Honors Organic Chemistry Laboratory II
After completing the fall semester and performing well in both the organic chemistry lecture and lab, I was asked to join the Honors organic laboratory lab in the spring. At first I was a little reluctant to take part in such a different lab experience than what I was used to, but I knew that it would be a good opportunity. My time in the honors lab was nothing like I had expected it to be. There were no step-by-step protocols laid out for me, or specific experiments to complete, or even lab reports to turn in. Instead, this lab and what I would be doing each week was completely up to me. Because this was actual research for the chemistry department, our instructors often didn’t know the answers to the questions we were asking. On our first meeting day we were given background on what the lab was trying to figure out and what was discovered in the past and were able to choose our own specific research question we wanted to look into. My partner, Murielle, and I decided to look into what time in the high speed ball mill resulted in the best yield of our product. We stuck with this question the whole semester and were able to collect data to support our hypothesis that the longer the reaction was shaken in the ball mill, the greater the yield of the desired product.
I am so glad that I decided to participate in the Honors lab. Not only was it a lot less stressful than the normal lab, but also I felt that I was able to learn a lot more about organic chemistry than I would have in the other class. I was able to really shape my own learning and focus on aspects of organic chemistry and the research process that interest me. As part of this lab I also learned a number of things about being a better researcher and not being afraid to ask questions and work with others. Communication and teamwork was a big part of this experience and because of that I was able to meet a number of fellow science students that I otherwise would not have met and build relationships with them. Although the lab formally met on Thursdays from 2-5 pm, we had the flexibility to come early or stay late and were also able to come in other times during the week that fit with our schedule. This flexibility was really nice compared to the normal lab that only met one day a week at a specific time. I am honored that I was chosen to be a part of this lab and very grateful for the opportunity Dr. Lieberman, Dr. Pinhas, and the chemistry department gave me.
In order to showcase our findings from throughout the semester, our lab had a potluck presentation during the last week of classes where everyone brought in ethnic foods and we presented everything that we learned. Below I have attached a PDF copy of the presentation my partner and I gave to exemplify my learning as part of this experience.
I am so glad that I decided to participate in the Honors lab. Not only was it a lot less stressful than the normal lab, but also I felt that I was able to learn a lot more about organic chemistry than I would have in the other class. I was able to really shape my own learning and focus on aspects of organic chemistry and the research process that interest me. As part of this lab I also learned a number of things about being a better researcher and not being afraid to ask questions and work with others. Communication and teamwork was a big part of this experience and because of that I was able to meet a number of fellow science students that I otherwise would not have met and build relationships with them. Although the lab formally met on Thursdays from 2-5 pm, we had the flexibility to come early or stay late and were also able to come in other times during the week that fit with our schedule. This flexibility was really nice compared to the normal lab that only met one day a week at a specific time. I am honored that I was chosen to be a part of this lab and very grateful for the opportunity Dr. Lieberman, Dr. Pinhas, and the chemistry department gave me.
In order to showcase our findings from throughout the semester, our lab had a potluck presentation during the last week of classes where everyone brought in ethnic foods and we presented everything that we learned. Below I have attached a PDF copy of the presentation my partner and I gave to exemplify my learning as part of this experience.
honors_organic_chemistry_lab_presentation.pdf | |
File Size: | 805 kb |
File Type: |