Project Title: Frontiers in Organic Chemistry
Project Author: Sujatha Krishnaswamy (Chandler-Gilbert)
Abstract: Write a concise summary with descriptive information about your project, location, time span, your relationship to it, etc. Include specific information-- since you have completed your project, your knowledge is valuable and can be shared with your colleagues.
“Frontiers in Organic Chemistry” is a rigorous organic chemistry workshop and was presented by teachers and researchers. This workshop was held at Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA from June 21-26, 2004. The six day workshop covered topics such as atom economy in organic reactions, novel organic reactions and mechanisms, combinatorial chemistry, library design, computations, and molecular modeling. I gained knowledge in these current topics of organic chemistry and also obtained an extensive bibliography in various topics. I am in the process of organizing this newly obtained information into categories that more closely resemble the course compentencies of CHM235 and CHM236 organic chemistry courses. My ultimate goal is to publish this as a source of reference to both students and instructors on the CGCC chemistry website.
Outcomes: In a paragraph or two describe what worked well. Did you accomplish your objective(s)? Were you able to complete your summer project as written? If not, what did you modify and why? What did not go as well as expected, if anything? Were there any surprises? Note: Use the questions as guides for your outcomes. Do not include detailed list of workshops attended, speakers who presented, or a list of items you have seen, heard, or read.
The workshop was a great success. It was both inspiring and educational. The workshop was very well organized and therefore, all my goals were realized. My primary objective was to improve my ability to address problems in designing reactions. I have obtained new knowledge and improved my skills in reaction design from this workshop. My ability as a classroom instructor is much better after attending the workshop. The workshop presenters also provided an extensive bibliography on various current topics. This will enable me to direct my efforts in building a database that stores information. One year organic chemistry program is supported by a supplementary website and addition of a resource such as bibliography from conferences and workshops will greatly add to the functionality of the website. As every item on the workshop agenda was covered, there were no surprises. The design for publishing bibliography is underway. However, the availability of this resource is not expected for another semester.
Professional Growth: Your own professional growth is a large part of your project. Your professional growth is important to you, your students, your college, and possibly other colleagues. How did project affect you professionally? What skills did you learn? What environments were you working in and how might your summer project influence your teaching or other responsibilities? Did you gain a different perspective? Was it professionally valuable for you?
The six day workshop was organized by American Chemical Society, which is the principal organization for chemists throughout the world. In lieu of this fact, the workshop attracted peers from various parts of the country. I had many opportunities during the workshop, lunches, dinners and other social events to meet chemists and exchange views and opinions. I was also fortunate to meet many experts in synthetic, mechanistic and applied organic chemistry. New strategies of complex molecule synthesis, one of the key features in organic synthesis was presented. I am now acquainted with cascading reactions that are used to produce compounds of high complexity. Molecular modeling was an integral part of this workshop. I was introduced to a variety of computational methods and their applications to molecules. I also received a large collection of literature references on various topics ranging from green chemistry to enzymatic chemistry. This will enable me to refer to original publications and transactions on topics which are of interest to me.
I am now currently teaching organic chemistry with a broader perspective. I am more confident of my skills as a result of the newly acquired knowledge. I am also aware of the importance of updating my knowledge because organic chemistry is a rapidly growing field. I am using the information in molecular modeling and applying it more to my lectures. As a chemistry teacher, I can visualize processes better and apply theories more aptly to new situations.
Dissemination: How will you share this information with your colleagues, department, students, or college?
I would like to create a database using Microsoft Access on the CGCC chemistry website and make it available to all students and faculty. This database should serve the purpose of finding all current publications on a specific topic, molecule, a reaction, a reagent or a theory. Both faculty and students can obtain useful information that will enhance their learning and understanding of the complex field of organic chemistry. The database will also have provisions for faculty to add references to existing and new topics. The database therefore will be open to both addition and retrieval of information. Maintenance of a database of such nature is complex and time consuming. However, there are no such databases in Maricopa district. There is also none in the WWW that is directly applicable for undergraduate organic chemistry curriculum.
For more information about this project, check out the "package" in the Maricopa Learning eXchange:
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/mlx/slip.php?item=01377