Alumna and renowned chemist Helen Murray Free dies at 98
Lecture, endowment honor legacy of Helen Murray Free at Wooster
Overview
What can I do with a chemistry degree from The College of Wooster?
The access to lab facilities, early research opportunities with faculty members and small classes at The College of Wooster give chemistry majors lots of choices after graduation. Wooster is a national leader among private four-year undergraduate institutions when it comes to the number of graduates who go on to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry. About 50 percent of our graduates go on to Ph.D. programs. Another 20 percent of graduates attend medical or dental school. Other graduates are employed as teachers or work in labs for companies such as Merck, Eli Lilly & Co., Agilent and more.
Chemistry at The College of Wooster
In addition to core courses, all students at The College of Wooster complete independent research under the guidance of a faculty mentor. This focused research project (of the student’s design) gives chemistry majors several semesters to develop research and presentation skills, culminating in a presentation to a faculty panel. Chemistry majors build professional skills for careers in the sciences, while also building critical thinking skills and expanding their perspectives through the variety of courses available at a small, private liberal arts college.
Faculty
Paul L. Edmiston
Theron L. Peterson and Dorothy R. Peterson Professor of Chemistry; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Pre-Law Program
Sara E. S. Martin
Assistant Professor of Chemistry; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Timothy Siegenthaler
Instrument and Lab Tech/Machinist - Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Physics
Mark J. Snider
Robert E. Wilson Professor of Chemistry; Program Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Sarah J. Sobeck (Schmidtke)
Professor of Chemistry, Associate Dean for Experiential Learning
Latest News
Seeing Red: Investigation of the color’s use in early baroque art and stability based upon pigment preparation
Name: Lilly Woerner Majors: Chemistry and Art History Advisors: Dr. Sarah Sobeck and Dr. Tracy Cosgriff When the cochineal insect was first introduced to […]
Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAM) as a Model for Photooxidation of Plastic Waste Using ATR-FTIR and Kinetic Modelling
Name: Jenelle C. Booker Major: Chemistry Minor: Environmental Studies and German Advisors: Karl J. Feierabend and Paul L. Edmiston As of 2017, 8.3 billion […]
Multi-Step Synthesis of Small Molecules as Potential Inhibitors for MurG
Name: Anna Schroeder Major: Chemistry Minor: French and Francophone Studies Advisor: Dr. Sara Martin The threat of antibiotic resistance demands a response in the […]
Major
Chemistry majors follow a curriculum guided by the American Chemical Society Committee on Professional Training and is comprised of courses across the major sub-disciplines of chemistry.
The major requires completion of 16 major-specific courses with room for electives and foundational courses in the liberal arts. Three semesters’ worth of work on independent study are factored into the major course of study.
Minor
A minor in chemistry requires completion of six courses:
- General Chemistry II
- Organic Chemistry I
- Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry I or Physical Chemistry II (choose one of the three)
- Three Chemistry courses at the 200-level or above
Independent Study
The College of Wooster is nationally recognized for its program of Independent Study, and for more than 50 years the College has required that every graduate complete a significant Independent Study project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Chemistry majors begin identifying the project that will be the subject of their Independent Study thesis early in their junior year. Seniors set aside both semesters of their senior year to work on and deliver their projects.
Search the I.S. Database
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Related Articles
Seeing Red: Investigation of the color’s use in early baroque art and stability based upon pigment preparation
Name: Lilly Woerner Majors: Chemistry and Art History Advisors: Dr. Sarah Sobeck and Dr. Tracy Cosgriff When the cochineal insect was first introduced to […]
Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAM) as a Model for Photooxidation of Plastic Waste Using ATR-FTIR and Kinetic Modelling
Name: Jenelle C. Booker Major: Chemistry Minor: Environmental Studies and German Advisors: Karl J. Feierabend and Paul L. Edmiston As of 2017, 8.3 billion […]
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Alumni
Approximately 50 percent of Wooster chemistry graduates enter Ph.D. programs in areas including chemistry, environmental science, biochemistry and epidemiology. Another 18 percent have gone on to health professional schools. Graduates in chemistry have won Fulbright Awards and have gone on to earn advanced degrees at some of the nation’s most prestigious research universities.
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Alumna and renowned chemist Helen Murray Free dies at 98
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Lectures
The Helen Murray Free Endowed Lecture Series
The lecture series was established by Helen’s children and endowed through the Al and Helen Free Foundation. Each year, this endowed fund brings a renowned chemical scientist to campus to interact with chemistry students at a technical level and present an all-college convocation on the contributions of science to the quality of life.
2021:
Malika Jeffries-EL, Ph.D. associate dean, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, associate professor of chemistry and materials science and engineering, Boston University
- Scientific Talk: Design and synthesis of organic electronic materials
- Public lecture: Taking the Road Less Travelled: My Journey to the Ivory Tower
2020: Geraldine (Geri) Richmond, Presidential Chair of Science and professor of chemistry, University of Oregon
- Technical Lecture: Surf, Sink or Swim: Understanding Environmentally Important Processes at Water Surfaces
- Public Lecture: The Importance of Global Scientific Engagement
2018: Joseph S. Francisco, President’s Distinguished Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania
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- Technical Lecture –
From Atmospheric Complexes to Aerosols: New Insights into Atmospheric Chemistry
- Public Lecture – How We Can Rebuild Trust in Science— And Why We Must
Lab Facilities
The Department of Chemistry has a wide array of state-of-the-art instrumentation. All of the instruments are intended for use by students in teaching labs and Senior Independent Study.
Two recent acquisitions include a high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer and a 400-MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer. Both instruments were obtained via grants from the National Science Foundation.
Some of our instrumentation includes the following:
- High resolution Q-TOF mass spectrometer
- NMR spectrometer (400 MHz)
- LC-MS/MS QQQ mass spectrometer
- GC-mass spectrometer
- High pressure liquid chromatographs
- Isothermal titration calorimeter
- IR spectrophotometers, including ATR + microscope attachment
- UV-VIS spectrophotometers
- Time-resolved fluorescence spectrophotometer
- Atomic absorption spectrophotometer
- Schlenk lines, dry glove box, high vacuum systems
- Imaging microscopy (inverted microscopy)
- Automated flash chromatography system
- And more…