CHEM 449W: Chemistry Research Methods Syllabus for Fall 2011 Instructor: Chriss E. McDonald Office: 233 Heim Phone: 4186 (998-8647 home, call anytime prior to 10 pm) e-mail: [email protected] Meeting Time: Monday, 3:15 – 4:05 in Seminar Room (215). Also an average of 12 hours/week arranged with your research advisor Course Description: This course focuses on the nature and practice of chemistry. Students will conduct research into a particular chemical problem with a faculty research advisor and will discuss their research at a weekly seminar. A report on their research will be written. Text: The ACS Style Guide: A Manual for Authors and Editors, 3nd ed.; Coghill, A.; Garson, L., Eds.; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2006. Writing-Intensive Course: CHEM 449 is designated as a W-course, meaning that it will partially fulfill your writing-intensive graduation requirement. Writing intensive courses include instruction on writing, and students in these courses complete at least ten pages of formal writing and fifteen pages of informal writing. Formal writing assignments in this course include the annotated bibliography, the research summary and the final paper. Informal writing assignments include free-writing exercises, peer reviews of presentations, and drafts of the paper. Learning Goals: Students who successfully complete this course will: 1. be able to search Scifinder and access the primary literature; 2. gain experience in conducting original chemical research; 3. be able to communicate the results of their research both orally and in written form. Grading Criteria: Annotated Bibliography 10% Poster 10% Colloquium 15% Final Paper 20% Resume, Cover Letter and Research Summary 5% Paper drafts and practice talks 5% Effort in Lab and Library Research 20% Notebook and Spectra 5% Laboratory Technique 10% 100%Grading Standard: A Mastery of essential elements and related concepts, plus demonstrated excellence or originality. B Mastery of essential elements and related concepts. C Acceptable knowledge of essential elements and related concepts. D Minimal knowledge of essential elements. F Unsatisfactory progress. Attendance: The student will pursue a research project under the direction of a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry (or an internship off campus). The student is expected to commit an average of 12 hours per week to the research project. This time will be divided between laboratory work and time spent reading the literature and planning the laboratory work. Attendance at the weekly seminar is mandatory and each unexcused absence will result in a 5% reduction of the final grade. A maximum of one excused absence (must be documented by a note from physician, Dean, etc.) will be granted. Literature Search and Literature Review: We will explore methods for searching the chemical literature. The student will search the primary chemical literature for articles pertinent to his or her research topic. These articles will form the basis of an annotated bibliography and a literature review that will be written and ultimately included in the final research paper. Research Presentations: The student will present an overview of the project at the first presentation of the semester. At subsequent meetings, the student will report on the progress made on the project since the previous meeting. Although these presentations will be somewhat informal, the student is expected to discuss the research in an appropriate manner (the student should be well-prepared, knowledgeable about the project, able to describe the work in a professional manner, and able to answer student and faculty questions regarding the project). Faculty and students in attendance will evaluate these presentations. Laboratory Technique: The student will be evaluated on the mastery of techniques relevant to the project. Included in this category are the skills necessary for the maintenance of laboratory equipment, laboratory hygiene, and safety. Effort in the Laboratory and Literature Research: This takes the form of the student's commitment to the research project with regard to both the time and thought dedicated to the research. This includes evaluation of the student's comprehension of the project and intellectual input as determined by discussions with the research advisor regarding the status of the project. Laboratory Notebook: The student will maintain an accurate and detailed laboratory notebook (hard-bound, all entries made in ink) and an organized file of spectral data. The notebook and the spectral data will be turned in to the research advisor at the end of the semester. Poster: The student will construct a poster using Power Point that describes the project in terms of its literature underpinnings, experimental design, results, and conclusions. Input on thequality of this final product will be solicited from the entire faculty of the Department of Chemistry. Colloquium: The student will present his/her research in the form of a chemistry colloquium near the end of the semester. This will utilize Power Point. A practice talk will be given to the class at least 2 days before the colloquium. Input on the quality of this final product will be solicited from the entire faculty of the Department of Chemistry. Final Paper: The student will prepare a written report on the research project. The report will be written in standard ACS style (refer to papers published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society) and will include a brief abstract, an introduction, background material (literature review), results and discussion, conclusions, an experimental section, and references. We will address the particulars of each section in class. Drafts of the sections will be due throughout the semester to both me and your research advisor. Three drafts of the final paper (weeks 14, 15, 16) are included because we’ve found that these are typically needed to end up with a satisfactory product. Input on the quality of this final product will be solicited from the your faculty advisor. Academic Integrity: Be aware that in accordance with the College’s policy on academic honesty, any work you submit must be your own. Any instances of plagiarism will be severely penalized.Chemistry Research Methods Course Schedule, Fall 2011 Everything you turn into me also turn in