Chemistry Department Receives $52,000 Grant from National Science Foundation

The Albright College Chemistry and Biochemistry Department received a $52,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the proposal, “Instrumental Methods Across the Chemistry Curriculum with Emphasis on Macromolecular Structure Studies.” The principle investigators for this grant are department members Pamela Artz, Ph.D., Christian Hamann, Ph.D., James Scheirer, Ph.D., and Frieda Texter, Ph.D.

The grant was funded by the NSF’s Division of Undergraduate Education (CCLI-Adaptation and Implementation Program) and will partially fund the purchase of a Jasco Model J-810 Circular Dichroism (CD) spectrometer. This state-of-the-art instrument will be utilized in curriculum development, faculty research and student independent study. The grant will also partially fund the summer salaries for faculty and students, and the salary for a program assessment consultant.

The CD spectrometer, which can monitor changes in molecular structure based on changes in the absorption of polarized light, will be incorporated into the laboratory curriculum for organic and advanced organic chemistry, biochemistry and biophysical chemistry. In addition, this instrument will be used for faculty and student research in several areas including the analysis of organic reaction products, the study of protein folding and the study of protein-nucleic acid building.

Frieda Texter, Ph.D., professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and chair of the department, says, “I am excited because the CD spectrometer will provide a mechanism for my research students and me to significantly expand our studies in the area of protein refolding.” And, she says, “It will allow us to introduce our students to techniques not commonly experienced at the undergraduate level.”

$120,000 Grant Supports Foreign Language, Study Abroad, and Latin American Studies Projects

Albright has received a $120,000 Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education to integrate teaching about Latin America into a broader range of disciplines in the College and to more fully integrate the Caribbean into the interdisciplinary Latin American Studies Program. The project was developed through the collaboration of the Latin American Studies program and the Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures Department.

The project supports the College’s strategic goal of enhancing Albright’s unique strengths in interdisciplinary education with innovative programs that expand opportunities for students to think beyond traditional disciplinary approaches.

Project funds will be used to inaugurate study abroad programs in Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Project authors and co-directors are Elizabeth Kiddy, assistant professor of history and director of the Johnson Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Kathy Ozment, chair of the Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures Department and instructor in Spanish.

The project will develop faculty, expand course offerings, and create two new learning abroad opportunities for students. The current Latin American Studies program will be renamed Latin American and Caribbean Studies. The grant will also foster global education and awareness, and bilingualism among students.

Project initiatives include providing nine faculty members with special seminars on Latin America, and support a trip for each to Latin America or the Caribbean. Ten faculty will develop new courses that incorporate a Latin American focus in the areas of sociology, music, art, political science, psychology, economics, women’s studies, business and philosophy, for example, “Human Development in Cultural Context: Latin America and the Caribbean,” and “Black Women Writers: Africa, America and the Caribbean.”

For Albright students, the program will include opportunities for a three-week service learning/Spanish program in the Dominican Republic that will enhance language skills and put their skills to use in a service setting. A semester internship program in Mexico will allow a hands-on learning experience in international business and the global economy.

In addition, the project calls for outreach to the Reading/Berks community with lecture and film series as well as making Albright’s other resources available.