Catalysis CURE Project in Capstone Lab Course
Description

In CHEM 146, a capstone course for chemistry majors at San José State University, I run a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) developed in collaboration with many members of the IONiC VIPEr community. This CURE starts with every student in the lab developing and presenting their proposed project to the class (described in a separate LO) and then "fund" (pursue) the top rated proposals in groups of 2 or 3 students.

Madalyn Radlauer / San Jose State University Wed, 05/27/2026 - 18:54
Catalysis CURE Proposal in Capstone Lab Course
Description

In CHEM 146, a capstone course for chemistry majors at San José State University, I run a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) developed in collaboration with many members of the IONiC VIPEr community. This CURE starts with every student in the lab developing and presenting their proposed project to the class. Each proposal is addressing the same overarching scientific aim: to study catalysts for catechol oxidation where at least one of the proposed catalysts has not been used for this reaction before.

Madalyn Radlauer / San Jose State University Wed, 05/27/2026 - 17:25
Physical-Inorganic Techniques
Description

Application of advanced instrumental and preparative techniques to the study of structure, reactivity, and spectroscopy of inorganic and organic substances including materials. This is a capstone course and includes a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) that runs throughout the semester.

Madalyn Radlauer / San Jose State University Wed, 05/27/2026 - 17:16
Intermediate Inorganic Laboratory with CURE SQ2025
Description

In this lab we have two standard introduction labs (LUM and POR) and then a full CURE. This was the second time I ran this CURE (the first was Spring 2024).

The CURE is being published as a multi-institution ACS Symposium Series Chapter in 2026, and the materials from the CURE will be hosted in a collection on VIPEr. 

Once the chapter is published, I will add the link to it in the description. 

Kyle Grice / DePaul University Wed, 04/29/2026 - 15:06

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. 

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