Normally completion of a laboratory Senior Project qualifies a student for such consideration. The Science of Chemistry Chemistry's contributions to the understanding of nature, to modern technology, and to the comforts and problems of science are emphasized through a study of the basic principles of the science. Not open to science majors. In the study of past cultures, chemical analyses of artifacts provide important information about how and when people lived. The scientific basis, archeological significance, and practical limitations of a number of methods are examined.
Techniques discussed include dating methods and compositional analysis.
Examples from several cultures are studied to illustrate the role of chemical analysis in modern archaeology. One laboratory per week. Offered in alternate years. The origins, effects, and fate of chemical pollutants are considered. Problems and unanswered questions concerning the chemistry of the environment are identified, and accounts of pollution in the popular press are critically evaluated from a scientific standpoint.