Chemistry Research

Giving students opportunities to do real research, guided by faculty, is a priority in the Division of the Natural Sciences at Carthage. The chemistry faculty continue this emphasis in and out of the classroom.

Students conduct significant research through programs like the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, as well as during J-Term and independent study. Carthage faculty involve students in research projects year-round.

Summer Undergraduate Research Experience

The Summer Undergraduate Research Experience, or SURE, offers students the opportunity to conduct research in a one-on-one setting with a faculty mentor. Students receive a stipend, room and board, and a research budget. Participants meet weekly for lunch and presentations of research progress. A poster session is held during the final week of the program, and all SURE students are required to write a summative project report. In past years, SURE participants have:

• Designed and built biofilm detectors
• Developed adaptive optics demonstrations for museum installations
• Studied the long-term effects of fluoxetine exposure on the third-trimester rats
• Developed low-cost seismic monitoring stations
• Studied molecular micelles
• Designed and built fiber-optic neural probes

Examples of Research Topics

Click on the links below to learn more about student research topics.

• Molecular Dynamics Investigation of Drug Therapies for Familial Amyloidal Cardiomyopathy
• NMR Investigation of the Effect of pH on Micelle Formation by an Amino Acid-based Surfactant
• Quantitation of metal ions in surface waters in Southeastern Wisconsin
• Micelle-Catalyzed Metathesis Reactions In-Flow
• Environmental Sensors from Mixed Gold and Silica Nanoparticle Crystalline Arrays