Chemistry & Biochemistry

Introduction to the major biomolecular compound classes, including carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, along with a survey of enzyme kinetics and the overall regulation of key metabolic pathways. Three lectures per week.

Introduction to the major biomolecular compound classes, including carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, along with a survey of enzyme kinetics and the overall regulation of key metabolic pathways. Three lectures and one lab per week.

A continuation of the topics covered in Biochemistry I, with special attention paid to the classic chemical reactions at work in biological systems. The intersection of biochemical principles with such applications as drug discovery and computational modeling will be emphasized as a mechanism for understanding the fundamental relationship between structure and function. Three lectures per week.

Provides an opportunity for a student to gain field experience in an area related to the student's program of study or career goals. The learning objectives for internships include connecting academic knowledge and problem-solving processes to experiences and problems in professional settings. Supervision of an intern is provided by an appropriate faculty member and by a site supervisor of the agency or business in which the student is an intern. A student who wishes to engage in an internship must consult with the appropriate faculty member at least eight weeks in advance of the start of the term in which the internship is to be completed. A description of the internship, signed by the student and the faculty sponsor, must be filed with the director of internships by the first day of the semester prior to the start of the internship. Approval of each application for an internship is made by the director of internships based upon approved policies and guidelines. Internships are graded on an S or U basis. Students must complete 120 hours of internship-related work as well as weekly journal entries and a final reflective paper completed in accordance with approved requirements.  A student may enroll in an internship program for 3 credits per semester, and internship credit may be earned in subsequent semesters subject to the limitations that no more than two internships may be pursued in any one agency or business and a maximum of 9 credits in internships may be applied toward graduation.
FILA general education: experiential learning.

Upon approval of the department and the division head, a student with a cumulative grade point average of 2.20 or better may engage in an independent study or research project. One desiring to pursue independent study or research must submit a written description of the proposed work to the chair of the appropriate department and to the appropriate division head prior to the last day of the drop and add period for the semester in which the study is to be conducted. At the end of the semester, the supervising professor files with the registrar a grade for the student and a description of the work accomplished. Credit may be received for no more than three independent studies or research projects.

Upon approval of the department and the division head, a student with a cumulative grade point average of 2.20 or better may engage in an independent study or research project. One desiring to pursue independent study or research must submit a written description of the proposed work to the chair of the appropriate department and to the appropriate division head prior to the last day of the drop and add period for the semester in which the study is to be conducted. At the end of the semester, the supervising professor files with the registrar a grade for the student and a description of the work accomplished. Credit may be received for not more than three independent studies or research projects.

An honors project is one in which a student researches a subject, by examination of relevant literature or by experimentation or both; the student reports the results in an accurately documented and well-written paper or appropriate representation of the work. Whenever the study deals with the subject of an established course, the student is expected to go well beyond the usual work of the course in research and in assimilation of the results as revealed in the report. Juniors and seniors with a cumulative grade point average of 3.40 or above may register for an honors project. One desiring to pursue an honors project must submit a written description of his or her proposed work to the chair of the appropriate department and to the appropriate division head prior to the last day of the drop and add period for the semester in which the study is to be conducted. Upon the completion of the honors project, the student must present an oral defense of his or her project. The final grade must include a satisfactory performance on the oral defense, assessed by a three-faculty member team. The project advisor will authorize the make-up of the oral defense team and will assign the final grade on the project. The honors project title will be noted on the student's transcript. It is the student's responsibility to provide a copy of the written paper or appropriate representation of the work to the library in compliance with specifications approved by the Council on Education. The library director arranges for binding and storage.

The history of the earth and its place in the universe, geologic processes, environmental problems and weather. Three hours of lecture and one two-hour lab per week. Field trips may be taken during lab. FILA general education: natural and physical sciences. (Cross-listed as GEOL-102)

Basic principles of structure, composition and reactions of matter. Designed as a survey course for health science majors. Does not satisfy requirements for majors in Biology or Chemistry. Three hours of lecture and one two-hour laboratory per week. Credit may not be received for both CHEM-125 and CHEM-161.

Principles of chemistry including stoichiometry, states of matter, atomic and molecular structure, chemical bonding, periodicity, and the kinetic molecular theory of gases. Three hours of lecture and one four hour lab per week. FILA general education: natural and physical sciences. Credit may not be received for both CHEM-125 and CHEM-161.

Principles of chemistry including intermolecular forces, thermodynamics, equilibria, acid-base chemistry, electrochemistry, kinetics, and solubility. Three hours of lecture and one four hour lab per week.

Overview of the functional groups and reactivity of organic molecules using biological examples. Three hours of lecture and one two-hour lab per week. Credit may not be received for both CHEM-250 and CHEM-305.

Structure, nomenclature, and properties of organic molecules. Three hours of lecture and one four-hour lab per week. Credit may not be received for both CHEM-250 and CHEM-305.

Continuation of organic chemistry started in CHEM-305, including reaction mechanisms, thermodynamics, synthesis, and identification of organic molecules. Three hours of lecture and one four-hour lab per week.

