The UCD Organic Chemistry Summer School provides an opportunity for students from linked US universities to complete their Organic Chemistry (OChem) requirements while spending 8 weeks of the summer period in Ireland at UCD School of Chemistry from mid-June.
The UCD Organic Chemistry Summer School ran first in 2019 with students from University of California and in 2024 we were delighted to welcome students from four US Universities:
- (opens in a new window)University of California (Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara & Santa Cruz)
- (opens in a new window)University of Hawaii at Manoa
- (opens in a new window)Pennsylvania State University
- (opens in a new window)University of Colorado Boulder
All aspect of the organic chemistry curriculum as taught in the US are delivered via two four-week modules, each worth 7.5 ECTS. Students attend lectures, tutorials, problem solving workshops and laboratory classes with homework, laboratory reports, laboratory performance and weekly tests combining with the written exam at the end of each module to give an overall result for each module.
Feedback on homework and weekly tests is routinely provided as soon as possible to aid further learning.
Students are split into groups of 10-12 for lab classes with a dedicated demonstrator/ teaching assistant for each of the two modules. Students are split into groups of 12-15 for tutorials with a dedicated tutor for each of the two modules. Laboratory and Tutorial Groups mix the students from different universities. In each laboratory class each student will complete the experiment themselves, they will have a dedicated fumehood and all the glassware etc. required.
The faculty / professors who deliver on the Organic Chemistry Summer School are experienced in teaching organic chemistry to undergraduate students and are actively involved in research in this broad field too. You can read more about their research etc. online at:
(opens in a new window)Professor Declan Gilheany
(opens in a new window)Associate Professor Marcus Baumann
(opens in a new window)Associate Professor Eoghan McGarrigle
(opens in a new window)Assistant Professor Aniello Palma
(opens in a new window)Assistant Professor Peter Byrne
(opens in a new window)Assistant Professor Marina Rubini
(opens in a new window)Associate Professor Paul Evans
Students are accommodated on campus, a 10 minute walk away from the O’Brien Centre for Science in single bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms in apartments with shared kitchen and living spaces with various combinations of 4, 6 and 8 bedroomed apartments.
Students are provided with a Meal Plan of breakfast and lunch (Monday to Friday) in Pi Restaurant which is located in the O’Brien Centre for Science - East.
Three Excursions / Day Trips are organised on a Saturday or Sunday across the 8 weeks to various places e.g. the ancient monastic heritage site of Glendalough, Co Wicklow, Belfast city.
Classes are not scheduled for weekends to permit students to travel around Ireland and/or Europe and between OChem 1 and OChem 2 there is a 4 day long weekend to permit longer travel or rest between the modules. In 2024 students travelled at weekends to places such as diverse as Paris, Cork, London, Amsterdam, Galway, Scotland and Clare.
Students registered to the Organic Chemistry Summer School will be provided with:
- An admission letter to support their visa application if applicable
- Welcome and Orientation Events on arrival including a social reception, tours of campus and the school
- A Welcome Pack including a laboratory manual, a laboratory coat (on loan for the duration of the summer school) and safety glasses
- Dedicated school administrator for day-to-day advice and support (no appointment necessary) Monday to Friday
- Support from Programme Director and Deputy Programme Director as required
At the end of the Summer School each student’s grades are reviewed by the faculty involved in delivery the programme and results are then issued to the students’ home universities and a transcript is provided to each student.
Programme Director: Marcus Baumann Email: (opens in a new window)marcus.baumann@ucd.ie
School Manager: Susan Wilson Email: (opens in a new window)susan.wilson@ucd.ie
2022 Group Photo, Outside the O'Brien Centre for Science, University College Dublin.
Student Testimonials:
“One of the things I loved most about this program was the amount of help that was given. Each TA and professor really gave their time to help which I absolutely appreciated. “
“The four organised trips were wonderful and great! I’m glad we got to see Newgrange and do the Howth hike. There were plenty of opportunities to explore Ireland and Europe during the weekends. I was fortunate enough to explore Galway, Cork, Dublin, London, and even Amsterdam!”
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“I highly recommend this program to future US students; I can’t praise enough how this experience has been. It knocked out one of the hardest classes for me AND was a vacation. It was the perfect environment to learn due to the size of the class and engaging learning.”
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“This was the greatest experience of my life, and I would absolutely recommend this to any student. The experience of learning from a prestigious university and amazing professors, while also exploring a new country and making so many new friends, it is absolutely worth it. The biggest challenge would just be learning all the material in such a short amount of time. But with enough focus, it is absolutely doable”
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