Chemistry News COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES · DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY · 2004 7 Chemistry Demonstrations INSIDE Randy Sullivan makes the SPECIAL EDITION General and Introductory concepts come alive in the Chemistry—Gateways to classroom Innovations in First-Year the Sciences 8 The Teaching Effective- ness Program Where 3 Message from the faculty learn new skills Chemistry Education Department Head for teaching general and 4 Charles J. and M. Monte- Introductory Chemistry Editor’s Preface ith Jacobs Instructional 8 Chemistry Department emember your days in General Chemistry? You would Endowment Breaks New Reaches Out to Com- Rstill recognize the classrooms, but much else has Ground in Support of munity Promoting the Undergraduate Educa- changed. Our lead article describes General Chemistry discipline of chemistry, lecture and laboratory, and the SUPeR Chemistry tutoring tion Charles J. Jacobs, the department, and the ’34, Establishes the First university through con- available for students needing individual help. Following are Undergraduate peer tutor tacts with elementary and short descriptions of some of the other resources available endowment in chemistry middle school students to entering students: Introductory Chemistry, Pathways, the 4 Honors General Chem- 9 Student Affiliates of ACS istry—The Gateway for Chemistry Resource Center, and the Teaching Effective- Sweep National Awards ness Program. Space limitations preclude coverage of many Advanced Students Undergraduates win four 5 Honors General Chemistry awards and grants additional resources provided by the university, such as Laboratory—Something counseling and special services for students with disabilities, Regular Features and News Special for the Advanced all of which contribute to making the freshman experience a Student Small groups 10 Donor’s Honor Roll positive one. General Chemistry has been described as the learn in the Richard Noy- 11 Faculty News es and Donald Swinehart gateway to the sciences. For students with no high school Instructional Laboratory 12 Festschrift Honors John chemistry background, our one-term course Introduction to Schellman 5 The Chemistry Resource Chemical Principles is the gateway. Many departments in the 14 In Memoriam Virgil Center A place where College of Arts and Sciences require or recommend their undergraduates can drop Boekelheide, LeRoy in for help on the lectures Klemm, Frank Reithel, students take chemistry. These courses are not “gatekeep- or lab Dick Wielesek, and ers” or hurdles. The emphasis now is on student retention Truman Teeter 5 A Quiz on General and providing personal help and counseling to assist each Chemistry Classes The 16 Remembering Leroy student to reach his or her goals. Thanks to Deborah Exton, Klemm Personal glimpses answers may surprise Julie Haack, Cathy Page, Randy Sullivan, and Greg Williams you! by friends and former students for contributing text and ideas for this special section de- 6 Introduction to Chemi- cal Principles—Gateway 18 Endowment Honors LeRoy scribing the entry-level chemistry courses. Elsewhere in this for Students without Klemm The endowment newsletter you will find the usual features of the newsletter, High School Chemistry A supports undergraduate and even a new one: a look at an unusual career opportunity research and seminars holistic one-term course for chemistry students in patent law. —Ed. with some organic and 19 Reflections1960s biochemistry which serves Revisited a wide range of majors 20 Call for Remembrances What’s New in General Chemistry 6 What’s a FIG? Freshman and Stories about Virgil Interest Groups create an Boekelheide Lecture and Laboratory? atmosphere like that of a 20 Staff News small liberal arts college t has been said that the the same, there have also but use the many resourc- 21 Alumni News es of a major research 25 Alumni Achievement Imore things change, the been plenty of changes. Just university Award Pamela J. Bjork- more they remain the same. read on . 7 Pathways: Extra Help man—Solving Puzzles of Students still doze in lecture The last ten years have for Elementary Educa- the Immune System halls, Avogadro’s number seen huge advances on tion Students Supports 26 Career Opportunities for is still 6.022 x 1023, and PV the UO campus in terms of future teachers with Chemistry Graduates hands-on activities that Chemistry and a Career in still equals nRT. So, what access to technology and complement the material Law could possibly be new in students’ familiarity with its presented in Introduction 27 Graduating Class of 2003 General Chemistry? It turns use. Gone are the days of to Chemical Principles out that while much remains CONTINUED ON 2 General Chemistry instructor at 2:00 atmosphere and the intellectual chal- am and have an lenge presented by the greater depth CONTINUED FROM 1 answer waiting and breadth of material presented. On trudging through the rain to check the for them when the other hand, students who haven’t hallway