Development of an Interdisciplinary Course, Chemical Analysis in Chemical Ecology

Dickinson College, Carlisle PA

Investigators

Abstract

Intellectual merit Global warming. Overpopulation. Renewable energy. National security. Access to clean water. Targeted therapeutics. The grand global challenges facing the 21st century world are complex and necessitate the creation of new educational models for training undergraduate scientists. To better prepare students to meet these challenges requires educators to radically re-think and restructure the way students experience the process of science in the laboratory. Current models no longer serve students well because they ignore fundamental realities of how science is conducted beyond the campus walls: in collaborative research teams comprised of scientists who bring multiple fields of expertise to the issues at hand. Student learning should no longer be artificially compartmentalized within disciplinary boundaries without providing students an opportunity to experience a more authentic model of the process of science early in their educational careers. To address this need, an upper-level interdisciplinary laboratory course entitled "Chemical Analysis in Chemical Ecology" is being created. The course is team taught by an analytical chemist from the Chemistry Department and a chemical ecologist from the Biology Department. The course enrolls 24 students per semester (12 registered through the chemistry department and 12 through the biology department) who work together in research teams of six students (3 biologists/3 chemists) each. The teams learn a set of common analytical techniques to investigate four current research questions in chemical ecology, culminating in the application of this knowledge to an original research question utilizing these techniques. Broader impact A guiding principle in the development of the course is the recognition that undergraduate scientists need authentic research experiences early in their undergraduate careers to help develop the critical-thinking skills needed to solve the world's most pressing problems. Furthermore, the course is expected to: 1) generate excitement for science and its relevance in students' lives; 2) provide students with realistic research experiences involving collaborative team-based problem solving approaches; 3) help students to develop confidence in the hands-on use of state-of-the-art HPLC instrumentation; 4) provide opportunities to cross disciplinary boundaries in seeking more complete answers to scientific questions; and 5) provide opportunities for students to clearly communicate their results to diverse audiences. The outcomes of this interdisciplinary course will be presented at two conferences. One, the annual meeting of the International Society for Chemical Ecology (ISCE), will introduce scientists in the field of chemical ecology to these efforts. The second, the Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, will disseminate the results to chemists familiar with new initiatives in undergraduate education.