Date Received Spring 2006 Semester Assessment Report Form DUE October 31, 2006 Directions: Please complete a form for each of the programs within your department. This form was designed to provide a format for assessment reporting and should not be used to limit the amount of information provided. Each box that is attached to each of the sections is designed to adjust to varying lengths. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Bea Babbitt at x51506 or via email at: bea.babbitt@unlv.edu. ***Please submit the report electronically to bea.babbitt@unlv.edu 1. Program Information: Program Chemistry BA/BS and BS biochemistry Department Chemistry College Sciences Program S. Steinberg Assessment Coordinator Semester Data Spring 2006 Collected Report S. Steinberg Submitted by Phone/email 702-895-3599 spencer.steinberg@ccmail.nevada.edu Date Submitted 10/30/06 2. According to the Assessment Plan for this program, what were the planned assessments to be conducted during the Spring 2006 semester? You may want to copy and paste from this program’s assessment plan. Which outcomes for this program were measured? How did you measure the outcomes? What results did you expect? If the students performed well what would their performance look like, i.e. percentages, means, or comparisons to a national standard? ____outcomes out of a total of ____ outcomes evaluated this semester. General chemical and Final Examinations Expect student retention of better than physical principles. ACS Standardized 80% and Average Grade of C when available. General biochemical principles Final Examinations Expect student retention of better than 80% and Average Grade of C Instrumentation: Use and understanding Final Examinations Expect student retention of better than 80% and Average Grade of C Scientific Literature Student Seminars and Expect student retention of better than participation is meeting 80% and Average Grade of C presentations and publications. 3. Results. What are the results of the planned assessments listed above? Describe below or attach to the form. Results The grade distributions for key chemistry courses is attached as supporting material. Student performance in the first semester of general chemistry (CHE 121) was quite good. In addition student retention in the course was better than 80%. The grade distribution for CHE 122 indicates that the students find the material more challenging, although retention was very acceptable. The decrease in average performance reflects the presentation of more mathematical concepts. Student performance in Organic Chemistry is illustrated by the grade distribution for CHE 241 and 242. The average course grade was a B. The ACS national examination was used for the final exam. This exam provides a measure of UNLV student performance relative to a national average. The results indicate that our student perform close to the national average. Student performance in Biochemistry (CHE 474) indicates a high student motivation and general success. The average grade in the course was a B. Student performance in CHE 355/355L and 465/465L are a reflection of our students abilities to understand and utilize chemical instrumentation. Both lectures and laboratories had average grades of B. Retention in these time-intensive laboratories was generally good. The grade distribution in the seminar course reflects general satisfaction with student use of the scientific literature. Most students are getting As or Bs in the course indicating that they are able to utilize what they have learned in lecture and lab to analyze material from the chemical and biochemical literature and to make a cogent presentation to a general audience. An additional important metric of student success and understanding is their participation in independent research and their ability to contribute to the scientific literature. A list of publications with student co-authors is attached. 4. Conclusions and Discoveries. What conclusions or discoveries were made from these results? Describe below or attach to the form. Conclusions and Discoveries The program appears to be running successfully. 5. Use of Results. What program changes are indicated? How will they be implemented? If none, describe why changes were not needed. Course performances and the ACS organic chemistry examination indicate that our program is generally successful. No major adjustments are required at this point. 