Tuesday, November 6, 2007 - 3:30 PM
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Rethinking Chemistry Requirements for Agriculture and Natural Resources Management Majors.

Paula Gale, Philip Davis, and Robert Hartshorn. University of Tennessee At Martin, 117 Laura St, Martin, TN 38237

Historically the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources has required its students to take two semesters of General Chemistry with laboratories and a one semester course in Organic Chemistry. This sequence introduces the students to the subject of chemistry and provides them with the background necessary to guide them through most of their upper division major courses. However, it does not introduce them to any aspects of biochemistry, a major field for students in the agricultural sciences. Over the years our students have struggled in the chemistry courses and have often complained about the relevance of the material to their major. To try and address these issues the chemistry department proposed the development of an introductory chemistry course that covers aspects of general, organic and biochemistry. General, organic, and biochemistry courses/sequences are widely employed for students in the allied health sciences, but would appear to be equally applicable for students in agriculture and natural resources curricula. The general, organic and biochemistry course is taught in two semesters and provides students with introductions to each of these fields of chemistry in both lecture and laboratory. This presentation will look at the contents of this new course and its strengths and weaknesses in application to agriculture and natural resource undergraduate curricula.