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 bistetrakis[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.