Materials in the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum

Extract

Although solids are one of the three states of matter, and the solid state is pervasive throughout science and our lives, students would not know it from the standard chemistry curriculum, which still emphasizes small molecules. Despite this education, a significant proportion (more than 30%) of all chemists end up as practitioners of materials chemistry, either in inorganic solids or in polymers, and they must therefore obtain on-the-job education. Not only should this need be reflected in the curriculum, but it should be possible through modern areas of chemistry such as materials to bring some of the excitement of the practicing chemist to the undergraduate student's first chemistry course, perhaps turning around the flight from science, and from chemistry and physics in particular. The American Chemical Society is encouraging this approach through the proposal of a certified BS degree in chemistry with emphasis in materials. To place the present position in perspective, one only needs to look at the recent figures tabulated by the National Science Foundation; there is a tremendous attrition of students planning to major in science and engineering during the freshman year (See Table I).

Potential science majors are indeed there, but they are being lost due to their first experiences, which are usually in general chemistry and calculus, and a lesser number in biology and physics. It is therefore imperative that these courses encourage students rather than kill their enthusiasm.