A semester-long group project implementing service-learning was designed and executed in the first semester of a two semester long biochemistry lecture sequence. The project required students to partner with the local public library to design, with the intention of implementation, an interactive demonstration for middle school aged children. The activity topic was assigned based on one of the following major building blocks of biochemistry: amino acids, nucleotides, lipids, or carbohydrates. Students were required to visit the library on multiple occasions and complete journal entries throughout the semester before turning in a final proposal. Each group turned in a completed proposal to the instructor and to the public library detailing the purpose of the activity, the materials needed, the structure of the interactive demonstration, and a take home handout for the children. Students were required to obtain feedback on a draft of their proposal from a non-science undergraduate student before turning in their final proposal. The project allowed the students to apply their biochemical knowledge to serving and improving their community by designing an activity to engage young children in the STEM field. Students were able to practice their communication of biochemistry to a non-scientific audience, both in oral and in written form, and their ability to work together in a group format. This project can be utilized in other chemistry foundation and in-depth courses by altering topic selection.

Service-learning group project in a biochemistry foundation course – developing interactive lessons for the public library

ACS Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting

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