Jake Hamill ’17 talks about the Hamilton College chemistry department like a really hungry person talks about an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Hamill, a chemical physics major, says there are more excellent courses at Hamilton than he’ll ever be able to take. He admits that’s partly because he has two minors – economics and math. He also plays on the soccer and golf teams. Hamill spent a summer doing paid research with Professor Karen Brewer, work that involves rare earth elements and fluorescence. The opportunity to do research was one of the reasons he chose Hamilton. Other reasons: small classes and close relationships with faculty.
Despite Hamill’s appetite for chemistry, he’s made time for courses such as art history, religious studies and classical studies. He wants to improve his writing.
“By taking courses in these other disciplines I’ve been able to get a feel for how to write in general, for any sort of field, regardless of wherever I end up,” he says.
He’s still thinking about what he wants to do after he graduations. He knows what he doesn’t want to do – go into the medical sciences. He is thinking he may work for a pharmaceutical company or attend grad school to study physical chemistry or chemical physics.
