USF St. Pete student creates ChemPass study platform

University of South Florida St. Petersburg student Renee Reardon knows a thing or two about organic chemistry. It’s been a passion of hers for years. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. 

Reardon, 21, also understands how challenging the class is. Next month, she is launching ChemPass. The platform was designed to help students master Organic Chemistry I and II. It will feature mock exams, integrative lessons with quizzes and a variety of exercises. 

“When I looked at the broken landscape of organic chemistry where half the classroom is left behind and ambitious dreams of medical and scientific careers are just crushed, I knew someone had to step in,” she said. “I built ChemPass because I’ve witnessed brilliant, hardworking students drown in a system that refused to give them the right tools.” 

For example, one of the activities planned is focused on “fundamental nomenclature” and features an interactive system. Reardon explained that it can be difficult to correctly name compounds. This will allow participants to “build and decode and navigate molecular names in real time.” 

“If you came from a class and let’s say you didn’t understand a topic in the classroom one hundred percent, you can come online and we can teach you it in a more elementary, spoonful manner where the information is digestible,” she said. “A lot of the online platforms don’t really go on to explain why something happens.” 

One of ChemPass’s key features is an artificial intelligence-powered tool, where individuals can ask for assistance on a variety of topics. “You can upload photos of molecules that you’re having a really hard time synthesizing,” Reardon explained. 

“Mastering the core logic, not the flash cards, is where I see a lot of students get mixed up,” she said. “This isn’t a class where you can just memorize. You need to know exactly why things happen.” 

People enrolled in an organic chemistry class are expected to learn hundreds of names and hundreds of reactions, Reardon added. 

She explained that the course is often considered a “weed-out class.” Some individuals may even leave their chosen field of study. According to a University of Nebraska Omaha honors thesis by Tori Williamson, organic chemistry has an over 50% fail rate nationwide. 

“I wanted to create something that completely eliminates the guess work and replaces the need for expensive and hard to schedule tutors and gives every student an equal fighting chance to master the subject on their own terms,” Reardon said. “The high failure rates exist because we’ve been providing students, as I like to explain it, a two dimensional map to navigate a multi-dimensional maze.” 

Once ChemPass launches, users will be able to access the application through a web browser. Students can subscribe to the service on a monthly or per-semester basis.

For updates on the platform, visit Reardon’s LinkedIn profile.