Discovering Science: Global Challenges
Discover how chemistry can help to feed a growing population or overcome increasing bacterial resistance in this online course from the University of Leeds.
Duration
2 weeks
Weekly study
5 hours
100% online
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Find out how the Penicillin class of antibiotics has been a major breakthrough in the treatment of patients. However, with bacteria developing efficient ways of resisting antibiotic treatment, discover how scientists are treating patients with infections resulting from resistant bacteria.
The world’s population is approaching eight billion people, putting increasing strain on our ability to feed everybody. Explore the strategies currently being developed, and the role that chemistry plays in finding solutions to food security.
What topics will you cover?
- The origins of penicillin and the research behind antibiotic development.
- The way in which pencillins kill bacteria.
- Introduction to the molecular structure of the penicillins and how their structure underpins their antibacterial properties.
- The ways in which some bacteria types are able to become resistant to antibiotics.
- The clinical research of a consultant in infectious and travel medicine.
- The challenges behind educating people in the proper use of antibiotics.
- The ways in which chemists are making contributions to overcoming the problem of bacterial resistance.
- The ethical issues associated with powerful medicines, and the appropriate uses of them.
- Assignment: prepare interview questions to demonstrate an understanding of the ethical issues behind a scientific topic.
- The uses of chemistry in addressing the challenges of feeding a growing population.
- The role of chemical crop protection agents and the development of agrochemicals.
- The way agrochemical products are discovered and designed.
- The discovery of the World’s most widely used fungicidal agent, Azoxystrobin.
- The multidisciplinary nature of the discovery of new biologically active molecules.
- The uses of natural crops and their genetically-modified alternatives.
- Sustainable options for feeding a rapidly growing population.
- Alternative methods of agriculture that complement the use of chemical crop protection agents.
- Assignment: a peer reviewed task to write a blog post on a scientific topic.
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