The program's purpose is to encourage state university faculty to develop skills and methods to better use computer technology in their daily courses. The ultimate goal of the governor's program, now in its second year, is producing university students who are trained in modern technology, especially students in the education field who plan to become K-12 teachers. BH science faculty and students publish results - Top Black Hills State University chemistry professor Dr. Peter deLannoy and three undergraduate students have recently published a paper in The Chemical Educator . Nucleosides are a type of nucleic acid. Students are encouraged to handle science in a manner similar to an industrial or academic research setting by forming three-person teams to solve problems.
Synthesis of nucleosides requires the students to become familiar with numerous lab techniques.
The students in the lab become familiar with primary reference sources, plan their project, use cutting edge chemical procedures to synthesize the intermediate and final compounds, and purify the product using flash chromatography. The teams then presented their results in a written paper and via an oral presentation. Publication of the procedures used in the BHSU lab will allow faculty at other universities to use this innovative technique with their students. The development of these procedures was funded by the BHSU Faculty Research and Instructional Improvement Committees as well as the Center for Innovation and Economic Development. Professor deLannoy, who directed the research with the students, has been a member of the BHSU science faculty since 1991.