Chemistry

Objective
To provide faculty and staff access to high quality, state-of-the-art computer equipment for curriculum development and equipment management. To provide student access to high-quality, state-of-the-art equipment to facilitate learning in the traditional "wet" chemistry as well as in the Chemistry Learning Center (CALC) and to introduce and test new tutorial software across the curriculum.

Description
Research shows that in order to have technology used in the classroom it is important for faculty to have access to adequate technology. These findings suggest that there is a "trickle down" effect with respect to the use of technology in education. For this reason, it is important for chemistry faculty to have access to current computer hardware. The same is true for students. Much of the software available in chemistry requires fairly extensive computing capacity. This is especially true of molecular modeling utilities.

The one-unit tutorial component in Grossmont's Chemistry offerings provides a unique opportunity for students to build their skills in an asynchronous mode. This allows students to operate outside of the time constraints imposed by a traditional schedule. It is extremely important that these opportunities continue.

To provide a quality chemical education it is necessary for students to gain experience with a variety of analytical instruments. Our current complement has grown and these instruments are beginning to be used across the curriculum. As with most instrumentation today, they rely heavily upon computers for data analysis and data display.

Multimedia presentations that incorporate animation and/or video are becoming commonplace, and will only continue to grow in popularity. Our labs (rooms 307, 309, and 310) currently have no data projectors or computers. It is important that these be provided

 Curriculum Impact
The Chemistry curriculum at Grossmont is heavily invested in the use of technology. This is especially true of our tutorial classes. Without computers and appropriate software, this opportunity for students would not be available. In addition, students gather and analyze laboratory data with computers. This cannot occur without sufficient computing capability.

Action to Meet Objective
Purchase required equipment and software for faculty, staff, and students.

Year 1 (2004-2005)

 Objective
Upgrade the student computing capability in rooms 312, 313, and 307B to current technology. Upgrade faculty desktop machines to current technology, and upgrade our version of Spartan.

Description
In keeping with the periodic computer lab roll-over this year will require the replacement of our student computers in rooms 313 and 307B. These roll-overs are important to reduce support issues and ensure that students are able to run the required software. The molecular modeling software is especially taxing on the computers. As this software continues to mature, so do the computing requirements

Curriculum Impact
Without the upgrades to the student and faculty computers we will not be able to implement our molecular modeling curriculum enhancements, nor will be able to provide the resources necessary for students to take advantage of the online chemistry resources adequately.

Action to Meet Objective

1.      Roll over all student computers in the Chemistry Department and replace them with new machines of sufficient power to complete the molecular modeling calculations.

2.      Upgrade Spartan license to current version.

3.      Replace computers in the offices of Jeff Lehman, Cary Willard, and Tom Olmstead with high-end machines.

4.      Replace computers of chemistry technician, Charles Fraser.

 Support Impact
All computer hardware will require the standard district-provided support. The chemical instrumentation will be supported by the Chemistry Technicians.

 Year 2 (2005-2006)

Objective

1.      To acquire and/or develop lab management software that incorporates unknowns and student calculation verification. All data will be stored centrally and accessed via instructor login. This year this package will be finalized.

2.      Provide access to appropriate technology for faculty and staff.

3.      Provide access to chemical instrumentation.

4.      Upgrade projection system in Room 318 to reflect current capabilities.

 Description
This year we will finalize our lab management replacement for GSH. This system will require centralized management of student unknowns and calculation verification.

To continue our provision for hands-on use of chemical instrumentation it is necessary to purchase a high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC). This will be used in our Organic Chemistry sections as well as our Analytical Chemistry sections. This new instrument will replace our current instrument that was acquired second-hand from Agouron, Inc.

The projection system in Room 318 needs to be upgraded to one with that is brighter to facilitate use with ambient lighting.

The data collection apparatus needs to be on the lab bench. This has been accomplished through the use of laptop computers. We need to replace these computers and add two to give a total of 10 to meet the needs of our students. This would allow most of the students to complete their work at the lab bench. This would free desktop machines in an adjoining room to accommodate the rest of the students

 Curriculum Impact
The lab management system is required to effectively manage large amounts of student data; this is especially true with student unknowns. This will impact students, faculty, and staff.

The HPLC will allow us to continue to offer experience on this instrument. This is an industry standard in a variety of chemical separations. Without this instrument students will not have this experience and will be at a disadvantage at transfer institutions.

The projector in Room 318 will need to b upgraded in order to offer useful multimedia presentations.

 Action to Meet Objective

1.      Purchase lab management software.

2.      Replace 8 laptop computers with 10 new laptop computers.

3.      Purchase a HPLC

4.      Purchase a Tegrity presentation system for Room 318

Support Impact
All computer hardware will require the standard district-provided support. The chemical instrumentation will be supported by the Chemistry Technicians. The lab management software may require some initial start-up support.

Year 3 (2006-2007)

Objective

1. To continue to integrate our instrumentation across our curriculum.
2. To upgrade our Fourier data acquisition hardware and software to a product that allows two-point temperature and pH calibration.
3. Provide access to appropriate technology for faculty and staff.
4. Upgrade our atomic absorption spectrophotometer to include a graphite furnace.
5. Continue to use Spartan and ChemDraw in general and organic chemistry.
6. Replace failing Spec-20 visible spectrophotometers.
7. Continue to offer analytical chemistry experience to our students.

Description
This year we will incorporate the atomic absorption spectrophotometer and HPLC into organic and forensic chemistry. These follow the successful incorporation of the infrared spectrophotometer and gas chromatography over the last two years.

We are moving into the new lab building, and as such, we are faced with new possibilities and challenges. All students will be working under their own hood. This requires a reconfiguration of the laboratory computing resources to include laptops to work in this environment.  We would like to have the capability to run two, simultaneous sections of 24 students. Part of this reorganization also requires us to upgrade our data acquisition hardware and software in order to complete the type of experiments we are looking to use. It seems that the Pasco lab acquisition hardware may be the answer, but we are still investigating. We also require repair and replacement of a number of Spec-20 spectrophotometers which we hope to complete after our move into the building.

With the proper plumbing and venting we are looking forward to the installation of our atomic absorption spectrophotometer, and hope to upgrade it with a graphite furnace to better serve students in the forensic chemistry class

Curriculum Impact
All aspects of our curriculum are impacted by access to technology. From our continued use of WebCT to the inclusion of state-of-the-art instrumentation, we depend upon reliable computing.

The HPLC AA will allow us to continue to offer experience on these instruments. These are industry standards in a variety of chemical analyses. Without these instruments students will not have this experience and will be at a disadvantage at transfer institutions.

1. Action to Meet Objective
2. Incorporate appropriate lab activities into organic and forensic chemistry to use the full complement of chemical instrumentation.
3. Purchase 24 laptop computers.
4. Purchase 24 data acquisition interfaces and related probes.
5. Purchase 12 chloride ion specific electrodes.
6. Purchase 10 additional licenses for Spartan and ChemDraw.
7. Purchase 24 laptop computers for use in the laboratory in our new lab building.
8. Purchase a graphite furnace for the AA spectrophotometer.
9. Upgrade the Chemistry Tutorial software to current versions.
10. Purchase an additional 10 licenses for Spartan and ChemDraw.

 Support Impact
All computer hardware will require the standard district-provided support. The chemical instrumentation will be supported by the Chemistry Technicians.

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