Over the past several years, the internet has been increasingly used a primary medium for higher education. Furthermore, scientific research, whose results were once unavailable to the general public until publication in a scientific journal, is now available through the practice of "open source" research. "Open source" refers to researchers openly sharing all components of their lab proceedings, notably the many failures endured while testing hypotheses, which is a previously unheard of notion in research. This sizeable undertaking has begun through the efforts of dedicated scientists who loyally post their findings on internet Blogs and Wikis (roughly the equivalent of unofficial, online encyclopedias). Dr. Jean-Claude Bradley, chemistry professor and coordinator of e-learning for the College of Arts and Sciences, has applied his extensive knowledge of "open source" research to education in Chemistry. "e-Chemistry," as Dr. Bradley refers to his online classroom, offers students opportunities to explore electronic resources that are not available in the traditional classroom setting. From videotaped lectures using SMART technology to 3-D animated models of molecules, his approach to the much dreaded Organic Chemistry series has led many students to see they have the ability to master material often viewed as intimidating.
: Where are you from originally?
Jean-Claude Bradley: I’m originally from Ontario, Canada.
: How did you come to find interest in the science of Chemistry?
JCB: I actually started out in neuroscience, but with those experiments it often took a long time to see results. The notion that chemical experiments had instant reactions was appealing enough for me to switch concentrations to chemistry.
: Where did you go to school?
JCB: I did my undergraduate studies at Laurentian in Sudbury [Toronto]. I got my Ph.D. from Ottawa in 1996. I performed my post doctoral studies at Duke University with DNA chips and in Paris, France with gene therapy.
: What brought you to Drexel?
JCB: I was looking for a university to settle at after I had finished my post-doc work. While I was looking at a few places, Drexel offered me the most opportunities in terms of being able to perform research and pursue new technology.
: How many students work in your lab and what are its current areas of research?
JCB: My lab is currently located in Disque 513. We have six students working there — three graduate and three undergraduate. One of my graduate students strictly works on chem formatics. My lab is engaged in anti-malarial research and the production of anti-malarial agents. Open Chem is the online forum/blog where we’re posting all of the developments. This includes everything we’re doing in the lab from procedure to results. The Open Chem project is only about one year old, so this is a very exciting time in the field.
: How is it that you’ve ended up as such a forerunner in "e-Chemistry"?
JCB: Well, I believe in "open source" science research. Generally, the chemistry field has lagged behind Biology in being able to organize and make the work of researchers accessible. Blogs and Wikis have ushered in a new era in being able to share what people are currently working on in the field. Specifically, reading about the failures (most lab experiments fail upon testing) can help us better understand what we’re doing in our own work.
: Why did you choose to switch from teaching in the traditional classroom setting to the online world?
JCB: Using this technology in my professional work led me to see its practical applications to the classroom, especially with the teeming resources it offers students. I feel that in many ways, it’s more effective. It forces students to write and incorporates a lot of preparatory features for testing.
: Do you feel that other professors should possibly be mandated to incorporate some type of e-learning into their curricula?
JCB: Well, I don’t know if it’s something that should be mandated but the technology is certainly free and available to all professors in the university. The technology has come a long way. We started with a program called Media Site which eventually evolved to the current software, Cantasia. Any faculty member can use Cantasia to create an online educational program like I’ve done with my Organic Chemistry courses. I’d be more than happy to teach people how. It’s become very simple and user friendly.
: Many science professors seem to feel strongly against students using the internet, especially sites like Wikipedia, to perform science-related research. They cite the fact that anyone can easily post misinformation and students should therefore only consult peer-reviewed literature. Do you share these views?
JCB: I think it’s a shame that students aren’t allowed to use Wikis and Wikipedia more. The ability to easily find information is a major asset when performing scientific research, especially in the lab setting. We use Wikipedia a lot in my lab to look up things like the boiling and melting points of compounds. The potential for professional usage is huge. Professors often tell students they should be using peer-reviewed articles but the problem is that these articles have often been known to be wrong, as well. Aside from a number of prominent science journals like Nature, many of the "peers" at these other journals are anonymous so it becomes less important. Just to show how easy it can be to get published in a journal, a group of people from MIT submitted a paper of "jargon" to one of these supposedly peer-reviewed journals and it was accepted for print.
: Will you be giving any presentations about your work with this technology?
JCB: Actually, I will be leading a session in North Carolina in January, discussing the applications of open and free technology.
: Have you received any attention for your work, either research or your continuing contributions to open source science?
JCB: Actually, there was a press release about the program in Chemical and Engineering News, the leading chemical trade publication. It came out last summer.
: In brief, where do you see this technology taking chemistry in the future?
JCB: Hopefully, more information will continue to be shared from around the world and more labs will post their findings. I also look forward to improvements in the software used, especially in the labs. As a matter of fact, we could really use someone to develop a program that could simulate fitting compounds into molecules…
Dr. Bradley is actively looking for students to help with the development of Chemistry software for use in his lab. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact him at jean-claude.bradley@drexel.edu.