Senior chemistry (1 Viewer)

[Nebuchanezzar]

I'm like, asking the people (I think that means all two of you) who've done senior chem at USyd what the best subjects are. I consulted the subject reviews but it was all a bit disjointed and sometimes the lecturers weren't listed. So I think the two who've done it are Tenille and xiao..what were the best subjects? I was thinking of doing

Organic structure + reactions
synthetic medicinal chem
biomolecules (I haven't done intermediate biomolecules though. problematic?)
(either) medicinal metal chemistry OR Catalysis and Sustainable processes

thoughts? advice?

 

[tennille]

I found catalysis and sustainable processes to be the best subject in third year. Medicinal and metal chemistry was okay, same with quantum chemistry. Do not do materials chemistry- that was pretty crap. As for the rest, I'm not too sure.

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

Oh materials chem looked awful. Plus I heard that Brendan Kennedy (I think that's his name) lectures in it. I can't stand him or Peter Harrowell. They're both asses.

Thanks for the advice though.

 

[tennille]

I like Brendan Kennedy, but he's a bit lost sometimes. Chris Ling's stuff is pretty hard. But I definitely reccomend catalysis. Tony Masters is awesome!

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

Eh, Harrowell and Kennedy both seem a little cocky. Putting down 2nd year students and whatever. Granted, Kennedy was kinda funny, BUT STILL!

Speaking of Masters, does that Maschmeyer bloke he teams with teach anything? They hype him up enough round the school of chemistry is all.

Peter Rutledge teaches Medicinal chem yeah? Anything else? I love that guy.

Lastly, I take it that Scott Kable and Tim Schmidt teach in the quantum chemistry subject? Anyone else?

Thanks!

 

[tennille]

Maschemeyer didn't teach us last year for catalysis. I'm pretty sure Peter Rutledge teaches synthetic/medicinal (he was pretty awesome with showing pictures of his holidays, etc 1/2 way through the lecture). Yeah, both Kable and Schmidt (now this guy is what I call cocky) as well as Meredith Jordon teach quantum.

Love your avatar by the way. Very nerdy.

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

Thanks. You're the only one who seems to have understood it at this point!

I loved Schmidt though, he was hilarious.

 

[Martyno1]

Has anyone done forensic & environmental chemistry?

 

[Templar]

It really depend on what your interests are. I can't understand any theory for organic, so naturally I selected all the inorganic chem subjects (material/catalysis/spectro/surfaces). Then again, you might not be able to handle the maths in spectro and surfaces.

I personally liked materials the best, since it was my specialty (I would have done honours in material chem otherwise). Kennedy's material in 2007 was mostly trivial apart from perovskite, and Ling has excellent notes so that was fine.

Schmidt is good when you get on the good side of him. He did swear at us a couple of times during PT lab, but after he saw the result he was very good to my group (to the point of bias in the adv presentations).

Having Maschemeyer teach is rather wasteful...you want your federation fellow to research, not teach which any level A and above academic can do. His fellowship is running out though, maybe he'll teach soon.

 

[xiao1985]

LOL @ Templar. BTW who are you doing Hon with? I've seen you around. Also, love your way of signing. BWAHAHAHA, no one can forge that.

This might be a bit like (since it's end of sem1 already). I would agree with templar. It really depends on your interest. I did Organic, medicinal side. I *think* I also did the metal and catalysis. Bob Gilbert taught us (when he was still in USyd). I liked all of the courses I did. Though Organic involved the most hardcore memorising (fk'ing reaction paths ways and what nots). Inorganic was definitely more fun (any platinum chemists out there?)

 

[Templar]

Computational algebra with Claus Fieker. And if you want to forge a few more pay forms for me, feel free to do that.

 

[xiao1985]

LOL pay form. I was thinking checks.

Hmm... I thought you do chem honour? Or do you just do maths honour, but come to chem building to suck our money away? >=|