Author(s):
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is an important tool in the modern STEM workforce that also provides the foundation for more in-depth explorations in multiple scientific disciplines ranging from pharmacology to quantum computing. Despite the prevalence of NMR as an essential research tool across a wide swath of STEM fields, there has historically been unequal access to this important laboratory equipment due to its high cost and maintenance requirements. Fortunately, the recent development of inexpensive benchtop NMR spectrometers and freely available online simulations offer great opportunities for predominantly undergraduate institutions to give their students relevant hands-on learning and research skills with this essential tool in the modern STEM workforce. In this work, we are creating a set of curricular materials that: cover the full spectrum of NMR in a multidisciplinary fashion; make broad use of research-based science pedagogy in curricular material design; provide materials for all levels of the undergraduate curriculum; and can be used with or without access to a particular NMR apparatus. This project fills this curricular gap by establishing an interdisciplinary and cross-institutional team to develop, assess, and disseminate curricular materials that integrate NMR into the undergraduate science curriculum. This talk will focus on implementing and evaluating these materials and what we have learned along the way about best practices for integrating these materials into the undergraduate science curriculum.
