Calorimetry and Capillary Electrophoresis in the Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory

化学和生物化学专业正在积极地重组本科课程。这些课程变化的动机源于在学生发展的早期阶段挑战他们的承诺，减少重复，并为他们独立研究的要求做好准备（这是所有专业的毕业要求）。学生学习科学的最佳方式是通过参与精心设计的、动手的、研究性的实验室体验，使他们接触到研究的兴奋，点燃他们对科学的兴趣。研究实验室利用毛细管电泳（CE）和等温滴定量热法（ITC），以便在早期阶段为学生提供这些机会。这些实验室从美国国家科学基金会资助的ITC项目（NSF-DUE 9850820， NSF-DUE 9851231和NSF-DUE 9452346）中获得收益。将这些令人兴奋的新技术结合到本科教学实验室中，使学生能够快速而精确地收集物理和分析数据，从而大大扩展了所提供的经验。这些练习通过反复接触现代方法和仪器、分析技巧和假设检验，更好地为学生的独立研究经验做好准备。该仪器是在生物，有机和物理化学，以及细胞生物学的背景下介绍。此外，仪器支持学生的论文研究和独立研究项目。

The Chemistry and Biochemistry programs are aggressively restructuring the undergraduate curricula. The motivation for these curricular changes stems from the commitment to challenge students at an earlier stage in their development, reduce repetition and prepare them better for the demands associated with independent research (which is a graduation requirement for all majors). The best way for students to learn science is through engagement in well-designed, hands-on, investigative laboratory experiences that expose them to the excitement of research and ignite their interest in science. The investigative laboratories utilize capillary electrophoresis (CE) and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) in order to provide these opportunities at an early stage to the students. The laboratories adapt gains from NSF funded projects dealing with ITC (NSF-DUE 9850820, NSF- DUE 9851231 and NSF-DUE 9452346). The incorporation of these exciting new technologies into the undergraduate teaching labs enables a significant expansion of the experiences offered by allowing students to collect physical and analytical data rapidly and with great precision. These exercises better prepare students for the independent research experience by repeated exposure to modern methodologies and instrumentation, analytical skills and hypothesis testing. The instrumentation is introduced in the context of biological, organic and physical chemistry, as well as cell biology. Additionally, the instrumentation supports student thesis research and independent study projects.