Artists’ palettes expanded in the decades that followed the synthesis of mauve and they began incorporating various synthetic dyes in their works of art.  Unbeknownst to the artists, many of these dyes were susceptible to photodegradation, irreversibly changing the appearance on the art. Understanding the photochemistry of popular dyes from the late 19<sup>th</sup> century in complex paint matrices is the goal of the distributed research project (DRP) described here.  Hamline University has partnered with community colleges in the Twin Cities area to implement a semester-long research project in their General Chemistry II curricula.  Working towards a common goal, each school studies a different set of parameters either in paint composition or degradation environment.  Experimentally this research project takes two laboratory days: (1) generating paint samples and standards, and (2) measuring colormetric changes and processing data.  Students monitor the degradation process briefly each week.  Raw and processed experimental results from each school are pooled and analyzed by undergraduate summer research students at Hamline for trends.  The DRP structure allows for a large number of samples to be vetted providing preliminary results for more controlled degradation studies to be performed in a summer research setting.  Students enrolled in the General Chemistry courses offering the DRP work with key concepts such as kinetics, absorbance, and concentration, which are already embedded in the curriculum. Additionally, the experimental design process is student driven through an inquiry-based format allowing students to practice the scientific method.  Consequently course learning outcomes such as quantitative reasoning and data literacy are met in the process.  Content assessment is underway, but results from the CURE (Classroom Undergraduate Research Experience) survey have students reporting improvement in (1) understanding that scientific assertions require supporting evidence, (2) ability to analyze data and other information, and (3) understanding how scientists work on real problems.

Distributed research projects in the general chemistry curriculum

251st National Meeting (2016)

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