Chem 181 General Course Information

Lecture Time: Monday 3:30-5:00 PM

Place: Lab Science 301

Instructor: Professor Joseph J.H. Ackerman; (email: ackerman@wustl.edu)

Office hours: By arrangement – email or Karen Klein (email: karen@wustl.edu) at 935-6593.

Course Description: Students will be exposed to a sampling of fundamental and applied research problems approached from a chemical point of view. Presentations will explore how chemical principles can be obtained from experiment and theory and how such insight can be used to better understand and hopefully improve the world in which we live. Each week a different scientist will present a lecture and/or offer an additional activity such as a laboratory tour. The course is intended primarily for freshmen who anticipate majoring in science, but interested upperclass students should also find the lectures interesting and stimulating.

Requirements: Must be taken as a Credit/No Credit. Students are expected to attend each presentation and completing four modest writing assignments. Students may substitute attendance at Biology 181 sessions for no more than two classes.

Writing Assignments: Writing is an integral part of communication in any field of endeavor and science is no exception. Scientists write down their results and observations in laboratory notebooks, and communicate their results and ideas by writing reports, patents, manuscripts, reviews, critiques, books, and through letters and email. To receive the funding necessary to pursue their research programs – whether in academics, industry, or government – scientists organize and present their preliminary results, ideas, and plans in the form of a proposal (in essence, a scientific business plan). The most important part of any such document is the abstract or executive summary. This is typically a half-page of single-spaced text that leads off the proposal and concisely and clearly presents the most salient ideas in the proposed research program. Key decisions regarding the status of a particular project are often made based largely on this abstract/executive summary. High-level managers do not have the time to digest lengthy documents that are generally outside their area of immediate expertise. Thus, the first impression formed from the abstract/executive summary is critical. To help improve scientific abstract/executive summary writing skills, students will be expected to complete four writing assignments in this course. Students will select four different presentations given in Chem 181. For each presentation students will prepare an abstract/executive summary describing concisely and clearly the most important issues brought forth in the presentation. The papers will be no more than two pages in length, double-spaced, type written and stapled together or duplexed.

Papers written on one of the topics previously presented in Chem 181 are to be handed in to the instructor during class,  or if necessary, submitted by email to course secretary Karen Klein (karen@wustl.edu) according to the following schedule:

• 1st paper: September 28
• 2nd paper: October 19
• 3rd paper: November 9
• Final paper: December 7

* Papers written on one of the topics previously presented are to be handed in to the instructor in class, or if necessary, submitted by email to course secretary Karen Klein (karen@wustl.edu) on the day of the lecture according to the following scheduled.

• 1st paper: September 28
• 2nd paper: October 19
• 3rd paper: November 9
• Final paper: December 7.