Teaching & Research Labs
The department features seven modern laboratories for classroom research and four dedicated labs for use in independent research with faculty. The facilities are designed to expedite workflow and promote collaboration.
Chemistry Majors
“The synthesis of molecules puts chemistry very close to the arts. We create the objects that we or others then study or appreciate.”
– Roald Hoffmann
Chemistry allows us to understand the way atoms and molecules behave and how those behaviors lead to everything we know and love. It is the study of matter and all of the changes that matter can undergo. Chemistry majors strive to understand diverse phenomena from a molecular point of view.
About the Majors
OWU offers three distinct majors in chemistry to meet the educational and career goals of students.
- B.A. Chemistry. The Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry prepares you to enter various positions in the chemical industry, enter some graduate programs, and to teach high school chemistry.
- B.S. Chemistry. The Bachelor of Science in Chemistry prepares you to pursue professional careers in the chemical industry, graduate work in chemistry, or other fields that require a strong chemistry background with a foundation in all five of the major subdisciplines of chemistry. This major is also appropriate for students intending to pursue careers in medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, secondary school teaching, industrial sales, or other fields that require a solid chemistry background and who want a more developed major than that offered by the B.A. Chemistry major. Ohio Wesleyan’s Department of Chemistry is accredited by the American Chemical Society, and chemistry and biochemistry students pursuing a Bachelor of Science major can work with faculty to identify the curriculum they can complete to become ACS certified.
- ACS-Certified Chemistry. This major meets the recommendations of the American Chemical Society Committee on Professional Training. By completing this major, you will be certified by the American Chemical Society. ACS-certified majors are particularly attractive to industry. With the more extensive curricular development of this major, students are also better prepared for graduate study in chemistry and for industrial research. This major is strongly recommended for students pursuing a career in chemistry. The ACS-Certified Chemistry major will no longer accept new students after December 18, 2020.
Related Minors
Think Big
Conduct independent research under the guidance of a faculty member in areas as diverse as computer modeling, synthesis and analysis of inorganic complexes, design and testing of probes for environmental analysis, synthesis of complex organic molecules, and chemical modification of proteins.
Participate in the Summer Science Research Program, a 10-week intensive program, and present your results at the Patricia Belt Conrades Summer Science Research Symposium in the fall.
Water Purification Research
During the 10-week Summer Science Resarch Program, Alexander Landgraf ’16 collaborated with his professor on research intended to improve water purification processes.
Go Global
You can take Travel-Learning Courses that combine classroom exploration with on-the-ground practical experiences. Chemistry professors have brought students to Germany and Italy.
You also can receive OWU Connection Grants to conduct research in labs, universities, and other organizations around the world.
Chemistry & Art
OWU students visited Italy as part of a Chemistry and Art Travel-Learning Course. During the trip, students learned how chemistry plays a vital role in the creation, preservation, restoration, destruction, forgery detection, and analysis of the many works of art throughout Italy.
Get Real
Build your experience and connections to the professional world with internships at research centers, universities, and other organizations. Recent OWU students have completed internships at the Mayo Clinic, Nationwide Children's Hospital, and the Field Museum in Chicago.
Chemistry students also complete internships with Airable Research Lab, a commercial laboratory located in OWU's Schimmel/Conrades Science Center. Airable is associated with the Ohio Soybean Council.
Highlights
GC Mass Spectrometer
A mass spectrometer measures the mass/charge ratio of samples that have been ionized. OWU's Shimazu QP5000 Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS) features electron-impact ionization and a quadrupole mass spectrometer. It is fitted with a robotic sampler for automated and unattended operation.
Student Assistantships
Chemistry majors put their expertise to work in a number of paid positions at OWU, including lab assistants, tutors, graders, and stockroom assistants.
Science Lecture Series
Thursday is Science Lecture Series day at OWU. Researchers from across the country in biology, chemistry, computer science and mathematics, geology, physics, and neuroscience discuss their work in lectures aimed at the general science audience of faculty and students.
Graduate Outcomes
Breane Budaitis '14
A double-major in Chemistry and Genetics, Breane received a prestigious 2016 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. She received her doctorate in cellular and molecular biology at the University of Michigan Medical School in 2020.
Headlines
Knowledge Activated
Ohio Wesleyan Student’s Research Explores Inorganic, Organometallic Chemistry
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Molecular-Level Interactions
Ohio Wesleyan Student Conducts Research at Mayo Clinic
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A Look at Chemistry
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Department Contact Info
Location
Schimmel/Conrades Science Center
Ohio Wesleyan University
Delaware, OH 43015
Ohio Wesleyan University
Delaware, OH 43015
P 740-368-3907
F 740-368-3999
F 740-368-3999
Department Contact
Chair: Katherine Thomas
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Schimmel/Conrades Science Center 362
740-368-3526
klthomas@owu.edu
Academic Assistant: Judy Arlington
Schimmel/Conrades Science Center 201
740-368-3907
jaarlington@owu.edu
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Schimmel/Conrades Science Center 362
740-368-3526
klthomas@owu.edu
Academic Assistant: Judy Arlington
Schimmel/Conrades Science Center 201
740-368-3907
jaarlington@owu.edu