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Lots of “oohs” and “ahhs” and a couple shrieks were heard in the Taylor Science Center during spring break when two groups of local third-grade students visited for some hands-on science learning with the help of Hamilton’s science faculty. For more than 20 years, Professor of Biology Dave Gapp has organized “Science Exploration Days” which bring classes of elementary school students to Hamilton for guided tours and short lessons in various areas of science.

As you look at this screen, the array of colors you see is created by rare earth metals. Although the luminescence of these metals has been extensively studied, four students are working with Professor of Chemistry Karen Brewer to make the synthesization process more efficient by reducing the time, energy and funds needed to create them.

Hamilton played host to a group of senior high school students from the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill (VVS) Central School District on May 19. Students from the AP English and AP Biology classes spent the day working on information literacy skills to better prepare them for college.

Ten current and former Hamilton Chemistry Department faculty members co-authored a chapter titled “A Departmental Focus on High Impact Undergraduate Research Experiences” in a recently published edition of the American Chemical Society Symposium Series dedicated to “Developing and Sustaining a Successful Undergraduate Research Program.”

Professor of Chemistry Karen Brewer recently published the instructor’s and student’s solutions manuals for the introductory chemistry textbook Chemistry: An Atoms-Focused Approach.

Professor of Chemistry Karen S. Brewer,  along with 20 other inorganic chemistry faculty and four graduate students from across the country attended the workshop “VIPEr: Solid State Materials for Alternative Energy Needs.”

The world of technology is changing at a rapid pace and new materials need to be utilized to make further advancements.  Rare earth metals are in a strong position to be more widely used for various applications, ranging from small electronic devices to large television screens. Laura Rivera ’16 and Catherine Oglevee ’15 are working with terbium and europium, two rare earth metals, this summer to understand their fluorescent properties.

Seven Hamilton College students presented their research at the 245th American Chemical Society National Meeting. The conference, held from April 7 to 11 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, attracted more than 14,000 attendees and featured research presentations and posters spanning 37 sub-divisions of chemistry.  Chemistry department faculty Karen Brewer, Saritha Nellutla and Adam Van Wynsberghe also attended.

Hamilton hosted the annual meeting of MAALACT, the Middle Atlantic Association of Liberal Arts Chemsitry Teachers, on Oct. 7-8. Founded in 1967, the organization includes chemistry faculty from liberal arts colleges in the Middle Atlantic states and eastern N.Y. that gather yearly to discuss a variety of curricular matters, laboratory safety, how to get grants and other matters of interest.

To the naked eye, the simple glass beads all over the lab of Meghan Carter ’12 are not very exciting. However, under UV light, the beads glow different colors depending on their composition. Working under Associate Dean of Students for Academics and Professor of Chemistry Karen Brewer, Carter is trying to increase the fluorescence of these beads.