CHEM 6487: Problem Seminar in Inorganic Chemistry Spring 2010

CHEM 6487: Problem Seminar in Inorganic Chemistry Spring 2010 Instructor: Dr. Stephen M. Holmes Course Time: 10 AM Friday Office Location: 418 Benton Hall Course Location: 451 Benton Hall Email: holmesst@umsl.edu Voice: (314) 516-4382 Office Hours: Wed. 3-4 PM & by appointment Course Description Prerequisite: Consent of the inorganic chemistry staff. Concepts, problems, presentations, and discussions by faculty, students, and visiting scientists will be discussed. Ph.D. students may take more than once for credit. May be repeated up to three times for M.S. degree program credit; one credit hour course (1). See: http://www.umsl.edu/bulletin/as/chemistry.html During CHEM 6487 you will discuss and evaluate current topics in inorganic chemistry through student-led lecture/discussions, class participation, and a formal presentation. The student-led lecture/discussions and formal presentation (30-40 min.) must be of interest to the inorganic chemistry community and will be evaluated by your peers and the Chemistry faculty present, using provided evaluation forms; participation will be integral to the course. Class Attendance and Rules Class attendance and participation are critical to success. Regular attendance will help you to learn the course material and allow the opportunity to ask questions as they may arise. It is your responsibility to keep up with the assigned reading, homework, and lecture discussions. To assist in mastery of the course material I also strongly encourage you to form study groups early in the semester. Interactive participation by all present will help everyone to learn the material as a group. I personally find that arguing the validity of a particular point or concept forces me to better understand the issue or physical origin of observed behavior. This exercise is intended to make us all better scientists and may even decrease time spent studying (yes, really!). As a courtesy to others enrolled in the course electronic device use (e.g. cell phones, ipods, and computers) is not allowed during class; all should be turned off or their ringers disabled and safely stored. Devices necessary for participating in the course (e.g. hearing aids, etc.) are excluded from this rule. Please refer to the University of Missouri Collected Rules and Regulations [200.010] for more information. http://www.umsystem.edu/ums/departments/gc/rules/programs/200/010.shtml Absences University of Missouri System Excused Absences 1) Serious illness (with documentation) 2) Illness or death of family member 3) University-related trips (with documentation) 4) Major religious holidays

2 Academic Dishonesty 5) Other reasonable circumstances (upon instructor consent, ideally in advance) The penalties for academic dishonesty are severe and may lead to earning a zero on an assignment, failure of the course, and expulsion from the University. The UMSL College of Arts & Sciences requires that you understand and acknowledge what constitutes academic honesty and dishonesty. This document is available online (via course website and MyGateway) and signed a copy of this document (required) will be kept on file. For what constitutes plagiarism, academic dishonesty, and misconduct please consult the University of Missouri Collected Rules and Regulations [200.010] or Student Conduct Codes via the following website links. UMSL Arts & Sciences Academic Honesty Statement: via MyGateway http://www.umsystem.edu/ums/departments/gc/rules/programs/200/010.shtml http://www.umsl.edu/studentlife/dsa/student_planner/policies/conductcode.html Students with Disabilities Grading Students are required to request accommodation services though the Disability Access Services office [144 MSC, (314) 516-6554]. For more information please consult the University of Missouri Collected Rules and Regulations [240.040] or the following link: http://www.umsl.edu/services/disabled/aidpolicy.htm Students that may require special accommodations should first, register with Disability Access Services (DAS), and second, meet with the instructor in-person; the notification memo generated by DAS should be provided to the instructor as soon as it becomes available. For more information about Disability Access Services please consult the following link: http://www.umsl.edu/services/disabled/testingacdm.html You will be expected to attend each session, unless special permission (e.g. conference attendance, etc.) is obtained. Attendance and participation are mandatory. If registered for credit, you may have only one unexcused absence. Excused absences must be approved by the instructor at least one week in advance. Each additional unexcused absence will lower your grade by one letter. Grading will consist of a formal seminar (40%), seminar abstract (10%), literature presentations (40%), and class participation (10%). Scoring of presentations and abstracts will be determined by the point system described on page six. Formal seminar (30-40 min. duration) 40% Formal seminar abstract 10% Student-led discussion (20-30 min. duration) 40% Participation 10% Grade Assignment A: 90 100 B: 80 89 C: 70 79 F: < 60

