Highlights: Ventures in Freshman Chemistry James M. Farrar. Richard Elsenberg, and J. A. ~ampmeier Ln versty of Rocnesfer Rochester, NY 14627
Developing a course in freshman chemistry that emphasizes the critical relationships between chemical principles and issues of societal relevance is not a new idea. Such courses are generally taken by nonscience students, however. At Rochester, we have designed a new freshman chemistry course based on the themes of energy and the environment, complete with a laboratory component, that provides a rigomus introduction to chemical concepts, systems, and practices. The course prepares students for further study in chemistry and other natural sciences. We have packaged our chemistry curriculum with a writing course offered by the philosophy department that teaches students to analyze and construct arguments, and a historv course emohasizine the development of scientific t h k g h t from the beginning of the 18thLcenturyto the modern environmental movement. At Rochester, this multidisciplinary linkage of courses comprises our "Venture in Energy and t h e Environment", with a n enrollment of approximately 40 students per year. Students must apply to participate in the Venture,. ameeing - to take all courses in the package. In a traditional freshman chemistry course, we teach students the principles of chemistry, following the introduction of those concepts with illustrative examples. We invert this logic in our venture chemistry course, using examples of important current issues and problems to motivate the science we teach. We ask the questions "What chemistry do we need to know in order to understand ozone depletion?" or "What chemistry underlies global warming?" By choosing carefully the subjects of energy and the environment, we can cover most all of the topics that normally comprise a traditional beginning course. For examnle., understandine ozone depletion reauires a consideration of chemical bonding, spectroscopy, reaction kinetics, and catalysis. The topic of global warming requires discussions of combustion stoichiometry and the chemistrv of fuels. includine petroleum and biomass: shapes, structures, a n d spect~o&opyof molecules; ~ h a s e diagrams of pure substances; chemical equilibrium; and solubilities of gases in liquids. All of these topics are a central part of a freshman chemistry curriculum. In formulating our specific course structuk, we have introduced the concepts of e n e w production and utilization first, letting environmental issues follow as consequences of these a& tivities. By focusing on energy first, we introduce thermodynamics and properties of macroscopic systems early. We also avoid launching the course on the negative note of chemical contaminants in the environment. Our curriculum considers the relationship of scientific activities to other human endeavors, addressing current
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issues without sacrificing scientific rigor. Writing is a n important component of our Venture, not only in the accompanying philosophy and history courses, but also in the chemistry course, where essay questions that require students to inteaate concepts and develop areuments with explicit chemical reasoning often appear on exams. Students have ample o ~ ~ o r t u n ito t vrevise their written work. shown below illustrates the organ,The outline &to& z a m n we have followed in the first offerings ofour course: &
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Energy and the Environment-Semester 1 Introduction to Chemical Concepts Stoichiometly Resources of the Planet-The Periodic Table Where does our energy come from? Chemical Fuels Energy Conversion and Conservation: The First and Second Laws Why Chemical Reactions Happen: Chemical Equilibrium Energy and Environmental Issues in Industrial Processes Energy and the EnvironmentSemester 2 Electroehemica1and Photochemical Energy Conversion Aqueous Resources: Chemical Equilibrium ~ c i Rain: d Acid-Base Chemistm Ozone Depletion: Chemical Kinetics Sources of enem -. from nuclei: fissionand fusion Energy from atoms Understanding Energetics and Chemical Stability: Chemical Structure and Bonding The weekly laboratory for thecourse focuses on chemical analysis and reactivity, and includes experiments usinn gas &matographic a*d spectrophotome~ricmethods. AL though many of the experiments cover the traditional subjectsof volumetric analysis, synthesis, inorganic qualitative analysis, and kinetics, the spirit of motivated inquiry is similar to the lecture portion of the course. The experiments pose current chemical questions and problems, sharpen observational and technical abilities by building opportunities to reinforce newly skills, and inte. acquired . &ate with lecture material. I n addition to the course curriculum, the small class size, close student- faculty interactions, and cooperative collegial relations that develop among students have contributed to the success of the Venture'. Even in the first years of the program, we have clear evidence that Venture students perform as well or better in organic chemistry than students from the traditional freshman courses, with a significantly enhanced number of students indicating their intent to major in chemistry. Acknowledgement This work has been suooorted in oart throueh National 91'56173. we-also grateScience Foundation ~ r a h DUE i fully acknowledge support from the Dreyfus Foundation.
Volume 70 Number 10 October 1993
847
