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ONEONTA, N.Y. -- The National Science Foundation, through its Course
Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement Program, has awarded a grant of
$164,753 to the SUNY College at Oneonta to support the introduction of
computational chemistry to the College’s chemistry curriculum through a
graduated approach. The project, which is entitled "PREDICT" for "Predicting
Results and Evaluating Data using Insights from Computational Techniques,"
will be coordinated by Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty members
Jacqueline Bennett
as principal investigator and
Kelly Gallagher and
Trudy Thomas-Smith as co-principal investigators.
PREDICT is designed to facilitate students’ ability to transfer and
develop skills throughout the entire undergraduate chemistry curriculum from
general chemistry through advanced courses. Activities will combine hands-on
experimental components with in-depth complementary computational exercises
to demonstrate how microscopic phenomena lead to larger properties.
Chemistry students will gain an enhanced understanding of the nature of
matter by using computational chemistry to visualize molecular properties
and processes.
Through the grant, Drs. Bennett, Gallagher, and Thomas-Smith will also
share the educational materials that they develop through the SUNY Oneonta
Chemistry and
Biochemistry Department website and through the National Science Digital
Library database. Materials for non-chemistry majors will be shared with
local educators through the
Science Discovery Center at SUNY Oneonta.
PREDICT is expected to reach more than 750 individual students each
academic year, including approximately 115 pre-service teachers at SUNY
Oneonta. The materials will help non-chemistry majors visualize the
microscopic interactions of matter, which will improve their scientific
literacy and help them develop other skills.
More information about the National Science Foundation grant and the
PREDICT project is available from Dr. Bennett at (607) 436-3431.
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