In this assignment students search for and choose an inorganic chemistry related research article. After reading, students write an analysis of their article, explaining the background, experimental data, and conclusions to their classmates.
Inspired by
As with chemistry, mental health is something we learn more about every day. The major focus of this SLiThEr is depression and anxiety in students, which are more prevalent in these COVID-impacted times. The material presented in this SLiThEr describes the best practices at the time it was recorded, and these practices may change in the future. While this recording is intended to be a resource for faculty, we would strongly encourage future viewers to seek out the latest research or contact a mental health professional for more information on these topics and current best practices.
SLiThEr #25 was recorded on Aug 19, 2021.
The link to the video is found below in the "Web Resources"
This SLiThEr was broadcast from our summer 2021 workshop! More info on the workshop can be found here: https://www.ionicviper.org/2021-viper-summer-workshop
The YouTube recording is below under "Web Resources"
See the SLiThEr Collection for links to the other SLiThErs!
The Safety Net (highlighted in a BITeS post) is a great online resource for crowd-sourced standard operating procedures established by Prof. Alexander J. M. Miller (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) and Prof. Ian A. Tonks (University of Minnesota – Twin Cities). It primarily contains SOPs from the Miller and Tonks research groups, but they invite submissions from the chemistry community. It is a treasure trove of useful information, safety resources, and links to physical property databases.
Inspired by several of the great lab safety activities on VIPEr, I modified Karen McFarland's activity (linked below) to specifically adapt to the ACS RAMP (Recognize hazards, Assess risks, Minimize risks, Prepare for emergencies) approach.
The assignment asks each student to identify three potential hazards from the first experiment they will be performing in inorganic lab: one chemical, one equipment, and one procedural hazard. For each hazard, they then complete a RAMP risk assessment.
This is a set of PowerPoint slides I put together for a brief presentation and discussion with summer research students in our department about good record keeping and data management practices.
In searching for a way to review topics before exams, I was informed about this powerpoint template which is macro'd to be operated as a realistic Jeopardy game. The site for the original author of the macro is:
https://sites.google.com/site/dufmedical/jeopardy
(Jeopardy for PowerPoint by Kevin R. Dufendach is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.)
This is our 23rd SLiThEr. The collection can be found here.
This discussion focused on ways to assess readiness for the general chemistry course sequence.
The YouTube video link for SLiThEr #23 is below under "Web Resources"