Nancy MillsDepartment of Chemistry

Trinity UniversitySan Antonio, Texas

Trinity University

Predominantly undergraduate, 2400 undergraduates200 Graduate students

Selective, average SAT~1300

Chemistry department, 7 faculty (soon to be 8)organic (3), inorganic, analytical, physical, biochemistry (soon to be 2)

Participation of Students in Research

Total number of undergraduate research students

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006

0

10

20

30

40

50

Participation by First and Second Year Students

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

% high school students% first year students% sophomores

(29) (32) (32) (41) (41)

Curriculum at Trinity

First year Fall, General Chemistry Spring, Organic I

Second year Fall, Organic II Spring, Inorganic

Third year Fall, Physical Chemistry I Spring, Analytical

Third year, diverge into tracks for BA/BS Chemistry

BS Biochemistry

BS Biochemistry/Molecular Biology

Research CoursesFor credit: course for first and second years,

Research Techniques and Applications

course for experienced students and juniors/seniors,Independent Research in Chemistry and Biochemistry,Prerequisite, junior standing. Formal report required

Honors Thesis

Non-credit Volunteering in a research lab

Hidden Curricular Features

Third semester biology (Cellular and Molecular Biology) requires one year of chemistry.

Consequences: All premeds start taking chemistry their first year.

Because there is great overlap in the populations of students in the first three courses in chemistry and biology, there can be curricular interactions.

Advantages for biology: more chemistry in their early courses (BIO2010)

Advantages for Chemistry of the Organization of our Curriculum

Students start taking chemistry their first semester and are therefore more likely to major in it.

They take organic earlier, arguably more pedagogically accessible than the general chemistry survey course.

With the skill set of organic techniques, they can go into research earlier; since the biology research program is smaller than ours, they come to us.

Consequences

The number of chemistry majors is larger than the norm.

Our upper division courses are healthier because they are larger.

There is a greater sense of vitality in the department.

And we can involve students in the research lab because they have had more exposure to sophisticated techniques.

Why do research with “young”, inexperienced students?

Get to work with students for a longer period of time.

Get more majors.

Create a more vibrant undergraduate chemistry community in the department.

Most important, give students the opportunity to explore a career path early in their academic career

Key Elements

Organic early.

Support from the biology curriculum.

Buy-in by the chemistry faculty.

Only Possible at a Selective Institution?

Trinity University Summer Undergraduate Research ExperienceSURE

Funded by NSF-REU

Targeted at students in local two and four year colleges that didn’t offer a summer research program. Positions were guaranteed for at least one student at the four community colleges and three four-year institutions.

This Year’s Group

Laboratory Experience Spectrum

Cookbook labs Research

Routine technician work Research

Research Experiences in the “Formal” Curriculum

Elements of research

Asking a question

Obtaining data to answer the question

Creating new knowledge.

Cookbook labs

“Single” experiment labs, with a question

“Multiple” experiment labs, with a question

Labs with student designed questions (with faculty input)

or

Teaching lab experiences that lead to publication in research journals

“Single” experiment labs, with a question

What? Preparation of a propyl benzhydrol ether

Issues: Nafion is an acidic catalyst with pores

The most stable cation is the one from benzhydrol but does it form? Can it fit within the pores?

OH

+ CH3CH2CH2OH O CH2CH2CH3 O CHCH3

CH3

Nafionor

Does 1-propanol fit within the pores? Does it rearrange?

Not research, but possibly protoresearch.

When? The first semester of organic lab (second semester freshmen)

“Multiple” experiment labs, with a question

Friedel-Crafts acylation on “unknown” aromatic compound

Grignard reaction to prepare suite of substituted benzoic acids

Aldol condensation with many different combinations of substituted benzaldehydes and symmetrical and unsymmetrical ketones

Pedagogical goals: NMR processing and analysis; vacuum distillation.

Pedagogical goals: capillary electrophoresis to examine relationships between substituents and acidity, moisture sensitive reaction

Pedagogical goals: recrystallization, NMR analysis and processing,Chemical Abstracts searching for MP data

Experiments from other colleges/universities

Preparing Students for Research: Synthesis of Substituted Chalcones as a Comprehensive Guided-Inquiry Experience, J. R. Vyvyan, D. L. Pavia, G. M. Lampman, G S. Kriz J Chem Ed, 2002 79, 1119

The Oxidation of Alkylbenzenes: Using Data Pooling in the Organic Laboratory to Illustrate Research in Organic Chemistry, James C. Adrian Jr. and Leslie A. Hull, J Chem Ed 2001 78, 529.

The Centerpiece of a Research-Oriented Curriculum, T. W. Hanks and Laura L. Wright, J. Chem. Ed.2002 79, 1127.

Labs with student designed questions (with faculty input)

OEt

O O Method 1, Baker's yeast

Method 2, NaBH4 OEt

OH O

Chiral in enzymatic reductionRacemic in chemical reduction

Can we “model” the active site by varying the size of the -keto ester?

Options:OR

O Ofrom transesterification of

OtBu

O O

OEt

O O

R

via Claisen condensationR

Taken from an article by Michael North, Journal of Chemical Education, 1998, 75, 630-1.

Second semester organic lab: Enzymatic reduction of a -keto ester

R OEt

O Ovia Meldrum's acid,

O

O

O

O

Other research-type experiments

A Research-Based Sophomore Organic Chemistry Laboratory, D. Scott Davis, Robert J. Hargrove, and Jeffrey D. Hugdahl J Chem Ed, 1999 76, 1127

Organic Chemistry Lab as a Research Experience, Thomas R. Ruttledge J Chem Ed 1998 75, 1575

Honors Cup: Incorporating a synthetic project competition in second semester undergraduate organic chemistry. A.C. Gottfried, B. P. Coppola, Philadelphia ACS meeting, CHED 74

Experiments based on Faculty Research

A New Investigative Sophomore Organic Laboratory Involving Individual Research Projects, Gregory B. Kharas. J Chem Ed. 1997 74, 829

The Baker’s Yeast Reduction of Keto-Esters in Organic Solvents: A One Week Research Project for Undergraduate Students, Michael North, Journal of Chemical Education, 1998, 75, 630-1.

Baker’s Yeast Reduction of -Keto Esters in Petrol, Michael North, Tetrahedron Lett 1996, 1699

Classroom Research: GC Studies of Linoleic and Linolenic Fatty Acids Found in French Fries, Janice P. Crowley, Kristen L. DeBoise, Megan R. Marshall, Hannah M. Shaffer, Sara Zafar, Kevin A. Jones, Nick R. Palko, Stephen M. Mitsch, Lindsay A. Sutton, Margaret Chang, Ilana Fromer, Jake Kraft, Jessica Meister, Amar Shah, Priscilla Tan, and James Whitchurch J Chem Ed 2002 79, 824

Research Experiences in High School Chemistry Labs

Bottom line

It is possible to design experiments that answer a question in a way that mimics a research-type experiment in the first two years of the chemistry curriculum.

It is possible to involve students in undergraduate research in a meaningful way very early in their academic careers.