Chemistry and Biochemistry News

Congratulations to our new Gamma Sigma Epsilon Chemistry Honor Society inductees! The ceremony was led by faculty advisor, Dr. Tim Dwyer, and took place in front of an audience of fellow students, family members and faculty. The inducted students have each taken a minimum of five chemistry courses and have high grades in their chemistry, science and general classes. We’re very proud of our students’ accomplishments!

Many alumni participated in Scholars’ Day to share their experiences with prospective freshmen. They were excited to return to represent their departments and to see friends, faculty and other alunni. Three alumni, Ryan Krempel, who is starting Dental School at the University of Maryland in the fall, Amanda Slonaker (center), currently pursuing her Masters of Arts in Teaching Chemistry in Stevenson’s new graduate program, and Jenn Kurek (right), currently teaching chemistry in a high school in Howard County, posed for a picture with Chemistry faculty member, Dr. Tracey Mason.

Prospective students visited campus on Saturday to learn about our science and math programs at SU. They were given the opportunity to participate in a laboratory experience, learning how potato enzymes work using spectroscopic techniques, or participating in a fingerprinting exercise; to learn about the department, the faculty, and the exciting programs and courses we offer; and to visit a fair with tables showcasing our clubs, our alumni and our majors. Students and their parents had a chance to ask questions and see what the School of the Sciences at SU is all about!

Mercedes Vilasoa is currently traveling in Europe to celebrate her graduation in December with her BS in Chemistry. She is visiting her cousin who is studying abroad in France for the year. She will then travel to Spain to see additional family members. Mercedes is looking forward to starting pharmacy school this fall. So far, she has been accepted to three pharmacy schools and looks forward to choosing which offer to accept!

In the first Organic Chemistry II lab of the semester, students separated a mixture of two compounds, ferrocene and acetylferrocene, using column chromatography. In the pictures shown above, the students are testing the purity of their compounds by finding the melting points. When asked about their first experiment of the semester, students responded that they really enjoyed it! One student said, “I enjoyed that this experiment incorporated techniques from one of my favorite experiments from last semester, Thin Layer Chromatography.”