Spring 2022
Meeting:
W 3:30pm - 4:20pm / BAG 260
SLN:
12106
Section Type:
Lecture
Instructor:
Syllabus Description (from Canvas):
Welcome to Chemistry Frontiers!
This is a pass/fail, fun 1 credit seminar course for 1st and 2nd year undergraduate students. Grading is based on attendance and a quiz in the last day of class.
Topics range from learning about 3D printing of polymers and medical devices, to malaria treatments, cell imaging and quantum dots for visual displays (like TVs)!
Its main purpose is to
- inform what research in chemistry looks like
- show you why and how chemistry is relevant in our society
- provide you with an opportunity to meet research active faculty at UW, and their students in a relatively informal setting
- chart a course to how to pursue undergraduate research internships
This class is also an excellent opportunity to find research positions and interact with chemistry profs in the department (many of who you'll interact with throughout your career at UW).
Each lecture is
- designed to be fun
- will be delivered by a different team of {a prof + students}
- describes the big picture of the research as well as logistical/experimental aspects of what research looks like for that group.
| Date | Lab (PI/Student) | Title of talk | Research Area | Resource | Question |
| 3/30 | Velian | Introduction to Research in Chemistry | Undergraduate research, Internships, Opportunities at UW, What is Grad School | see canvas files | - |
| 4/6 | Nelson | Polymers for 3D printing | Catalysis, Chemical Biology, Materials, Organic Chemistry | This is a 1-hour videothat is extremely well done and interesting as an introduction to polymers. https://www.pbs.org/video/beyond-the-elements-indestructible-ijaqya/ | What can you see yourself 3D printing 30 years from now? What types of attributes will be required of the material? |
| 4/13 | Masiello | TBD | Nanoscience and single-particle spectroscopy theory | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYGP5w5MecY | Name a few ways in which the spectral response of a nanomaterial can be influenced. |
| 4/20 | Chatterjee | Organic chemical reactions in proteins | Organic Chemistry,Chemical Biology, Biophysis, Catalysis | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnU8-M_j6sA | Why are protein post-translational modifications important for all living organisms? |
| 4/27 | Fu | Beyond Beer's law: how we use spectroscopy to measure chemistry in living cells | Analytical Chemistry, Biophysics, Chemical Biology, Physical Chemistry | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgaCk9mKPMU | How can you use Beer's law to measure cellular processes such as apoptosis or aging (think about chemical changes and look up literature) |
| 5/4 | Cossairt | Lights, Quantum Dots, Action! | Clean Energy, Catalysis, Inorganic and Materials Chemistry | What is a Quantum Dot? Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-is-a-quantum-dot/id1436616330?i=1000510570718 | What is a quantum dot? What is "quantum" about it? What are some representative applications of quantum dots that make use of their unique properties? |
| 5/11 | Rathod | Science for malaria treatments | Chemical Biology/Organic Chemistry | https://www.washington.edu/news/2015/07/15/uw-chemists-help-develop-a-novel-drug-to-fight-malaria/ 2. https://www.texastribune.org/2016/08/01/mmv-a-potential-single-dose-cure-for-malaria/ 3. White, J, Rathod, PK. Indispensable malaria genes. Science. 2018;360 (6388):490-491. doi: 10.1126/science.aat5092. Thank you!! |
Malaria Elimination: Why so hard?
|
| 5/18 | Golder | Pasta and Plastics | Organic Chemistry, Catalysis, Materials | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04350-0 | Describe one general method to upcycle a thermoplastic and one general method to upcycle a thermoset. |
| Velian | Conclusions and P/F quiz | What have we learned? |
Catalog Description:
Exposes freshmen and new transfer undergraduate students to current topics of U.W. research in chemistry. Students interface with research groups. Includes a "big picture" description of the scientific goals and main questions of the highlighted group along with a discussion of experimental methods. Credit/no-credit only.
Credits:
1.0
Status:
Active
Last updated:
March 1, 2025 - 2:02 am