bulletin boards for announce- they awake in the had high school chemistry, or return- ments, answer keys, and grade post- morning. ing students whose chemistry is a ings. Students can now gain access With the ability little rusty, can enroll in Introduction to to course information from home via to do so much Chemical Principles (see accompany- Blackboard, a web-based course from home, one ing article) to either fulfill their require- information delivery system. Some might wonder ments or get up to speed before taking instructors prefer to use Blackboard for what motiva- Deborah Exton General Chemistry. But for the majority posting all class information, including tion there is for of students, General Chemistry pro- class notes, announcements, and up- students to attend class. The answer to vides the right fit and a solid foundation to-date grades. Other instructors use that remains the same as ever. Despite for their future science courses. the anonymous grade posting feature the many out-of-class resources that General Chemistry classes still meet of Blackboard but create their own per- are available, it still takes an instructor in large lecture halls, but what goes sonalized web pages to deliver other to help put the pieces together. As in on in those classrooms may be a bit course information. David Herrick’s previous years, today’s students are different than one would have encoun- site for his recent CH 223 class (http: fortunate that the General Chemistry tered twenty years ago. For example, //eechem.home.att.net) illustrates some courses continue to be taught by a Julie Haack has developed PowerPoint of the features he has developed to dedicated group of outstanding instruc- presentations to accompany all of her engage students in nontraditional ways. tors such as Deborah Exton, recently lectures. Following class, students “It used to be cutting-edge to use color named a Williams Fellow in recognition are able to download the slides to pens for lecture transparencies,” said of her commitment and contribution to augment their lecture notes. Other Herrick, “but students now respond undergraduate education at the Uni- instructors are still fond of colored to a more visual experience includ- versity of Oregon. Students these days pens and overhead transparencies ing course websites and animated will also tell you that they attend due but scan their lecture overheads after graphics, in addition to e-mail ques- to the added incentive of not wanting class and place them on the web in tions and online grades. It’s rewarding to miss one of Randy Sullivan’s popu- PDF format. Classrooms have been to hear from so many students and lar demonstrations. Randy joined the equipped with state-of-the-art digital parents who say it’s made a differ- department as a lecture demonstrator in projection systems, allowing instructors ence.” Deborah Exton uses her course September 2001 and quickly became to use the latest technology to bring site to provide information to students one of the most popular members of in current topics from the web, ani- who are motivated to dig deeper into the General Chemistry team (perhaps mate reactions, demonstrate molecular the subject matter, with links to sites because he doesn’t write the tests!). modeling calculations, and perform ranging from periodic tables to orbital Randy has developed innovative new spreadsheet data analysis. Of course, models. When websites are used or demonstrations and found methods to it isn’t all about technology. Students in referenced in the classroom, links to make the older ones more visible and some sections routinely break up into those sites are included with her daily safer to perform. His latest addition to lively discussions for group problem lecture notes. the lecture demonstration department solving sessions. These small group The advent of the Internet has pro- is a video projection camera that is sessions within a large class of 100 to vided students with a wealth of learning used to project demonstrations onto 300 students are one example of the resources, with many sites available the overhead screens to make even the efforts being made to make the large for online drills and tutorials. General smallest demonstrations visible to all impersonal classes feel a little smaller Chemistry textbooks now come with students, even those in the back rows and welcoming. Many entering fresh- access to textbook websites where of the lecture hall. While aiding in visu- men choose to join a Freshman Interest students can take practice quizzes, alization, use of this camera also allows Group (FIG), a cadre of twenty-five link to current material, and ask ques- demonstrations requiring hazardous students with a common interest who tions of experts. Students this year will materials to be performed on a small take one or more classes together and have the option of using GradeSum- scale, thus minimizing the production of have weekly meetings with a professor. mit™, an online diagnostic quizzing tool toxic waste.