Idaho State University Dept. of Chemistry Wraps Successful Summer Research Season

Undergraduate college students participated via the Chemistry Summer time Undergraduate Analysis Fellowship (C-SURF). In the meantime, the Division of Chemistry served as a number for the American Chemical Society’s Undertaking SEED Program for highschool college students. 

“The C-SURF And Undertaking SEED packages give college students a real-world analysis expertise that carefully mirrors the kind of work they’ll be doing of their profession,” mentioned Josh Pak, professor and chair of the chemistry division. 

Over the summer time months, the roughly 40 budding researchers have been wanting into the event of ionic liquids for recovering uncommon earth components from digital waste, finding out extremophiles dwelling within the Nice Salt Lake, growing methods to upcycle polymers generally utilized in family plastics, and extra.  

“I loved being part of the C-SURF program as a result of it allowed me the chance to proceed to do the identical analysis that I’ve been doing in the course of the college yr,” mentioned Raiden Hunter, a chemistry main from San Diego, California and operating again for the Bengal soccer group. “The period of time required allowed me to have a really versatile schedule, which was nice since I used to be in a position to make use of the additional time I needed to shadow physicians and likewise juggle my athletic necessities. Working with a Undertaking SEED pupil was particularly fascinating since I used to be ready to mentor a youthful pupil of shade who’s additionally headed right into a STEM area.”

“I loved being part of Undertaking SEED as a result of it supplied me with a brand new expertise and data,” mentioned Lillian Ashbocker, a senior at Pocatello Excessive College. “Working on this program taught me so much about how issues work in a lab which has been my dream for a very long time, and my expertise may also assist me sooner or later.”

To place a capstone on the C-SURF and Undertaking SEED packages, the scholars’ findings are spotlighted on the division’s Summer time Analysis Symposium. On the symposium, college students introduced a poster with their analysis outcomes. The occasion provides college students helpful expertise in speaking their findings to different scientists and neighborhood members.

“The Division of Chemistry has been offering undergraduate and highschool college students with paid analysis alternatives for a few years and I’m excited that we’re again in-person to proceed the custom,” Pak mentioned. “We take nice pleasure in giving these college students hands-on experiences early of their scientific careers.”