Faculty involved in "Chemical Thinking," a redesign of Chemistry 151 and 152, are teaching students to think like chemists by focusing on critical-thinking skills and applied learning. The course grew out of the UA's AAU STEM Project, an interdisciplinary effort to significantly expand STEM-related collaborations, curricula and funding opportunities.
How can we increase the critical thinking skills of our students? That's the question UA chemist John Pollard asked when he began developing his "Chemical Thinking" course. He's now implementing the curriculum with a grant from the American Association of Universities, and changing how the UA teaches STEM courses.
The UA is expanding the number of articulation agreements it has with community colleges and improving programs for transfer students. The move is part of a deliberate, cross-institutional effort to increase the number of Arizona residents with baccalaureate degrees.
Dr. Andrew S. Kraft, a nationally recognized prostate cancer physician-scientist, has been named director of the UA Cancer Center and associate vice president for oncology programs for the Arizona Health Sciences Center.