Undergraduate
Research
Department of Chemistry
Oregon State University
Directory of OSU Chemistry Faculty Research
Experiential programs for undergraduates (local and national)
Sara
Breitenbach decided to take the opportunity to be an undergraduate
research assistant this summer because she wanted to get a more "hands-on" feel
for applications in chemistry and to explore different areas of chemistry to get an idea
of what she would like to do when she graduates. She is working in Dr.
John Westall’s lab studing the role of Fe(II) in remediation of halogenated
hydrocarbons. Sara is a sophomore majoring in chemisty through the Honors College at OSU.
Reg Carey is
one of two Undergraduate Research, Innovation, Scholarship, and Creativity (URISC)
awardees in the Chemistry Department sponsored by the Research Office. He is undertaking
research with Dr. David Horne in the area of total organic synthesis.
His project involves the synthesis of natural and non-natural analogs of
debromo-hymenialdisine (DBH), a sponge metabolite that is currently under development as a
promising new pharmaceutical agent for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Reg will be a
senior in the pre-pharmacy program at OSU.
Amy Chan
is working in Dr. Arthur Sleight's lab this summer on a project
developing new materials in the Ta-V-P-O system. Amy is a sophomore in
Chemistry through the Honors College at OSU. She has expressed her undergraduate
research aims with the following poem:| "The experience of undergraduate research |
| For me has thus far been great. |
| It's been the chance to explore different fields of interest, |
| And this summer my chance is with Dr. Sleight" the poem continues! |
Rebekah Hoerauf
earned a URISC summer scholarship that has allowed her to continue research
begun during spring term with Kevin Cantrell in Dr.
Jim Ingle’s lab. Becky is working on a project to design, build and test a
portable automated device for studying low levels of perchlorate and chromium (VI) using
exchange resins coupled to spectrophotometeric detection. Becky has learned many
skills including chemical handling techniques, computer interfacing, spreadsheets and data
manipulation, experimental design, statistics, spectroscopy, and flow injection
analysis. Becky is a senior studying Chemistry at OSU.
Kay Johnson is working in Dr. Kevin Gable’s laboratory on a project which
involves looking at inhibitors of an enzyme called 2,5-Dihydroxy-acetanilide Epoxidase
(DHAE). The natural substrate (I) has free rotation around the amide C-N bond. However,
5,8-dihydroxyquinolinone (II) has no free rotation around its amide C-N bond. Testing
whether the quinolinone is a good inhibitor for the enzyme will allow us to determine the
factors responsible for binding of the natural substrate to the enzyme. This summer, Kay
is preparing compound II according to a literature procedure. Kay is a senior
studying Chemistry at OSU with an additional emphasis in Foreign Language.
Luke Lavis has received one of 18 national Synthetic Organic Chemistry Undergraduate
Fellowships from Pfizer, Inc., to work with Dr.
James White this summer. With significant support from Dr. White and other members of
the White research group, Luke developed a synthetic scheme towards the total synthesis of
castavinol, a new polyphenolic compound, discovered in 1996 by French scientists.
Red wines contain polyphenols compounds formed during the fermentation process. In additon
to contributing to color changes, these compounds also possess interesting biological
activity. Recent medical studies show red wine polyphenolics inhibit the oxidation of low
density lipoproteins (LDLs) in the bloodstream which can lead to heart disease and other
medical problems. Luke’s fellowship includes both a stipend and supply funds, and
provides for travel to present a poster session at Pfizer Headquarters in Groton,
Connecticut in September. Luke is a senior studying Chemistry at OSU.
Catherine
Norris has designed her summer project with Dr.
Wei Kong. She designed a device to measure the dipole moment of various nucleic acid
bases and amino acids in solution. The dipole moment of a solution is determined from two
measurements: the refractive index and the dielectric constant. According to
Catherine, the first measurement has been fairly simple, however, measuring the dielectric
constant has proved to be much more difficult and has taken the majority of her efforts so
far. Dr. Kong comments, "this project is a prelude to our next endeavor -
characterization of electronic properties of biomolecules in the gas phase. The value of
the permanent dipole determines the degree of orientation for a molecule in a uniform
electric field. Catherine’s measurement will enable us to model the experimental
observation in the gas phase using a quantum mechanical approach." Catherine is a
senior studying Chemical Engineering at OSU.- List of some experiential programs for undergraduates (local and national)
- Link to directory of OSU Chemistry Research
- More Information on URISC at Oregon State University