CHEMISTRY 451 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYLLABUS

Chemistry 451, Undergraduate Research may be taken for 1, 2 or 3 credits. It is expected that the student will spend at least the three times the number of hours per week doing research as the number of credits attempted. Research is to be directed by a research advisor chosen from the research faculty in the Chemistry Department. The selection of the research advisor by the student is one of mutual consent between the student and the faculty member. The research should be on projects that have the potential for publication. The student should review the safety procedures necessary for the project with their research advisor (see also http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/acsdisplay.html?DOC=education\cpt\ts_safety.html, as well as ethical behavior as it relates to laboratory research (see also http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/acsdisplay.html?DOC=education\cpt\ts_ethics.html). The student should also review the sections of the McNeese webpage dealing with scientific misconduct at http://www.mcneese.edu/policy/profethics.php. The student is expected to keep a complete and factual record of the research performed in a laboratory notebook. (A good guide to proper record keeping for laboratory notebooks may be found at http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/acsdisplay.html?DOC=government%5Cpublications%5Ctech_rkfactsheet.html. The research performed in Chemistry 451 will also be used as the basis for the student's seminar presentation for Chemistry 441, Undergraduate Seminar. Students in Chemistry 451 are expected to perform a literature search on their research project (including all online library resources such as SciFinder Scholar, Chemical Abstracts, WebSpirs, etc. See Physical Science 300 syllabus at https://chemprof.tripod.com/phsc300.htm and see also http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/acsdisplay.html?DOC=education\cpt\ts_cheminfo.html). At the end of the semester, a report on your research project should be turned in. Three copies are required, one should be given to your research director, another to the instructor of record for CHEM 451, and the third should be turned into the Chemistry Office. The format for the report should be that indicated by your research advisor. Failure to turn in the report will result in a grade of "I" for the course, which will be removed when the report is turned in the following semester. Delay further than that will result in the "I" turning into an "F". Check with the faculty member listed for CHEM 451 for the due date of the report. In general, the format for the report should follow the American Chemical Society guidelines which are available from the research advisor or at http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/acsdisplay.html?DOC=education\cpt\ts_rrguide.html. The student is encouraged to use the research advisor as a resource while writing the research report. The research report should not be turned in without the approval of the research advisor.

Objectives

After completion of the course, the student will have

learned to search the chemical literature
learned to take proper safety precautions in laboratory
learned to properly keep a laboratory notebook
learned how to approach a research problem
learned how to write a research report

Grading Policy

Assessment. A large portion of the grade, 80%, will be assigned by the student's research advisor based upon the student's skill and expertise in the lab, command of the philosophy of the research project, and the quality of the research report.

Guide to Grading Policy

A	Exceeds one or more of expectations in quality of work or productivity.
B	Fulfilled all expectations, i.e, performed background literature search, experimental work, and wrote a research report that meets the guidelines established by the research advisor.
C	Deficient in one of the expectations listed above.
D	Deficient in more than one of the expectations listed above.
F	Deficient in all expectations listed above.

The other 20% of the grade will be determined by the written research report. The research report should also indicate the breadth of the literature search by the literature cited.

Diversity Statement: Students should visit the MSU webpage at http://www.mcneese.edu/policy/diversity.htm for information about diversity awareness and sexual harassment policies and procedures.

ADA Statement: Students with impaired sensory, manual, or speaking skills are encouraged and have the responsibility to contact their instructor, in a timely fashion, regarding reasonable accommodation needs. Such students should also contact The Officed of Services for Students with Disabilities at Kaufman Hall Rm. 119, Box 92904, Lake Charles, LA 70609, Phone: (337) 475-5916, 1-800-622-3352 ext. 5916, Fax: (337) 475-5878, email: ssd@mcneese.edu for reasonable accommodation needs.