The Claflin University HBCU-UP Targeted Infusion Project will upgrade the laboratory sections of chemistry courses to include inquiry-based spectroscopic, chromatographic and computational techniques while providing a research-based course in spectroscopic techniques. The intellectual merit of the project is based on the strengthening of the research infrastructure at Claflin University by advancing the onsite instrumentation in the chemistry department and the incorporation of specialized separation and spectroscopy modules in advanced chemistry courses. The Claflin chemistry department was recently approved by the American Chemical Society (ACS). An expectation of all ACS certified departments is that of a strong, competitive/research-based curriculum in chemistry and current, modern instrumentation that is used by professional chemists in academia and industry. Specifically, this project will focus on the acquisition of two major analytical instruments that are widely used for chemical analyses i.e. High Performance Liquid Chromatograph-Diode Array Detector (HPLC-DAD) and a Fluorescence Spectrophotometer. In addition, a specialized course in Practical Spectroscopy will be offered as an advanced course under the ACS chemistry core. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy analyses are also a requirement for ACS sustainability. Therefore, this new course will focus on pulse NMR, instrumentation, and 1- and 2-D NMR methods.
The broader impacts of the project include the training and preparation of underrepresented minority scientists for the STEM workforce. Claflin University is one of the oldest Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the South. The college has a long tradition of providing basic education in the sciences for underrepresented students. U. S. News and World Report ranked Claflin " number 1 Best Value and number 3 among Americas Best Comprehensive Colleges in the South." Claflin University has produced the third largest number of African American undergraduate students in science and mathematics of any HBCU in the state of South Carolina, and the fifth largest number amongst all universities within the state. Not only will this project affect chemistry majors, but non-science majors enrolled in Physical Science will learn about separation analyses and how to compare spectra from a product to those of starting materials.
