Ignite your curiosity, share your expertise
Many faculty in the Department of Physical and Biological Sciences have active research programs including projects that provide undergraduate students the opportunity to enhance their laboratory skills and gain valuable research experience. These faculty-mentored projects encompass a broad range of chemistry and biology sub-disciplines and forensic science. Many of these research projects have led to publications and/or presentations by students and faculty at local and national conferences.
Sample list of recent projects:
Mr. John Drawec conducted research with two Forensic Science students on the osmolality of commercially available drinks (in conjunction within Monroe County, NY Crime Laboratory) and on the osmolality study to reduce incidence of drug facilitated sexual assaults. The students presented their findings at the Annual Meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists in October 2015.
Dr. Dawn Holmes conducted research with a senior Biology honors student. His work was presented in a poster session at Annual Eastern New England Biology Conference in April and was reported in his honors thesis. She also published two papers with University undergraduate students in high-impact journals.
Dr. Anna Klimes, together with a senior Biology and a senior Health Sciences student, is studying genes that may be involved in the production of resistant resting structures in a fungus that causes plant disease. Because the resting structures making it difficult to eradicate the fungus from growers’ fields, they are interested in understanding how the structures are produced at the molecular level so that, ultimately, effective and sustainable control methods can be designed.
Dr. Keri Lee has worked with several Chemistry students on the development of organic polymers as scaffolding materials for tissue engineering. Continuing progress made on this research project was presented at both the 2013 and 2015 American Chemical Society National Conferences; and, resulted in a 2015 publication in the Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research.
Dr. Sean McClintock conducted a research project with a junior Chemistry student to develop small molecule fluorescent sensors for the detection of organophosphorus (OP) pesticides. A second research project focused on the development of an undergraduate organic laboratory experiment that is based on the 2010 Nobel Prize chemistry involving palladium metal catalyzed coupling reactions. Both of these research projects were presented this spring at the 2016 American Chemical Society National Conference.