Fall 2017

Administrative Information

Section 01 meets Tue 2:30-3:50pm in MRH141. Click here for Section 01 Detailed schedule

Section 02 meets Thu 2:30-3:50pm in MRH135. Click here for Section 02 Detailed schedule

Instructor: Dr. Jeremy Kua
Office: SCST 381
Phone: x7970 or (619) 260-7970
E-mail:
Office hours: MWF 9:30-10:30am TuTh 10-11am

Course Description: Introduction to the principles, methods, and communication of chemical and biochemical research. Techniques for searching the chemical/biochemical literature, hypothesis development, experiment design, reading chemical/biochemical literature and understanding the creative research process, proposal development, research ethics and integrity, and professional development are included.

General Information: This course, which is designed for chemisty and biochemistry majors focuses on the skills required by successful researchers. In this course you will learn how to:
• Search, read and use the primary scientific literature.
• Understand application of the scientific method to research questions including hypothesis development and the design of experiments.
• Apply research methodology towards the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data.
• Recognize common ethical issues that impact scientific research.
• Approach your future successfully as a scientist.

Attendance Policy: Attendance is MANDATORY at all class sessions.
Prerequisites: CHEM152/152L and declared Chemistry or Biochemistry major.

Grading: Tentative grade cutoffs are: A 90-100%, B 80-89%, C 70-79%, D 60-69%.
Approximate distribution of course points:
                Quizzes/Assignments       16%
                Seminar Summaries         12%
                Research Proposal            30%
                Oral Presentations            30%
                Participation                     12%

Helpful Hint: This course has numerous small assignments and deadlines. Check the detailed schedule regularly so you don't miss any!

Seminar Summaries:
You are required to attend at least three department seminars during the semester (usually Thu, 12:15-1:15pm) and submit a brief seminar report.
To be counted towards your grade, you must submit these by Final Presentation day before class.
Here is the Seminar Review Form in pdf or doc.
Thu 9/21: 9:30-10:30am Dr. Rae Anderson (in MRH-102)
Thu 9/21: 1:00-2:00pm Dr. Seth Cohen (in MRH-102)
Thu 10/5: 12:15-1:15pm Dr. Donald Watson (in SCST-133)
Thu 10/19: 12:15-1:15pm: Dr. Jing Gu (in SCST-133)
Thu 11/2: 12:15-1:15pm: Dr. Christal Sohl (in SCST-133)
Thu 12/7: 12:15-1:15pm: Dr. Teaster Baird (in SCST-133)

Quizzes/Assignments:
Each week of the semester there will be assignments involving information retrieval and analysis from chemical/biochemical databases, assignments on research ethics, and journal readings and reports.
Check the detailed schedule for due dates! Most weeks there will either be a brief quiz or assignment regarding the readings.

Class Participation:
You will be evaluated on your preparation and participation for the course. A large portion of in-class time will be centered on discussions about materials that you will read prior to class. You are expected to engage in the discussions during class.

Academic Integrity:
All students are expected to adhere strictly to the Academic Integrity policy. A summary can be found here.
Violations will be dealt with through the Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, in accordance with the University of San Diego policy on academic integrity.
The major applications of academic integrity in this course will be issues of scientific misconduct, plagiarism and improper referencing. While the nature of research requires that you collaborate and discuss your results with other team members, the work you hand in must be your own (unless a group assignment).

Other:
If you are interested in the Biotech and Healthcare Torero Trek, the application window is Sept 6-17. The trek itself is on Fri, Oct 6, all day.