This year in Chemistry Integrative Lab, students are working in groups to complete a quantitative analysis project all their own. They come up with an idea, research it, write a proposal and develop their own methods. This week in lab students are realizing that research isn’t as straightforward as it seems. They are collecting preliminary data and going back to revise their methods. Chemistry majors Jasper and Brian are working on the calculations for the preparation of new calibration standards after realizing the original plan would not be sensitive enough. Other students this week were trying to determine the retention time of a vitamin E standard by HPLC, while others were preparing samples of melatonin for an investigation of the light sensitivity of the chemical. Students will continue to work on their projects, completing a group notebook and a final poster of their experiments.