"Venture" Courses in Chemistry on Themes of Energy and Life New first year chemistry courses with laboratory will be developed for potential chemistry majors. The first two such courses will be titled "Energy and the Environment: Chemical Principles, Systems and Practices," and "Chemistry of Life: Chemical Principles, Systems, and Practices." Both courses will be taught in the Venture format that has been developed at Rochester. In this format, each chemistry course will be centered on a general theme and will be coupled with a writing course and a course from another discipline. Initial enrollments will be limited to 40 students. If successful, enrollments will be expanded to 100 students. The general themes were chosen to motivate beginning students. The Venture format has successfully improved the ability of students to see course material in a larger context, to make connections between disciplines, to interact, and to think critically. This is the first time the concept will be tested with a quantitative science course that provides a foundation for majoring in chemistry.***//
