Chemistry 460

Seminar in Chemistry

Fall 2009

Drs. Gull, Pfaff, and Wistrom

Time: Fridays, 12:00 noon                                                                  

Chemistry Library, S 303

This is the course description from the College catalog:

460. Seminar in Chemistry                                                                                                1 hour

A seminar which focuses on chemical literature and careers in chemistry and related fields. Students will conduct literature research and present their results in writing and orally to the students and faculty of the department. Discussion topics include literature usage, writing in chemistry, professional ethics and research honesty, career exploration, job searching, resumes, and interviewing. Students may propose relevant topics for discussion.

There are two required texts for this course:

The Ethical Chemist: Professionalism and Ethics in Science, Jeffrey Kova, Prentice Hall, 2003.

The ACS Style Guide: Effective Communication of Scientific Information, Anne M. Coghill, Lorrin R. Garson, American Chemical Society, 2006.

This is the fifth time this course has been offered and we admit that we’re still tuning the course as we go. Our interest is to make the course as valuable for you as possible. We know the basic topics, although you may suggest additional topics.

Our topic list looks like this:

literature usage

writing in chemistry

“holy grails” of chemistry

current topics in chemistry

professional ethics and research honesty

career exploration - traditional and alternative

job searching

grad school (GRE, assistantships, fellowships)

resumes

interviewing

other topics?

We will begin with the first two topics, but then the order may be changed. A few topics are best handled by the Career Development director, Donna Brody, and we will schedule those to accommodate her.

There are three principal components to your grade in Seminar. First, class participation is essential. We will have class discussions and activities and your complete participation is expected. Second, one of the stated goals of seminar is to examine chemical literature and writing in chemistry. To that end, you will perform literature research and report that research both orally and in writing. Our goal is for your written paper to be in the format of a chemical journal article, while the oral presentations will take the form of a professional meeting.

Your paper will be submitted to turnitin.com. Our class ID is xxxxxx and the enrollment password is yyyyy.

In view of the H1N1 virus, students will be not penalized if they become ill during the semester. Stay in and seek medical attention if you experience any flu-related symptoms, rather than attend class.