With this GOALI award the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities and the Synthetic Organic Program are supporting the educational efforts of Dr. Brian P. Coppola and Christine E. Evans of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Michigan and Dr. Anthony W. Czarnik, Director of Biochemistry for the Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Research headquarters of the Warner-Lambert Company. This team of academic and industrial chemists will formally extend the integrated architecture that is being created for the professional development stream in the undergraduate program at the University of Michigan chemistry department. This novel conceptual design will have two parallel outcomes. The first result is a new undergraduate course, Professional Development in the Chemical Sciences, taken during the Junior year. The subject matter of the course will include critical analysis of written and oral presentations, written and oral technical communication proficiency, and an introduction to the multi-faceted features of professional life including professional ethics. The creation of this course is a unique educational bridge between the traditional content of undergraduate programs and the needs of beginning a professional life in chemistry. Second, it is proposed to strengthen this bridge further by creating a parallel set of course materials and objectives, through an academic-industrial partnership, that also address the needs of post-baccalaureate chemists who are already in practice. In addition to the traditional undergraduate course structure, the team will explore alternative modes of delivery that might better address the needs of the post-baccalaureate population.
