Putting Undergraduate Chemistry on Solid Ground: Analysis of Solids for a Deeper Understanding of Chemistry

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At Georgetown College, the Chemistry faculty are transforming the way chemical education is conducted and thus impacting the interest levels, skills, and depth of knowledge of the students by introducing solids analysis through a graduated approach. The project enhances students' understanding of solids and aids the development of their understanding of the use of Chemistry to a wide variety of practical applications, strengthens the scientific literacy of the general student body by demystifying chemical equipment and drawing connections between chemical analysis and relevant topics such as art, photography, environmental pollution, new materials, and food, and attracts more students to the STEM fields by giving them direct hands-on experience with modern instrumentation early in the academic career. A new course, Chemistry, Color, and Art, is helping improve the scientific literacy and experience of students who choose non-science careers. More than half of the students at Georgetown College are directly impacted through Chemistry classes. Additionally, the program will have a broader impact on the region through a Bluegrass Regional Physical Chemistry Symposium, a high school summer science camp, and a Science Alliance with K-12 teachers from six surrounding counties. The details of the curriculum development and its evaluation will be disseminated through presentations at national meetings and publication in a chemical education journal. This project is also addressing the critical shortage of science professionals in Kentucky.