Chemistry/Chemical Engineering

1. Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Student-Faculty Conference Thursday, April 5, 2007

2. Faculty Harry Gray Professor of Inorganic Chemistry Vincent McKoy Professor of Theoretical Chemistry Mitchio Okumura Professor of Chemical Physics; Executive Officer for Chemistry Douglas Rees Professor of Biochemistry Brian Stoltz Professor of Organic Chemistry Students: Dana Levine, sophomore co-chair, CCE SFC committee Abdul Ahad Tariq, junior ARC liaison Brigitta Miyamoto, junior Lydia Ng, senior Arturo Pizano, senior Chemistry

3. Faculty Richard Flagan Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering; Executive Officer for Chemical Engineering David Tirrell Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering; Chair, Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Christina Smolke Professor of Chemical Engineering Students Ekta Bhojwani, sophomore co-chair, CCE SFC committee Diana Lin, senior Vivek Narsimhan, junior Haile Xiao, sophomore Chemical Engineering

4. Update on Course Catalog Ombudspersons Undergraduate TAs Student-Faculty Interactions ChemDraw Ch 4 Ch 21 Ch 102 Ch 10c Ch 80 Senior Thesis Ch 3b ChE 63, 64 Ch/ChE 91 Biomolecular Track Research Opportunities Internships/Post-Graduation Opportunities Topics of Discussion

5. Update on Course Catalog • Issue: • Ambiguity over alternate-year course offerings • Electives are especially important for completion of tracks in ChE • Recommendation: • Clearly denote these courses in the Catalog and on the CCE website • Details of these courses will be published in the final SFC report

6. Ombudspersons • Issue: Need for more effective ombudspersons, especially in larger classes such as Ch 21, 41 • Recommendation: • Choose ombudspersons early in the term, preferably through student input • Assign several ombudspersons for larger courses, distributed throughout the undergraduate houses

7. Ombudspersons • Further Recommendations: • Encourage regular interaction with ombudspersons, so changes can be made throughout the term • Create a feedback form on the CCE webpage, similar to the Mathematics division, with an option for anonymous feedback

8. Student-Faculty Interactions • Issue: Extend student-faculty interactions beyond the classroom • Recommendation: • Hold CCE social mixers periodically • Encourage discussions between advisor/advisee beyond course registration

9. Undergraduate TAs • Issue: Undergraduates are very experienced and uniquely prepared as TAs in certain courses • Recommendation: • Suggest adding UTAs for lab classes and courses with a large number of students • Ask the faculty board and the President to formalize a system for assigning and funding UTAs

10. ChemDraw • Issue: ChemDraw was previously unavailable to undergraduates in the CCE department • As a result of SFC discussions, the program is now available for download from the IMSS website for all CCE undergrads free-of-charge

11. Ch 4: Synthesis and Analysis of Organic and Inorganic Compounds • Issue: Sophomores take Ch4a without having been formally exposed to spectroscopic analysis • Recommendation: • Provide suggested reading on relevant spectroscopy prior to the course • Offer tutorials on each form of spectroscopy given by TAs • Provide students with lecture notes prior to weekly meetings

12. Ch 21: Physical Chemistry • Issue: Challenging material and course that is required of both chemistry and chemical engineering options • Overall focus and direction of curriculum • Quantum chemistry or quantum mechanics? • Disparity in difficulty level for students • Dependent on physics and math background

13. Ch 21: Physical Chemistry • Recommendation: • Examine the physical chemistry curriculum • Coordination with the core curriculum, with special concern towards Ph 2b • Have additional TAs, especially undergraduates • Offer an advanced alternative track: • Ch 21a: Ch 125a • Ch 21b: Ch 126 • Ch 21c: Ch 135, Ch/ChE 164, Ch/ChE 165

14. Ch 102: Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry • Issue: As a new course, we should evaluate its effectiveness and placement within the inorganic curriculum • Recommendation: • Continue to offer the course third term • Maintain a similar format for the course: • Discussion and practice-based learning • An “effort-based” grading system

15. Ch 102: Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry • Further Recommendations: • Familiarize students with more rigorous methods of symmetry, group theory and molecular orbital theory • Use the book by Harris and Bertolucci, currently used in both Ch 112 and Ch 21, in addition to the optional texts

16. Ch 10c: Frontiers in Chemistry • Issue: • Currently available for advanced lab credit for freshmen and sophomores • Lab experience varies greatly between projects • Recommendation: • Reduce Ch10c from advanced lab status to general credit

17. Ch 80: Chemical Research • Issue: Ch 80 is ambiguously defined • Recommendation: • Develop guidelines of what is expected of students • Enforce submission of progress reports and a final paper • Research advisors should have the primary responsibility of monitoring students’ work

18. Chemistry Senior Thesis • Issue: Unlike other options, no formal avenue exists for senior theses in chemistry • Recommendation: • Create a faculty committee to read and judge the merits of each thesis • Present students’ senior theses at a seminar attended by students and faculty of the department • Make undergraduate theses from previous years available to students

19. Ch 3b: Experimental Procedures of Synthetic Chemistry • Issue: Allow students to take labs more pertinent to their tracks • The department feels it is important that students get general chemistry lab experience before graduation • For now, Ch3b will remain a requirement, but discussion will be encouraged on this topic

20. ChE 63 and 64 • Issue: Students feel that ChE 64 should be taught before ChE 63ab • ChE 64 will be taught first term next year, and ChE 63ab will be taught second and third term • If this change brings positive feedback and results, the department will make the change permanent

21. Ch/ChE 91: Scientific Writing • Issue: The intent of the course is good, but it can be adjusted to address student needs • Recommendation: • Discuss examples of good scientific writing in class (e.g. JACS articles) • Make class meetings into workshops • Teach how to use programs that are useful in scientific writing or making figures

22. ChE Biomolecular Track • Issue: • Students would like more variety in biomolecular courses • Ambiguity for electives in catalog • Recommendation: • Clearly defined possible electives, as well as add additional biology-related electives • Encourage students to take HSS electives that are cross-listed under biology

23. ChE Research Opportunities • Issue: Due to increased class size, it has become more difficult to accommodate students looking for research opportunities • Recommendation: • Encourage students to branch into labs in other departments • Ask faculty members that are unable to place interested students in their labs to provide guidance towards contacts at other institutions

24. ChE Internship/Postgrad Opportunities • Issue: Many ChEs plan to go into industry after graduation but are unable to secure internships • Recommendation: • Designate a faculty member as a career adviser to help students find suitable internship opportunities • Increase recruiting on campus • Provide lectures and information packets on the basics of interning

25. Update on Course Catalog Ombudspersons Undergraduate TAs Student-Faculty Interactions ChemDraw Ch 4 Ch 21 Ch 102 Ch 10c Ch 80 Senior Thesis Ch 3b ChE 63, 64 Ch/ChE 91 Biomolecular Track Research Opportunities Internships/Post-Graduation Opportunities Question/Answer Session