Chemistry 115 - Chemical Principles I, Spring 2008

Dr. Hannah Sevian

TuTh 2:30-3:45PM

Science / 1st floor / room 003 (Lipke Auditorium)

Office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:00-5:00PM in Wheatley / 4th floor / room 181 (COSMIC office)
and other times by appointment. Please also feel welcome to stop by anytime.

Important announcements (most recent first):

  1. Ok, here it is - the grade breakdown. First of all, I want to congratulate this class on doing so well. There were far more A's this semester (by more than double the amount) than any other year I have taught this course, and also a higher overall average. Second, I'd really like to know if you found the individualized reports to be of help to you in preparing for the final exam. This was the first time I have done these. It was very time consuming to analyze all the data and prepare these, but if the benefits to you outweighed the time costs to me, then I will plan to do this for students again next semester. Please contact me by the end of Monday, May 26, if you see any discrepancies between my accounting and yours. I will post the grades on WISER first thing Tuesday morning. Click here to see the grade breakdown.

  2. You will have the full time, until 11:00, on the final exam. The test will not be cut off at the 120 minute mark. We will probably begin a little after 8:00, since it will take people some time to settle. The test is designed to take 120 minutes, so I am sure no one will need 180 minutes on it, but you will certainly have more thatn 120 minutes. Don't forget to bring your calculator, a pencil, and an eraser. You can also bring some aluminum foil to mold if you wish, if that will help you with visualizing 3D shapes.

  3. Here is a link to some worked examples of how to calculate what score you will need on the final exam to get the grade you want in the course.

  4. The final exam is on Wednesday May 21, 8:00-11:00 AM in Snowden Auditorium (W-1-88). I will hold additional office hours before the final exam: Tuesday May 20, 3:00-5:00 at my office (see above for building & room number).

  5. Exam 3 is postponed to Tuesday May 6 because…
    Test at the beginning of Lab 10 next week (week of April 28) (updated 4/23/08)

  6. Check out the new online multiple-choice test practice links under Exam 3 information on the Exams link. (updated 4-21-08)

  7. Attention students in the Tuesday Chem 117 Lab section: If you missed Lab 9 on April 15, please attend the make-up for Lab 9 at the normal Tuesday time and location on April 22. (updated 4-17-08)

  8. Final exam is scheduled for Wednesday, May 21, 8:00-11:00AM in Snowden Auditorium (W-1-88). Please let me know by Friday, April 25, if you have any conflicts with final exams in other courses. (updated 4-17-08)

  9. A number of students have asked which equations will be included on Exam 2. This is a link to the cover sheet of Exam 2, so that you will be able to be familiar with it before you enter the exam on Tuesday. Please also look at the instructions on the page, since they differ from the previous exam in that you'll be able to take the multiple choice questions with you when you leave, but don't forget to turn in your bubble sheet so I can grade it. Also, although Assignment 8 covers through section 6.3 in the text book, the exam will only cover through section 6.2. In other words, section 6.3 material will appear on Exam 3, not on Exam 2. (updated 4-5-08)

  10. Two important announcements (updated 3-26-08):
  11. Exam 1 is postponed to Tuesday, March 4, in class. Please check your UMB email for more details. (updated 2-27-08)

  12. If you have not yet obtained an ACS Study Guide (because the new order has not yet arrived at the bookstore), you can stop by my office (W-4-181) and pick up a photocopy of the pages that contain the problems assigned in homeworks #1-5. If I am not there, please ask someone to find you a copy - the copies are in a stack beside the hole puncher. (updated 2-20-08)

  13. Facilitated Study Groups (FSG's) are Mondays 4:30-5:30 and Fridays 3:00-4:00, both in Wheatley, 2nd floor, room 127. Both FSG sessions (Mon and Fri) in a week are the same, you can sign up for either one. If you do sign up for one, we ask that you commit to attending that FSG for the entire semester. Since there was no school on 2/18, and since there is an exam on 2/28, the Friday 2/22 and Monday 2/25 FSG's will be the same (to help with preparing for the exam) and there will be no FSG on Fri 2/29. The regular Mon-Fri FSG schedule will resume on Mon 3/3. (updated 2-19-08)

  14. Please see new menu item on the left -- "Student Opportunities" -- which contains annoucements of interest to students, such as summer programs and scholarships. (updated 2-12-08)

  15. There will be a test at the beginning of Lab 2 during the week of Feb 11. All students enrolled in Chem 115 are expected to take the test. You do not need to prepare for the test. It is a pre-test of your prior understanding of the chemistry you will learn in this course. Students who are not in Chem 117 (if you already took and passed the lab course) must show up for the first hour of one of the three labs next week (Mon 12:30, Tues 9:00am, Weds 12:30) to take the test. If that will not fit your schedule, please email me (hannah.sevian@umb.edu) to arrange to take the test at a different time next week. (updated 2-6-08)

  16. All sections on this course website, except the lecture slides, are now up to date. On the lecture slides section, currently on the links are last year's course materials. In case it is helpful to you to peek ahead, I will leave all of last year's lecture slides posted. I will also post the new lecture slides a day or two before each lecture so you can print them and bring them to lecture with you to take notes on. I will bring copies to class for you of the first lecture slides, so you do not need to print the Jan 29 notes in advance of class. (updated Jan 28, 2008)