3 Class Student-Led Lectures/Discussions Classroom discussions, Cume reviews, assigned readings, seminar questioning, and application of acquired knowledge using deductive reasoning are intended to help you critically evaluate scientific findings and arguments presented by your peers. Application of principals and concepts to related problems and determination of an answer or explanation that is consistent with the data is a critical part of the learning process. This methodology is intended to encourage thinking outside the box and practice deductive reasoning under real world settings. The most important outcomes of your efforts is to know the basics of inorganic chemistry, think critically about a particular concept or set of data, and predict/propose likely outcomes and/or reasons for the observed behavior. Participation will be judged via the types, quality, and frequency of questions asked. Each student will chose a minimum of one discussion topic from those provided below. The presentations will last 20-30 min. in duration and will be conducted in a recitation format using handouts and the chalkboard. Problems or issues associated with timely Cume topics are often excellent sources of this material. Both literature and textbook sources should be consulted for preparing the discussion/lecture materials. (1) Inorganic Reaction Mechanisms and Transformations (2) Solid State Chemistry and Structures (3) Magnetism and Materials (4) Mössbauer Spectroscopy (5) Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (6) Extended X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy (7) Bioinorganic Chemistry (8) Inorganic and Organometallic Catalysis (9) Structure-Property and Theory Relationships in Inorganic Chemistry (10) Inorganic Cumulative Exam Topics (Past and Present) (11) Other (with instructor consent) The Inorganic discussion materials (e.g. handouts) must be sent electronically to the instructor at least 3 days prior to the discussion date. The instructor (Holmes) will collect the questions and distribute them electronically via MyGateway one week before the discussion date. Everyone in attendance may participate in the student-led discussion process. Difficult questions and detailed discussions will assist those still taking Cumulative Exams and your general understanding of Inorganic Chemistry principles. Failure to follow these guidelines will decrease your grade by at least one-half letter. Late submissions will result in grade reductions of 10% per day. (1) A tentative discussion topic must be submitted by Friday January 29, 2010. (2) Significant changes to the research topic must be approved by the instructor at least two weeks prior to the discussion date. (3) The discussion topic and suggested readings must be provided a minimum of one week prior to the presentation date (3) The majority of the class discussion must be conducted from the chalkboard, PowerPoint media, and supplemented with handouts (4) Problems for class discussion are encouraged and must be submitted to the instructor at least one week prior to the discussion date; these will be distributed via MyGateway

4 Formal Seminar Each student will also prepare and present a formal seminar (ca. 30-40 min. in duration) that is relevant to current inorganic chemistry research, is not related to his/her group s or own research (present or past), is coherent, and demonstrates command of the material presented. Each student seminar will describe a body of recent (e.g. < 5 years old) research developments that address current issues or problems in inorganic chemistry. An acceptable seminar (see below) must compare and contrast the published results of SEVERAL authors. No review article-based discussions will be allowed (grade = zero). Formal Seminar Requirements, Guidelines, and Suggestions For an entertaining PowerPoint presentation on these issues see: Suslick Rule of Fist (1) A tentative research topic (with 4 references min.) must be submitted by Friday January 29, 2010. (2) Significant changes to the research topic must be approved by the instructor at least three weeks prior to the seminar date. (3) An exact seminar title and abstract must be approved and submitted electronically to the instructor at least two weeks prior to the scheduled seminar date. Electronic (PDF and MS Word format) versions of the abstract must be submitted to the instructor. Once approved the seminar title and abstract will be distributed via Email to students and faculty. This action ensures that both the abstract and title will correctly appear and describe the seminar. Failure to follow these guidelines will decrease your grade by at least one-half letter; late submissions = 10% grade reduction per day. The abstract must include: the approved title, presenter name, seminar date, time (TBA), class (CHEM 6487), location (101 CNS), references (with titles, beginning & final page), and a brief summary of the seminar content to be presented; see TEMPLATE. The abstract must describe the importance, background, recent results, summary, and contain pertinent references with titles (in J. Am. Chem. Soc. format). The abstract page and references page(s) must be submitted and approved by the instructor two weeks prior to the seminar date. The abstract should be 1-2 pages in length. Failure to follow these guidelines will decrease your grade by at least one-half letter. Late submissions will result in grade reductions of 10% per day. (4) Bring your presentation on a USB flash drive to avoid difficulties with computer compatibility and set up time. (5) PowerPoint presentations are only allowed. These are the preferred medium in academic and industrial arenas. For more information see the instructor. (6) The seminar must be ca. 30-40 minutes in duration. This is a typical length for most presentations in academic and industrial settings, and is good practice for your research and proposal seminars. Seminars less than this will result in one-half letter grade reduction of total score.

