The normal chemistry curriculum does a good job of educating you on basic topics covering the full spectrum of modern chemistry. Actually, the curriculum provides a sound basis and you can expect to keep learning for the rest of your professional life. The courses also include a wide range of problem solving experiences. After all, almost every test ends the chapter with a list of problems.

Chemistry (like most of life) extends well beyond the formal list of topics in each field. You education should include a place where you learn how to deal with open ended problems. You can't find these answers in "the textbook."

• You may well be able to formulate the right question and find much or even all of what you need to know in the published chemical literature.

• More likely, some of the necessary information is not known and you will need to design experiments that can supply the missing information.

• Frequently, the interpretation of experimental data is not obvious or unambiguous.

You also need to know how professionals work

• How to select a suitable project
• How to organize the work
• How to use one set of results to plan the next stage
• How to document your work
• How to communicate your results to the professional community.

Actually, there's another important motivation behind Chem.. 413. This time it's really the concept of independent work

• This is a chance to develop your skills at working alone or within a small group
• Generally you will work closely with one faculty member (your research director) and perhaps several others within the research group.
• This is a great opportunity to enhance your professional resume
• Your research project is unique; your course work is not.
• Your letters of reference from research are much more specific
• You gain a body of information that you know better than most of the rest of the world's chemists
  • This is a good topic for conversation in job interviews, for example.
  • To be valuable in influencing your selection into a graduate program or for job hiring, your Chem. 413 experience should have made significant progress by January of your senior year. This is because many such decisions are made based on your record at that time.

How does Chemistry 413 Operate at BGSU

• First, this is an independent project between you and a faculty advisor
  • You should review a list of faculty and their areas of interest
    • don't be too restrictive; most faculty have projects that extend beyond the traditional bound of their official subdivision.
  • You should interview faculty members, asking them about research projects
    • Faculty members expect to talk to prospective students
    • We actually insist that you interview at least three faculty members
• (In practice, few projects are designed by students. They are generally selected from a range of projects offered by a faculty member
  • It does take experience to identify a problem that is worth doing that can be completed in the time available for a Chem. 413 project.
  • There's no sense selecting a project that cannot be completed with the instrumentation available at BGSU
  • Likewise, there are budget constraints. Many projects rely heavily of a stock of reagents, samples and equipment that is already in the lab.

• You then register for 1, 2, or 3 hr. of credit for the semester.
• You work with your faculty advisor, typically meeting 1-3 times per week.
• You are required to submit a formal final report to your advisor and to take a copy to the department office
  • this should be in a journal like format
  • if you are continuing the project, this can be a progress report
• After you have completed a total of three hours of Chem. 413
  • You are expected to present your work in May in a departmental undergraduate Research Presentation.
• Chem. 413 work can be undertaken in any academic quarter, including summer.
• Many undergraduate students have the opportunity to do summer research, in a paid program like the REU. The BGSU program includes up to 9 hr. of academic credit.
• Chem. 413 is actually required for an ACS degree since you need at least 2 semester hours of lab beyond Chem. 407-408.
  • If you conduct research at another institution, in another science department or have work experience in a chemistry facility, we can waive part of that requirement. (See Dr. Endres.)

Faculty and their areas of interest

• Anzenbacher
  • organic chemistry, synthetic
• Brecher
  • biochemistry
• Cable
  • physical chemistry, spectroscopy
• Catellano
  • Inorganic Chemistry, synthesis, spectroscopy
• Endres
  • Theoretical physical chemistry, Instrumentation
• Kinstle
  • Organic Chemistry, synthetic
• Leontis
  • Biochemistry; Computer Modeling of RNA
• Newman
  • Physical chemistry
• Neckers
  • Photochemistry, Polymers
• Midden
  • xxxx
• Ogawa
  • Inorganic Chemistry
• Rodgers
  • Physical Chemistry; femtosecond spectroscopy
• Popik
  • Organic chemistry, synthetic
• Scovell
  • Biochemistry
• Snavely
  • Physical Chemistry, Spectroscopy
• Todd
  • Chemical Education, Biochemistry