Shadi Dalili

Community-engaged learning (CEL) is a form of experiential learning that connects students to community groups through a service-learning project. Students are tasked with working with a partner to fulfill the community needs. CEL projects in chemistry have been increasing in popularity to provide students with transferable skills and help connect course learning to real-world relevance. In this study, students in two introductory analytical and organic chemistry courses engaged in CEL projects and were assessed through reflections of their experiences. Using reflections collected across two years, student perceptions of course learning, group work experience, self-reported skills, and CEL impacts on future careers were examined. The results showed that CEL had a positive impact on course learning and future career goals. Students had varied experiences in group settings, making positive connections with group members and enjoying sharing the work and having diverse experiences but noting difficulties with scheduling and communication. Finally, students identified many developed skills through the projects, both technical (course-related) and interpersonal (transferable skills). This research provides further support for CEL use in undergraduate chemistry programs with the hope that exposure to experiential learning will have positive and lasting impacts on student learning, setting them up for success moving beyond undergraduate programs.

Despite the recent advances in Virtual Reality technology and its use in education, the review of the literature shows several gaps in research on how immersive virtual environments impact the learning process. In particular, the lack of curriculum-specific experiments along with investigations of the effects of different content, activity, and interaction types in the current VR studies has been identified as a significant shortcoming. This has been more significant in STEM fields, where VR has the potential to offer engaging experiential learning opportunities. The study reported here was designed to address this gap by assessing the effect of authentic visualization and interaction types on learning a particular scientific concept. A use case scenario of “orbital hybridization” in chemistry education was selected to create this experiment and to collect data for analysis. We collected data on learning outcomes, task-completion efficiency, accuracy, and subjective usability. A combination of learning content and tasks designed based on the relevant educational theories was presented to three groups: 2D, VR interaction type 1 (hand gestures), and VR interaction type 2 (ray casting). The results showed that VR could improve learning and that interaction type could influence efficiency and accuracy depending on the task.

Undergraduate organic chemistry courses have a reputation for being difficult among students in biological and physical sciences programs. Due to the extensive problem-solving, visualization, and depiction of chemical structures/reactions required, students may perceive learning such content as similar to learning a new language. Several interventions such as course-integrated tutorials or discussion sessions have aimed to assist students. Another effective approach that chemistry educators might consider is Supplemental Instruction (SI), a well-established program that emphasizes student-driven learning whereby student SI leaders facilitate discussions to help students arrive at solutions while also developing effective communication and study skills. A type of SI, Facilitated Study Groups (FSG), established by the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) in 2009, were introduced regularly into organic chemistry courses in 2012. This program provides semester-long optional small-group peer learning sessions, each of which corresponds to a course lecture. The aim of this paper is to provide comprehensive coverage detailing the structure of the organic chemistry FSG program, peer facilitation strategies employed, quantitative/qualitative synthesis of student outcomes indicating program uptake. We consistently find significantly higher grades and significantly lower attrition rates for students who regularly attend FSG sessions in comparison to those who do not (n=16 semesters). Given the growing diversity of undergraduate classes in terms of approaches to learning, language, and cultural barriers (international students, English second-language learners, learning and psychosocial disabilities), our FSG sessions seek to foster inclusion amongst our heterogeneous pool of attendees. Here, we describe strategies that tailored FSG sessions to a diverse group of undergraduate students as suggested by a sizable percentage of the class availing themselves of this resource and by a narrative synthesis of end-of-term surveys. Together, we demonstrate successful adoption of an SI-based model for organic chemistry and present a practical framework that includes pedagogically informed session strategies and cost estimates to guide design of similar programs for post-secondary students at other institutions.

A convenient method for synthesis of new sym-triazine ester and hydroxamate derivatives has been developed. Various reaction conditions were studied and optimized, and a series of new 1,3,5-triazine based esters and N-hydroxyamides were obtained with good yields (38-80%). The reaction between oxo-derivatives of 4,6-disubstituted-1,3,5-triazines and halogenated carboxylic esters derivatives using Cs₂CO₃ as a catalyst was found to be the most convenient method for 4,6-disubstituted-1,3,5-triazine-2-yloxy esters synthesis. These 1,3,5-triazin based esters served as precursors for the synthesis of 4,6-disubstituted-1,3,5-triazin-2-yloxy-N-hydroxybutanamides using solution of hydroxylamine hydrochloride in dry methanol and KOH at room temperature. Structures of the newly synthesized compounds were obtained by ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, MS, IR spectral data and elemental analysis.

Evasion of death receptor ligand–induced apoptosis represents an important contributor to cancer development and progression. Therefore, molecules that restore sensitivity to death receptor stimuli would be important tools to better understand this biological pathway and potential leads for therapeutic adjuncts. Previously, the small-molecule 4-(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)-N-hydroxybutanamide (that we propose be named droxinostat) was identified as a chemical sensitizer to death receptor stimuli, decreasing the expression of the caspase-8 inhibitor FLIP. However, the direct targets of droxinostat were unknown. To better understand the mechanism of action of droxinostat and highlight new strategies to restore sensitivity to death receptor ligands, we analyzed changes in gene expression using the Connectivity Map after treating cells with droxinostat. Changes in gene expression after droxinostat treatment resembled changes observed after treatment with histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. Therefore, we examined the effects of droxinostat on HDAC activity and showed that it selectively inhibited HDAC3, HDAC6, and HDAC8 and that inhibition of these HDACs was functionally important for its ability to sensitize cells to death ligands. Thus, we have identified a selective HDAC inhibitor and showed that selective HDAC inhibition sensitizes cells to death ligands, thereby highlighting a new mechanism to overcome resistance to death receptor ligands. Mol Cancer Ther; 9(1); 246–56

Evasion of death receptor ligand-induced apoptosis is an important contributor to cancer development and progression. Therefore, molecules that restore sensitivity to death receptor stimuli would be important tools to better understand this biological pathway and potential leads for therapeutic adjuncts. Previously, the small-molecule N-[4-chloro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-3-oxobutanamide (fasentin) was identified as a chemical sensitizer to the death receptor stimuli FAS and tumor necrosis factor apoptosis-inducing ligand, but its mechanism of action was unknown. Here, we determined that fasentin alters expression of genes associated with nutrient and glucose deprivation. Consistent with this finding, culturing cells in low-glucose medium recapitulated the effects of fasentin and sensitized cells to FAS. Moreover, we showed that fasentin inhibited glucose uptake. Using virtual docking studies with a homology model of the glucose transport protein GLUT1, fasentin interacted with a unique site in the intracellular channel of this protein. Additional chemical studies with other GLUT inhibitors and analogues of fasentin supported a role for partial inhibition of glucose transport as a mechanism to sensitize cells to death receptor stimuli. Thus, fasentin is a novel inhibitor of glucose transport that blocks glucose uptake and highlights a new mechanism to sensitize cells to death ligands. [Mol Cancer Ther 2008;7(11):3546–55]