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Chemistry & Biochemistry

Successfully bringing a new drug from concept to marketplace can involve the testing of a hundred hypotheses and a million compounds over the course of a decade or two. But the most important part of the process isn't time, creativity or raw ingredients--it's the chemists and biochemists who conduct the experiments and interpret the data. WPI's Chemistry and Biochemistry Department is committed to educating independent, analytical, problem-solving scientists whose extensive knowledge and laboratory and industry experience enable them to move seamlessly from the university to the benchtop or on to graduate and professional schools. Strong programs in organic, inorganic, and physical and biological chemistry provide undergraduates with an exceptional background for careers in industry or academia.

The department combines exemplary teaching with meaningful, relevant and demanding research to provide students with a modern, tightly integrated educational experience. The quality of the education received in this department stems from its ability to offer students the best of both worlds: a 13-member faculty that's comparable in size and strength to those of many larger universities and a low student-to-faculty ratio that guarantees students unparalleled opportunities to work closely with their professors in the classroom and in the laboratory.

Freshmen and sophomores receive extensive training in laboratory techniques, hands-on experience in instrumental analysis, and broad exposure to modern methods. With this solid foundation, they embark on in-depth projects and research experiments when they begin their junior year, selecting from diverse research programs that include organic synthesis, molecular devices and sensors, organic photochemistry, plant-virus interactions, membrane proteins, ion channels, and forensic studies.

Programs

The Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, whose programs are approved by the American Chemical Society (ACS), offers two distinct majors, each of which relies heavily on the molecular view of matter.

Biochemists seek to understand the complex chemical structures and reactions that are involved in such biological processes as metabolism, reproduction and growth. They study the chemical messenger- receptor interactions in the immune, endocrine and nervous systems that regulate biological processes. Because biochemistry majors must be prepared to work at the interface of biology, chemistry and medicine, their study plans include a significant number of courses in biology and biotechnology. WPI's approach to education in biochemistry prepares students for further study or for careers in large hospitals or the pharmaceutical industry, where they might focus on drug-receptor research, bioanalytical chemistry and drug metabolism, or in biotechnology, where they might deal with protein isolation, purification and modification for medicinal use. Since distribution requirements for biochemistry embody all the technical courses required for admission to medical, dental and veterinary schools, this major is an ideal choice for pre-health professionals.

Chemistry majors focus on basic research, applied problem solving or design, and synthesis of new materials in their studies of the traditional areas of organic, inorganic and physical chemistry. In addition to its intrinsic value as a fundamental science dedicated to discovering new knowledge about the properties, structure and reactivity of various forms of matter, chemistry has an important bearing on many other areas, including biology, electronics and materials--even psychology. As a chemistry major, you'll have the knowledge and the skills to go on to graduate or medical school, become an educator, or begin a career in an industrial, government or hospital laboratory. You might even find yourself in a career you never even considered, such as oceanography, environmental studies, materials science, biology or mental health--all of which rely on the expertise of chemists.

B.S./M.S. Program

This program allows students to earn both bachelor of science and master of science degrees in five years instead of the usual six. The flexibility of WPI's academic approach, the WPI Plan, allows juniors and seniors to enroll in graduate-level chemistry courses that can be counted toward requirements for both degrees, thereby cutting one year off the usual time required to achieve a master's degree.

Scholars Program

WPI's Chemistry and Biochemistry Department attempts to expose all its students to original research. Our course and project offerings help students become acquainted with modern experimental techniques and sophisticated equipment. And now with the creation of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Scholars Program, students may begin working in faculty-directed research labs as early as the freshman year. They will be assisting researchers in their attempt to solve some very real problems facing our society--Alzheimer's Disease, for instance, or the destruction by crop pests plaguing production worldwide.

Research

Research is at the heart of the study of chemistry and biochemistry. That's why it's surprising that most undergraduate chemistry curricula have only a small research component, mainly reserved for seniors. What is not surprising is that WPI, one of the most innovative universities in the nation, has changed the way students learn. Students selected for the Chemistry and Biochemistry Scholars Program will receive:

• special academic advising.
• guaranteed research opportunities throughout all four years.
• opportunities to attend on-campus chemistry colloquia and special meetings with the guest lecturers.
• field trips and tours to industry sites, such as Pfizer and Monsanto.

Admission

Applicants indicating chemistry or biochemistry as their intended area of study will automatically be considered for the Chemistry and Biochemistry Scholars Program. No special application is required. The Chemistry and Biochemistry Scholars Program has a limited enrollment, and admittance to the program is highly selective. Students will be notified in their admission letter if they have been admitted to the program.

Academic Scholarship

Regardless of financial circumstances, Chemistry and Biochemistry Scholars Program participants will be guaranteed at least $8,000 per year toward the cost of a WPI education. Families may well be eligible for more aid, based on financial need.

To apply for need-based aid, please file the FAFSA and CSS PROFILE. See your guidance counselor for details.

Projects

The Major Project in chemistry and biochemistry is research oriented. This research focus has produced some impressive results. Over the past 30 years, more than 135 WPI undergraduates have co-authored publications in professional chemical journals and nearly 250 have co-authored presentations at national and regional scientific meetings.

Some recent project topics:

• Biochemical characterization of a protein-protein interaction
• Development of methods for the synthesis of huperzine analogs
• Synthesis of ergotamine alkaloids
• Isolation and quantification of antigen-specific T cells using magnetic-activated cell sorting
• Production of histones H2A, H2B, H3, H4 and Cse4 in an E. coli expression system
• Instrumental analysis of p8/RNA complexes
• The propranol-albumin system as a model of drug-protein interactions

Facilities

Over the last five years, with support from WPI and grants from organizations and individuals who believe in its work, the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department has invested over $1 million in new equipment, laboratories and research space, and over $400,000 in faculty and student support to bolster the learning experience.

Research facilities in the department include 200- and 400-MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, high-pressure liquid chromatography systems, a mass spectrometer, two capillary electrophoresis instruments with diode array detectors, UV/VIS spectrophotometers, a scentillation counter, an FPLC, a cold room, tissue culture facilities, custom-designed photoreactors for measuring relative and absolute quantum efficiencies, and several state-of-the-art lasers.

Careers

WPI's chemistry and biochemistry majors are renowned for their ability to hit the ground running.

In fact, recruiters from major international companies eagerly hire them--sometimes sight unseen. In recent years, WPI graduates have been hired by such companies as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Children's Hospital, CIBA-GEIGY Corp., Clairol, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Ensco Inc., ICI Pharmaceuticals, Lilly Pharmaceuticals, Mobil Oil Corp., Molecular Biosystems, Nitromed, Pfizer Central Research, Pharmacia, Polaroid Corp., Sepracor and Uniroyal Chemical Co.

Many of our graduates choose to continue their education beyond the bachelor's degree. Recent WPI chemistry and biochemistry graduates are furthering their education at such prestigious institutions as Brown, CalTech, Columbia, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Princeton, Purdue, Stanford, and UCLA. Unique to this field, graduate schools entice students with full scholarships and salaried positions-- a tremendous opportunity for the motivated student.

Maintained by webmaster@wpi.edu
Last modified: November 09, 2006 09:40:51