Chemistry is a Piece of Cake!
Quick Essential Course Info
Your Instructors
| Dr. Sharon J. N. Burgmayer [a.k.a. Dr. B.] | Dr. Samantha Glazier [a.k.a. Dr. Sam] | Lindsay Alaishuski [a.k.a. Linz] |
| office: 289 Park Hall | office: 276D Park Hall | office: 276C Park Hall |
| phone: x5106 | phone: x7457 | phone: x7457 |
| e-mail: sburgmay@brynmawr.edu | sglazier@brynmawr.edu | lalaishu@brynmawr.edu |
Want to know more about us? Click here
Course Structure
This section of the "lecture" portion General Chemistry 104 will have a different structure from CHEM103 or 101. There will be two lecture periods and two small group periods each week and these will typically alternate (see attached schedule).
| Lecture | location: Park 180 - Berliner Lecture room |
The two weekly lectures will have the usual 50 minute format and be given by Dr. B. (with a few guest appearances by Dr. Sam!). New concepts and/or problem-solving approaches will be presented and illustrated here.
| Small Group | location: Park 264, 274 and 367 |
In between the two lectures each week, the class will be evenly divided into two smaller groups that will meet in small classrooms conducive to discussion and small group (3-4 persons) work. Dr. B and Dr. Sam will guide these sessions starting with a list of questions to consider and/or possibly a simple demonstration/experiment that each group will perform.
| Weekly Conference | location: Park 289, 276 C and D |
In between the two lectures each week, the class will be evenly divided into three smaller groups that will meet in small classrooms conducive to discussion and small group (4 persons) work. Lindsay, Dr. B and Dr. Sam will guide these sessions starting with a list of questions to consider and usually a simple demonstration or experiment that each group will perform.
Quizzes
Short, 10-15 minute quizzes will be given throughout the semester, approximately every two weeks. Frazzles are take-home problems of a more challenging nature that will be given to alternate with quizzes.
COURSE GRADE:
The pieces of work that will be graded are three in-class exams, quizzes, participation in the weekly conferences and the laboratory work directed by Kurt Kistler. The way these pieces combine to give your final grade in the course is below:
3 one-hour in-class exams 39% (13% each)
1 final exam 14%
Conference Participation & Quizzes 14%
Laboratory Grade 33%
(note: the lowest in-class exam may be replaced by submission of an Elemental Profile Creative Writing piece)
Elemental Profile
Some of you may feel more comfortable and more competent writing prose rather than doing number crunching. We have an option just for you! You may substitute one in-class exam by writing an Elemental Profile. The first day of class you will select a (tasty) element. After that, you may research in any way you wish the chemistry and typical behavior of this element. (An easy start might be to do a search on the Web.) The goal is for you to develop (dare I say it?) a personality of your element that is its profile. Think of the assignment not as a scientific chemical analysis but as a literary character development...the character just happens to be a member of the Periodic Table! In this regard, I would like to see your profile written in a friendly, cozy way...like youčre writing a letter home to your family describing a new friend, rather than in the (too often stuffy) stolid scientific style. What does your friendč like? What does sheč do? What color is she?
Yes, this will result in some shameless anthropomorphizing...but that's a great stress-reliever!
About your instructors
Dr. Sharon J. N. Burgmayer, or "Dr. B", is in her seventeenth year of teaching chemistry at Bryn Mawr College. Her hometown is Lima, Ohio, she received a bachelors' degree in Chemistry and French from Heidelberg College (Ohio) and a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from U. North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Her research field is bioinorganic chemistry wherein her focus is the molybdenum enzymes and metalloenzymes with pterin cofactors. Her research group homepage is here.
What does she like to do? Watercolor painting and rollerblading.
Where does she escape to when possible? Tucson, Arizona
Dr. Samantha Glazier (we're going to call her Dr. Sam) is a Keck Teaching Fellow. She's been at BMC for just one year after receiving a Ph. D. in physical chemistry at Cornell University . She comes from Washington and she received bachelors degrees in chemistry and women's studies from the Western Washington University.
As these pictures show, Sam likes to be outdoors! She races crew on nationally ranked teams...and also competes in polo from time to time.
Lindsay Alaishuski is a senior chemistry major whose hometowm is Ashley, PA (near Wilkesbarre). She intends to begin medical school next fall after gradauting from BMC.
Lindsay has LOTS of experience teaching in the Chem Dept already!
At right is a shot of her as a TA in the junior Inorganic course.
