Chem
552: Research Section 001 Spring 2012 Credit Hrs: 3 |
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Course
Meets: Friday 12:30-1:20, Sims 113C Course
Coordinator: Dr. Takita Felder Sumter (sumtert at Winthrop dot edu),Sims 302; 803-
323-4991 Office
Hours: TR
9:30-10:45; 12:30-2:30pm |
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Course Objectives: CHEM 552 is the second of a
two-semester sequence that provides a faculty mentored research experience that exposes undergraduates to
hypothesis-based investigations in chemistry. Upon completion of the
two courses, students should be able to design experiments, analyze and
skillfully interpret data, and communicate their findings to informed
audiences. |
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Required Textbooks:1) The ACS Style Guide, 3rd
ed., Coghill and Garson, 2006 (or earlier editions)
and 2) A Short Guide to Writing about
Chemistry, 2nd ed., Beall and Trimbur, 2001 |
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Student Learning Outcomes:
Students will learn to: · Use scientific databases
such as SciFinder
and PubMed
to access primary literature · Read and appreciate the
significance of relevant journal articles · Design and carefully
perform experiments using scientific instrumentation and techniques · Analyze and interpret
scientific data with respect to the research goal · Write, review, and revise a
formal report of their research (in the form of a scholarly article) · Present their work to
faculty from a wide range of chemistry disciplines Student Responsibilities: Pre-read assignments: Read assignments before class so that you will be able to
contribute to the in-class discussions relating to the various
assignments. These readings are from the required texts and are
outlined in the course schedule. Conduct Research: Students are expected to devote at least 9 hours per week to laboratory
research. Students and their mentors will agree on these hours and outline them in CHEM 551 course contracts.
Class Attendance Policy: In addition to this time, you will also spend time
preparing course assignments. The nature of these assignments will be
discussed when the course meets on Friday at 12:30-1:20. Each class meeting
is designed to enhance the undergraduate research experience and students
must attend at least 75% (no more than two absences) of the classes to pass
the course. Students missing class are responsible for all course
assignments. Students are required to attend and participate in all
meetings; each unexcused absence will lower your course grade by one level (A to A- to
B+, etc.). Collaborate
with a Faculty Research Mentor:
Students in this course have already selected a faculty research mentor and are expected to continue to meet at least
once each week. The faculty mentor will provide technical instruction
and make students aware of any potential hazards and safety procedures. He or
she will also review oral and written work prior to submitting to the faculty
research committees, who assist in evaluating student work. However, STUDENTS should be first
reader of their work and should not submit documents that have not been
edited and proofread. Submit all Assignments as Scheduled: Several written and oral assignments are required for
successful completion of this course. Students are to pay careful attention
to due dates and submit the first draft to mentors as scheduled. The revised
document should be submitted to the mentor and the committee. The
mentor’s copy should have a document revision form attached that specific
outlines students’ actions in response to comments. Your committee may impose a point penalty for late assignments. Arrange Faculty Research Committee Meetings: Students must submit assignments to committee members and
arrange meeting(s) as required. Your final research presentation will be
given in an open forum to all Chemistry faculty (who
will participate in the final grade). Students are also encouraged to submit
abstracts for the BIGSURS meeting on April 13-14th. Grading: Course grades will be determined
based on the total points earned. Grades
will be assigned as follows: A(93-100%);
A-(90-92%); B+(87-89%); B(83-86%); B-(80-82%); C+(77-79%); C(70-76%); D(60-69%);
F (<60%) Assigning an incomplete grade
indicates that, for a valid reason, the course has not been completed. Due to
the nature of this course, justifications for incomplete grades must be
documented by the University’s Dean of Students. Graduate Student Requirements: Graduate credit in the course will be awarded based on
completion of all undergraduate course requirements in addition to completion
of a research paper and oral presentation that is not directly related to
your research. This assignment must be 5-7 pages containing at least 15
primary literature references formatted according to ACS guidelines.
Additionally, the student will present this work orally to their research
committee. This assignment is worth an additional 150 points. Graduate students should also note that the
plus/minus grading system will not be used. CHEM 552 Assignments: In
addition to adding new sections, CHEM 552 will revise materials generated in
CHEM 551. Revision is an on-going process that involves working on the overall
content, organization, and line
editing. 1.
Course
Contract (10 pts) An
individual, signed agreement between student and mentor that specifies the
expectations for the semester. At a
minimum, the contract must contain: time slots for laboratory work (at least 9
hrs/wk) and weekly student-mentor meetings, names of faculty committee
members, and any additional requirements not listed in the syllabus. The
contract may also include plans to participate in any professional meetings. 2.
Updated Semester Goals Statement (40
pts) A written description of your project goals for the semester, to include
safety precautions, benchmarks for laboratory progress (i.e. updated or
expanded Specific Aims from CHEM 551) and aims for improvement of the written
paper/presentation. 2. Oral and
Written Progress Report (100 pts) An oral
presentation to the committee (15-20 minutes) given February 24th-March
1st. The goal will be to brief committee members on all research
progress since December. For the written progress report, students will
provide a description of their research project progress and remaining
experimental plans. Your document should include: · A
near final draft of each table or figure that summarizes your data complete
with clear legends or captions that convey as much information as possible
about the experiment. · A
fully revised experimental methods section (based on feedback from CHEM 551) and
a description of the findings (with specific references to figures or
tables). ·
A description of remaining experimental plans for
the semester’s end. Due: March 2nd. 3. Paper
Sections (150 pts total) Drafts must be fully referenced, with
in-text citations and endnotes in ACS format: a.
Revised Results (40 pts) b.
Abstract (50 pts) c.
Discussion (60 pts) Note:
Upon consultation with the mentor, students may elect to combine the Results
and Discussion sections of the paper. 4. Final
Presentation (150 pts) A 10-12-minute oral (PowerPoint) presentation
of the semester’s work given to students and faculty at the semester’s end
(April 25th-2:30pm;April 30th-2:30pm).
The successful presenter will: (1) review the goals and significance of the
project and the scientific basis of the techniques employed, (2) describe
experimental methods utilized and results obtained, (3) discuss the
interpretation (s) and implications of the results and (4) briefly describe
possible future directions for the project. 5. Final
Paper (150 pts) The final research paper (consisting of revised
Title, Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and References
sections) incorporating feedback from previous drafts. These papers must
contain at least 15 literature citations. Due 4/23 6. Laboratory
Notebook (100 pts) Mentors will grade notebooks on format, neatness,
and completeness. 7.
Laboratory Technique (200 pts) Mentors
will assign grades based on the quality of students’ laboratory work. 8.
Participation in Weekly Meetings (100 pts)
The Course Coordinator will assign grades based on the quality of
students’ oral participation. Each student will be required to give
brief presentations during the course of the semester. |
Total Points: 1000 Student Code of Conduct: Responsibility for good conduct
rests with students as adult individuals.
The policy on academic misconduct is outlined at http://www2.winthrop.edu/studentaffairs/handbook/StudentHandbook.pdf Students with Disabilities: Winthrop University is dedicated to providing access to
education. If you have a disability and need accommodations, please
contact Gena Smith, Coordinator, Services for
Students with Disabilities, at 323-3290, as soon as possible. Once you
have your Professor Notification Form, you should show it to me so that
appropriate arrangements can be made. |
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