Introducing Community College Students to Chemical Research

The Roberts Group currently directs efforts to engage community college students in chemical research through two different programs:

Chemical Research At Texas (GREAT)
CREATE works to increase student retention and degree attainment by fostering mentorship relationships between students and UT Austin faculty, students, and staff. CREATE achieves this by working with students to design and execute chemistry-focused research projects. CREATE hosts faculty and student speakers at Austin Community College and organizes an 8-week summer research program.

CREATE is currently supported by the NSF via awards CHE-1654404,  CHE-1945401, and CHE-xx. Create has received prior support from the NSF (CHE-1610412) and American Chemical Society.

Honors Organic Chemistry 2125
Honors Organic Chemistry 2125 is a new course-based undergraduate research experience module that has been added to the chemistry curriculum at Austin Community College (ACC). This module, co-developed with Dr. Shawn Amorde (ACC), introduces ACC students to chemical research by allowing them to design, synthesize, and characterize a library of organic dyes and pigments with potential utility for energy applications.

Course development is supported by Research Corporation for Science Advancement via a Cottrell Scholars Award.