Chemistry Research at Lycoming

Chemistry Research at Lycoming College

Summer Chemistry Researchers

Every summer faculty and students work together in lab doing chemistry research, here is the Summer 2007 group:
(front row, left to right): Charles Mahler, Chriss McDonald, Holly Bendorf, Jeremy Ramsey;
(back row, l to r) Brandon Zarzyczny, Oscar Wheeler, Kyle Totaro, James Grant (not pictured: John Stutzman).

Left: Oscar Wheeler monitoring a reaction in Dr. Bendorf's lab.
Right: Brandon Zarzyczny working on the Schlenk line in Mahler's lab.

Left: Kyle Totaro doing column chromatography in Dr. McDonald's lab.
Right: James Grant works with solvent as part of his research with Dr. McDonald.

Summer researchers meet weekly to present their results, discuss progress, and eat pizza.

Click here for information on Interdisciplinary Research Projects in Chemistry and Biology
supported by the Merck-AAAS Undergraduate Science Research Program.

Why Do Research?
Previous Student Research Projects
Internships, Independent Studies, Honors Projects, and Summer Research
Faculty Background Information and Research Interests

Internships, Chemistry Research Methods,
Honors, and Summer Research

Many research projects are available at Lycoming College in synthetic organic, organometallic, inorganic, physical, and analytical chemistry. All the Chemistry faculty have projects in which students can involve themselves - or you may have an idea which a faculty member could supervise. Projects may take one of four forms:

1. Internships. These are jointly sponsored by the College and a public or private agency and allow you to earn credit while doing research outside of the school.

2. Chemistry Research Methods. These are taken as a course, but instead of studying a text you can do research in the laboratory under the supervision of a faculty member. Normally a paper is produced and presented orally to the Department for a grade.

3. Honors. If you are an excellent chemistry student, your senior independent studies (see 2) may qualify for departmental honors. This requires you to produce a substantial research paper which is defended orally in front of a committee of three faculty members.

4. Summer Research. Funds are available at Lycoming to pay students to do full-time research over summer vacation. Credit may be earned for such work if you desire.

Student research plays a vital role in preparing for your career. We believe that the undergraduate research program is one of the strengths of the Chemistry Department at Lycoming College.

Faculty Background Information and Research Interests

Dr. Holly D. Bendorf, Department Chair, Organic/Organometallic Chemistry
B.S., The Pennsylvania State University
Ph.D., University of California - Los Angeles

Courses: General, Organic, and Organometallic Chemistry
Research: Organic and Organometallic. Research projects focus on the development of new organometallic reactions and the application of this chemistry to the synthesis of biologically active organic compounds. Current research focuses on chelation-assisted intramolecular hydroacylation and the synthesis of medium ring heterocycles.

Further information about Dr. Bendorf's Research

Dr. Charles H. Mahler, Physical/Inorganic Chemistry
B.A., The Ohio State University
M.S., Ph.D., Northwestern University
Postdoctoral Fellow, Universität Karlsruhe (TH)

Courses: General, Physical, and Inorganic Chemistry
Research: Inorganic Synthesis, Crystallography, Computational Chemistry. Synthetic research involves making soluble mixed-metal selenides and the determination of their structures by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Computational studies have looked at molecular conformational energies and modeling organic molecules for the Chemistry Department's 3-D Molecules page.

Further Information about Soluble Molybdenum Selenide Chemistry

Further Information about Computational Chemistry Investigations

Dr. Chriss E. McDonald, Organic Chemistry
B.S., Manchester College
Ph.D., Miami University of Ohio

Courses: General and Organic Chemistry, Spectroscopy
Research: Synthesis of Organic Molecules. Research concentrates on developing new synthetic methodologies for oxygenated functionalities. Ongoing projects include: the use of carbohydrates as starting materials for the synthesis of biologically interesting natural products; oxidation of carbamates by N-halosuccinimides; radical cyclization of masked carbonyl derivatives.

Dr. Jeremy D. Ramsey, Analytical Chemistry
B.S., Clarion University of Pennsylvania
Ph.D., The Ohio State University
Postdoctoral Fellow, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Courses: General and Analytical Chemistry
Research: Miniaturized sensors for the detection of biologically important molecules; Customization of electrode surfaces; New electrode materials for electrochemical analysis; Fast electrophoretic separations; Lab-on-a-chip devices for chemical analysis

Email: ramsey@lycoming.edu

List of Chemistry Research Projects

HP: Honors Project; CR:Chemistry Research Methods; IN: Internship;
RA: Research Assistant; IS: Independent Study Project (no longer used, now CR).

Projects are listed in the following order: Student, Type of Project, Project Title, Faculty Advisor.

Student

Type of
Project

Date / Project Title

Faculty
Advisor

Fall, 2008

Alex Hunter

Organometallic Ruthenium Complexes: Synthesis and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Studies

Mahler

John Stutzman

Outgassing of Common Electronic Devices

Ramsey

Kyle Totaro

A New Ligand for Samarium Diiodide

McDonald

Summer, 2008

Trisha Lindenmuth

Electrodes Modified with Polyoxometalates Using Layer-by-layer Assembly: Applications in Catalysis and Chemical Sensing, REU at Auburn University

John Stutzman

Towards Enabling Hydride as a Leaving Group: Carbon Kinetic Isotope Effect on the Hydride Abstraction of 1-Phenylethanol, REU at University of Southern California

Oscar Wheeler

Synthesis of an Anion Specific Sensor (REU at the University of Southern Mississippi)