Welcome to the course overview site for CHEM81S, a first-year Introduction to Research seminar. This course is designed as a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (What is a CURE?) and will be taught by Prof. Amanda Hargrove. This is a 0.5 credit course that contributes to first-year seminar and R and NS requirements. Pre-requisites and information about application and instructor consent are provided here. The scientific focus of this course is on RNA, an essential biomolecule in life processes (Why RNA?). While RNA is involved in many important cellular pathways, it is difficult to target with small drug-like molecules (reviewed here). The goal of this course is to expand our understanding of how small molecules can bind to RNA by discovering and measuring binding patterns through hands-on experiments. This course presents a unique and exciting learning experience for first-year students (Why this class?).