Student Research
All chemistry/biochemistry faculty at IWU are professionally active and are engaged in research with Illinois Wesleyan students. Our faculty will work closely with you, in and outside of class, in lab, and in collaborative research. You do not need to be a chemistry major to do research. Scholarships are available to support student research, such as the Eckley Summer Scholars and Artists Endowment. When faculty research is funded by external grants, they will offer paid summer research positions. IWU provides free summer housing as a bonus.
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| Allison Schrader (Chemistry, Class of 2022) is working in Dr. Mohan's lab, and developing greener methods for organic synthesis using bismuth(III) salts as catalysts. | Jarret Easterday (Biology, Class of 2023) is isolating natural products from fennel, a common spice. |
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| Matt Crosse (Biology, Class of 2022) is working in Dr. Mohan's lab, and developing greener methods for organic synthesis using bismuth(III) salts as catalysts. | Research students have access to the state-of-the-art NMR instrument (JEOL 400 MHz). Undergraduate research students routinely acquire their own spectra. |
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| Michael Quintana (Biology, Class of 2021) is working in Dr. Brennan's lab, and is developing developing a technique which will be used to identify biomarkers associated with neurodegenerative diseases. | Erin Yuan (Chemistry, Class of 2021) is analyzing antioxidant properties using extracts from tea and spices with a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Erin works in Dr. Manori Perera's lab. |
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| Saylor Williams (Biology, Class of 2022) is using the centrifuge in Dr. Kwitkowski's lab. Research in this lab is focused on neuronal membrane repair. | Joey Kiper (Biochemistry, Class of 2022) is transfecting neuroblastoma cells in the laminar flow hood for his Alzheimer's related research project. |
Students have the opportunity to perform independent or collaborative research and pursue Honors Projects. The John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference, held in April each year, provides a public forum where students may present their research projects.
Scholarships are available to support student research, such as the Eckley Summer Scholars and Artists Endowment.
John Wesley Powell Student Research Conference Spotlight
Bismuth(III) bromide catalyzed Michael addition of allyltrimethylsilanes to ,-unsaturated ketones
Bismuth(III) triflate catalyzed synthesis of substituted hexahydroimidazo[1, 2-a]pyridines
Bismuth(III) bromide catalyzed 1,4-addition of indoles to chalcones