A Research Experience in Chemistry

Catalog description

This introductory chemistry laboratory course is a research experience in chemistry. It is designed to ease students into the process and practice of chemical research. Students will be posed with a novel idea or known problem that requires investigation. This investigation begins with background reading and discussions of the chosen chemistry research project, which is taken from the labs of Penn State chemistry research faculty. Students review high school chemistry concepts in addition to learning new concepts required for the understanding of the project. Acting as their own principal investigators, students design and execute experiments while maintaining a proper scientific notebook. Once a procedure is complete, students analyze the data collected. Throughout the semester, students are required to summarize and communicate their findings through writing assignments. These assignments lead up to a formal final report assignment, formatted to mimic a research journal article. The semester ends with student groups presenting their semester's work by a formal presentation.