Projects will typically be of one to two semesters in duration. Novice researchers benefit from a highly structured research program. Early efforts are focused on building basic chemical research skills. Research groups meet once per week. Researchers are expected to discuss their progress and critically examine the work of fellow students in the group meeting.
Students submit written progress reports on a monthly basis.
At the end of the semester, students will give a 40 minute seminar presenting the results of their research. Surface Tension Phase Diagrams in Environmental Chemistry Molecular Modeling of Aqueous Lead and Cadmium Complexes Reactive Intermediates in Cloud Chemistry Ab initio quantum mechanical calculations will be used to determine the structure and energetics of specific reactive intermediates in the gas phase. Intermediates on the surfaces of particulates and in aerosols will be determined using frozen orbital techniques. Work in this area is germaine to a wide range of environmental problems including stratospheric ozone depletion, the formation of photochemical smog, and the production of acid rain. Experimental studies of thes phenomena are complex and extremely expensive, and a computational approach is an attractive alternative both economically and pedagogically.