The Chemistry Learning Community (CLC) seeks to build a community environment that fosters the educational and emotional growth of chemistry students. Because of the importance of research in chemistry, the CLC is centered on a research theme. The CLC holds weekly meetings and activities with freshmen and transfer students throughout the year. In the fall and spring semester students enroll in Chemistry 101X “Chemistry Learning Community Orientation.” We will introduce students to support services, resources, and opportunities at ISU including AccessPlus, BlackBoard, and the Society of Chemistry Undergraduate Majors (SCUM) – our chemistry club. We will develop team-building, problem-solving, and professional skills, provide educational and service-based field trips, and invite faculty to discuss their research.  We will also have some activities just for fun!

The CLC offers three main components:

• Peer mentoring
• Common course meeting times, and
• A housing option

Our goals include

• building a supportive community for our freshmen and transfer students by creating and promoting connections between the majors, peer mentors, faculty and staff, 
• exposing freshmen and transfer students to undergraduate research opportunities, and 
• helping students learn coping, problem-solving and communication skills. 

Living Options

There is an option for learning community members to live together in the same residence hall, which allows students to easily study together and extend their course-based learning. Chemistry Learning Community students who select the housing option will be placed in Helser Hall with double-occupancy rooms. Women will be in Sadler House and men in Livingston House.  Participants will live near other learning community students and have access to all of the educational, social, and recreational programs available to every residence hall student. In addition to living and learning with students in the learning community, students also have the opportunity to interact with a diverse group of students from other academic programs.

If interested in the living option, sign up for the residential learning community space by clicking on the “Learning Community” tab when filling out your Department of Residence contract on AccessPlus. You can go in and update or change your learning community preference information at any time up until the deadline without losing your “priority date.” Since living in Helser Hall is optional for this learning community program, you may choose any housing preference and then still participate in the learning community.

Signing up

All incoming first-year and transfer chemistry majors will automatically become part of the Chemistry Learning Community when they register for courses at summer orientation. Be sure to show up in August for the learning community orientation events which will be held just prior to the start of classes.

Peer Mentors:

Kelsey Larson, kelseyl [at] iastate [dot] edu
Shannon McClintock, smm [at] iastate [dot] edu

If you have any further questions, please contact:

Theresa Windus, twindus [at] iastate [dot] edu, (515) 294-6134
Carrie Graves-Warden, cgraves [at] iastate [dot] edu, (515) 294-6361
Joe Burnett, joechem [at] iastate [dot] edu, (515) 294-6352

CLC brochure