The Problems in Chemistry sequence at Mercer University is a two-semester, studio-style laboratory course that bridges a semi-independent synthesis project during the sophomore-level Organic Chemistry II laboratory and senior-level independent research. This course was originally developed to increase student exposure to instrumentation in the research lab, train students to utilize the primary literature to support their laboratory work and engage students in solving a variety of problems utilizing multiple chemical subdisciplines. Recent extramural funding has provided the department with new instrumentation to support this sequence. As a result of this funding, we have also reflected on how we teach and evaluate writing in our major. We have recently incorporated a six-week project in CHM 371 that involves the brewing of makkoli, a Korean wine made from the fermentation of rice. This project allows for the scaffolding of a major writing assignment, class discussions about fundamental grammar and exploration of the chemical literature in a unique forum while teaching students skills they can use both in the laboratory and in their personal lives.

Brewing alcoholic beverages as a means of incorporating writing instruction into an existing junior-level laboratory capstone course

249th National Meeting (2015)

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