Chemistry

Chemistry asks what is matter made of and how does it interact? A basic understanding of chemistry is a prerequisite for good citizenship in our changing and technological society. This course introduces modern chemical concepts and processes in the context of their impact on health, the environment, and technology. Through inquiry-based learning, you will develop critical thinking skills and data-driven decision making toward the understanding of matter. This course has a moderate laboratory component and is appropriate for students not intending to continue in fields requiring foundational chemistry knowledge. Not open to students who are enrolled in or who have taken and passed CHEM 150 with at least a grade of C- or P.

Just twenty chemical elements are essential for human nutrition. We will focus on the atomic composition and structure of these elements; consider how some of these elements combine to make larger compounds and macronutrients (molecular structure and bonding); explore how their structures affect their solubility and acidity/basicity and examine the reactions (oxidation and hydrolysis) that micro- and macro-nutrients undergo to producing energy for the human body. Team-based learning and laboratory exercises will emphasize critical thinking and real-world applications of chemistry to nutrition. This course is appropriate for students not intending to continue in fields requiring foundational chemistry. Not open to students who are enrolled in or who have taken and passed CHEM 150 with at least a grade of C- or P.

What is color? Is color an intrinsic property of an object? Why is that your black screen turns colorful when it is on? In this course, we will investigate intriguing questions about colors through the lens of chemistry and physics. Using project-based and inquiry-based approaches, different mechanisms of having a color will be introduced, discussed, and analyzed, such as absorption, reflection, and emission. The mechanisms can then be used to explain and predict a wide range of color phenomena, such as green leaves, blue skies, red paints, orange carrots, and all the colors of the screen you are looking at. At the end of the semester, students will participate in collaborative projects to learn the science of color by doing it.

This course is an introduction to general chemistry with an emphasis on developing problem- solving skills for students planning a professional career in science, engineering, and medical fields. We will explore basic concepts of chemistry along with the mathematics required for quantitative problem solving. The topics include elements and compounds, chemical calculations, atomic structure, bonding, stoichiometry, chemical equations, reactions in aqueous solutions, oxidation-reduction, energy and chemical changes, quantum mechanical atom, chemical equilibrium, and acids & bases & buffers. This course can be taken at the same time or before CHEM 150L. Prevents co- or later enrollment in CHEM 112 and CHEM 115.

This laboratory is a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) to complement Foundation of Chemistry (CHEM 150) course and will build upon the basic general chemistry knowledge. The CURE project is designed to challenge students to frame real-life practical research questions and design viable approaches to acquire meaningful data. This is a student-centered, guided, and inquiry-based research project that will allow students to engage in activities with greater decision-making and collaborative work.

This course provides a fundamental overview of organic chemistry to students interested in pursuing careers in the sciences, engineering, or medical fields. We will explore the relationship between the structure and function of molecules, the major classes of organic compounds, and their reactions and reaction mechanisms. Students will learn how to determine molecular structure via spectroscopic techniques. In the laboratory, students will be introduced to some techniques and procedures for the isolation, purification, and characterization of organic compounds and to some of the reactions used in the organic chemistry laboratory such as the Grignard, elimination, and substitution reactions.

This course is continuation of CHEM 301 that provides a deeper overview of organic chemistry to students interested in pursuing careers in the sciences, engineering, or medical fields. We will specifically explore the synthesis and reaction mechanisms of aromatic compounds and organic molecules with carbonyl and carboxylic acid functional groups. Students will learn how to plan for multi-step synthetic pathways to form a given organic molecule and the reaction mechanisms involved. A complementary laboratory will reinforce content.

Drug design and development is a complex interdisciplinary enterprise that draws upon many disciplines in science, engineering, and business. The cost to develop the average FDA-approved drug is estimated to be as much as $1.5 billion. This course will explore core medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and molecular biology topics related to drug design and development. Using a case study-focused approach, students will study and present on traditional small molecules, biologically derived larger drugs, and next-generation gene therapies. Topics for discussion include receptor theory, common drug targets, lead molecule discovery and development, pharmacokinetics, ADMET, monoclonal antibody therapies, vaccines, nucleic acid-based drugs, CRISPR, and more.

We will learn, in detail, how the cell uses just a few types of raw materials to construct complex structures. Some have evolved to catalyze chemical reactions with a high degree of selectivity and specificity; we will uncover their enzymatic strategies. Living things harvest energy from their environment to fuel metabolic processes, reproduce, and grow; we will keep account of these transactions and consider the exquisite control that permits a cell to be responsive and adapt its responses to inputs from the environment. Key topics: protein structure and function, thermodynamics, enzyme mechanisms, transport, signaling, intermediary metabolism, and regulation. (Recommended prerequisite for medical school admissions.)

Using techniques relevant to biochemistry, this wet laboratory-intensive course will focus on primary literature, experimental design, data collection and analysis, and science communication. We will start by learning about a biologically important cascade (eg. blood-clotting). Next, we will develop protocols for isolating proteins from tissue and purifying them using column chromatography. Then, we will assess the purified products using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Homology modeling and docking software will help us to visualize how individual components of these pathways interact at the molecular level.  Finally, with homogenous proteins in hand, we will reassemble the cascade to recapitulate and probe the cascade in vitro.

This is a project-based laboratory course focusing on the fundamental and practical aspect of analytical instrumentation typically employed in chemical and biochemical research laboratories. Through assigned projects, students will make new organic and inorganic compounds and apply various instrumental methods for separation, purification, and identification. 

This project-based, laboratory-intensive course will focus on primary literature, experimental design and techniques, data collection and analysis, and science communication in the context of biochemistry. Students will express, purify, detect, quantify, and perform biochemical assays of recombinant enzymes to gain new insights into their mechanism of action and how they may be inhibited. Students will gain experience with lab techniques such as sonication/homogenization, column chromatography, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, immunoblotting, etc. Students will communicate their results and ideas through oral presentations, research proposals, and research articles.

This course satisfies the advanced writing skills course requirement.

This interdisciplinary course will focus on the molecular biology of cancer and the underlying chemistry of cell biology. Students will learn how proteins are encoded and the impact of genomic instability on protein structure and function; alterations of normal metabolism in cancer cells; and basic pathways of cell division and death. Complementary chemistry topics include chemical structure and bonding, biological polymerization, thermodynamics, enzyme kinetics, and redox reactions. Laboratory research will use model systems to understand cancer biology. Prevents co- or later enrollment in BIO 115 and BIO 130.