5 (7) Text font size must be at least 18 point so that your audience can read the overhead, slide, or PowerPoint panel from a distance of at least 30 feet (aka Suslick Rule of Fist). If you cannot easily read the text or figures on your slide from 30 feet away or a printed page at fist s length, your audience most likely cannot on presentation day. Well-chosen, consistent fonts and sizes (e.g. sans serif, Arial) will also help maintain audience interest in your seminar and leave a favorable impression. (8) Titles for each overhead or slide must be present, preferably in large (e.g. 24 point or greater) and boldface font. Each title should summarize the slide content. Once again, readability and audience understanding is the goal. (9) Figures, schemes, or images may not be photocopied or scanned from articles. Most can be altered or reproduced via standard audiovisual means (e.g. ChemDraw, Photoshop, Word, or ChemWindow). If unsure ask the instructor. Each figure must be large, legible, and neatly appear on the slide. For example, the figure or text must be clearly visible at least 25-30 feet from the screen (see Suslick Rule of Fist). Appropriate figures maintain audience interest and assist in their understanding of the seminar presentation. Poor resolution figures detract from your presentation quality and impact. (10) Each slide must reference the original authors and article when appropriate. No review articles or scanned/photo-copied images, schemes, or figures are allowed. Review articles omit many of the details that your audience may ask about later. This important information (synthesis, characterization, yield, etc.) is often only described in the primary reference(s). (11) When describing a compound use a proper IUPAC name whenever possible. If the IUPAC name is rather large, define a common name early in the presentation and refer to it throughout the seminar. Figures of compounds are often quite effective and maintain audience interest in your seminar. (12) Try to average about 1.5 or 2 minutes for each slide as a general rule. This will allow the audience to absorb the slide content, maintain interest, and direct questioning later. (13) It is highly important what you put in your slides. Do not use notes during your presentation, since all important information should be on your slides. Use of notes detracts from the seminar presentation experience and is not allowed. Good speakers also anticipate questions that the audience might ask and often keep a few slides in reserve, to answer these questions. Remember that you are telling a story to the audience in a convincing manner. (14) Practice in front of a mirror several times prior to the seminar date. This will allow you to gauge the length of the seminar and expose problematic portions of the presentation in advance of the actual seminar date. Difficulty explaining concepts, rough transitions, or distracting mannerisms can be recognized and corrected in advance of the seminar date. Next, practice in front of other group members or friends and ask them to critically review your presentation; make changes accordingly. Extemporaneous speaking is the preferred and most flexible method of presenting scientific material. Remember, this is

6 practice for your oral exam, exit exam, and life after graduate school (aka the real world). (15) Anticipate questions and remain calm: no one is out to get you! If you know your slides and the literature well, you will be able to effectively describe your topic, maintain audience interest, answer questions effectively, remain relaxed during your presentation, and impart a favorable impression upon your audience.