Dr. Holly Bendorf joined the Department of Chemistry in 1995, returning to her native Pennsylvania after completing graduate work at UCLA and a one-year teaching position at Bowdoin College in Maine. Dr. Bendorf teaches Organic Chemistry, Spectroscopy and Molecular Structure, and Organometallic Chemistry. She also teaches a chemistry course for non-science majors, Chemistry in Context, and shares in the teaching responsibilities for both Chemistry Research Methods and General Chemistry.

In addition to teaching classes, Dr. Bendorf mentors undergraduate student researchers in her lab. Her research focuses on developing new reactions for the synthesis of medium-ring heterocycles and carbocycles. These structures are found in biologically active compounds that are potential pharmaceuticals. Student researchers in Dr. Bendorf's lab have had their work published in Tetrahedron Letters, an internationally recognized journal of organic chemistry, and have presented their work at conferences. Research in Dr. Bendorf's lab has been supported by grants from the Petroleum Research Fund, the Merck

In her free time, Dr. Bendorf likes to play tennis, bike and ski. She recently joined the Ski Patrol at Ski Sawmill, a local ski area.

Her personal website can be found at http://www.lycoming.edu/chemistrydept/bendorf.htm