Introduction to Research Methods, CHEM 376, Spring 2008

 

Instructor: Dr. Neil Fitzgerald

Lecture: Tues 9.30-10.45 DN236A

Group Meeting: Fri 9.30-10.45 DN236A

Laboratory: Mon 9.30-12.15 DN227 (or by arrangement with advisor)

 

Availability

The easiest way to contact me with a simple question is by email. My email is neil.fitzgerald@marist.edu. For other questions, drop by my office at Donnelly 235D. My rule for office visits is that all work (e.g. lab reports or homework) must be kept out of the office. In other words, don’t show me your work and ask me if it is correct. Plan your questions before you visit me.  You can also phone me at ext. 2491 if necessary.

 

Course Description

This course serves as an introduction to chemical research and the tools required for successfully conceiving, planning, and conducting a research project.  The class sessions will alternate between traditional classes and a group meeting format.  Group meetings will comprise of a round table update of project activities followed by an informal presentation/ discussion led by each class member in turn focusing on either a journal article of interest or preliminary project data.  The course will emphasize scientific writing and presentation skills and also include literature search strategies, critical evaluation of literature, some common analytical methods, experimental design, and statistical data treatment.  The final presentation will serve as a conference style presentation of a completed project or a presentation of a proposed, more extensive, project.  Class periods will be a mixture of lectures, class presentations, guest speakers and research group format discussions.

 

The laboratory component of the course falls into two categories depending upon your chosen degree path.  For BS students, the course serves as the beginning of the three semester research sequence.  Students are expected to chose a research area (in collaboration with myself or a research advisor), complete a significant literature review, learn and become familiar with the methods and techniques required for the research project and, in some cases, obtain preliminary data.  Upon completion of the course, BS students should be ready to commence research in the Research II course with little further instruction or training.  In most cases students will be given a series of experiments to perform during the semester in order to familiarize themselves with the specific research project and practice the necessary techniques.  Students must recognize that faculty (other than myself) are not required to serve as research advisors for this course.  Faculty may agree to serve as advisors if they feel that have enough time to do so effectively and if they feel that you are a good fit for the project.  If a faculty member is not able to serve as your advisor, I will do my best to develop a project or set of experiments to fit your interests.  BA students will use this course to complete a short project under my supervision.  Students should discuss project ideas with me as soon as possible.  All students will submit a short summary of lab activities each week including hours worked.  It is expected that students will spend an average of three hours per week on lab related activities.  A lab performance grade will be given based on hours worked and quality of work (with input from advisor where appropriate).

 

 

Objectives

The objectives of the course are to provide a good introduction to the main processes involved in research for the chemical sciences. This should provide a good starting point for those preparing to conduct a more detailed research project.  The course aims to improve problem solving ability and laboratory skills through independent project work.  It will also emphasize written and oral presentation skills, data treatment methods, experimental design, and literature search strategies and critical review of scientific literature.

 

Specific Objectives and Methods of Assessment:

 

On completion of the course students will:

  • Be able to search scientific literature and read it critically – assessed by literature review assignment, journal club discussion and presentation of a journal article
  • Be able to conduct research efficiently and safely using good laboratory procedures – assessed through lab performance, weekly progress reports and notebook evaluation
  • Be able to use a laboratory notebook correctly – assessed by notebook evaluation
  • Be able to think critically and solve problems effectively – assessed through lab performance and weekly progress reports
  • Be able to write scientifically – assessed by final report, literature review assessment and mini-grant assignment
  • Be able to communicate effectively in oral and poster presentations – assessment by journal club presentations, poster assignment and final presentation
  • Have an understanding of statistical methods and how to apply them to research – assessed by homework assignments and final exam
  • Have an understanding of some analytical techniques commonly used in chemical research – assessed through homework assignments and final exam
  • Be familiar with the whole scientific research process from planning and experiment design through to scientific publishing and presenting results – assessed through final exam

 

 

The tentative lecture schedule for the course is given below.  Friday classes will be reserved for group meeting activities.

Date

Chapter

Topic

Jan 22

N/A

Introduction to the Research Process

Jan 29 (in DN101A)

N/A

Literature Search Strategies

 Feb 5

Beall 4

Keeping a Scientific Notebook and Good Laboratory Practice

Feb 12

Feb 19

Feb 26

March 4

Harvey 4 and 14

Statistical Methods: Experimental Design, Hypothesis Testing and Optimization

March 11

March 25

April 1

Harvey 10

Tools of the Trade: IR, NMR and Mass Spec

April 8

Beall 5, 6, 7, 8

Scientific Writing (grants, journal articles, and non-technical writing)

April 15

Beall 2, 5

The Peer Review Process and Scientific Publishing

April 22

Beall 9

Presenting Research (oral and poster presentations)

April 29

May 2

 

Final Presentations

May 7 at 10.30am

 

Final Exam

 

 

Assignment Due Dates

 

1.             Literature review article (due 2/8/2008)

2.             Problem sets (approx. five covering statistics and instrumental methods)-due dates TBA

4.             Notebook evaluation (3/14/2008 and 5/2/2008)

5.             Short written reviews of two external speakers (to be approved by instructor) – due one week after attendance

6.             Mini-grant proposal (due 4/18/2008)

7.             Posters (due 4/25/2008)

8.             Final Report (due 5/2/2008)

 

Text

Text: Herbert Beall and John Trimbur, “A Short Guide to Writing about Chemistry”, 2nd Edition, Addison Wesley Longman

David Harris, “Modern Analytical Chemistry”, McGraw Hill (2000)

Students need an approved laboratory notebook.  Notebooks must have numbered fixed pages.  Your advisor may require a specific type of lab notebook (for example they may require carbon copies of pages), please consult with them before starting lab work.

We will also use ilearn (https://ilearn.marist.edu) for weekly progress reports using the wiki feature and to distribute class material.

 

Grading Policy

 

The grade for the course will be calculated as follows:

Literature Review Paper                                                                                 8%

Critical Review of Journal Article Presentation                                       3%

Review of Two External Speakers                                                             2%

Problem Sets                                                                                                       5%

Mini-Grant Proposal                                                                                        5%

Project Progress Presentation                                                                        3%

Weekly Progress Reports (Wiki)                                                                   2%

Final Report                                                                                                        20%

Final Exam                                                                                                          20%

Journal Club Participation                                                                             2%

Poster                                                                                                                    5%

Final Presentation                                                                                             5%

Notebook Evaluation                                                                                        5%

Laboratory Performance                (assigned in collaboration with advisor)     15%

 

Your overall grade will be determined by calculating the percentage of points you have earned out of all available points, and comparing your percentage to the standard grading scale (A= >90.00%, B=80.00-89.99%, etc.) with appropriate adjustments made for + and - grades.

The instructor reserves the right to use subjective evaluations to elevate any student’s grade at the end of the semester, but I will not do this to lower any student’s grade.  I will make every effort to ensure that your final grade corresponds to the Grading System as described in the program catalog.

 

A 10% per day late penalty will be imposed for all unexcused late assignments.