Plants in Medicine: An Integrated Lab-Lecture Project for Nonscience Majors

An integrated lab-lecture project, known as the mini research project, was developed for a medicinal chemistry course for nonscience majors. In the lecture component of this project, students choose a plant essential oil with documented biological activity and prepare a literature review describing the importance, history, and current use of the essential oil as well as identifying the chemical substance responsible for its biological activity. The laboratory component is a four-week experience in which students isolate the essential oil from their chosen plant, analyze its composition by thin-layer chromatography and infrared spectroscopy, and test its antibacterial activity. The objectives of this project are to help students develop the tools to explain structure-function relationships, improve skills in finding sources and evaluating their credibility, and increase student interest and engagement in the lecture and laboratory. Evidence from the final research paper and student surveys indicates that the mini research project was successful in helping students meet these objectives.