Chemistry Professor Chris Cheatum talks with Lemme Elementary kids about being a scientist

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Prof. Chris CheatumAssociate Professor Christopher Cheatum of the Department of Chemistry visited a 5th-grade class at Lemme Elementary in Iowa City on Friday, May 22, to discuss how scientists do their work. The class was working on a unit on observations in science and how to make controlled and reproducible observations to determine the composition of an unknown powder, and Cheatum's demonstrations were developed to reinforce those concepts. He performed several demonstrations, including hands-on activities, and explained how lab notebooks work, both in printed and electronic form.

Cheatum joined the faculty of the Department of Chemistry, part of the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, in 2003. He leads the Cheatum Research Group, which studies chemical structure and dynamics using 2D infrared spectroscopy.

The University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers about 70 majors across the humanities; fine, performing and literary arts; natural and mathematical sciences; social and behavioral sciences; and communication disciplines. About 15,000 undergraduate and nearly 2,000 graduate students study each year in the college’s 37 departments, led by faculty at the forefront of teaching and research in their disciplines. The college teaches all Iowa undergraduates through the college's general education program, CLAS CORE. About 80 percent of all Iowa undergraduates begin their academic journey in CLAS. The college confers about 60 percent of the university's bachelor's degrees each academic year.