Chemistry Student  Research Opportunities 

Undergraduates have participated in original research in chemistry at F&M for more than 50 years, and chemistry research at F&M has a long history of excellence. The Chemistry faculty believes research can be one of the most important educational experiences for students, and many of our graduates find it to be one of the most worthwhile experiences of their career.

 

 

Summer Research 

Summer research is conducted during a 10-week period extending from approximately the last week in May through the first week in August. Although the summer research program in chemistry is often referred to as the Hackman Program because funding provided by Dr. William Hackman '39, an alumnus of the College, and his wife Lucille, has supported summer research for nearly twenty years, the funds for student stipends, chemicals and equipment, come from a variety of sources; e.g., grants from the National Science Foundation, the Petroleum Research Fund, or Research Corporation obtained by faculty members, industrial support to the department from companies such as Dupont and Merck, and support from foundations such as the Dreyfus Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Beckman Foundation. In addition to the Hackman Scholarships, students have been supported through a variety of sources. Criteria for summer scholarships can be found at the list of Endowed Awards and Scholarships.

Summer Research Financial Support

Stories from the lab...

Story 5/18/2020

Research Fair: Senior Dives Deeply Into Nanoworld

Senior Anna Xiong's research on nanorods has been published and presented at the American Chemical Society.

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Story 7/1/2019

Working With a Protein Inhibitor Gone Awry

Nanoscopic science can be tricky. When things don’t go as planned science researchers must adapt, which is what one Franklin & Marshall College student, at work in the lab on a protease inhibitor...

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Story 5/24/2019

Biology and Chemistry Professors Collaborate on Sea Coral...

Professors in biology and chemistry at Franklin & Marshall College have teamed up to study reef-building coral and understand the deadly effects of coral bleaching.

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Story 4/12/2018

Spring Research Fair: Investigating the Mystery of...

For Franklin & Marshall College sophomore Nathan Miller, the research project before him is molybdenum, number 42 on the Periodic Table of Elements. More specifically, conducting experiments to...

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Story 6/29/2017

Building the Biofuel of the Future

This summer, student researcher Connor Protter and Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry Alex Davis toil away on computations that could one day bring a more efficient and accessible biofuel to...

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Story 12/7/2016

Making a Molecule to Help Sustain Life

A chemistry professor and his students at Franklin & Marshall College are working on producing a molecule to treat a rare, but devastating genetic disorder that’s fatal in children before they reach...

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My undergraduate research experience was absolutely fantastic…a journey full of challenges and struggles, triumphs and failures, where success is achieved not only from a result, but from not losing enthusiasm along the way."

Art Catino, Ph.D. '00 

 

My research experience has given me an appreciation for the difference between being a chemistry student and being a chemist. The experience has taught me a variety of useful laboratory practices that will prepare me for graduate school and a career in chemistry.

​Christopher Bemis '14

 
Story 2/13/2023

F&M Joins 14 Institutions in Unique Science and Math...

Over the next six years, students taking introductory mathematics or science should expect more inclusive, dynamic experiences at Franklin & Marshall College.

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Story 6/2/2022

Research Award Enables Post-Baccalaureate Study at F&M

Following graduation May 14, chemistry major Rebecca Qi Luo ’22 returned to the F&M laboratory where she is spending a year gaining professional experience.  

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Story 3/30/2022

Biology, Psychology Interests Lead Researcher to Potential...

Hailan Yu's research for new antibiotic compounds plows relatively untouched ground.

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