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Commentary
Dealing with the Biological Challenge
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Abstract
The bio-technological revolution presents a real challenge to the chemical education community. This challenge is two-fold: 1) the necessity of teaching students the underlying chemical principles and other skills necessary for sucess in the expanding biotechnological workplace and 2) ensuring and enhancing respect from the biological community for the first two years of the chemistry curriculum. In the opinion of the author, we are not doing a particularly good job of meeting this challenge, although progress is being made. As the "doing" of chemistry becomes easier for biologists, there is the real danger that the knowledge of a significant portion of the underlying chemistry will increasingly be viewed as less valuable, and perhaps even superfluous. The three "Trojan Horses" are: synthetic, analytical, and "process" kits; instrumentation coupled with computer "interpretation"; and molecular modeling. The author believes that in order to address the biological challenge head on, we should give serious consideration to the following: 1) reversing the "learning arrow"; 2) embedding molecular and other modeling; 3) incorporating instrumental analysis and chemistry-by-kit. Reversing the learning arrow approaches the chemistry curriculum by starting with large biomolecules first and working toward smaller fundamental units. The author believes that this approach and a more proactive stance on establishing what is in the domain of chemistry is the means by which the biological challenge, spawned by the bio-technological revolution, can most forcefully be addressed.
Keywords (Audience):
First-Year Undergraduate / GeneralKeywords (Domain):
Public Understanding / OutreachKeywords (Feature):
Provocative OpinionKeywords (Subject):
BiotechnologyCiting Articles
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This article has been cited by 3 ACS Journal articles (3 most recent appear below).
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F. Calascibetta , L. Campanella and G. Favero , L. NicolettiJournal of Chemical Education2000 77 (10), 1311We present a project called "Chemistry in an Aquarium", which was developed over the last few years by a group of researchers from the Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences of La Sapienza University of Rome and MUSIS (Multipolar Museum of ...
A Chemistry Course with a Laboratory for Non-Science Majors
Emeric SchultzJournal of Chemical Education2000 77 (8), 1001A Chemistry Course with a Laboratory for Non-Science Majors
Emeric SchultzJournal of Chemical Education2000 77 (8), 1001Frontiers in Science and Technology is a 3-credit, non-science-majors course. It consists of one 2-hour lab and two 1-hour lectures per week. The course components are arranged to permit starting an experiment in the morning, allowing it to "happen" ...
Following Glycolysis Using 13C NMR: An Experiment Adaptable to Different Undergraduate Levels
T. L. Mega , C. B. Carlson and D. A. ClearyJournal of Chemical Education1997 74 (12), 1474Following Glycolysis Using 13C NMR: An Experiment Adaptable to Different Undergraduate Levels
T. L. Mega , C. B. Carlson and D. A. ClearyJournal of Chemical Education1997 74 (12), 1474This paper describes a laboratory exercise where the glycolysis of [1-13C] glucose under anaerobic conditions was followed using 13C NMR spectroscopy. The exercise is described in terms of its suitability for a variety of different undergraduate levels, ...
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- Received: August 03, 2009
ACS
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