Chemistry (12) Interdisciplinary (99) Penn State University Berks-Lehigh Valley College (BLVC) is enhancing its recently initiated four-year interdisciplinary baccalaureate Science degree offering two options: NMR experiments from the University of Southern Idaho are being adapted in this project. Life Science and General Science. In addition, while recognizing the need for up-to-date equipment, BLVC is broadening the quality of both its two-year core curriculum and undergraduate teaching-research programs by making available current technology and instrumentation. The BLVC Science Division strongly believes that providing students and faculty with state-of-the-art instrumentation, and its attendant hands-on experience, bears more impact than simply exposing the mind's eye to textbooks and photocopied information. At BLVC, NMR technology is taught as pivotal for structural analysis and mechanistic study in an assortment of classes. We endorse incorporating this technology into all stages of instruction. In regards to this, our existing outdated instrument can no longer provide effective training for globally competitive science students. Three goals are addressed in this proposal: 1) to broaden and raise the level of exposure and awareness our science program has on students by acquiring state-of-the-art instrumentation and technology and incorporating them into an array of disciplines, 2) to seek out and implement creative new successful NMR teaching experiments and methods appropriate to our program, and 3) to maximize the use of this instrumentation by faculty (of diverse fields) and students; improving students' chances of success in industry and academia while, at the same time, increasing faculty participation.
