Table of Contents

• Message from the Department Chair
• Annual Chemistry & Biochemistry Awards, 2007
• Graduate School Road Trip, 2007
• Graduate School Road Trip, 2006
• Biology & Chemistry Mentor Program
• Instrumentation and Equipment
• Undergraduate Research
• Why Conduct Undergraduate Research?
• Our 2008 Candidates for Graduation
• First Year Out
• Research Projects
• Faculty Research Interests
• Internships
• Related Career Titles for Chemistry Majors
• Related Career Titles for Biochemistry Majors
• Hiring Institutions
• Huntingdon Travel

Message from the Department Chair

Dear Students and Families,

Thank you for your interest in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Huntingdon College. As an alumna of Huntingdon Chemistry, Class of 1978, I can attest to the outstanding academic and laboratory preparation one receives in Chemistry and Biochemistry at Huntingdon.

This is an exciting time for our department at Huntingdon! Phases 1 and 2 of the renovation of classrooms and laboratories in Bellingrath Hall have been completed. State-of-the-art instrumentation is used by our students in every chemistry and biochemistry laboratory. Our instrumentation is of the quality usually found only in large research universities. In August 2005, two of our students presented undergraduate research at a national American Chemical Society meeting in Washinton, D.C., and in 2007 six students presented four different research projects in Chicago and in Alabama. Two other students presented research at an ACS meeting in Atlanta in March 2006. Our students work alongside professors on interesting projects such as characterizing the interaction of gold drugs with DNA, analyzing the components of water, or using molecular modeling to study molecules with unusual structures. Two of our senior chemistry majors spent a semester studying at Queen’s University in Ireland. Former Miss Huntingdon Brandy Milstead and current SGA President and 2007–08 Homecoming Queen Chasi Fowler are senior biochemistry majors.

We take great pride in providing students with excellent advising and superb placement rates into graduate school and Ph.D. programs, as well as in schools for medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, law, optometry, and chiropractic. We also provide assistance in obtaining internships and summer research fellowships and conduct supplemental instruction sessions for students throughout the academic year.

We welcome one of the largest first-year classes in decades to Huntingdon in fall 2007. More than 20 of the first-year students have selected chemistry or biochemistry as a major. Our department is growing; in the past two years, we have nearly tripled our total number of majors from 20 to 56. Eight majors will graduate in May 2008, five of them with biochemistry degrees. A knowledge of biochemistry is becoming increasingly important in the health professions and is required by many pre-professional programs and for graduate school. We also welcome to Huntingdon our newest faculty members, Dr. Sean Puckett, Dr. Doba Jackson, and Jaime Demick. Dr. Puckett received his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio; Dr. Doba Jackson received his Ph.D. from the University of Toledo, and Jaime Demick has a master’s in applied physics from Johns Hopkins University.

Please stop by our offices in Bellingrath 105 and chat with us. We will be happy to give you a personalized tour of our newly renovated laboratories and classrooms. Do not hesitate to contact us if we can answer any questions you may have about our department.

Sincerely,
Dr. Maureen Kendrick Murphy, Class of 1978
Department Chair

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Annual Chemistry & Biochemistry Awards, 2007

Chemistry and biochemistry students received awards on Honors Day in April 2007. Students honored included:

• Leah Cuthriell and Maron Black Cantelou, Outstanding Senior in Chemistry Award
• Shannon Cheney, The American Institute of Chemists Senior Award in Biochemistry
• Sara Bura and Joseph Sewell, The CRC Freshman Chemistry Award
• Jacob Seales, Outstanding Achievement in Organic Chemistry Award

All students enrolled in any chemistry or biochemistry course were also invited to the 6th annual Chemistry Dinner, where all students were honored and treated to dinner and dessert at a faculty home or local restaurant.

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Graduate School Road Trip, 2007

During Fall Break in October 2007, the Chemistry/Biochemistry faculty traveled to New Orleans, La., to visit the Ph.D. programs in chemistry and biochemistry at Tulane University.

Juniors and seniors interested in graduate school are invited to join us next fall for Graduate School Road Trip 2008.