6. Dissemination of Results, Conclusions, and Discoveries. How and with whom were the results shared? The results are shared and discussed with fulltime chemistry faculty. GENERAL CHEMISTRY I GRADE DISTRIBUTION 2005-2006 70 60 50 121-001 FALL 121-002 FALL 121-001 SPR 121-002 SPR 40 30 20 10 0 A B C D F WD I GENERAL CHEMISTRY II GRADE DISTRIBUTION 2005-2006 45 40 35 30 122-001 FALL 25 122-001 SPR 122-002 SPR 20 15 10 5 0 A B C D F WD I ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I & II GRADE DISTRIBUTION 2005-2006 50 45 40 35 30 241-002 FALL 241-001 FALL 242-002 SPR 242-001 SPR 25 20 15 10 5 0 A B C D F WD I BIOCHEMISTRY I & II GRADE DISTRIBUTION 2005-2006 50 45 40 35 30 474 FALL 25 475 SPR 20 15 10 5 0 A B C D F WD I QUANTITATIVE & INSTRUMENTAL ANAL. AND LABS GRADE DISTRIBUTION 2005-2006 12 10 8 355 FALL 355L FALL 455 SPR 455L SPR 6 4 2 0 A B C D F WD I SEMINAR GRADE DISTRIBUTION 2005-2006 6 5 4 491 FALL 791 FALL 491 SPR 791 SPR 3 2 1 0 A B C D F WD I Undergraduate Publications: Nyamsuren Uudus, Shino Magaki, and N. Balakrishnan, Quantum mechanical investigation of ro-vibrational relaxation of H2 and D2 by collisions with Ar atoms, J. Chem. Phys. 122, 024304 (2005) Mercado, C., and Spangelo, B.L. -Aminobutyric acid (GABA) inhibits the synergistic release of interleukin-6 (IL-6) by ILSummer Undergraduate Research Closing Poster Program, NIH Nevada IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) Undergraduate Fellow, Desert Research Institute, August 11, 2006. Poster Presentation. Meacham, Susan L., Elwell, Kyler E., Ziegler, Sarah and Carper, Stephen W. Boric acid inhibits cell growth in breast and prostate cancer cell lines. Proceedings of the third international symposium on all aspects of plant and animal boron nutrition, (in press 2006) Elwell, Kyler E., Hall, Casey, Thaker, Shweta, Giraud, Yvonne, Byron Bennett, Byron, Bae, Chulsung, Carper, Stephen W. A fluorine containing bipyridine cisplatin analog is more effective than cisplatin at inducing apoptosis in cancer cell lines. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry (published on line 2006). Sarah A. Ziegler, Becky M. Cox, Cherisse R. Loucks, Steen J. Madsen, Stephen W. Carper. ALA and Photofrin mediated PDT induces apoptosis and necrosis in human breast cancer cells. American Association for Cancer Research, April 2006, Washington, DC. Susan Meacham, Casey Hall, Shewta Tharkar, Anu Elegbede, Stpehn W. Carper. Boric acid induces apoptosis in some breast cancer cell lines. American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, April 2006, San Francisco, CA. Stephen W. Carper, Casey Hall, John Adebayo, Van Vo, Susan L. Meacham. Boric acid induces apoptosis in the prostate cancer cell line DU-145 via a caspase 3 dependent mechanism. American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, April 2006, San Francisco, CA. Steen J. Madsen, Even Angell-Petersen, Qian Peng, Stephen W. Carper, Sarah A. Ziegler, Olav Engebraaten, Henry Hirschberg. ALA-PDT in experimental glioma models. 5th International Workshop on Photodynamic Therapy and Photodetection with Porphyrin Precursors, June 2006, Buenos Aires, Argentina P. K. Bhowmik, H. Han, and A. K. Nedeltchev, “Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(pyridinium salt)s with Organic Counterions Exhibiting Both Thermotropic LiquidCrystalline and Light-Emitting Properties,” J. Polym. Sci. Part A: Polym. Chem. 2006, 44, 10281041. H. Han, P. R. Vantine, A. K. Nedeltchev, and P. K. Bhowmik, “Main-Chain Ionene Polymers Based on trans-1,2-Bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene Exhibiting Both Thermotropic Liquid-Crystalline and Light-Emitting Properties,” J. Polym. Sci. Part A: Polym. Chem. 2006, 44, 1541-1554. P. K. Bhowmik, H. Han, I. K. Nedeltchev, J. J. Cebe, S.-W. Kang, and S. Kumar, “Synthesis and characterization of ionic liquids: viologen bistetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate salts,” Liquid Crystals 2006, 33, 891-906. Undergraduate Presentations: Rycel Uy and Dong-Chan Lee, "Asymmetric Bisphenazine Monomers for New ElectronDeficient Conjugated Polymers", NSF-EPSCoR Summer Undergraduate Research Closing Poster Session, Aug 11, 2006 (held in DRI). Hoyong Chung, Andrew Y. Chang, Ira O. Racoma, Coreen H. Ozawa, Chulsung Bae “Regioselective functionalization of high-molecular-weight crystalline polyolefins via C-H activation of methyl side group” Polymer Preprint, 2006, 47, 247-248. Hoyong Chung, Andrew Y. Chang, Ira O. Racoma, Coreen H. Ozawa, Chulsung Bae “Regioselective functionalization of high-molecular-weight crystalline polyolefins via C-H activation of methyl side group” Presentation at the 231th ACS National Meeting at Atlanta, GA. March 26-30, 2006.