Furman s scientific equipment for collaborative student-faculty research in chemistry is considered extraordinary among undergraduate institutions. In addition to on-campus research, the Department of Chemistry has had a relationship with the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico for seven years. There, Prof. Tony Arrington and several students engage in research projects related to the environmental management program of the Department of Energy. This program is coordinated with the Furman department s summer research program and has focused in the past on the removal of hazardous wastes, chemical reactions in supercritical carbon dioxide, bioremediation and analysis of metals in effluent streams, and other topics. The summer experience at Los Alamos lasts for 10 weeks.
Participants receive a stipend plus compensation for travel and housing.
Evenings and weekends are devoted to the exploration of local mesas, canyons, and mountains. While some of these research fellowships are funded through the Furman Advantage each year, support for faculty and student research has been provided by alumni and local corporations as well as through grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Research Corporation, the Dreyfus Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. All chemistry majors are required to have an undergraduate research experience and make a poster presentation about their findings. Students choose their laboratory assignments after hearing faculty presentations on their research topics.