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Stephanie Gallegos

Ryan Holcomb

CHEM 1010

12/09/2017

Introductory Chemistry: Course Reflection

The foundation of chemistry is in critical thinking and that is the main aspect

about it that Ive come to love so much. Its one thing to know the solution to a problem, but its

another to understand the method to reaching that solution, because then you can solve any

problem. In the words of science popularizer Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Science literacy is less

about what you know and more about how your brain is wired for asking questions. Throughout

this course I have enhanced my critical thinking by solving problems using a repeatable method

of which can be applied to various problems. One might think that this sort of thinking can only

be applied to balancing a chemical equation or converting grams to moles. On the contrary,

critical thinking is crucial in our daily lifes in this complex, ever-changing world.

Complex systems are an interest of mine, being a student of computer science. My

fascinations vary from computer science to chemistry to neuroscience to economics and

mathematics. I just find joy in the adventure of solving problems, and there are many to be

solved in complex systems. There are many techniques in chemistry that I can also apply to

computer science, and vice versa. For example, the unexpected solutions. Many times, in

chemistry, one will find that the solution to the problem is counterintuitive. And its typically not

until youve dug deep into research and into the many factors that youre able to locate this

unexpected solution. Also, theres normally more than one factor. This was very blatant to me as

I studied chemistry. So many different aspects of a problem have an impact on the final solution,
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and then the final solution often contains some amount of uncertainty or has some dependency

on variable factors. In fact, this is a fair description of a complex system a system whose

behavior is intrinsically difficult to model due to the dependencies, relationships, or interactions

between their parts or between a given system and its environment.

Overall, the content of this course is valuable to me, but the methods to understanding

that content is the real take away. Now I can take the critical thinking skills I learned and apply

them to my daily life. I can understand the levels of particulates in the air and what that means. I

can make sense of the chemicals in my food and personal care products, while not falling for the

marketing schemes aimed at the scientifically illiterate. This ability to think critically is a form of

empowerment. This course has now empowered me by giving me the skills to think in depth

independently.