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Graduate School Road Trip, 2006

October 22–24, 2006, eight juniors and seniors, the department faculty, and Mr. T.J. Brecciaroli (Director of Residential Life) traveled to Bloomington, Ind., and Oxford, Ohio, to visit the Ph.D. programs at Indiana University and Miami University, respectively.

At each university, students met with research faculty, department chairs, deans, and graduate school admissions directors. At IU, they observed a master glassblower at work and heard about the research of Dr. Robert DiMarchi, Chair of the Department; Dr. Martha Oakley; Dr. M. Stone; Dr. John Huffman; Dr. Todd Stone, Physical Biochemistry Instrumentation Facility Manager; and more. Dr. Randy Arnold, Director of the Proteomics Research Center and former faculty member of Huntingdon College’s chemistry department, gave the students a tour of his facility and joined us for lunch at the Tudor Room on campus. Students saw a 600 MHz NMR spectrometer in use at IU and a solid state NMR at Miami University. Dean G. Pacey, Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship (and Ph.D. research director of Dr. Puckett), hosted our visit to MU, where students learned about EPR spectroscopy and heard about the new 850 MHz NMR being installed. Students saw a teraHertz spectrometer, learned about the electrochemistry of gold nanoparticles, and saw FT-IR spectra of microscopic regions of kidney stones.

Huntingdon students received fellowships to these Ph.D. programs. It is hoped that the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry can do a graduate school road trip each year.

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Biology and Chemistry Mentor Program

As a new Huntingdon science major, how would you like to have an upperclassman available to answer all your questions about Huntingdon, classes, textbooks, tutoring, help, internships, etc.?

New biology, cell biology, biochemistry, and chemistry majors (or double majors) will be assigned an upper-level student in one of these majors to serve as a “Science Mentor” for the academic year. Your “Science Mentor” will be introduced to you during our first department meeting. He or she will be available to you throughout the year to answer any questions you may have. Although upperclassmen do not know everything, they have at least been though the first year at Huntingdon, and they can help you with some positive advice and methods to become successful in the sciences.

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Instrumentation and Equipment

The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at Huntingdon has been awarded four National Science Foundation (NSF) matching equipment grants to improve laboratory instruction in chemistry and biochemistry classes. All Huntingdon students enrolled in chemistry and biochemistry laboratories receive hands-on instruction in the use of each instrument. The state-of-the-art instrumentation is also used in research projects with undergraduates each semester.

Instrumentation Available:

• Laser Optics Laboratory
• Spartan ’06 Computational Chemistry Laboratory
• Hewlett-Packard Gas-Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer (GCMS)
• Hewlett-Packard Diode Array UV-Visible Spectrophotometer
• Shimadzu 14A Gas Chromatograph (GC)
• Avantis High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC)
• Palm-Based Laboratories with Probes (PBLs), PDAs
• Parr Solution Calorimeter
• Marathon 21,000R Refrigerated High-Speed Centrifuge
• Horizontal and Vertical Electrophoresis Equipment
• Kodak Trans-Illuminator and Digital Imaging System

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Undergraduate Research

A hallmark of chemistry and biochemistry at Huntingdon is the undergraduate research program. In the past decade, more than 40 students have conducted undergraduate research alongside Huntingdon professors, and all of these students have co-authored and presented their research at national, international, state, and/or local professional meetings.

The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry is currently the only one at Huntingdon in which students conduct undergraduate research as a requirement for the major and have the opportunity to present research results at scientific meetings and publish in peer-reviewed research journals.

