2013 SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROGRAM(APPLICATIONS ARE CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW)
Purpose : The intent of the undergraduate research participation program is to give UTC students an intense research experience while stimulating and enhancing chemical research at UTC. The research groups will consist of eight pairings of one UTC chemistry major with one faculty member. Projects originated by the faculty member of each of these research teams will be pursued. Research skills will be developed as progress toward experimental objectives is made.
Format : Students will receive a $3,200 stipend for ten weeks of full time participation during the Summer of 2013. Individual research teams will have some flexibility in scheduling this activity. Weekly group meetings of participants will be held throughout the summer. These will feature student presentations of activities and findings. Formal written reports will be submitted by students at the end of the summer. It is expected that the Spring and Fall of 2013 will allow time for preparation for and continuation of research.
Eligibility : All UTC chemistry majors are encouraged to apply but preference shall be given to students who are rising seniors and have completed at least 24 hours in chemistry. Grades, interest in chemistry and the judgment of the participating faculty, who will form the selection committee, shall be considered. Student research interests will also be used as a criterion for selection and for matching students to projects. Applications from women, minority, and physically handicapped students are strongly encouraged.
Proposed Projects: Each professor listed below has a proposed research project. Please click on the projects titles to read more about the research. Should you wish to find out more about particular projects please contact the respective authors, either in person, or by emailing them.
Dr. Titus Albu- "Computational and Experimental Research on Chemical Reactivity" (Email: Titus-Albu@utc.edu)
Dr. Jisook Kim - "Journey to Biochemical & Toxicological Research. Project 1: Biological role of PAH quinones and Project 2: Biological activities of metal complexes" (Email: Jisook-Kim@utc.edu)
Dr. Kyle Knight - "Project 1. Pi-Allyl compounds of Group IV metallocenes, inert or ert? 2. Structural characterization of naturally occurring compounds" (Email: Kyle-Knight@utc.edu)
Dr. John Lee - "Development of Transition Metal Complexes for Breaking Unreactive Chemical Bonds" (Email:John-Lee@utc.edu)
Dr. John Lynch - "Alcohol and its Systematic Oxidation" (Email: John-Lynch@utc.edu)
Dr. Gretchen Potts - (One research student will work on one or both of these projects) "Analysis of Nicotine in Ecigarette Filling Solutions and/or The Development of Nanoemulsion Gels for the Devivery of Essential Nutrients" (Email: Gretchen-Potts@utc.edu)
Dr. Rob Mebane - "Synthetic Method Development" (Email: Robert-Mebane@utc.edu)
Dr. Tom Rybolt - "(I) Modeling Interactions of Molecules in Nanoporous Material (II) Thermochromic Materials and Solar Reflectivity changes with Temperature" (Email: Tom-Rybolt@utc.edu)
Dr. Manuel Santiago - "Nitriles and Amino Acids: Methods of Regulating of Nitrogenous Base Metabolism" (Email: Manuel-Santiago@utc.edu)
Dr. Steven Symes - "Nanofiber based bone repair device for management of orthopaedic infections" (Email: Steven-Symes@utc.edu)
Dr. Stefanie Whitson- "The molecular basis behind differential function of odorant binding proteins" (Email: Stefanie-Whitson@utc.edu)
Application: APPLICATIONS ARE CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW. Students will be informed of their status by the end of the semester. Students selected for participation will be told with which project and faculty member they have been matched, and planning of research activities will be started by the individual teams.
Acknowledgment: This activity is made possible by the generous bequests of Dr. and Mrs. Irvine Grote. It is hoped that activities such as this will be a credit to the department they loved so well and an honor to their memory. We also acknowledge valuable support for Westbrook Research Scholarships provide by Mr. Howard Lee Westbrook (residing in Fairhope, AL) who was a 1958 graduate of the Chemistry Dept. Mr. Westbrook had a long and successful career with Shell Oil Company.
