A course in "Chemical Structure Determination" is being designed for non-science majors. The course in organic structure determination has no prerequisites other than a high school chemistry course. It is laboratory intensive and requires problem solving skills, the application of logic, hands-on data acquisition and interpretation, teamwork, and oral and written communication skills. Students are gaining hands-on experience with modern instrumental methods and the use of technology in solving scientific problems. An infrared spectrophotometer, an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotomer, and a gas chromatograph interfaced with a mass spectrometer, along with an existing 60 MHZ nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, are being used in the course. The course is also forcing students to recognize the interdisciplinary nature of science, as all of the laboratory experiments and projects are serving as a bridge to phenomena in related fields. The course satisfies a portion of the field of study requirements in the natural sciences required in the curriculum. In addition, the instrumentation is being used in the annual workshop for high school teachers and students which is offered in the summer as part of the outreach program to the region. *
