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The Molecular Education and Research Consortium in Undergraduate computational chemistRY (MERCURY) recently announced the receipt of $225,000 through the National Science Foundation’s Major Research Instrumentation (NSF-MRI) program.

As a part of the new Alex Talks during family weekend, Assistant Professor of Chemistry Farah Dawood presented “Nanotechnology: Small Building Blocks that lead to Big Ideas.” Dawood began by giving the audience an idea about just how small a nanoparticle is in comparison to daily objects. A nanoparticle is 1 billionth the size of a meter, and can be seen using advanced microscopy.

Associate Professor of Chemistry Adam Van Wynsberghe presented his research group’s work as part of the Syracuse University chemistry department’s seminar series on October 4.

Early on at Hamilton, Aida Shadrav ’17 had a chance to spend a summer doing research with Associate Professor of Chemistry Myriam Cotton, an experience that proved to be a catalyst.

At the time, it was a scary proposition. David Dacres ’18 had barely finished his first year at Hamilton when he signed on to spend a summer working with a chemistry research group and a professor he didn’t even know.

Science students returned this fall to find a significant addition to the analytical capabilities of the Chemistry Department: a PerkinElmer AAnalyst 600 Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. The instrument, donated by ICON, plc, enables users to detect and quantify trace elements in water, soil and sediments, and other matrices.

Four students presented their computational chemistry research during the 15th Annual Molecular Educational Research Consortium in Undergraduate computational chemistRY (MERCURY) conference.

Margaret Gentry, interim vice president, academic affairs and dean of faculty, announced the appointment of new faculty for the 2016-17 academic year, including nine tenure-track appointments, 17 visiting professors and instructors, five lecturers and two teaching fellows.

In recent years, Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) has become valuable because it allows for the cost effective, rapid detection of small molecules without destroying or altering them. Particularly, in biology and chemistry fields, it allows one to identify biological samples like DNA and proteins, detect trace levels of explosives, and can be used in medical diagnostics.

The Hamilton College Chapter of Sigma Xi, the scientific research society, initiated 13 members of the Class of 2016 to associate membership before the annual dinner in the Taylor Science Center Atrium on May 20. Family members in attendance enjoyed a program of observations by mentors about the students, their research and student plans to continue in research.