While performing an REU at Millersville University, you will have the option of working in an analytical lab, a physical chemistry lab, an organic synthesis lab or a materials polymer chemistry lab.
Each faculty mentor will work closely with you to ensure that you are carefully trained in the lab techniques and skills you need in order to succeed.
Dr. Albert works in the field of physical chemistry. Aerosol particles in the atmosphere participate in the chemical processing of gas-phase species by serving as platforms where chemical reactions take place. These reactions can take place on the surface of particles and in the interior of liquid droplets. In both of these instances the molecules on the surface of aerosols play an important role in determining how the aerosol will interact with gas-phase species. In the proposed project students will use a Knudsen cell reactor equipped with a quadrupole mass spectrometer to determine how the chemical composition on the surface of particles changes their reactivity towards gas-phase molecules. The surface composition of particles will be altered by coating soot particles with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of varying functional groups and dissolving various surfactants in liquids. Many factors (e.g. functional group, chain length, colliding gas identity) contribute to changes in reactivity of gas-phase species with aerosols. Understanding how reactivity varies with differing surface properties and gas-phase collision partners is fundamental to modeling combustion, environmental, and industrial reactions that take place on aerosols. The rich variety of systems and the relative ease of systematically varying properties of surface molecules with the use of a Knudsen cell reactor will allow students to build towards becoming collaborative researchers that guide the direction of study. Students will gain valuable experience in working with every aspect of the experiments: building and modifying their own instruments, designing the systems to study, performing experiments, analyzing data, and publishing results. The proposed project aims to better understand the role of surface-active species on particles and teach students the problem solving and communication skills necessary to become collaborative scientists.
Dr. Kathryn Allen works in the field of polymer chemistry. The Allen research group is focused on renewable polymer resources. We are a synthetic organic polymer lab that seeks to modify materials at the molecular scale to impact macromolecular properties. In this lab, you will work on a plastics project.
Polylactones are biodegradable plastics that are potential replacements for commercial petroleum-based plastics. Replacing petroleum-based plastics is important, as petroleum is a limited resource and these plastics are non-biodegradable, leading to pollution and storage issues. However, polylactones are too weak and pliable to be suitable replacements as they currently exist. The premise of this research project is to develop a biodegradable plastic that is durable, mouldable and capable of withstanding a wide range of temperatures. This project involves the improvement of a simple polylactone plastic by modification of the monomer with hydrogen bond donors and acceptors that will, once the monomer is polymerized, improve the stability and strength of the polymer.
The Kennedy research group has interest in the areas of organic synthesis,
organometallic catalysis, reaction methods development, and chemical education. The central themes of our research include: the design and synthesis of biologically active natural products and analogues; utilization of screening techniques to expedite reaction optimization and new reaction discovery; development of synthetic routes and synthetic methods that are environmentally conscientious. Our chemical education interests are in the areas of constructivist active learning, cooperative learning, inverted classroom strategies, and developing undergraduate teaching laboratories that incorporating natural product isolation and synthetic methods.
Students working with Dr. Kennedy have the option of selecting one of two undergraduate research projects. Each are designed so that students gain experience developing a detailed research plan; carry out the plan, and complete obtainable goals. Dr. Kennedy meets with his students daily to discuss their project and is always available to answer questions, deliver guidance, and to provide feedback, when students are working in the laboratory. Students develop professionally while working on projects that have intellectual merit. The research projects in this lab have intellectual merit in the areas of organic synthesis, environmentally contentious chemical reaction development, antibacterial discovery, renewable natural products as synthetic starting materials, and incorporating research practices into chemical education.
Dr. Rickard’s recent research projects for undergraduate students have been the use of analytical methods for solving student generated problems. As an example: Students may analyze water samples taken from upstream and downstream of a closed landfill. Results from both rotating disk voltammetry and atomic absorption spectroscopy are obtained and compared. Other recent projects include the preparation of nanoparticles for obtaining Surface Enhanced Raman Spectra and the use of Capillary Electrophoresis for the separation and identification of protein mixtures. Dr. Rickard has also included undergraduates in a long term project involving the production and chemical modification of nanowire arrays to be used in the creation of a biosensor.
An overall goal in the Laboratory of Dr. Bonser is to investigate the bond-breaking selectivity of the three-membered diaziridine ring. One of the ways we plan to accomplish this is to utilize the Quantitative Structure/Activity Relationship (QSAR) method. This is a powerful “tool” that is used extensively in industrial R&D laboratories across the country; especially, in pharmaceutical companies. The QSAR method is a process by which a response (in this case, bond breaking) is monitored by systematically changing a particular variable (in this case, substituent electronic effects). To this end, we plan to exploit the use of carbene insertion chemistry with 4-pheny-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione (PTAD). The carbene precursors, specific a-diazoesters, must first be synthesized from methyl (4-substituted)phenylacetates via a several step process. In situ generation of the appropriate carbenes and subsequent reaction with PTAD should provide the various 1,2-diacyl-diaziridines needed for this study. The chemistry of these systems will then be investigated in order to determine the effects of substituent electronics on the reactivity of the diaziridine ring system. Several new pharmaceutical drug candidates may also be realized from this project.