Huntingdon College

Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

1500 East Fairview Avenue

Montgomery, AL 36106-2148

Dr. Maureen Murphy, Chair

maureenm@huntingdon.edu

Phone: 334.833.4462

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Department of Chemistry& Biochemistry at Huntingdon

UNDERGRADUATE

RESEARCH Department of Chemistry

& Biochemistry

2011-2012

Huntingdon College

“Can Molecular Mechanics Predict Flexibilty in Biologi-

cal Molecules?” Paige Lathem, Mary Elizabeth Terrell

and Maureen K. Murphy, presented at the 2012 Re-

search & Creative Activity & Nanobiology Symposium,

Alabama State University, March 15, 2012.

“The success of every student is the focus of

everything we do.”

2012

“DNA as a Wire: Using the

Particle-in-the-Box Formal-

ism to Calculate the Rate of

Electron Transfer Through

the DNA Helix,” Andrew J.

Swift and Maureen K. Murphy, presented at the 2012 Re-

search & Creative Activity & Nanobiology Symposium, Ala-

bama State University, March 15, 2012.

“Exploration of the relationship between ring size, degree of

nitration, and strain energy in a series of polycyclic explo-

sives,” Dallas Thomas, B.J. Foroughian and Maureen K. Mur-

phy, presented at the 2012 Research & Creative Activity &

Nanobiology Symposium, Alabama State University, March

15, 2012.

“The predicted structure of the

alpha-domain from MATa1 of Sac-

charomyces cerevisae reveals an

evolutionary conservation to the

HMG family of transcription regula-

tors,” Rami Herrera, Tarnisha Law-

son, Angelica Trammell, Song Tan

and Doba D. Jackson, presented at the 2012 Research & Crea-

tive Activity & Nanobiology Symposium, Alabama State Uni-

versity, March 15, 2012.

“Structure, Pricing, and Com-

mon Medications Prescribed

for the Treatment of Prostate

and Breast Cancer,” Suzanne

M. Mock , Kellie R. Hilton,

Elizabeth A. Perdue and

Maureen Kendrick Murphy,

presented at the 2012 Re-

search & Creative Activity & Nanobiology Symposium, Ala-

bama State University, March 15, 2012.

Why Do Undergraduate Research?

Undergraduate Research

“Structure of Ru(II)-Arene Complexes Using Select-

ed Ligands,” Rami Herrera, Kellie Hilton, Mary Eliz-

abeth Terrell, Ginger Tyson, Winston Wooten and

Jeremy M. Carr, presented at the 242nd national

American Chemical Society meeting, Denver, CO,

August 21-24, 2011.

“Developing a Facile Method for Forming Stryker’s

Reagent,” Caroline Benjamin, Dexter Dean, Paige

Lathem, Quintarious Perdue, Chasity Ward and

Jeremy M. Carr, presented at the 242nd national

American Chemical Society meeting, Denver, CO,

August 23, 2011.

2012“Developing a Facile Method for Forming

Stryker’s Reagent,” Caroline Benjamin, Dexter

Dean, Paige Lathem, Quintarious Perdue, Chasity

Ward and Jeremy M. Carr, presented at the 243rd

national American Chemical Society meeting, San

Diego, CA, March 25-29, 2012.

“Preparation of NHC Ligated Copper(II) Acetate

Precatalysts,” Ginger Tyson and Jeremy M. Carr,

presented at the 2012 Research & Creative Activity

& Nanobiology Symposium, Alabama State Univer-

sity, March 15, 2012.

2011-2012

Undergraduate Research

Presentations

2011“Fluorous oxytocin: A

model peptide for probing the

thermal properties of peptides

and antibiotics using tempera-

ture-dependent molecular me-

chanics calculations,” Sarah

Frampton and Maureen K. Murphy, presented at the

241st national American Chemical Society meeting,

Anaheim, CA, March 27-31, 2011.

“Exploration of the relationship between ring size, de-

gree of nitration, and strain energy in a series of poly-

cyclic explosives ,” Frank Q. Mitchell, Cole P. Smith,

Andrew J. Swift, Ginger Tyson and Maureen K. Mur-

phy, presented at the 241st national American Chemi-

cal Society meeting, Anaheim, CA, March 27-31, 2011.

“Binding of Lanthanide and

Actinide Ions to Oxytocin:

A Model for Radioactive

Ion Binding to Proteins,”

Tiffany Dean, Tarnisha

Lawson, Ashlee Walters,

John Sloan and Maureen K.

Murphy, presented at the 242nd national American

Chemical Society meeting, Denver, CO, August 21-24,

2011.

A.J. Swift (Chemistry, Class of 2012) , left, at Brookhaven National

Laboratory in Long Island, NY as a part of research in the DOE Nuclear

Chemistry Summer Fellows Program.

Undergraduate research

and presentation at a

professional meeting in

chemistry and biochem-

istry at Huntingdon are

required for all majors as

part of the degree. All majors enroll in CHEM 385

or CHEM 485 research cours-

es in their junior and senior

year and work alongside our

professors on a project of

interest. Undergraduate re-

search provides professional

training in research skills and

oral communication skills. The critical thinking skills

developed in undergraduate research lead to graduate

fellowships in Ph.D./Pharm.D./M.D. programs. Under-

graduate research experience is also now required to

be interviewed at UAB School of Medicine. Research

also leads to publication in peer-reviewed journals.