CSB/SJU Chemistry Department hosts two connected events Oct. 6-8

The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University chemistry department hosts two connected events Oct. 6-8.

On Thursday, Oct. 6, the National Science Foundation-sponsored Chemistry Collaborations, Workshops and Communities of Scholars (cCWCS) will meet to discuss "Connected Chemistry: An Inorganic, Organic and Biological Chemistry Approach" at CSB and SJU.

Then, on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 7-8, the 64th annual meeting of the Midwest Association of Chemistry Teachers in Liberal Arts Colleges (MACTLAC) will discuss "Reimagining Chemistry: Innovations in Undergraduate Chemistry Curricula."

"This is an exciting opportunity for our department and campuses," said Ed McIntee, associate professor of chemistry at CSB and SJU. "It raises the profile of the schools to host such events. We want to advertise how active the campuses are at developing and disseminating the liberal arts curricula."

The workshop on Oct. 6 will cover aspects of the implementation of a newly integrated chemistry curriculum at CSB and SJU, including faculty teaching cohorts, coordination of assessment plans, administrative collaborations, availability of resources and the use of different pedagogical approaches.

CSB and SJU implemented a new chemistry curriculum starting in the 2009-10 academic year that better prepares students to learn and practice science in a modern world. 

CSB/SJU chemistry professors Kate Graham, Brian Johnson, Chris Schaller and McIntee, as well as CSB/SJU provost Richard Ice, will present at the conference, which will be held at the Gorecki Center at CSB.

The MACTLAC conference will include a keynote speech by Schaller on "Designing a New Curriculum at CSB/SJU" at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 8, at Gorecki Center Two other keynote presentations will be made on Oct. 7 by Melanie Cooper, Lappan-Phillips Chair of Chemical Education at Michigan State University, and Thomas Ippoliti, professor of chemistry at the University of St. Thomas.

The cCWCS offers workshops across the nation each year. The workshops include hands-on activities, with the aim to provide participants with perspectives and content that can be incorporated into their own teaching at the undergraduate level.

MACTLAC brings together teachers of chemistry in liberal arts colleges from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, for the exchange of ideas and for general mutual helpfulness in their profession. The group also welcomes those who are interested in teaching chemistry at a liberal arts institution.