Organic Chemistry Summer School

Overview

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 to early August.

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

Students accepted on to the Organic Chemistry Summer School will be provided with:

A confirmation of admission letter;
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, reusable water bottle, a laboratory notebook etc.;
Dedicated school administrator for day-to-day advice and support (no appointment necessary) Monday to Friday;
Support from Programme Director and Deputy Programme Director & School Manager as required.

Program Structure

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. Students are mixed across their home universities in the allocation to labs and tutorials and these groups are changed for the second module.

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. 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.

How will you learn in labs

Students will prepare for each lab class using the supplied lab manual and as per directions. Students will be split into groups of 10-12 for lab classes with a dedicated demonstrator/ teaching assistant for each of the two modules. In laboratory classes each student will conduct the experiment themselves, they will each have a dedicated fumehood and all the glassware and lab supplies required for the experiment.

How will you learn in tutorials

Students will be split into groups of 12-15 for tutorials with a dedicated tutor for each of the two modules. Tutors will grade homework which students will submit by uploading to a google folder.

Timetable

Classes are scheduled Monday to Friday and at weekends as their are no classes students may choose to travel around Ireland and/or Europe. Between the end of the the first module (OChem 1) and the start of the second module (OChem 2) there is a 4 day long weekend which enables students to take a longer trip and have a little rest between the modules. In 2024 students travelled at weekends to places such as diverse as Paris, County Cork, London, Amsterdam, Galway City and County, Scotland and County Clare.

Faculty Team

The faculty 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)Assistant Professor Aniello Palma

(opens in a new window)Assistant Professor Charles C.J. Loh

(opens in a new window)Associate Professor Eoghan McGarrigle

(opens in a new window)Associate Professor Marcus Baumann

(opens in a new window)Assistant Professor Marina Rubini

(opens in a new window)Associate Professor Paul Evans

(opens in a new window)Assistant Professor Peter Byrne

(opens in a new window)Professor Serena Cussen

Facilities

Accommodation

Students are accommodated on campus in UCD student accommodation, just a 10 minute walk away from the O’Brien Centre for Science where the lectures, labs and classes etc. take place. Each student will have their own single bedroom with an ensuite bathroom. Bedrooms are organised in apartments with shared kitchen and living spaces with various combinations of 4, 6 and 8 bedrooms.

Catering

Students are provided with a Meal Plan that includes breakfast and lunch (Monday to Friday, except on bank holidays) at Pi Restaurant, which is also located in the O’Brien Centre for Science.

Excursions

A number of Excursions or Trips will be organised on a Saturday or Sunday across the 8 weeks to various places in Ireland e.g. the ancient monastic heritage site of Glendalough, Co Wicklow, Kilkenny and Belfast city.