Incorporating Thermal Analysis and Polymeric Principles into the Undergraduate Curriculum

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Through this project, the institution acquired thermal analysis equipment including a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) module, a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) module, a module controller which operates either device, a mechanical cooling accessory to allow programmed cooling, and various accessories. The acquisition greatly strengthened the undergraduate research component of the chemistry curriculum by providing the means for three faculty, with demonstrated interest and skill in thermal analysis, to involve students in such research projects. As part of the development plan, students were allowed to participate in undergraduate research as early as the summer of their first year. DSC and TGA experiments utilizing polymeric materials have been incorporated into both analytical and physical laboratories. This allows training in both thermal analysis and polymeric principles in the curriculum. A thermal analysis experiment based on food, beverage, or pharmaceutical products is included in an analytical laboratory for health science majors, thus exposing this group to widely used thermal analytical methods. Longer term goals of the project include potential offering of a polymer chemistry laboratory to augment the existing lecture course in polymers and heightened awareness/interest in polymer science from the rest of the departmental faculty. The institution contributed to this project in an amount equal to the NSF funds.