Chemistry 2007-2008
Overview
Chemistry has been an integral part of the curriculum at Union almost since the College was founded in 1795. Union recognized chemistry as a discipline separate from natural philosophy in 1806; required chemistry of all graduating seniors in 1811; offered the first chemistry laboratory on an American college campus (1856); had a Union Chemical Society under the guidance of Professor Charles Chandler, co-founder of the American Chemical Society, nearly 20 years before he helped found the society; and in the 1930s established a reputation for undergraduate research, especially through the efforts of Professor Charles Hurd. Our department is certified by the American Chemical Society.
With the early influence of our faculty, Union has developed a strong tradition for sending students on for ad- vanced study and to leadership positions in industry. In the past five years, 26 percent of Union’s chemistry and biochemistry graduates have pursued advanced study in these fields. In addition, 21 percent have entered medical school, law school, or graduate programs in educational studies or other health-related fields. Moreover, Union graduates have recently served as chief executive officers of DuPont, Eastman Kodak, and Merck Pharmaceuticals and as presidents or vice presidents in charge of research and development for Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals and Mobil.
THE Faculty
Our faculty maintain active research programs involving undergraduates. Present faculty with their advanced degrees and areas of research are:
James Adrian
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
Synthetic organic, molecular recognition
Janet Anderson
Professor of Chemistry
Ph.D., University of Wisconsin
Computational chemistry, solution structures of proteins
Mary Carroll
Professor of Chemistry
Ph.D., Indiana University
Analytical spectroscopy, chemical sensorsv
Kristin Fox
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Ph.D., Cornell University
Protein biochemistry
Michael Hagerman
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Ph.D., Northwestern University
Materials/inorganic chemistry
David Hayes
Professor of Chemistry
Ph.D., Cornell University
Organic photochemistry
Joanne Kehlbeck
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University
Bioorganic chemsitry, molecular recognition
Karen Lou
Senior Lecturer
Ph.D., MIT
Applied surface science
Laurie Tyler
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Ph.D., University of California, San
Thomas Werner
Florence B. Sherwood Professor of Chemistry
Ph.D., MIT
Analytical fluorescence spectroscopy
Curriculum
The Chemistry Department offers two majors leading to a B.S. in chemistry: the basic ten-course major and one with additional upper-level chemistry courses and a senior thesis that is accredited by the American Chemical Society. Students enter graduate schools, professional schools, and industry from both programs. In addition, the Chemistry and Biology Departments jointly offer a major in biochemistry, which requires seven courses from each department. The Chemistry Department also offers an interdepartmental science major with other departments (for example, biology-chemistry) and a minor in chemistry combined with any other major.
In addition to the introductory courses in each of the principal fields of chemistry, we offer advanced courses in organic, physical, analytical, inorganic, polymer, and biochemistry. Moreover, additional courses are offered for non-science majors as part of the General Education curriculum at the College. Our courses emphasize a broad understanding of everyday phenomena viewed from a molecular perspective and an in-depth understanding of chemical principles. The courses are designed to help students think analytically, develop critical insight, and communicate effectively - tools useful in any walk of life.
Undergraduate research
The department also strongly encourages faculty-directed undergraduate research. The ACS-accredited major normally requires three terms of senior research that culminate in a thesis, and many students pursuing just the basic major also conduct senior research. Senior research may be coupled with an active summer research program in which students work full-time and receive stipends from faculty research grants, industrial fellowships, alumni gifts, or the College. In recent years we have had ten or more students working with faculty over the summer, with many of those projects continuing into the next academic year. All of our research students present their work at local or national meetings, and many are coauthors of publications with faculty.
Equipment available
We are very well equipped as a result of College, NSF, and private and corporate foundation support. The following major instruments are available: Bruker AMX 500MHz NMR, Hewlett-Packard Capillary Electrophoresis System, HP 5890A GC/MS, Varian Gemini 200 MHz NMR with a variable temperature probe, five FT-IR spectrophotometers, a diode laser-based flash photolysis system, a gel permeation chromatograph, a differential scanning calorimeter, a thermogravimetric analyzer, a Photon Technology Spectrofluorometer, a PT Fluorescence Lifetime System, two High Performance Liquid Chromatographs, instruments for doing many kinds of electrochemical measurements including polarography and cyclic voltammetry, capillary, and other gas chromatographs, atomic absorption spectrometer, and six uv-visible spectrophotometers using diode array technology.
All instruments are for student use. We believe that students learn most efficiently if they personally work with the best available equipment. Furthermore, all computers in the department are attached to the College’s Ethernet network. We provide computers for student use, including a Silicon Graphics workstation, in a Chemistry Department Molecular Modeling Laboratory.
Facts about chemistry at Union
— Because of Union’s highly-successful record of supporting undergraduate research, it was selected in 1998 by the National Science Foundation to receive a prestigious $500,000 Award for the Integration of Research with Education. — In the past decade, Union has averaged 15 chemistry and biochemistry graduates per year. About 70 percent go either to graduate, medical, or management school. — Data compiled by the National Research Council on chemistry Ph.D.s granted in the U.S. between 1920 and 1995 show that Union ranks 18th among 1,036 four-year private colleges in the number of graduates who go on for the Ph.D. in chemistry. — In the recent past, individual faculty and the department have received outside funding from the Schering-Plough Pharmaceutical Group, Merck Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Dow Chemical Company, the Dreyfus Foundation, DuPont, the General Electric Foundation, the Keck Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the Petroleum Research Fund, the Pew Foundation, the Research Corporation, and Schenectady International, Inc. — Since there is no graduate program in chemistry at Union, all chemistry classes and laboratories are taught by faculty, who personally grade all work and are available for tutorial help. — Classes are small, with 48 students the maximum in general chemistry classes and 48 students maximum in organic chemistry. Upper-level classes seldom exceed 15 students.