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Chemistry Department Website
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The Chemistry Department prides itself on the longevity, strength and diversity
of its faculty-student research program, which generally involves 10 to 18
students working with chemistry professors on cutting-edge research projects.
During the last three decades, over 100 students have coauthored research
articles with their professors.
We believe that this interaction between students and professors creates and
sustains an excellent education in chemistry. Chemistry Department faculty have
a wide range of research interests, from physical chemistry to bio-organic and
biochemistry:
-- Wayne Steinmetz uses nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine
host-guest chemistry and the solution-phase structure of small peptides and
other substances of biological importance.
-- Fred Grieman's specialty is the study of molecular ion structures with
laser and electron beams using free-jet expansions.
-- Cynthia Selassie’s research focuses on the QSAR-based design, synthesis
and evaluation of antibacterial and antiprotozoal pyrimidinyl compounds as well
as the toxicity of various phenolic entities.
-- Roberto Garza-López investigates the influence of structural properties
on the kinetics of diffusion-controlled reactive processes on catalysts using
computational simulations.
-- Department chair Daniel O'Leary's research focuses on the development of spectroscopic
methods for detecting hydrogen bonds and on the study of chemically modified
biological structures, with organic synthesis and nuclear magnetic resonance
spectroscopy as research tools.
-- Chuck Taylor employs combinatorial methods to prepare and characterize
nanostructured materials for use in selective chemical sensors that will be
integrated into microanalytical systems.
-- E.J. Crane's research focuses on the chemistry and biology of redox
enzymes in extremophiles.
In the last five years, the Chemistry Department has received funding for
faculty and student research as well as curriculum innovation from the NIH, NSF,
Research Corporation, Dreyfus Foundation, American Chemical Society-PRF, Merck
and Glaxo-Smith-Kline.
Outstanding equipment used in both teaching and research includes a Bruker 400
Mhz NMR, a Spectra Physics YAG pumped dye laser, six Pentium-based UV
spectrophotometers, Jasco Digital Polarimeter, three Agilent 1100 Liquid
Chromatographs (Bio CAD Bio Chromatography System), Voltammetric analyzer,
Cytofluorometer and a perfusion chromatography system. In addition, we have
three FT-IR spectrometers, a Spectro DMax inductively coupled plasma optical
emission spectrometer (ICP-OES), a Perkin Elmer 3100 Atomic Absorption
Spectrometer and a HP quadrupole mass spectrometer with a capillary gas
chromatograph. We have excellent computational facilities with site licenses to
crystallographic databases and molecular-modeling software.
The department has received extensive funding from National Science Foundation
for its introduction of innovative technology and methodology into the
curriculum and thus into the practice of chemistry. Early on in their studies
and then at all levels, our students experience "hands-on" exposure to
state-of-the-art scientific equipment as well as computer hardware and software.
Thus our curriculum remains rigorous, extensive and current. With proper
selections of courses, students can receive American Chemical Society
certification when they graduate. Those interested in biochemistry have the
option of majoring in molecular biology or chemistry. Graduates have gone on to
a wide range of graduate and professional schools.
The department frequently invites visiting scientists to present seminars on
their research. Each year, a noted chemist, usually a Nobel Laureate, spends a
week lecturing and talking with students as part of the Robbins Lecture Series.
Previous speakers have included Linus Pauling, Gertrude Elion, Richard Ernst,
Rosalyn S. Yalow, Francis Crick, Thomas Cech, Richard N. Zare, Stuart Schreiber,
F. Sherwood Rowland, Ahmed Zewail, Barry Sharpless and Kurt Wüthrich. Topics
have included the chemistry of arteriosclerosis, host-guest chemistry, the
design of better catalysts, RNA catalysis and the chemistry of ozone depletion.
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Chemistry Department Website
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