$75,000 d’Arbeloff grant funds library instruction for first-year chemistry students

The Libraries were awarded a $75,000 grant from the d’Arbeloff Fund for Excellence in Education to introduce first-year students to the scientific research process and provide them with the skills needed to find, evaluate and use information successfully. The project will focus on students taking 3.091, Introduction to Solid State Chemistry, a large freshman level chemistry course with an enrollment of over 400 students. Students will be taught how to:

Identify and critically evaluate a variety of potential sources of information relevant to their course work.
Determine the most appropriate tool(s) or resource(s) for their information requirements and develop effective search strategies for their use.
Properly cite information sources used in assignments.
Gain skills that are transferable to new subject areas and valuable throughout their educational careers.

The d’Arbeloff Fund for Excellence in Education was established through a generous $10 million grant from Brit, SM ’61, and Alex d’Arbeloff. Projects funded in the program are designed to enhance and potentially transform the academic and residential experience of MIT’s undergraduate students. Funding for the Libraries’ project is provided for one year, with the possibility of continuation for a second year. For more information on library instruction programs see: //libraries.mit.edu/ask-us/instruction/index.html.