Successes and Teachable Moments During a Partnership to Create a Research‐like Experience in a 2 Year College Organic Chemistry II Laboratory.

As part of the NSF ATE grant, MALDI‐based Research‐like Experiences in a 2YC/4YC Collaboration with a Renewable Fuels Industry Partner (DUE 1400885), the authors examined how best to combine state of the art training in research‐like experiences that included use of major research instrumentation embedded in an organic chemistry course. In this case a research‐like experience utilizing MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometery was conducted, an experience that also utilized Process Oriented‐Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) techniques to serve students at 2‐year colleges. This unique research experience fulminated into sharing of data, methods and feedback between the students and executives of a local biodiesel fuels company, Ever Cat Fuels of Anoka Minnesota. This presentation examines the structure and effectiveness of the artifacts used, as well as the outcomes generated as the research experience was implemented, and the feasibility of creating a modular curriculum that allows student to participate in research‐like experiences using a variety of different major research instruments. At the basis of the curriculum, we created a suite of materials that include a faculty training manual, a student manual, a paced set of Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning materials, and two videos. The first video has garnered an average of 1,500 view per month, representing a viewership from 59 countries. Materials used to deliver this research‐like experience will be delineated, and both the successes achieved and the lessons learned during implementation will be summarized. In particular we will highlight our efforts to make fatty acid identification more facile using triglyceride mass tables developed using Excel software. Triglyceride data used was based on the most highly abundant fatty acids present in similar materials shown with GC‐MS analysis. The tables have been constantly modified to benefit the user, by including possible cation adducts and a creating a search feature. Finally, several teaching scripts were developed introducing the biochemistry of Triglycerides and how to properly use the Excel tables in analyzing seed oils. Information from these scripts were then used create a student manual instructing the user on the process of setting up MALDI‐TOF analysis of triglycerides in natural oils. As this is the final year of this project, the authors are soliciting feedback on the quality and utility of these educational resources. Support or Funding Information This work was supported by the NSF Advanced Technology Education grant “MALDI‐based Research‐like Experiences in a 2YC/4YC Collaboration with a Renewable Fuels Industry Partner” (DUE 1400885).