2016-2017 Faculty Research Grant
David Nowack, Ryan Hayes, and Dana Johnston (Chemistry)
Integrating polymer science principles and techniques in first year general chemistry laboratories: A study in the scholarship of learning using dendrimer polymers.
Polymer chemistry is a sub-discipline of organic chemistry, which itself is a sub-discipline of chemistry. (Most people would recognize the name “polymer” by its common term: plastics.) The principles of polymer chemistry and the behavior of polymers can be used to extend the understanding of other disciplines of chemistry such as might be found in general chemistry.
This grant seeks funds to create a dendrimer education kit, produce the kit in shippable form and assess the kit as general chemistry laboratory exercise that would: 1) extend the depth of learning of selected general chemistry principles, 2) introduce to first year chemistry students some of the principles of polymer chemistry, 3) communicate to the chemical education community the measured impacts of this lab experience in general and polymer chemistry, and 4) provide additional business opportunities for the AUChemServices products.