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My name is JL, and I am part of the Department of Chemistry at University College London. My background is in organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry and chemical biology. I have recently started a new Teaching-Focused position, so I am excited to learn more about DBER generally, and ideas for organic chemistry more specifically. I am looking forward to thought-provoking talks and discussions, and hope to make connections for ongoing exchange of ideas and collaboration.

POSTER TITLE: Introducing First-Year Students to Research: Onsite and Online Collaborative Workshops

THEME: Educational tools and interventions

ABSTRACT:
Students specializing in STEM subjects are often inspired to pursue these fields by the global challenges and fundamental questions science allows us to answer. However, introductory courses, focusing on fundamental concepts and problem-solving approaches, can feel disconnected from cutting-edge research from the perspective of students. We have developed a set of collaborative organic chemistry workshops for first-year biosciences students. By centering each workshop on a biochemical research endeavor, the students readily recognize the relevance of organic chemistry to their course. Each workshop includes exercises similar to "typical" introductory course questions such as proposing mechanisms, while also challenging students to, by working together in small groups, answer the same questions approached by the researchers themselves such as proposing novel drug molecule structures and interpreting unexpected structural data. These workshops serve a dual purpose of consolidating material at key points throughout the year, while illustrating the utility that first-year concepts have for contemporary research.