Instrumentation for Chemistry via Local Area Network (INCLAN)

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The chemistry department is addressing the needs of a mostly non-traditional, commuter student population through laboratory experience in a recently revised curriculum emphasizing analytical chemistry. Project INCLAN (Instrumentation for Chemistry via Local Area Network) provides, in introductory and intermediate courses, practical, instrumentation-based, hands-on problem-solving experiences for 60-90 science majors per year; exploration of technological/environmental issues for 80-100 non-science-majors through real-world laboratory experiments; and minimization of time/access constraints that severely limit effective use of four crucially useful, single-station techniques. Project INCLAN features acquisition of Fourier Transform Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (FT-NMR) and Infrared (FT-IR) spectrometric instrumentation for use in freshman and sophomore organic and analytical chemistry courses and in Natural Science courses devised for non-science-majors. The new instrumentation is being incorporated into a Local Area Network currently under construction. Hands-on experimentation is being conducted by freshmen and sophomores assisted by upper-class chemistry mentors. Instrument output is funneled into the LAN system for student interpretation, freeing time for analysis of more samples during available lab periods. The major foci for program assessment includes (1) level of student use of spectrometric equipment in affected courses, (2) fraction of real-time devoted to analysis versus spectrum retrieval and interpretation on networked computers, and (3) efficacy of the Chemistry Mentorship as beginning and intermediate students are assisted in acquiring and interpreting information by upper-class students. The LAN system is used to log levels and summarize patterns of use. Progress during Project INCLAN is being communicated with colleagues by means of INTERNET listserv/interest group exchanges.