SLiThEr #64: Developing ACS Guidelines for Undergraduate Chemistry Programs

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Mon, 07/28/2025 - 07:41
Description

A discussion about the 2023 ACS Guidelines for Undergraduate Chemistry Programs with Michelle Brooks (Assistant Director of the Office of Higher Education at ACS), Cora MacBeth (Emory University) and Barb Reisner (James Madison University). Additional discussion is available to registered faculty users.

SLiThEr #63: Catching up with Reilly and Sydney

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Mon, 07/28/2025 - 07:25
Description

This goes back to SLiThEr #14 when we interviewed two senior undergraduates in the midst of the COVID pandemic. At the time of this SLiThEr, both are in graduate school and getting close to their PhD.

Reilly Gwinn (Virginia Tech) and Sydney Towell (UNC - Chapel Hill) update us on their career paths.

Post-Exam Reflection

Submitted by Chris Whitehead / Union College on Fri, 12/06/2024 - 13:45
Description

This activity is a post-exam reflection that is adapted from the Exam Wrappers created by Marsha Lovett at Carnegie Mellon University. The activity has the students build metacognition skills by analyzing their exam preparation and performance. Then, students work to identify how each of their study strategies had a positive or negative impact to their performance. Finally, they outline a plan for how they will prepare for future exams. If the student would like, these reflections and plans are then discussed with the instructor in 1-on-1 meetings. 

SLiThEr #62: Applying to PhD Chemistry Programs

Submitted by Sarah Shaner / Southeast Missouri State University on Mon, 11/04/2024 - 18:30
Description

John Anderson (UChicago), Jenny Yang (UC Irvine), and Ian Tonks (UMN) discuss their perspectives on applying to graduate school

Literature Discussion Group Project

Submitted by Wes Farrell / United States Naval Academy on Mon, 08/05/2024 - 14:23
Description

This is a literature-based end of semester project.  After a semester of introducing literature in the form of typical literature discussions, this assignment is given to small groups.  It may be easily amended or added to.  Each group is provided with a paper and accompanying questions that are similar to the literature discussions they have done over the semester.  They then must use these guiding questions to assemble a presentation to the class.  The topics chosen and the guiding questions are designed to provide students with a taste of the many areas of inorganic chemistry that are no

SLiThEr #59: Inclusive leadership - Your role in creating cultures of belonging

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Fri, 04/05/2024 - 15:38
Description

Marilyn Mackiewicz (Oregon State University) is the 2020 awardee of the Stanley C. Israel Regional Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences from the ACS. Her unique story and experiences are presented, along with how faculty can make their spaces and themselves more welcoming.

SLiThEr #58: Embracing the maker culture in chemistry research and instruction

Submitted by Chip Nataro / Lafayette College on Fri, 03/01/2024 - 09:43
Description

BoB LeSuer (Associate Professor at SUNY - Brockport and President of IBiB) discusses using a maker space for teaching chemistry. Topics include: digital fabrication of pedagogical materials (models and periodic tables); instrumentation (potentiostat and liquid dispenser); and upcycling plastics into functional materials. Of special interest to this group will be work BoB has done on making the ICE solid state model kits available to anyone!