At UAB, a large emphasis on undergraduate research has been incorporated into the academic curriculum. Freshmen students are encouraged to join research groups; however, academic researchers often hesitate to accept them due to their limited lab experiences. Research Methods in Chemistry (CH 201) was developed to expose freshmen and sophomores to skills used in a research setting such as literature searching, experimental design, data acquisition and analysis, and presentation. Students are instructed how to prepare a research plan with specific aims. The curriculum in this course emphasizes the use of inorganic and polymeric micro-particles for drug delivery, and involves synthesis of micro particles with different sizes and shapes, characterization of the materials by microscopy, loading and release of a UV –VIS active dye and macromolecules to simulate a drug, and presentation of results at a university-wide poster session. Pre-and post-surveys were administered as well as exit interviews to receive feedback that guided the second offering of the course this spring. The presentation will focus on course design, tracking of student understanding of the projects, and both positive and negative outcomes.

Developing a Research-Based Curriculum that Emphasizes Drug Delivery using Micro particles

ACS Fall 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.