Beginning with the entering class of 2007, every chemistry and biochemistry major will conduct one or more undergraduate original research projects in “CHEM 385/485: Research in Chemistry & Biochemistry” during their junior and senior years, working alongside our professors on some current projects, such as:

• quantum mechanical models of silicon-substituted proteins;
• investigations as to why silicon was not selected as the basis of life on Earth;
• unraveling the suicide pathway of cell aptosis catalyzed by PAC-1, a simple organic molecule;
• characterization of the kinetics and mechanism of tin porphyrin binding to DNA used in the treatment of jaundice;
• effect of transition metal ions on the melting behavior of DNA;
• spectroscopic characterization of gold binding to DNA bases and proteins;
• analysis of organic compounds leached from plastic tubing and drug storage packaging;
• molecular modeling studies of metalloenzyme and metalloprotein structures and intermediates;
• analysis of the structure-function relationship of 52 ant pheromones;
• kinetic and mechanistic studies of metalloenzyme and metalloprotein reactions;
• analysis of organic compounds and metal ions present in native Hawaiian medicines;
• spectroscopic characterization of the interaction of carcinogens with DNA, proteins, and amino acids in vitro;
• chemicals found in “organic” foods;
• projects of your interests and design!

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Why Conduct Undergraduate Research?

As a student, why should you be involved in undergraduate research at Huntingdon? There are many good reasons! You will work alongside a professor and receive instruction in literature searches, laboratory techniques, ethics in science, experimental design, laboratory data statistics, use of instrumentation, molecular modeling and mechanics, the peer review system, and more. You will learn to write a technical paper, in many cases suitable for publication. You will learn to communicate your research results to other scientists at local, regional, and national scientific meetings. In the past four years, all of our majors have conducted one or more research projects with faculty, and many have presented their research results at scientific meetings in Boston, Mass.; Washington, D.C.; Chicago, Ill.; Atlanta, Ga.; New Orleans, La.; and Orlando, Fla. You will find that making discoveries while doing research is also fun!

Publish, Present, and Excel

Our majors publish research with professors in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Undergraduate Chemistry Research and the Journal of Chemical Education. Presenting and publishing makes a student more competitive for fellowships and prestigious graduate and professional schools.

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Our 2008 Graduates

• Chad Buck (Biochemistry): Seeking admission to Osteopathic School of Medicine
• Jason Dyer (Chemistry): Seeking admission to Ph.D. chemistry programs at University of Tennessee-Knoxville, University of Alabama, and University of Memphis
• Chasi Fowler (Biochemistry/Cell Biology): Plans to spend time in a foreign, Spanish-language immersion program, then apply to medical school
• Brittany Gaydosh (Chemistry): Seeking admission to pharmacy doctorate programs
• Gillian Lisenby (Biochemistry): Seeking admission to Candler School of Theology and Duke Divinity School
• Rachel McKinney (Chemistry): Seeking admission to Johns Hopkins University Ph.D. program in molecular biophysics and Ph.D. chemistry programs at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Duke University, and the University of Florida
• Brandy Milstead (Biochemistry): Exploring career options in the field, as well as national representative jobs for organizations
• Iljee Shin (Biochemistry): Seeking admission to dental school and dental research programs

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First Year Out

In the past decade, our majors have been accepted to prestigious Ph.D. programs in chemistry and biochemistry, medical school, law school, dental school, chiropractic college, pharmacy school, podiatry school, optometry school, divinity school, and schools of architecture.

L-R: Jason Cooper, Leah Cuthriell, Shannon Cheney

Class of 2007

• Jason Cooper: Ph.D. fellowship in biochemistry, Indiana University
• Leah Cuthriell: Ph.D. fellowship in organic chemistry, University of Tennessee; National Science Foundation summer research fellow, University of Tennessee; summer program in neurochemistry, University of Alabama-Birmingham; received national recognition for undergraduate research in Merck’s 2007 “Women in Chemistry” program
• Shannon Cheney: Teaching and taking courses in preparation of applying to dental school

Class of 2006

• Rory Pruitt: Ph.D. fellowship in the Interdisciplinary Biochemistry Program, Vanderbilt University
• Ashley Clark: Early decision to Pharm.D. program, Harrison School of Pharmacy, Auburn University

Class of 2005

• Patricia Brigner: Graduate school, James Madison University
• Amanda Gilbert: Chiropractic school, Life University, Georgia
• Amanda Ousley: Ph.D. fellowship in biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Leah Nesbitt: Ph.D. fellowship in immunology, University of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital; summer research program, Mayo Institute-Minnesota

