Departmental Research
The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry strongly encourages all chemistry and biochemistry majors to participate directly in high-quality, publishable research with research-active faculty. Independent research is a vital tool in developing critical thinking skills and is highly valued by graduate schools, professional schools, and employers. Students who have gained some research experience are therefore often better equipped to make their next professional transition.
Faculty members in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry are actively involved in research projects in fields as varied as quantum computational methods and molecular modeling, electrochemistry, surface chemistry, mass spectrometry, organometallic chemistry, pharmaceuticals in waste water, functional characterization of enzymes and synthesis of potential drug molecules. (You can find information on the various research projects by first clicking the "Faculty" link in the menu on the right-side of this webpage, then navigating between the different faculty member webpages at that link.) The faculty also support students who wish to work on projects of their own devising.
Opportunities to participate in departmental research are offered either through our research course (CHEM 440) or through our summer research program. By enrolling in CHEM 440, students can earn academic credit for their research participation. In the summer research program, students are paid stipends for their participation in a 10-week, full-time research experience that runs over the two summer semesters. Prior to beginning a research experience, students are asked to interview each of the research-active faculty members in the department, and to decide based on those interviews whose research interests them the most. Upon completing the research experience, students, in conjunction with their chosen research adviser, will present their research (either as an oral or poster presentation) at a local, regional, or national professional meeting.
Students who desire to participate in research should contact Dr.Morgan Ponder for more details.
