Teaching General Chemistry Through Materials Science

Abstract

ABSTRACTWe have developed a new Materials Chemistry course for freshmen with the goal of improving retention in the engineering program. This Materials Chemistry course is fundamentally different from other introductory materials courses in that it does not cover the standard introductory materials curriculum (diffusion, strengthening mechanisms, eutectic phase diagrams, etc.). Rather, its goal is to teach engineering applications of fundamental chemistry concepts. This course consists of four basic units: atomic, molecular and supermolecular structures; chemical reactions; physical chemistry; and biological materials. Each of these units consists of topics designed to show how fundamental concepts in chemistry can be applied to engineering problems. For example, liquid crystal display technology is used to teach the concept of molecular shape. The course also contains a laboratory section. This paper will describe the detailed contents of the course and its relation to the engineering curriculum.