Integrating Professional Skills into Undergraduate Chemistry Curricula

From students to professional chemists...

Navigating the professional world as a chemist or biochemist requires specific professional skills. There are some resources that will help students learn these skills, but it's often difficult to utilize these in real-world situations. Underserved groups often aren't given tips and tricks to help them move forward, and the lack of resources can put individuals at a real disadvantage upon graduation. In order to increase the accessibility of these services and support students' development for a productive career, programs should work to integrate and scaffold professional skills experiences within the curriculum.

This book explores the current need for professional skills curricula. It offers detailed examples, tips for learning opportunities, and assessment methods for academics and professionals working with students studying chemistry. The contributors of this volume discuss the importance of increasing accessibility to services like these and ways programs can provide students with everything they need in their curriculum.

Kelly Y. Neiles (Ph.D., The Catholic University of America) is Associate Professor in, and Chair of, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at St. Mary's College of Maryland. In Spring/Summer 2020, she was Theodore Ashford Fellow for the American Chemistry Society Division of Chemical
Education Examinations Institute. She received the Homer L. Dodge Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Junior Faculty Member from St. Mary's, where she leads institutional level curricular change and assessment efforts including her work as a co-leader for the Council on Undergraduate Research
Transformations Project (NSF-DUE Award #1625354).

Pamela S. Mertz (Ph.D., Mayo Graduate School) is Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at St. Mary's College of Maryland. She has played an instrumental role in planning, developing, and implementing the biochemistry curriculum at St. Mary's. Mertz is a department co-leader with
Neiles for the CUR Transformations Project, and she served as a South East Regional Director for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Student Chapters from 2013-2020. She was recently elected Chair of Educational and Professional Development committee, where she will serve for
three years. She served on the steering committee for an ASBMB sponsored grant, "Promoting Concept Driven Teaching Strategies in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology through Concept Assessments" (NSF-RCN-UBE Award #0957205).

Justin D. Fair (Ph.D., University of Connecticut) is Professor in the Madia Department of Chemistry at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). He teaches graduate and undergraduate organic chemistry. include graduate and undergraduate coursework in Organic Chemistry. He is a recipient of his
University's Distinguished Service Award (2017), IUP's Research Institute Investigator Award (2018), and two Teaching Excellence awards. Fair has authored more than 15 publications and presented over 50 presentations resulting in grant funded projects and IUP's Professional Teamwork and Leadership
minor (NSF-DUE Award #1625429). Prior to IUP, Fair was a Nuclear Medical Science Officer in the U.S. Army. He is now a member of the Indiana County Technical Rescue and Hazardous Materials Response Team.

Preface

Creating the Urgency
Chapter 1: Professional Skills in Chemistry and Biochemistry Curricula: A Call to Action, Kelly Y. Neiles and Pamela S. Mertz
Chapter 2: Identifying In-Demand Skills of the Chemical Industry, Justin D. Fair and Anne E. Kondo
Chapter 3: Tricks of the Trade... Preparing Undergrads for Graduate STEM Programs, Nicquet M. J. Blake

Addressing the Need for Professional Skills Intentionally and Inclusively
Chapter 4: Scaffolding Career Skills into the Undergraduate Curriculum Utilizing a Backward Design Approach, Pamela S. Mertz and Kelly Y. Neiles
Chapter 5. What Does It Mean to Think Like a Chemist?, Paulette Vincent-Ruz
Chapter 6: Thoughts on Using Systems Thinking to Develop Chemistry Students' Professional Skills, Sarah York, Whitney C. Fowler, and MaryKay Orgill

A Scaffolded Professional Skills Curriculum at St. Mary's College of Maryland
Chapter 7: A General Chemistry Cocurriculum Focused on the Development of Professional and Academic Skills, Kelly Y. Neiles and Ruth A. Bowers
Chapter 8: Intentionally Scaffolding Career Skills in an Organic Chemistry Laboratory Course, Daniel T. Chase, Kelly Y. Neiles, and Andrew S. Koch
Chapter 9: Using Scientific Poster Presentations to Scaffold Professional Communication Skill Experiences into Biochemistry Courses, Shanen M. Sherrer
Chapter 10: Enhancing Career Readiness by Integrating Alumni Interactions into Upper-Level Chemistry Curricula, Geoffrey M. Bowers

A Minor in Professional Teamwork and Leadership at Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Chapter 11: A University-Wide Approach to Introduce and Apply Teamwork and Leadership Skills, Justin D. Fair and Anne E. Kondo
Chapter 12: Minor in Professional Teamwork and Leadership Evolution-Perspectives from New Student Orientation, Craig R. Dillaman
Chapter 13: Teaching Teamwork through Theater: Interdisciplinary Collaboration in a General Education Course, Rachel DeSoto-Jackson, Paige Matzerath, Emily Ostrowski, and Mimi Benjamin

Additional Professional Skills
Chapter 14: University of North Georgia Gainesville Campus Undergraduate Seminar Courses Highlighting Career Preparation, Paula Nolibos, Andrew Thomas, and Patricia M. Todebush
Chapter 15: Student and Instructor Perceptions of Using Electronic Laboratory Notebooks in Microsoft OneDrive to Enhance Communication Skills and Career Readiness in Chemistry Laboratory Courses, Sarah R. Soltau
Chapter 16: Early Career Undergraduate Research as a Meaningful Academic Experience in Which Students Develop Professional Workforce Skills: A Community College Perspective, Jared Ashcroft, Jillian Blatti, and Veronica Jaramillo
Chapter 17: Scientific Ethics as a Professional Skill, John G. D'Angelo

Summary and First Steps for Incorporating Professional Skills into Curricula
Chapter 18: Integrating Professional Skills into the Curriculum: A Summary of Findings and First Steps, Pamela S. Mertz and Kelly Y. Neiles

Editors' Biographies
Author Index
Subject Index