Class of 2004

• Lori Adamson: University of Alabama-Birmingham School of Dentistry
• Ethan Butler: Ph.D. fellowship in molecular biochemistry, Yale University; NSF chemistry undergraduate research, Georgia Tech
• Krayton Keith: Working in quality control laboratory, Atlanta, Ga.
• Chris Koogler: Accepted to the Pharm.D. program at Samford University
• James Robinson: University of Alabama-Birmingham School of Medicine; FBI summer intern in documents and counterfeit

Class of 2003

• Joni Bettis: Jones School of Law, Faulkner University
• Robert Moore: Ph.D. fellowship in biophysical chemistry, Auburn University
• Tripp Morris: Post-baccalaureate fellowship in chemistry, Los Alamos National Laboratory; Ph.D. candidate in chemistry, Vanderbilt University
• Channa Williams: Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine
• Chandra Williams: University of Alabama-Birmingham School of Optometry

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Research Projects Available for Study

Here are some research opportunities for you and your chemistry/biochemistry professors to work on (projects, papers, or topics that might be interesting):

1. Properties of Lilies as Aphrodisiacs in Egyptian History and Art
2. Analysis of Honey As An Indicator of Pollutants in our City, State, and Neighborhood
3. The Role of Metal (Iron, Copper, Gold, Steel, etc.) in Shaping Historical Events and in Building Nations
4. A Study of Sunken Vessels and Shipwrecks Off the Alabama Gulf Coast
5. The Fate of Zebra Mussels in Alabama’s Waterways
6. The History of the Pomegranate Plant on the Huntingdon Campus
7. Arsenic and Its Historical and Medicinal Uses
8. Rice and Genetically-Altered Rice as Economic Factors in Shaping Nations
9. The 100 Best Alabama Chemically-Related Companies and Corporations: A Guidebook for Investors and Businesses
10. Analysis of the Stinky Yellow Fluid from Ladybugs
11. Why Are Insects Attracted to Ethanol?
12. The Relationship Between Ants and Electromagnetic Fields
13. The Relationship Between the Shape and Symmetry of a Molecule and Its Properties (explosiveness, volatility, melting point, etc.)
14. 150 Years of _________(History, Science, Mathematics, Art, etc.—you fill in the department or academic area) at Huntingdon College
15. Predicting the Existence of Molecules (not yet discovered) with Interesting Geometric Shapes Using Energy and Molecular Mechanics Calculations
16. Translation of German, French, or Spanish scientific manuscripts into English
17. Analysis of the Carpenter Ant Attractant Found in Honeydew Melons
18. Tensile Strength Analysis of Spider Silk
19. A Study of the Chemical Industries of Coastal Alabama and Mississippi
20. Acadian Culture and Its Evolution in New Orleans
21. Development of a Web-Based System for Assigning Substitute Teachers in a School System
22. Chemical Analysis of Alabama Clay and A Survey of Its Uses in Industry, Art, and Business
23. Symmetry Elements of Stained Glass Windows in Alabama Churches
24. Auburn Graduates Who Became Astronauts
25. The Historical Significance of the White Laboratory Coat Worn by Scientists and Physicians
26. The Boll Weevil, Enterprise, Alabama, and Cotton: “Looking For A Home”
27. 1001 Things to Do With Kudzu
28. Nutrient Analysis of the Acorns from the “Champion Tree” (Burr Oak on campus)
29. A Study of the Use of Poisons in Fiction and Literature
30. Tracing the Trail of Tears in Alabama: An Environmental Study
31. Using Chemistry to Understand Culture: A Chemical Analysis of the Food, Music, and Culture of the Gula Community in Coastal South Carolina: Comparisons with West African Culture
32. Inorganic Drugs and DNA: Theoretical and Spectroscopic Studies
33. Plants and Medicines of the Lewis and Clark Voyage
34. Analysis of Components of Natural Medicines Indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands

