Increasing Undergraduate Students’ Knowledge of Environmental Chemistry Careers While Building Interviewing Skills Through a Novel “Meet the Experts” Project

Undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry majors typically become well informed about conventional sub-disciplines such as organic, inorganic, and physical chemistry through their required coursework and research experiences. However, knowledge about environmental chemistry, sometimes gained through elective courses or research experiences with faculty, may be lacking at many undergraduate institutions. Moreover, information about career paths available to students who pursue studies focused on environmental chemistry may also be limited. In addition to discipline specific content and skill development related to environmental chemistry, to increase the knowledge about the varied career paths available to them, undergraduate students enrolled in an elective environmental chemistry course participated in a semester-long project entitled “Meet the Experts.” Each student contacted an expert in environmental chemistry (i.e., industry, government, non-governmental organization, and academia) to conduct and record an interview with that person, using questions crafted by the student to hone interviewing skills. A survey of self-reported student perceptions revealed positive gains in knowledge about environmental chemistry’s varied career paths and self-reported enhancement of interviewing skills. The novel pedagogical approach may be implemented in any course to help undergraduate, high school, or even elementary students build knowledge about career paths existing in a niche discipline.