Research
An especially important aspect of any undergraduate chemistry curriculum is research. In today’s world, students intending to pursue post-baccalaureate training in PhD graduate programs, medical school, pharmacy school, etc. are not competitive without a significant undergraduate research experience. Moreover, it is evident that research experiences at the undergraduate level (as well as in high school) are an essential aspect of encouraging talented students to pursue advanced degrees and careers in chemistry. Research experiences teach students critical thinking and educates them with regard to the “scientific process and method,” allowing them the opportunity to see for themselves how science is created and how it evolves.
There are several ways to get involved in research in the chemistry department at SSU:
- Attend seminars Fridays at noon. Check out the Chemistry Seminar schedule and room each semester.
- Join a research group. Check out faculty research projects listed below.
- Take the research class CHEM 315.
- Participate in summer research either at SSU or through the National Science Foundation.
Faculty Research Projects
My main area of research involves developing and utilizing ring contracting sulfur extrusion routes for the carbazole ring structure. An interesting use of these new desulfurization methods would be generating a general synthesis routes to natural products with the carbazole ring structure.
Another area of my research interests involves grafting polymer chains from the surface of organic crystals to form core/shell nanoparticles. These polymer encapsulated organic nanocrystals could provide new methods for drug delivery and film formation.
This project centers around the plant, Opuntia ficus-indica (aka prickly pear and nopales), which is native to Mexico and is present on the Mexican flag. This plant has long been a part of Mexican cuisine. It has been suggested that this plant can regulate blood glucose levels in diabetics and/or prevent diabetes.
Nopales have been shown to stabilized blood glucose levels in diabetics when consumed with a high carbohydrate breakfast (López-Romero, 2014). Nopales have also been used as a natural method to treat waste water (Nouj, 2021). We don’t quite understand either mechanism, but wonder if they are connected. Questions we have considered are:
- Can nopales inhibit the breakdown of carbohydrates to glucose?
- Can something in nopales (mucilage) bind glucose?
- Do nopales increase the uptake of glucose? (via glucose transporters)?
- Do nopales increase flux through the pathways in which glucose leaves the body?
- Do nopales regulate blood glucose levels by a mechanism similar to diabetes drugs?
My research group is focused on nanotechnology, Raman spectroscopies, and chemical education. We are dedicated to the development of new plasmonic substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopies and the application of these substrates to the study of chemistry at the nanoscale. We also spend our time developing novel chemistry educational experiences for students of all ages.
Our group studies the impact of anthropogenic pollution on our local atmosphere. Our projects include measurements of: trace pollutants in our atmosphere by Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometery, aerosol optical thickness ("haze"), and ozone. These measurements are used along with computer modeling programs, to understand the types of processes that cause atmospheric pollution and to design control strategies for our unique local region.
Recently we have also been using ion chromatography to quantify pollutants in river water, in order to understand and limit our University's impact on our local watershed.