The Muhlenberg Chemistry Department is committed to creating an inclusive, equitable, and supportive environment where students of all backgrounds can achieve their academic goals. The Department is characterized by a spirit of cooperation amongst the students, faculty, and staff. Close student-faculty interactions through classwork, research, and advising are the hallmarks of our programs. The Department maintains layers of academic support, a high level of scientific instrumentation for student use in classes and research, and a rigorous ACS-approved curriculum that provides a strong foundation in science for students with a wide variety of interests. Our students develop critical-thinking, scientific-inquiry, collaboration, and communication skills that prepare them for futures in which they will lead and serve the public good.
Learning Goals
Students will:
- Demonstrate problem solving skills.
- Demonstrate basic laboratory skills, including those involved in synthesis,
characterization and quantitative analysis. - Demonstrate effective communication skills, including conventions for written, graphic and oral communication of scientific results.
- Understand the structures of atoms, functional groups, molecules and bulk materials and how they relate to reactivity, physical properties and biological function.
- Understand the fundamentals of chemical instrumentation including operation, functional principles, capabilities and limitations.
- Understand the theory and principles behind observed chemical phenomena and the
methods used to study them. - Understand the process of scientific research, including how to arrive at appropriate
questions, propose hypotheses, design and execute experiments, analyze data and
interpret results. - Learn to locate and interpret scientific literature.
- Learn and practice safe laboratory procedures.
- Understand the role chemistry plays in everyday life.
