WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. - The Lycoming College
Department of Chemistry is hosting five students this year for its summer research
program and four students will be involved in off-campus internship and
research opportunities.
For more than 25 years, the department
has offered the program, hosting several students each summer for complex
projects for up to 10 weeks. The department’s entire full-time faculty works
alongside the students, making the program a rewarding opportunity for all
participants.
Students participating in the program
include:
Rory
McAtee, a junior from Easton
McAtee, alongside Dr. Charles Mahler,
assistant professor of chemistry, is conducting an organometallic investigation
of thermochemical properties in molybdenum complexes. This research is
essential to chemistry with respect to homogenous catalysis and rational ligand
design for catalysts.
Chris
McAtee, a junior from Easton, and Joseph Mauck, a junior from Harrisburg
McAtee is working with Dr. Chriss
McDonald, professor of chemistry, to explore unsymmetrical ureas as potential
activators for samarium diiodide reductions. This is important because the
traditional cosolvent activator for samarium diiodide is carcinogenic. Safer
and better activators would make samarium diiodide a more attractive reagent
for use in the pharmaceutical industry. Mauck is exploring the use of
unconventional radical precursors for use in with samarium diiodide. Expanding
the range of precursors would allow for greater synthetic flexibility in the
construction of molecules with important biological activities.
Alicia
Kovach, a junior from Danville
Kovach, who is working with Dr. Jeremy
Ramsey, assistant professor of chemistry, is monitoring the growth of
electro-active organic films using cyclic voltammetry. Her research involves
determining the thickness of films deposited on carbon electrodes. The work is
intended to improve the design of chemical sensors as well as to provide
control for industrial applications of electrochemical reactions.
Katherine
Wellmon, a May graduate from Guys Mills
Wellmon is working with Dr. Holly Bendorf,
associate professor of chemistry, to conduct rhodium-catalyzed intramolecular
hydroacylation of allyl amines. Her research seeks to develop new, more
efficient methods for the synthesis of medium-ring heterocycles, which are
present in several classes of biologically active compounds that are of
interest as pharmaceuticals. This is Wellmon’s second full year of working in
Bendorf’s lab.
Student
involved in off-campus internships and research include:
Timothy Kocher,
a senior from Red Lion
Kocher
is working in the lab of Dr. Matthew Gentry at the University of Kentucky,
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, on the use of multiple models
to understand epilepsy and neurodegeneration in Lafora disease. Two goals of
his research are to develop a biochemical assay to monitor enzyme function in
Lafora disease patients and define glucan phosphatases in plant and algal
species.
Rory McAtee, a
junior from Easton
After
spending four weeks in Mahler’s lab, McAtee will begin his research in the lab
of Dr. Katherine Franz at the Duke University Department of Chemistry. Research
in the Franz lab involves the design and synthesis of molecules that change
their ability to bind to metal atoms in response to a specific trigger. The
goal of this work is to develop therapeutic tools for disease states that are
related to cellular oxidative stress, such as cancer and neurodegeneration. Franz
is the daughter of the late Dr. David Franz, a member of Lycoming’s chemistry department
from 1970-2004.
Sarah
Jenny, a senior from Sherburne, N.Y.
Jenny is working with Norwich Pharmaceuticals in the quality
control department. She will be validating laboratory notebooks in regard to
cGMP/GLP requirements and conducting laboratory work with standardizations,
titrations and sample preparation.
Samantha
Rockwell, a junior from McElhattan
Rockwell is working with Avery Dennison in research and development.
She will be engaged in the synthesis and characterization of polymers using a
variety of techniques.
Lycoming
College is a four-year, residential liberal arts and sciences school dedicated
to the undergraduate education of 1,400 students. Its rigorous academic
program, vibrant residential community and supportive faculty foster successful
student outcomes. Lycoming offers 36 academic majors and is recognized as a
Tier 1 institution by U.S. News & World Report. Founded in 1812 and located
near the banks of the Susquehanna River in Williamsport, Pa., Lycoming is one
of the 50 oldest colleges in the nation. For more information, visit
www.lycoming.edu.