Undergraduate Research
The College of Science believes that you learn science by doing science. In keeping with that
philosophy, the Department of Chemistry encourages all students to become
involved with research on some level. By providing undergraduates
many opportunities through credit courses, paid positions, and a wide
range of research areas to explore, we feel there is something for
everyone!
One of the
major advantages of attending a major university is the opportunity to
participate in internationally recognized research programs. As well as
giving you the opportunity to explore research as a possible career option, you
will work with professional colleagues in what often becomes a lifelong
professional relationship.
Benefits of Research
- Connection to faculty! Your research director becomes your advisor and often your mentor and provides you with information on job opportunities, different graduate programs and various professional schools.
- Your participation in research develops and testifies to your independence of thought. Being an original thinker is a highly desirable trait in a scientist.
- Exit interviews conducted with graduating seniors indicate that students who have participated in research early in their undergraduate career are better prepared for senior level chemistry courses, and are better able to connect and retain the concepts presented.
- Employers, graduate programs and professional schools will usually request letters of recommendation and/or telephone calls from your research director. Having a faculty member who knows your accomplishments and experience is beneficial when competing for these positions.
- When you go to interviews, your research activities may become the central focus of the interview.
- More than likely, if you conduct research you will be presenting your findings either orally or in poster format. Being able to convey scientific to the general public as well as other scientists is a highly valuable skill.
Titles of Past or Present Student Research Projects
- Synthesis and Characterization of an Expanded Porphyrin that has
Selectivity for the C-MYC Type of G-Quadruplex Structure - Semi-volitile Organic Compounds in Seattle Air: Improving
Productivity and Accuracy in Data Analysis for HPLC - Use of HPLC to study the broadening and tailing of the chromatogram for
lysine at neutral pH
- Investigation of Substituent's Effects on the Delta Ionization in
Molybdenum Benzoates - Millimeter Wave Spectroscopy of Small 3D Transition Metal Free Radicals
- Novel Nitric Oxide Donors
- Development of a Novel Chiral Scaffold for New Opioid Mimetics
- Relationship between the Preparation of C-18 Stationary Phases and their
Resultant Structural and Functional Differences - Synthesis and Characterization of HNO Products
- Improving Circuitry for Ion Mobility Spectrometers
- Microwave Studies of Metal Complexes
- Nanometer Sized Sensors for Biological Analyses
- Studies of Multifunctional Peptides for Opiod, CCK, and Melancortin
Receptors - Synthesis and Methodologies of Linear Disassembling Dendrimers
- Efficient Synthesis of Heterocyclic Compounds
- Self-Assembling Polypeptides for Nanosensor Development
- Inorganic Synthesis of Bromine-substituted Tetraphenylporphyrin for study
as a heme model with aim toward characterization of the compound by
contemporary methods - Creation of glycosyltransferase enzyme inhibitor known as D-threo-PDMP and
various analogs for medicinal purposes - Design , synthesis, and biological activity studies of new cyclic alpha-MSH
analogues in the regulation of feeding behavior and obesity - Catalytic and multi-dimensional cluster synthesis
