Chemistry

Chemistry is an experimental science. A thorough understanding of its concepts and techniques comes only through their application in the laboratory.
   At Hollins, the laboratory is a natural extension of the classroom, where theory is reinforced by observation and analysis. Directed by the same professors who teach you in the classroom, laboratories are more than drill; they are the places where students begin to think like scientists.
   Like classes, the laboratories have a low student/teacher ratio. For upper-level labs, the ratio is typically 3 or 4 to 1; in other classes, the ratio is approximately 15 to 1.
   To facilitate learning, laboratories are located adjacent to faculty offices and seminar rooms, just down the hall from classrooms. Laboratories are equipped with some of the latest equipment, including gas and high-performance liquid chromatographs, infrared spectrophotometers, an atomic absorption spectrometer, and a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. Organic chemistry labs use microscale techniques, which use smaller reaction vessels in order to minimize the quantity of reagents used, reducing reaction times and waste.
   Students receive expert theoretical and practical instruction in all fundamental areas of modern chemistry, including analytical chemistry, biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry.

PHOTO: Kim Kongkasuwan '93 (currently a practicing Ob/Gyn in Alexandria, Virginia) and Associate Professor of Chemistry Dan Derringer.

Choose From Three Program Options

Come To Hollins To Do Meaningful Research

Chemistry majors do research that is presented at professional meetings of scientific societies. Take Janet Cho for example. Janet presented her research on kinetics, under the direction of Professor Bansi Kalra, at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco. At the Fourth International Conference on Chemical Kinetics in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Janet was the only undergraduate to present research and the only undergraduate to attend the conference. Janet is a co-author of the paper describing this work in the Journal of Physical Chemistry.
   Working with Associate Professor Dan Derringer, an inorganic chemist, Kimberley Kongkasuwan, Anjana Mitra, and Ying-Qing Yu investigated reactions of the complexes of Re₂X₄(dppm)₂ wi th pyridine carboxylic acids. The work was presented at a Virginia Academy of Science annual meeting.
   Guided by Professor Sandy Boatman, who studies virus structures, Mary Englund investigated "Folding Patterns of Virus Capsid Proteins," and Tisha Shively looked at "Relationships Between Strains of Soybean and Brome Mosaic Virus." The results of their projects were presented at annual meetings of the Virginia Academy of Science and the Southeastern Regional Section of the American Chemical Society, respectively.
   Caroline Buchanan studied diabetes in hamsters, and Diane Williams analyzed antique furniture finishes and presented her findings at the Undergraduate Research Symposium at Virginia Tech.
   Every chemistry major presents her findings at the Hollins University Science Seminar, held each spring.

Get Real-World Experience With Hands-on Internships

Internship possibilities exist at Southwest Virginia regional businesses, including ITT and Environmental Testing Services. During the summers, a number of students participate in paid research sponsored by the National Science Foundation, conducted in recent years at UCLA, the University of Chicago, James Madison University, Colgate University, and Connecticut College.
   Under a grant provided by Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, a number of students have participated in paid research as summer interns with Professor Derringer.

Faculty

Sandra Boatman, professor of chemistry; B.A., Rice University; Ph.D., Duke University

Bansi Kalra, (Homepage) professor of chemistry; B.Sc., M.Sc., Panjab University; Ph.D., University of Saskatchewan

Daniel Derringer, (Homepage) associate professor of chemistry; B.A., Kalamazoo College; Ph.D., Purdue University

Hollins Alumnae: Where are they now?

Hollins' record of placing students in graduate schools is outstanding. Of those students recommended by the department for graduate school, a majority have been accepted at such schools as Virginia Tech, University of Southern California, Georgia Tech, Purdue University, and James Madison University.
   The same is true for medical school acceptance. Recent graduates were accepted into medical school at University of North Carolina, Northwestern University, University of Colorado, West Virginia University, Indiana University, and the University of Arkansas. Other recent graduates are working as laboratory assistants and analytical chemists.
   By the way, here's what several of the women cited in the section on student research are doing now:

• Kimberly Kongkasuwan is a practicing Ob/Gyn in Alexandria, Virginia.
• Anjana Mitra received a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Southern California, where her graduate research was directed by a Nobel laureate.
• Ying-Qing Yu will soon complete the requirements for a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry at Purdue University.
• Diane Williams, who earned a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry at Virginia Tech, is a research chemist in the Counterterrorism and Forensic Science Research Unit for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
• Janet Cho is working as an analytical chemist at Shire Pharmaceuticals in Maryland.
• Rediet Habtemarkos is finishing her second year of medical school at Northwestern University.
• Shana Dodson is in medical school at the University of Colorado.
• Melanie Wolfe is an analytical chemist at Pfizer, Inc.

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