Chem S-C: Connecting to the World Through Chemistry – Harvard Summer School (Draft)
Course Description:
Chemistry exists in everything that we see and touch. Even before being officially identified, humans have used
chemistry and their knowledge of its properties to manipulate and understand the world around them. From
early agriculture to today’s most complicated technological systems, chemistry has played a central role in the
survival, creativity, and advancement of human society. Whether it is the emergence of the Iron and Bronze
Ages, the evolution of our ability to harness energy, explorations of medicinal applications, or how we move
around, this course will explore the historical significance and today’s applications of chemistry and chemical
biology. This class will focus on the intersections of chemistry with the life, social, and physical sciences—
connecting through an analytical chemistry lens. Chem S-C, part of the Career Pathway series of Summer
School courses, is engaging and enriching for students of all backgrounds. Students will learn how to read
scientific literature, run experiments using an array of instrumentation, analyze data, communicate about
experiments, and make connections to the world through chemistry.
Course Heads:
Course Staff:
Zach Zinsli, M.S.
zinsli@g.harvard.edu
Heidi Vollmer-Snarr, Ph.D.
hrvsnarr@fas.harvard.edu
Khaled Abdelazim, Ph.D.
kabdelazim@gmwgroup.harvard.edu
Course Website: https://canvas.harvard.edu/courses/103252
Enrollment: Limited to 18 students.
Course Grading: To pass the course, all projects must be completed, and a minimum of 60% of the total
possible points must be earned.
Written Laboratory Reports
20%
Paper Presentation
20%
Lab Notebook Handouts
10%
Final Project
20%
Quizzes
10%
Participation
15%
Career Pathway Reflection
5%
All written work should be submitted via Canvas and as PDF or Word files, ppt for presentations
Academic Integrity: All written work must be original or properly cited. If source material is used,
e.g. figures, it should be properly referenced. If language is used that is either verbatim or very
close to published work, it should be placed in quotes and cited properly. As in any academic setting,
academic integrity is paramount. Copying other students’ answers or using the internet, textbooks, or any
other resources to help you as you are completing your quizzes; plagiarizing or misrepresenting the ideas or
language of someone else as one’s own, are violations of Harvard Summer School expectations and are
subject to review by the Administrative Board. Additional information about academic integrity, including
resources available to Summer School students, can be found at
http://www.summer.harvard.edu/resources-policies/resources-support-academic-integrity.
Chem S-C: Connecting to the World Through Chemistry – Harvard Summer School (Draft)
I. Lab Reports, Lab Notebook, and Pre-lab:
One lab report from the week (from the two that are performed) is due each week on Sunday night at
11:59pm. Most reports will be ca. 2 pages, plus annotated figures/spectra. They should include:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Introduction: The context of the experimental objectives
Experimental Strategy: Analysis of the factors that suggest/dictate the architecture of the
experimental approach including consideration of alternative approaches
Data Analysis: Presentation and discussion of results
Summary and Conclusions
References
Binders for handouts as well as PPE will be provided. You should arrive at each lab meeting with answers to
the requisite pre-lab questions written in your lab handouts. Your lab notebook should also be prepared for the
day’s experiments with a title, brief statement of intent, note of any safety hazards, table of needed
chemicals/equipment, and a space to record the procedure and your observations.
II. Presentations: Students (in groups of 2-3) should prepare PowerPoint presentations of assigned/chosen
scientific paper, discussing the author’s background, methods, and conclusions during discussion sections,
highlighting any relevant chemistry in the paper. All non-presenting students should be prepared to have a
discussion equivalent to an abstract to demonstrate their understanding of the experiments/topics. Participation
points from the rubric will be given here. The presentation should be ~15 minutes with questions to follow. A
copy of the slides must be submitted via Canvas prior to the course meeting.
III. Term Project: Students will choose a project in either a small group or as an individual to do one of the
following
A.
Develop an encrypted mode of storing and transporting data via organic molecules.
a. Examples include incorporating QR code, UPC coding, organic dyes or any developed or
preferred coding system.
b. Finding should be presented and submitted in poster format
B.
1.
2.
3.
C.
1.
2.
3.
Investigate a watershed/source and discuss:
Potential contaminants
a. Types
b. Sources
c. Known and potential effects
What policies have allowed for this?
What are scientific options for addressing this?
a. Detection
b. Separation
c. Counteraction
d. Prevention
Contact legislator to discuss current chemistry/science legislation, examples include:
Environmental Chemistry, such as water, soil, or air impacts.
Pharmacological chemistry.
Research grants/funding.
If no current legislation is available/aligned with student interests: Write a bill giving scientific
background concepts from this class that addresses either:
1. Funding of initiatives in chemical investigations.
2. Regulation/deregulation in chemistry.
Chem S-C: Connecting to the World Through Chemistry – Harvard Summer School (Draft)
D. Develop a testing method/device for water sampling
1. What are you isolating? What is its role?
2. What assays are already available?
3. What are the benefits of your proposed method?
Key dates:
Week 3: Project selection due.
Week 4: Outline of the project due.
Week 7: Final project.
Please submit a copy of the final paper/poster via Canvas. No hard copies will be accepted.
Late penalties:
● 25% deduction for each day that lab reports are submitted late
● If the pre-labs were not prepared, the students will have to return when they are prepared for the lab
with a 50% deduction per day
Laboratory Policies:
● Inform us of any health conditions that you feel will affect your lab performance before the labs
begin.
