This project is using the computational and graphic power of microcomputers and workstations to allow students in the chemistry curriculum to investigate molecular structure and dynamics. This activity is part of laboratory courses, and interactive software allows students to conduct their investigations as experiments. Beginning a coherent three-year program, the first year stresses learning how to think at the molecular level and becoming familiar with different representations of molecules. The second year, organic and inorganic laboratories focus on the development of sound knowledge of force-field models and energy minimization. Molecular orbital models are being introduced and used to investigate spectral properties. The third-year physical chemistry laboratory is introducing ab initio MO methods and integrating and comparison of the different models available. Learning about the limitations of the models and where and why they fail helps students appreciate the approximate nature of scientific models.
