Acknowledgements

Dear students,

University is expensive. As a graduate of the Faculty of Science and a former student enrolled in Principles of General Chemistry, I speak from experience when I say that with the cost of tuition, textbooks, online learning tools and more, the cost of a university education adds up very quickly!

It is my greatest hope that the General Chemistry for Gee-Gees textbook can help relieve some of the financial stresses that you face as a post-secondary student at the University of Ottawa, by being free to use as an open education resource. I hope this textbook not only peaks your interest in chemistry and helps you succeed in the course, but also shows you the positive impact that open education resources can have on a community. Open education resources are not bound by traditional copyright licenses and are instead licensed under a Creative Commons license. The Creative Commons license is based on the belief that when we share, everyone wins. This textbook is for students, by students and came to fruition because students came together to support one another. I hope this textbook can be an example to you that as students, our voice is powerful when we join together to advocate for change.

There are many people that I need to thank for their roles in bringing this project to life. Firstly, thank you Dr. Kathy-Sarah Focsaneanu for all your contributions to this project. Thank you for listening to students, believing in students and for continually being devoted to improving yourself as an educator for your students. Thank you Dr. Alison Flynn and Dr. Mélanie Brunet for helping mold the early vision of the project. Thank you Mahdi Zeghal and Jessica Thomas for taking that vision and creating the framework to bring it to life. Thank you Dr. Alain St-Amant for supporting this project in every possible way, even with all the roles that you play pulling you in every direction. Thank you Geneviève O’Keefe, Nathan Biniam, Derek Fraser-Halberg, Dr. Brandi West, Leanne Trepanier and Debbie Pinos for all your outstanding contributions that have made this project possible. Lastly, and certainly not least, thank you to the Thinking Ahead Giving Back Chartwell fund, the Science Students’ Association, the Faculty of Science and the Office of the Associate Vice-President Student Affairs for investing in students and funding the adaptation of this open textbook.

I sincerely hope you enjoy the textbook… as much as a textbook can be enjoyed!

Happy learning,

Kevin Roy