● Eye protection (provided) is required unless otherwise specified TF.
● Dress sensibly for the lab. Bare feet, sandals, shorts etc. are not allowed. Long hair and loose
closing should be tied back.
● Eating and drinking are not allowed in the lab.
Do not hesitate to consult with us when you encounter problems understanding the experiments or
in your data analysis. We will not do the analysis for you but we will guide you so you can do it
successfully yourselves.
Attendance Policy: Attendance at all lecture/laboratory meetings is mandatory. Attendance is required in
all classes. The Summer term moves very quickly, and even a single missed class will put you at a disadvantage
in your learning. Absences will negatively affect your final grade and can be grounds for removal from the
course.
Miscellaneous Policies: For additional policies on attendance, student behavior, exclusion from the course,
various deadlines, etc., please visit the Summer School website at
http://www.summer.harvard.edu/policies/student-responsibilities.
Accessible Education: The Summer School is committed to providing an accessible academic community. The
Accessibility Office offers a variety of accommodations and services to students with documented disabilities.
Please visit http://www.summer.harvard.edu/resources-policies/accessibility-services for more information.
Students who require accommodations should contact Accessibility Services,
accessibility@dcemail.harvard.edu or 617-998-9640, prior to the start of the summer school.
Publishing or Distributing Course Materials: Students may not post, publish, sell, or otherwise publicly
distribute course materials without the written permission of the course instructor. Such materials include,
but are not limited to, the following: lecture notes, lecture slides, video, or audio recordings, assignments,
problem sets, examinations, other students’ work, and answer keys. Students who sell, post, publish, or
distribute course materials without written permission, whether for the purposes of soliciting answers or
otherwise, may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including requirement to withdraw from the
Chem S-C: Connecting to the World Through Chemistry – Harvard Summer School (Draft)
Summer School. Further, students may not make video or audio recordings of class sessions for their own
use without written permission of the instructor.
Course Calendar:
Lecture/Lab: Mon/Weds 3:15–6:15 pm EST, Northwest B108, Lab in NW158, T/ThSection in NW243
Discussion: Thurs 3:15–4:45 pm EST
Tuesday, June 21, 2022: Discussion Section – In lab safety training. Online safety training due.
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
Lecture: Statistics and General Chemistry–Measurements and Titrations
Lab: Continuation of in-person safety training. Laboratory equipment demonstrations and tours.
Determining the concentration of an unknown mixture.
Assigned reading: Discrete Organic Phosphorus Signatures are Evident (on Quiz 1)
Thursday, June 23, 2022: Discussion Section
Friday, June 24, 2022
Lecture: Organic Chemistry–Separations and Isolations of Organic Compounds
Lab: Molecular Data storage and Thin Layer Chromatography, Part 1
Assigned Reading: Antibiotics and TLC (on Quiz 1)
Monday, June 27, 2022
Lecture: Medicinal Chemistry– Biological Data Storage
Lab: Molecular Encryption by Thin-Layer Chromatography Part II
Assigned Reading: Data Storage in Dyes (on Quiz 2)
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
Lecture: Glucose Meters and Ion Sensors
Lab: Glucose Analysis in Beverages
Assigned reading: Dissolved Organic Carbon leaching from Plastics (on Quiz 2)
Thursday, June 30, 2022: Discussion Section
Monday, July 4, 2022
Independence Day Observance No Classes
Wednesday, July 6, 2022
Lecture: Electrochemistry
Lab: Making a Battery
Assigned reading: Clean energy storage technology in the making: An innovation systems
perspective on flywheel energy storage (on Quiz 3)
Chem S-C: Connecting to the World Through Chemistry – Harvard Summer School (Draft)
Thursday, July 7, 2022: Discussion Section
Monday, July 11, 2022
Lecture: Chemistry in the Earth Sciences
Lab: Electrolytic Plating of Metals
Assigned reading: Chemical cocktails, Filtration of Heavy Metals (on Quiz 3)
Wednesday July 13, 2022
Lecture: Applied Sciences
Lab: Spectrophotometric Determination of Mixtures - HPLC analysis of Caffeine
Assigned reading: Reversible carbon dioxide capture by aqueous and non-aqueous amine-based
absorbents (on Quiz 3)
Thursday, July 14, 2022: Discussion Section
Monday July 18, 2022
Lecture: Advocacy, Networking and Professionalism
Guest Lecturer: Karen Garcia, Science Policy & Government Affairs Speaker
Lab: Science Advocacy Workshop & Discussion, Project proposal Discussions
Assigned reading: Policy Effects on Sciences, American Chemical Society Advocacy Modules
Wednesday July 20, 2022
Lecture: How to Communicate Science
Guest Lecturer: Robert Zimmerman, Former Director of the Charles River Watershed Association
Lab: Final Project class workshops
Thursday July 21, 2022: Discussion Section
Monday July 25, 2022
Guest Lecturer: Austin Scharf, Ph.D., Former Senior Associate Scientist, Pfizer
Lab: Final Project class workshops
Wednesday July 27, 2022
Guest Lecturer: TBA, Drug Development/FDA Approval Speaker
Lab: Final Project class workshops
Thursday, July 28, 2022: Discussion Section
Wednesday, August 3, 2022
Final Project Presentations