A new undergraduate course in solid state chemistry for senior-level chemistry and chemical physics majors is being developed. The rationale for the course is based on an argument that solid state chemistry and computational methods have been sidelined in the undergraduate curriculum in favor of qualitative approaches to understanding materials, but that there are forms of intuition that can only be developed through including quantitative thinking in the curriculum. The goals of the project include: 1) to develop a suite of solid state chemistry projects for small student-led research groups involving synthesis, structure, experimental characterization, and theoretical modeling; 2) to create a secure website for the course to provide access to instructional materials, computational and visualization software, and sensitive course materials for students; 3) to develop course documentation with theoretical background materials and instructional notes; 4) to create assessment instruments tailored to the course; 5) to implement the course and evaluate its success, and then incorporate feedback into a second offering of the course; and 6) to include internal and external peer reviews of the overall course, to contribute to the course's evaluation as well as dissemination. The project includes developing lab-based projects built around important questions in solid state chemistry and requiring the use of a differential scanning calorimeter and a thermogravimetric analyzer, as well as computer modeling programs: 1) a chemical storage materials project exploring practical ways to store hydrogen in a solid, 2) a project on materials for sequestration and separation technologies exploring how inclusion compounds can be used for this purpose, 3) a nanotechnology materials project exploring whether functionalized nanotubes can assemble into ordered, electrically conductive structures and whether porous arrays of nanotubes or other forms of carbon can store or separate gases, and 4) a project on microporous materials for separation and catalysis exploring what controls the efficacy of separation and catalytic activity in a zeolite. Evaluation consists of internal and external elements. The internal evaluation involves chemistry and physics faculty both internal and external to Hamilton College who are reviewing instructional materials and course evaluations and providing a "critical friends" approach to feedback. External evaluation is examining pre-, mid-, and post-assessments along with course materials, and is focusing on core fidelity, program improvement, promising and replicable practices, and sustainability. Results of the project are being disseminated via student and faculty presentations at American Chemical Society and other conferences and publication of the computational and laboratory experiments in peer-reviewed journals.
