Despite its small size the chemistry program at Pepperdine has churned out an impressive number of accomplished researchers as evidenced by Pepperdine’s substantial participation in the upcoming American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting.
Six chemistry students and their professors will attend the ACS National Meeting at Moscone Center in San Francisco this Sunday March 21 through Tuesday March 23. Presenters include Andrew Clark Alexandra Evans Stephanie Davis Michelle Miguelino and Courtney Roberts. Nathan Fisher will also be attending but will not be presenting his research.
“It is really unusual that we would take six to a national meeting Dr. Joseph Fritsch, assistant professor of chemistry, said.
According to Dr. Jane Ganske, professor of chemistry, students submit their research to the ACS, which decides whether or not to invite them to present at the meeting. ACS bases invitations on the interests and aptitude of the researcher, Ganske said.
Students aim to gather new knowledge and invest ample time in their research. Up to two years of work in the lab go into these research experiments Fritsch said.
While professors initially hold their students’ hands through the research process, students eventually develop the ability to research independently.
As the student matures as a chemist they design their own experiments Ganske said.
Senior Andrew Clark will present his research on paper degradation particularly the degradation of books between 1850 and 1950 which undergo increased rates of breakdown relative to books published outside this time period Clark wrote in an e-mail.
Clark has spent two years researching the subject.
Senior Nathan Fisher will also attend the meeting, but will not present his research since he presented at a conference last semester.
I am going to experience a national chemistry conference since I was unable to attend one last semester before my research finished and I am going to support my research professor Dr. Fritsch who is giving one of the main lectures at the conference covering my research Fisher wrote in an e-mail.
What are the benefits of presenting at a national meeting? According to Fritsch, M.D.-Ph.D. programs recognize the importance of doing research as a student. [Presenting at the ACS meeting] is a major career accomplishment for these students.”
Intensive research and its subsequent presentation endows students with the skills necessary to succeed in graduate school he said.
This experience will benefit Clark who will attend medical school next year. Clark says USC has already granted him admission and he’s waiting to hear from a few other schools. Fisher has applied to graduate school in Arizona for inorganic chemistry.
The national meeting will give students a chance to interact with other students as well as experts in the field.
“The entire scientific hierarchy will be there Fritsch said. All the way from first-semester freshmen to chemists with 30-40 years of experience and a Nobel Prize.”
Fritsch and Ganske emphasized that the meeting blurs the lines between students and professors. It’s not so much a meeting for professors to teach students but an opportunity for chemists of varying calibers to exchange ideas.
“It’s not about how old you are Fritsch said. It’s about ‘what can you do and what have you done.'”
“This meeting provides students an opportunity to engage with people from large universities and to see how what they’re doing fits into the field of chemistry Ganske said.
Clark plans to take advantage of this significant opportunity.
Presenting at the national conference gives me the opportunity to share the information that I’ve found through my investigation with the scientific community he wrote. Also it’s a great time to learn about the current state of research on a wide variety of topics.”
According to Ganske18000 chemists attended the meeting last time it was held in San Francisco. “The conference is so big it can only be housed in certain places Fritsch said.
Past locations include St. Louis, Anaheim, Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Ganske noted that the trip would not be possible without funding from the Natural Science Division, Interclub Council and a travel grant from ACS.
The chemistry major continues to grow Ganske said. Such a strong showing at a national meeting demonstrates the strength of the Pepperdine chemistry program in comparison with programs at larger universities, despite incongruent research facilities.