THE CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT AT DOANE COLLEGE
The chemistry department expanded from a two-person department to a three-person department in 2005 with the addition of a new faculty member for organic chemistry, Dr. Andrea Holmes. With the retirement of Dr. David Smith in 2006, Dr. Erin Wilson was hired for biochemistry. Serving the department since 1989 is Dr. David Clevette, analytical/inorganic/physical chemist.
Dr. Holmes's research interests include contemporary topics such as the development of molecular sensors for illegal narcotics such as cocaine or date-rape drugs, finding bioactive phytoalexins, optimization of Grignard reactions, and the discovery of Z-DNA sensors. Dr. Wilson is currently engaged in various structural aspects of water in bone and thermal perturbations to bone mineral crystal structure. Dr. Clevette's most recent interest has been working to determine acid dissociation constants of some penicillin derivatives as collaboration with a pharmaceutical company. All of our research projects engage our undergraduate students. Doane College supports research across campus, and the chemistry department requires research for the major. Modern instrumentation with hands-on experience makes for a quality research program at Doane College. Additional opportunities for student research during 2006 and 2007 are being offered as the result of the successful requests for Nebraska NSF-EPSCoR program support and project SEED support from the American Chemical Society.