A continuation of organic chemistry started in CHEM-305, including a study of the interpretation of infrared spectroscopy, proton and carbon NMR, UV-visible spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. The lab will be an introduction to chemical research that includes research methods and techniques through a series of experiments. Credit may not be received for both CHEM-306 and CHEM-310, or for both CHEM-308 and CHEM-310.

This course is an introduction to quantum theory and statistical mechanics with an emphasis on their application to spectroscopy and thermodynamic properties. Students will be introduced to and perform relevant calculations. The results of these calculations will then be used to introduce and develop the theory behind various spectroscopic techniques as well as develop the relationships between statistical mechanics and thermodynamic properties. Students will also gain hands-on experience working with several spectroscopic instruments. Three year cycle.

Molecular orbital theory, reaction kinetics, and organic name reactions. Three hours of lecture per week. Three year cycle.

A course on the basic concepts of drug structure, interactions, and metabolism. Drug design, development and synthesis, structure and physicochemical properties of drugs and their targets and drugs' mechanism of action and the body´s response will be covered. Three hours of lecture per week.

Designed to introduce students to the fundamental principles and techniques of computational chemistry. Approaches to be discussed include molecular mechanics, molecular dynamics, and density functional theory, among others. Discussion will focus on supporting, not replacing, the work of traditional synthetic chemists, and particular attention will be paid to the strengths/limitations of each technique for one or more specific purposes. Students will learn to model molecular systems and to critically analyze a potential energy surface, identifying local and global minima and the transition states between them. The application of these tools in ligand design and drug discovery will be a key component. Offered alternate years.

Physical properties, electronic structure, and reactivity of transition metal compounds. Three hours of lecture and one four-hour lab per week. Offered alternate years.

Exposure to methods of quantitation, signal-to- noise enhancement, instrumental design and function, methods of spectroscopy, chromatography, electroanalytical analysis, and mass spectrometry. Three hours of lecture and one four-hour lab per week.

This course focuses on the chemical techniques that are used in forensic sciences. Content includes a brief historical context, sampling methods and measurements, instrumental techniques, and an overview of drug analysis. Three hours of lecture and one four-hour lab per week.

Thermodynamics, equilibrium, chemical structures and reaction rates as applied to biological systems and macromolecules. Three of lecture per week. Offered alternate years.

Physical states of solution systems- thermodynamics, equilibria, reaction rates, electrochemistry, and photochemistry. Three hours of lecture per week. Credit may not be received for both CHEM-425 and CHEM-427. Offered alternate years.

Physical states of chemical systems- thermodynamics, equilibria, reaction rates, electrochemistry, and photochemistry- with lab examination of reactions in multicomponent systems. Three hours of lecture and four hours of lab work per week. Credit may not be received for both CHEM-425 and CHEM-427. Offered alternate years.

Devoted to a subject taken from a field of chemistry not otherwise covered in the curriculum. If a different topic is offered, the course may be repeated for credit.

A capstone course in which students learn about the history of chemistry, norms in science, professional ethics, and careers in chemistry. Two 1-hour lectures per week.

An open-ended laboratory research project with a member of the Chemistry faculty. A minimum of five hours of laboratory work per week. May be repeated as necessary for credit.

An open-ended laboratory research project with a member of the Chemistry faculty. A minimum of ten hours of laboratory work per week. May be repeated as necessary for credit.

Provides an opportunity for a student to gain field experience in an area related to the student's program of study or career goals. The learning objectives for internships include connecting academic knowledge and problem-solving processes to experiences and problems in professional settings. Supervision of an intern is provided by an appropriate faculty member and by a site supervisor of the agency or business in which the student is an intern. A student who wishes to engage in an internship must consult with the appropriate faculty member at least eight weeks in advance of the start of the term in which the internship is to be completed. A description of the internship, signed by the student and the faculty sponsor, must be filed with the director of internships by the first day of the semester prior to the start of the internship. Approval of each application for an internship is made by the director of internships based upon approved policies and guidelines. Internships are graded on an S or U basis. Students must complete 120 hours of internship-related work as well as weekly journal entries and a final reflective paper completed in accordance with approved requirements. A student may enroll in an internship program for 3 credits per semester, and internship credit may be earned in subsequent semesters subject to the limitations that no more than two internships may be pursued in any one agency or business and a maximum of 9 credits in internships may be applied toward graduation. FILA general education: experiential learning.

The history of the earth and its place in the universe, geologic processes, environmental problems and weather. Three hours of lecture and one two-hour lab per week. Field trips may be taken during lab. FILA general education: natural and physical sciences. (Cross-listed as CHEM-102)

This course is an overview of the history of the earth and its structure, earth materials, the rock cycle, internal processes (the tectonic cycle, volcanoes, and earthquakes), external processes (the hydrologic cycle, weathering, and soils), and environmental concerns (groundwater, surface water, pollution, and remediation) with fairly detailed coverage of the processes. Three hours of lecture and one two-hour lab per week. Field trips may be taken during lab. FILA general education: natural and physical sciences.

This course is a study of the environment on the Earth's surface, the boundary between the solid and liquid, and interactions between rock and water. This will include weathering and the formation of soil, and the flow of water at the surface and below ground level. Lab activities will include sampling and analysis of soil, surface water, and groundwater. Offered alternate years.