It is an established fact that in the United States there is a great need to improve the scientific literacy of undergraduate students, especially those who are nonscience majors. Data presented herein suggest that using simple art concepts can assist nonscience majors in better appreciating scientific facts related to chemistry. However, it is…

This paper presents preliminary evidence supporting the use of peer review in undergraduate science as a means to improve student writing and to alleviate barriers, such as lost class time, by incorporation of the peer-review process into the laboratory component of the course. The study was conducted in a single section of an undergraduate…

In this NSF-supported project, two Anasazi FT-NMRs are being integrated simultaneously across the chemistry curriculum at Western Kentucky University (WKU) and Elizabethtown Community and Technical College (ECTC). The collaborative project adds to a new curriculum initiative by integrating NMR throughout the chemistry curriculum to enhance both…

Students at two-year colleges and small four-year colleges have often obtained their exposure to NMR spectroscopy through "canned" spectra because the cost of an NMR spectrometer, particularly a high-field spectrometer, is prohibitive in these environments. This article describes the design of a NMR site at Trinity University in which spectral…

Two-year colleges (2YCs) provide a significant amount of chemical education to undergraduates in the United States. By design, the charge of the 2YCs is to provide coursework at the lower-division level. Nonetheless, general chemistry courses in 2YCs can be enhanced with content to prepare future chemistry majors for upper-division education. The…

ChemEd Bridges is an NSF-funded project that provides career and professional development opportunities for chemistry faculty members who teach at two-year colleges (2YCs). We broaden the interests and the horizons of these faculty members by building bridges between them and the broader community of chemical educators. In particular, we have…

Chemistry anxiety encompasses apprehension regarding learning chemistry, evaluation in chemistry courses, and fears about handling chemicals. Our goal was to ascertain the prevalence of these three types of anxiety in college students enrolled in a two-year college. In our sample, chemistry-evaluation provoked the most chemistry anxiety followed…

A simple multiday laboratory exercise suitable for use in a high school or community college chemistry course or a biotechnology advanced placement biology course is described. In this experiment students gain experience in the use of column chromatography as a tool for the separation and characterization of biomolecules, thus expanding their…

The opportunities and challenges associated with establishing and sustaining successful chemistry-based technology programs were discussed at Equipping the 2015 Chemical Technology Workforce, a Presidential Event held at the Fall 2006 ACS National Meeting, kicking off an initiative by the same name. The initiative is based on the recent ACS…

The preliminary efforts to engage students in the physical sciences through research projects in environmental chemistry are described. The successful involvement of two demographics, community college (CC) students and female students in cutting-edge chemistry research suggests that recruiting methods were effective and the feedback from…

The merits of involving undergraduates in research activities have been publicized in numerous reports and have been promoted through various programs. Moreover, the value of offering research experiences specifically to first and second year students has been lauded. Undergraduate research is generally accepted to be a vehicle through which…

A model for a shared nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) facility between a private university and two local community colleges is presented. The discussion of the components required for the shared facility, modes of data distribution, and overall effect on the curriculum is presented.