Chemistry & Biochemistry

Benefits to conducting faculty-mentored undergraduate research include:

• Participating directly in the creation of new knowledge and scientific discovery.

• Developing important problem-solving, communication, collaboration, and independent thinking skills.

• Using the opportunity to reflect on your true academic and career interests.

• Showing graduate and professional schools that you can take on a challenging project and explore an area in depth.

• Earning a great recommendation letter to a graduate or professional program from a faculty mentor.

• Talk to faculty members early in your career at Fairfield about their different research projects.

• Attend CHEM 4971 student research talks.

• Attend the annual Sigma Xi Poster Session.

• Talk to students who have been involved in research.

Work for academic credit by taking CHEM 4971: Research and Seminar

• Students sign up for this course after discussing a research opportunity and coming up with a specific project to work on with a specific professor.

• Option to take one, two, or three credits (One credit is equal to three hours of lab work per week, two credits is six hours of lab work per week, and three credits is nine hours of lab work per week).

• Students in their senior year will typically take three credits of CHEM 4971 to fulfill the requirements for the American Chemical Society certified BS degree

• Younger students will usually take less credits and then potentially work up to taking more credits in future years.

• When taking the full three credits of Research and Seminar, the student does the required research and also presents two oral seminars to the department during the semester.

• Signing up for work-study credit involves the same process as signing up for CHEM 4971 in which a student would discuss a specific research opportunity and come up with a specific research project with a specific professor.

• Hours worked would be dependent on work-study hours available for a particular student.

• Some opportunities exist for students to work full-time (35-40 hours per week) for a professor doing research for 8-10 weeks during the summer.

• Typically, the student works for pay (based on availability of internal and external funds), although some volunteer opportunities or opportunities for academic credit also exist.

• During typical summers, there are at least three chemistry/biochemistry professors working with one to two students each, and the researchers have met weekly for group meetings sponsored by the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society Chapter at Fairfield to discuss research. These meetings are open to all science, math, and engineering students and faculty involved in summer research, making them great opportunities for interdisciplinary learning.

Fairfield University Chemistry & Biochemistry Department

Major Equipment and Resources

Spectroscopy:

• 400 MHz JEOL ECZS NMR Spectrometer with a ROYAL HFX probe and pulsed field gradient and variable temperature capabilities.

• Cary 60 and 100 UV-Visible Spectrometers (with multicell holder and variable temperature peltier controller)

• Bruker Alpha FT-IR spectrometers (with ATR accessories)

• Bruker Tensor 27 FT-IR spectrometer

• PTI Xenon Flash Fluorescence fluorometer

• Rudolph Research Autopol 1 Polarimeter

• Perkin Elmer Atomic Absorption Spectrometer

• Biotek H1 Monochromator-based plate reader

Mass Spectrometry:

• Shimadzu Axima Confidence MALDI-TOF with SARAMIS iD Plus (positive and negative ionization with both linear and reflective modes)

• Shimadzu GC/MS (with autosampler, EI/CI ionization modes, and direct MS injection capability)

Synthesis:

• CEM Microwave Synthesizer

• MBraun Inert Atmosphere Glove Box

• MBraun Solvent Purification System (used to purify acetonitrile, dichloromethane, diethyl ether, dimethylformamide, and tetrahydrofuran)

Chromatography:

• Agilent and Gow-Mac Gas Chromatographs

• Shimadzu HPLC with UV-detector. This instrument contains an autosampler and a fraction collector.

• Varian HPLC with UV-detector

• Buchi C800 Automated Flash Chromatography System

Computational Chemistry:

• Gaussian09 Rev E.01 (Gaussian, Inc) installed locally on two 12-processor UNIX systems. Access for students and faculty is via Gaussview browser based WebMO, or by direct login.

Electrochemistry:

• Pine WaveNow and Cypress Systems potentiostats

Library:

The DiMenna-Nyselius Library is adjacent to the Bannow Science Center. The library has online subscriptions to major chemistry journals (ACS and RSC) with holdings substantively beyond ACS guidelines. The University also has access to SciFinder Scholar. Interlibrary loan provides resources not available on campus.
Cell Culture Work:

• New Brunswick E24R Refrigerated Incubating Shaker

• CO2 regulated cell culture incubator

• Laminar Flow Hood

• Confocal Microscope

• Syngene Imaging Station (fluorescent and chemiluminescent capabilities)

• Fisher Scientific 45 cu ft. chromatography refrigerator

Other Resources:

Faculty members collaborate with undergraduates in dedicated 320 ft2 (minimum) research laboratories equipped with four, six or eight-foot fume hoods. Vacuum pumps, rotary evaporators, nitrogen gas, chiller baths, Schlenk lines, and glassware are available in the department for faculty research needs. We have a full-time laboratory manager and a full-time program assistant who place and track orders for research among other duties. A machine shop is located in Bannow Science Center and is available to support research needs.

A quadrupole LC-MS and a high-resolution mass spectrometer are available at Yale University West Campus (25-30 minutes away by car) and in the Chemistry Department at Yale University (45-50 minutes away by car) and have been used by Fairfield faculty. The possibility exists to arrange the use of other instruments at Yale University as well.

As students proceed through their academic journey, the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Office of Career and Professional Development offers advising, counseling, programming, and experiential opportunities to help students discover their strengths, explore career paths, and build essential skills needed to succeed in their professional career.

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Fairfield supports the scholarly success and intellectual growth of our students by providing various resources on campus including the Science Center, Writing Center, DiMenna-Nyselius Library, and more.

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