STUDENT NSF SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE!

The Stetson Chemistry-Biochemistry Program will award a total of eight ($9,750/year) scholarships to students entering in Fall 2008 and 2009. These scholarships are part of a $597,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant that was awarded to Stetson in Fall 2007. Student application procedures, eligibility requirements, and further information about this scholarship opportunity can be found at the following link:

Chemistry is the study of the atomic and molecular structure of matter, and is therefore a widely diverse subject with close links to almost all other areas of science and technology. It offers excellent undergraduate preparation for advanced study in areas ranging from the physical and biological sciences to the health professions, and from business to law; an undergraduate degree in chemistry also affords direct entrance into government and industrial work.

While offering a comprehensive instructional program supported by modern laboratory equipment, the Chemistry Department at Stetson places special emphasis on undergraduate research, small class size, close faculty attention as well as professor led labs to meet the individual needs and interests of our students.

In addition to the traditional B.S. degree in chemistry, the department offers the approved ACS-certified degree, designated a professional degree by the American Chemical Society's Committee on Professional Training and available only from those departments whose programs are approved by the Society.

The Department also offers a B.S. degree in Biochemistry, a relatively new program that has become extremely popular with our pre-medical students and those interested in careers in the biotechnology industry. The ideal pre-med major; curriculum includes all medical school requirements.

The department currently enrolls about fifty majors, approximately twenty in chemistry and thirty in biochemistry. The five full-time faculty, including a biochemist, cover all the major areas of chemistry and pursue active research programs in which they collaborate with our students. Distinctive features of the Department which we feel are of special importance to the success of our students are:

Small classes typically 25 or less in freshman and sophomore level classes; 5-10 in junior and senior level classes. Senior exit interviews consistently show that small classes and personal attention from the faculty are what our students like best about the Department.

Program is ACS-approved, meaning it belongs in the top quarter of chemistry programs in the nation.

State-of-the-art instrumentation including 300 MHz NMR (Brucker); FT-IR (Nicolet); GC/MS (Hewlett-Packard); UV-VIS (Shimadzu); GC (Shimadzu); HPLC (Varian); Electrochemistry System (PAR); Electrophoresis (Bio-Rad); He-Ne Laser (Uniphase).

Undergraduate Research is available during summers and academic year. Our students are regularly co-authors of research publications and frequently travel with their professors to regional and national meetings to present their results. Recent research topics have included: applications of lasers to chemistry of polymerization, with emphasis on dental polymers and coating resins; dynamics of hydrogen bonding; chemistry of glasses; synthesis of ionophores; mechanisms of inorganic reactions; chemical analysis of spices; characterization of protein-mediated exchange of small molecules across the plasma membrane of active muscle, liver, and red blood cells; biochemistry of snake venoms.

Industrial and government internships: Graduates of the chemistry program at Stetson enter a variety of professional and post-graduate programs.

The Department has an active American Chemical Society Student Affiliate Chapter, which regularly performs chemical magic shows for local school children.

Department Awards:

The Chemistry Department presents awards each year to the outstanding students in General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Analytical Chemistry; and also recognizes one outstanding graduating senior from the Chemistry and Biochemistry majors.

We welcome further inquiries on the details of the Chemistry and Biochemistry programs at Stetson.