Chemistry (12) Research-based laboratory courses are being developed and integrated into the chemistry curriculum at North Carolina A&T State University (NCAT). The acquisition of a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS) instrument is being used by undergraduate students in freshman and sophomore laboratory courses that utilize realistic problems and situations to motivate and focus learning through active, student-centered learning methods. These laboratories are enhancing the undergraduate research that is on-going in the department by giving the students the background for developing a research project as well as experience using state-of-the-art equipment. An objective of these new courses is to change the way students think about and approach chemistry, having them gain, in the process, the skills they need to continue to grow intellectually beyond college. The goals of this project are to increase the underrepresented minority Ph.D. population in the STEM areas and increase the research experience of undergraduate and graduate chemistry majors at NCAT as well as invited community college participants. Six supplemental training workshops are also being developed that focus on the use of instrumentation including: NMR, HPLC, GC-MS, Infrared, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The broader impacts of this project are to increase the students' understanding of how to complete research projects, increase the students' confidence in laboratory skills, and train and mentor underrepresented students in the physical sciences to become future professionals.
