With the support of the LEAF Seed Grant, we built a partnership with the Toronto Zoo’s Nutrition Science team by co-creating community-engaged learning and research opportunities within and beyond a second-year analytical chemistry course. Weekly labs introduce students to a wide range of analytical techniques that are applied to qualitatively and quantitatively study real-world samples. The incorporation of a case-study activity in partnership with the Toronto Zoo enables students to apply and adapt course concepts to real-world challenges by developing technical proposals that address the needs of a community partner. Select students further deepen this experience by implementing their proposals through supervised research projects, gaining hands-on experience in experimental design, data generation, and community partner collaboration, all the while contributing meaningful data to inform the Zoo’s browse program.
Outcomes
The project aimed to establish a new partnership with a community partner (the Toronto Zoo) that would introduce students to research opportunities aligned with community needs. By incorporating a case study exercise into our second-year analytical chemistry course, students applied techniques learned in weekly labs to design and adapt methods that address questions driven by the needs of the Zoo’s Nutrition Science team. This exercise provided students with meaningful opportunities to connect course content to real-world applications, further strengthening their conceptual understanding of course material, while also developing essential research, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.