Chemistry and Biochemistry News

The Department of Chemistry is very excited to start the 2019 Spring Semester! Welcome to our new students and welcome back to our returning students. We already have snow in the forecast for tomorrow! Here’s hoping the disruptions are minimal to classes.

The Study Abroad group visited an Andian medical clinic, Jambi Huasi in the Otovalo highlands. Here they learned about the traditional approaches to healthcare in the community. Some diagnostic procedures use a raw egg, while more specific methods involve a cuy, or Guinea pig. The clinic also has an expert herbalist with a substantial store of herbal remedies. The trip is just amazing!

The Chemistry Department is excited about our new articulation agreement with Carroll Community College! Students who earn a Physical Science AS with Chemistry can transfer to Stevenson’s Chemistry or Biochemistry majors. Students who earn a Biology AS can transfer to our Biochemistry major. This agreement allows students to come directly into our majors without losing credits! Those students can easily finish they BS degrees from Stevenson in 2 years! The official signing ceremony took place at Carroll Community College with faculty and administrators from both institutions present.

Direct from our Study Abroad Trip:

“We are back from the Amazon rainforest! What an adventure….6 hours travel time one way from Coca, but so worth it. The number of plants, animals, birds and bugs are incomprehensible. We hiked, swam in the river, paddled around in a lagoon, and climbed the canopy tower for a birds eye view. We ate well, slept hard, and some of us got way outside our comfort zone. So worth it; what an incredible experience.”

The Herbal Medicines and Remedies Study Abroad group traveled to hospital de Los Valles, a private hospital, and to hospital de Yaruqui, a public hospital that serves a large surrounding area. Those hospitals are part of a level one health center, and more severe cases must be referred to hospital de Calderon, thirty minutes away. It’s important to learn about hospitals in Ecuador and how herbal medicines and remedies play a role in the treatment of patients.