Ramiro Israel Perez-Pena, & Dr. Ariel Vaughn
General Chemistry in post-secondary education classrooms lacks a clear connection between the traditional curriculum and real-world applications. This creates a disconnect with students’ interest and negative affect in chemistry learning. As a result, students do not feel like they belong in chemistry spaces, contributing to high DFW rates in General Chemistry. Assignment design is one way to bridge this gap. In this study, we discuss the design and implementation of a final project in a first semester of General Chemistry course at California State University Channel Islands, a Hispanic Serving Institution. The students are tasked to present why chemistry matters to their home community. There are three phases of the project. In the planning phases, students complete a pre-survey and get feedback on topic ideas and presentation mediums. The second phase consists of a multi-draft research paper. The third phase consists of making a presentation explaining the chemistry, in a multi-draft process. A post-survey was given to students that asked their perceptions from the assignment. When asked, “Do you feel this assignment helped you better understand the role of chemistry in your life overall?”, 80% of students agreed or strongly agreed that this had an impact. By completing this final project, students understand why chemistry matters to them by making personal connections to their home community. This project aims to make students feel more confident in identifying and communicating chemistry. As a result, the students will see themselves as scientists, helping diverse students recognize that they belong in these spaces.