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Faculty Research Interests

Dr. Maureen K. Murphy

• Molecular Modeling of Biochemical Processes: Molecular modeling and molecular mechanics software are used to calculate and model some important processes in biochemistry such as structure-function relationships of ant pheromones, binding of inorganic drugs to biological molecules, and prediction of metalloenzyme active-site energies and structures.
• Kinetics and Mechanistic Studies of Metalloenzyme and Coenzyme Reactions: Kinetics experiments are designed and conducted to understand Nature’s use of metals in biological systems.
• Gold-Binding to DNA: Theoretical studies of gold complex binding to DNA and DNA bases are used to guide spectroscopic characterization and binding experiments in the laboratory.
• Medicinal Preparations from Plants Discovered on the Lewis and Clark Journey: Using actual plants and roots discovered by Lewis and Clark 200 years ago and collected from the Lewis and Clark Trail, students are preparing medicines according to the journals of Lewis and Clark and are using spectroscopic and chemical methods to determine the unique components of each medicine.
• Analysis of the Inorganic and Organic Components of Natural Medicines Used by Native Hawaiians: Students are studying the inorganic (metal ion) components and organic compounds present in natural medicines made from plants indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands.
• Using Lighthouses as Laboratories to Study Science: Using experiments conducted while touring 16 U.S. lighthouses from Georgia to Maine, Dr. Murphy designs science experiments for students to use the lighthouses as laboratories.

Dr. Sean Puckett

• Development of organic dyes for the determination of drinking water disinfectant concentration using GD-FIA
• Development of post-column bromate and arsenic detection methods
• Development of micro-fabricated LED-based spectrophotometers

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Internships and Summer Research Opportunities

Our majors complete internships during the year at physicians’ offices, local pharmacies, oral surgeons’ offices, and in laboratories such as the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. Here are some of the internships and summer research programs our students have recently completed:

• Alabama State Department of Forensic Sciences: Montgomery, Ala.
• Brookhaven National Laboratory: Long Island, N.Y.
• Department of Energy Nuclear Summer School, Brookhaven National Laboratory: Long Island, N.Y.
• Department of Forensic Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham: Birmingham, Ala.
• FBI Document Analysis Laboratory: Langley, Virginia
• Los Alamos National Laboratory: Los Alamos, N.M.
• National Science Foundation Summer Research, Carnegie Institute for Geophysical Sciences: Washington, D.C.
• National Science Foundation Summer Research, Department of Chemistry: University of Tennessee; Knoxville, Tenn.
• National Science Foundation Summer Research, Institute for Ecosystems Studies: Millbrook, N.Y.
• National Science Foundation Summer Research: University of Memphis and Georgia Institute of Technology

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Related Career Titles for Chemistry Majors

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Related Career Titles for Biochemistry Majors

The subject knowledge and skills acquired from studying biochemistry can lead to many and varied career options, in both the public and private sectors. Many job titles are not as clearly defined or differentiated as you might expect, so it is important to make sure you understand the job definitions individual employers use. As more and more employers are developing job titles that are particular to their own environment, it is more difficult to provide a definitive list of possible career options. The ones that follow should be considered to be illustrative rather than exhaustive.

Government agencies look for employees to conduct research in a variety of areas. Law enforcement agencies use methods of evidence collection that depend on professionals with a background in biochemistry. Biochemistry majors are well prepared for advanced study in medicine and other health professions.

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Hiring Institutions

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Huntingdon Travel

In the past few years, department faculty have led the following travel-study tours (under the Huntingdon Travel Program):

• “Baseball, Barbeque, and the Blues,” Six Cities: Memphis, St. Louis, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Bowling Green, May 2006—Dr. Maureen Murphy
• Costa Rica, May 2005—Dr. John Mitchell and Dr. Paul Gier
• “The Fire and Rain Volcano Tour,” The Hawaiian Islands, January 2004—Dr. John Mitchell and Dr. Maureen Murphy
• “Lighthouses of the Eastern U.S.,” Georgia to Maine, July 2002—Dr. Maureen Murphy
• “The History of Religion & Science,” Rome, Italy, and London, England, May 2002—Dr. Randy Arnold
• “Two Rivers, Two Cultures, Two Continents,” China and the Yangtze River, July 2001—Dr. Maureen Murphy

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