Teaching

I regularly teach the following two courses in our college:

CSIS 4575 (Technology Commercialization) was designed to meet the needs of science majors with an interest in entering the business world. The course was first offered in Spring Semester 2001, and again in Spring Semester 2002, as an experimental course entitled CSIS 4490/04 (Technology Commercialization). This course is an entrepreneurship course designed specifically for students majoring in the degree programs in the College of Science and Mathematics. Although an elective course that now has become an officical course offering in the Computer Science and Information Systems department, students from most other degree programs in our college can also take the course as a major elective with the approval of their department chair. Most new businesses that create jobs and community wealth are technology based. Typically, one of their founders will have an educational background in science or technology. Therefore, a technology commercialization course is critically important in preparing our science graduates to compete and grow in today's society and global economy. See the following webpage for details of the course, learning outcomes and syllabus: CSIS 4575 (Technology Commercialization) and a pertainent quotation by a university president within the University System of Georgia.

KSU 1101 (Freshman Experience) is a course developed at KSU to assist first-year students in adjusting to college life, to provide them skills necessary to succeed in college and to increase their retention in our degree programs. Typically the sections of this course that I teach are designed specifically for science majors and offered in conjunction with learning communities such as the one in Fall 2001 dedicated to students majoring in Computer Science or Information Systems. In such learning communities, students take English Composition, Principles of Computing and the Freshman Experience courses back-to-back on the same days so as to build a sense of community with their fellow classmates. For details on the learning outcomes of this course and the syllabus, see KSU 1101. Many are interested to learn that we teach bioethics in this course using the world's oldest bioethics book written in 1813 by a world famous author whom you all know.

In addition, I have been involved in the development of curriculum materials for teaching the second semester of CHEM 1212 (General Chemistry), the chemistry course required for science, mathematics and engineering majors. In Fall Semester 1999, this course was team taught with Dr. Matt Hermes. See below for details regarding these curriculum materials.

Scholarship
ChemCases National Science Foundation Project

One of my teaching and scholarship initiatives is a $266,000 project funded at Kennesaw State University by the NSF to develop a new curriculum for a second semester General Chemistry course using case study methodology.   Our goal is to make chemistry more interesting and relevant while enhancing student learning by using case studies of familiar chemical products such as Gatorade, Nutrasweet, Olestra, Alcohol and Silicones to teach the important principles of General Chemistry.   Our ChemCases modules show students how chemical principles and concepts relate to the decision making process in bringing these products to the market place by highlighting product performance in the context of chemical structure, toxicology concerns, environmental or social issues and patent rights.   This new curriculum was initially introduced at KSU in Spring 1999 and then has been made available electronically as web-based modules for use worldwide by other colleges and universities.  

The collection of thirteen cases can be accessed at the following webpage:
             http://chemcases.com

Our overall pedagogy along with suggestions as to how these case studies can be used in conjunction with conventional General Chemistry textbooks can be viewed at:
             http://chemcases.com/overview/pedagogy.htm

and our newest module featuring alcohol (ethanol) and its impact on the human body can be seen at:
             http://chemcases.com/alcohol/index.htm

Professional and Community Service Interests

Science literacy at all educational levels
Innovative curriculum development to enhance science learning
Development of "green chemistry" to address environmental concerns
Identification of solutions to significant environmental problems and social issues
Economic development through linking universities with the business community
Linking higher education, particularly colleges of science, with economic development
Creating entrepreneurship curriculum appropriate for science and engineering students
Use of federal SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grants for economic development and university collaborations

KSU Chemistry Department Home Page

KSU College of Science and Mathematics Home Page

Last modified:  December 4, 2002

If you have any questions or comments about this web page please email me at lpeterso@kennesaw.edu