The current rapid increase in the level of affordable computer hardware, and the ready availability of a variety of -computational chemistry software packages, have made molecular modeling accessible to all levels of the undergraduate curriculum. Construction and visualization of molecules have become valuable teaching tools, yet many chemical educators have had limited or no experience with this medium. This three year project will offer college faculty in New England and eastern New York an opportunity to learn about using molecular modeling in their undergraduate courses. A three and one half day workshop will be held each June at the University of Massachusetts, with a follow-up symposium to be held in January. Participants will gain familiarity with the basic theory and practical use of molecular mechanics and semi-empirical molecular orbital calculations and will receive a brief introduction to ab-initio methods. The emphasis of the workshop will be on the use of these techniques to teach and learn undergraduate chemistry. We will further advise the participants in establishing computational chemistry programs at their home institutions. During January participants and local educators from the Five-College region will be invited to the University to exchange success stories and discuss methods of incorporating modeling into undergraduate courses.
