In my laboratory, students will learn to design primers based on the calpain cleavage sites of tau protein. They will make the construct from the PT7C-Tau cDNA, express the protein in E-coli and monitor and compare the kinetics and morphology of the truncated tau to the wild type full-length tau protein using laser light scattering (LLS) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), respectively.

Students should complete at least one semester of general chemistry course with lab.

Contact Information:

 Mel S. Sabella (773) 995-2172

Both these projects can lead to academic year projects with different types of involvement.  For more information about these projects, please talk to Dr. Sabella either by phone or email.

Students participating in this research should have passed physics 2110 and 2220 with a grade of B or above.  Exceptions to this requirement are possible.  

Funding agency: National Science Foundation and NASA

Dr. Van Duzor is Dr. Van Duzor is researching Learning Assistant pedagogy development and development of inquiry-based laboratory experiences.  She is also interested in ways to better facilitate students connections between theory and practice in the laboratory.  Students will be introduced to qualitative education research methodologies and theoretical frameworks.  There will be opportunities to collect, transcribe, and analyze video, interview, and classroom artifact data.

At least an "A" or a "B" in Chemistry 1400 and 1410; ideally and an "A" or a "B" in Chemistry 1450 and 1460  and one semester of calculus.  No programming experience necessary, but prior experience with computers is a real plus.

My area of scientific research is experimental high-energy nuclear physics, also often called high-energy "heavy-ion" physics.  This research is primarily carried out at CERN, in Geneva Switzerland.  We utilize large particle accelerators (or colliders) to collide "heavy-ion" nuclei such as gold and lead traveling at near the speed of light in order to re-create the conditions of the early universe in the laboratory.  By doing this we are able to melt normal nuclear matter, the protons and neutrons, into a "plasma" of quarks and gluons in order to study, and better understand, the strong force and the theory of Quantum Chromo-Dynamics.
I am member of the ALICE collaboration, one of the four main experiments at the Large Hadron Collider. My group is involved in hardware and analysis projects. During the summer, in collaboration with IL-LSAMP we travel to CERN, my students travel to Berkeley Labs and CERN where they do research for 10 weeks.

The other area of research is Unintrusive Archaeometry Using Muons (UAUM).  The technique muon tomography uses naturally occurring muons to probe the interiors of otherwise-impenetrable structures, similar to the way X-rays are used to see inside bodies. But unlike X-rays used in medical imaging, muons for muon tomography don’t need to be manufactured; they are created in Earth’s atmosphere when cosmic rays collide with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen. This makes them a convenient tool for imaging the interiors of large structures, from volcanos and pyramids to nuclear reactor cannisters and shipping containers at national borders.

Student should have preferably taken Physics I  and II, or should do an independent study course with me before beginning paid research.

Dr. Richter is the Director is CSU’s Center for Microwave Enhanced Chemistry (CMEC).  CMEC established to enhance the professional development of undergraduate students as well as to foster intercollegial working relationships between the faculty of CSU’s Chemistry, Physics and Biology departments.  Students working in CMEC to gain extensive experience in instrument development, R&D planning, fundamental organic, analytical, microwave and physical chemistry and a variety of analytical techniques such as infrared, ultraviolet and mass spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and liquid chromatography.  CMEC is currently involved in the following projects: 1) Investigating, understanding and exploiting microwave-enhanced heating in chemical synthesis and materials development.  2) ICP-MS method development for studying stress factors in plants. 3) Development of undergraduate laboratories using Ocean Optics spectroscopy equipment.  4) Solar Cell research and curriculum development.

Must have completed Chemistry 1400, 1410, 1450, and 1460 with B or better average.

Research Project I-Synthesis of Antibacterial Agents:  This research project involves the synthesis of two new antibacterial agents using solid-supported organic synthesis. New antibacterial agents are needed due to bacteria that have become resistant to know antibacterial agents (antibiotics). Resistant bacteria cannot be treated effectively with known antibiotics because they have developed a mechanism that allows then to survive in the presence of these known antibiotics. Our goal is to use solid-supported organic synthesis to synthesize new antibacterial agents similar to Cicadapeptins I and II. The new antibacterial agents will have as key elements unusual amino acids that induce a particular three-dimensional structure. Students will have the opportunity to synthesize their own molecules and will evaluate their antibacterial properties in collaboration with departments in the biological sciences.      Research Project II- Synthesis of Chiral Ligands for Stereoselective Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation:  The stereoselective formation of carbon-carbon bonds is of paramount importance in the synthesis of drugs that posses one or more stereogenic centers. To allow the synthesis of such molecules organic chemists have developed an array of stereoselective reactions. Our goal within this project is to contribute with new and better ligands that can be use on reactions with low stereoselectivity. The ligands to be synthesize will serve as the scaffold on metals that are use to facilitate carbon-carbon bond formation. The project will explore how the combination of phosphorous and nucleophilic carbenes on a single ligand will work together to yield stereoselective bond formation.

Must have completed Chemistry 1400, 1410, 1450,  and 1460 with B or better average. Exceptions to this requirement are possible.

NSF - Through RISE and LSAMP

Topics of interest in the group are centered on understanding binding and structural properties of nanostructures that have important implications for increasing storage capacity in molecular electronics, minimizing high temperature destabilizing effects in energy systems, and maintaining bioactivity of bound molecules in biosensors. DNA origami nano technology, scanning microscopy (SEM and AFM), and electrochemistry are applicable techniques.  Our research group focuses on creating transforming technology - sub-10 nm fabrication methods - that will advance US capabilities for a range of science, technology, and security objectives.  Immediate applications are in computation and environmental sensing.  Ultra-small circuits could mediate between electronic devices and molecules, enabling close integration of electronics with sensors and with living organisms.  Capabilities such as real-time chemical detection and rapid image processing are possible future applications.  To meet the challenge, one promising technology is nanoimprint lithography (NIL) which uses a mold stamped into a resist to render patterned features. Student researchers in our group will assistant in the development of this technique. Many variations of this basic method have been developed.  We aim to develop DNA origami (smart molecules) that are functionalized to accept 1-D and 2-D nanomolecules (suitable for studying light-induced energy transfer), and to show that we can use folded DNA molecules to localize nano components on a nanoimprint surface with exquisite precision, as small as 2 nm, to create functional structures.

Completion of Chemistry 1400 and 1410 with a grade of B or better.  Exceptions are possible.