Research laboratories are devoted to the study of DNA, bioorganic chemistry, and the structure and folding of proteins. During the academic year students pursue research for credit in the Department as well as at the NYU School of Medicine, Rockefeller University, and other institutions. The prominence of science and technology in the modern world necessitates that individuals have solid skills in quantitative and scientific reasoning and an informed appreciation of how science is done. Some students achieve this by majoring in a natural science, by enrolling in the prehealth or engineering program, or by taking or placing out of calculus and some majors-level science courses. The department carries out research and offers graduate programs in the general areas of physical, biomolecular, theoretical, organic, and inorganic chemistry.
Students select a research supervisor early in their graduate careers.
The department has 30 faculty members directing research, approximately 100 graduate students, and a substantial number of postdoctoral fellows and affiliated scientists. The above section is composed largely of extracts from the various WWW pages cited. The historical collection contains extensive periodicals holdings, reference works, and selected monographs in other languages, especially German, but materials are rarely collected in these languages now, except for dictionaries, selected items on the history of chemistry, and a small collection of textbooks in languages for English as a second language students. There are no geographical limits associated with chemistry per se, but emphasis is placed on collecting to support strong area studies graduate level programs at the university. Chronological Periods Current publications are emphasized, including materials on the history of chemistry from all periods, and the collection is strong in periodical literature from the 19th century.