Student Perspectives
Graduate Students
James Vecchione
When I was searching for a graduate program in chemistry, my first objective was to compile a list of schools with programs active and on the forefront of chemical biology, my area of interest. My next objective was to contact faculty at those schools to arrange meetings for research discussions. I visited chemistry departments from coast-to-coast, but I found the department of chemistry at Brown to be highly unique. For me, what distinguished the Brown chemistry department was a strong sense of community. At Brown, labs are not separated and competitive; instead everyone works and contributes together. Ask any student and they will agree we are part of a “chemistry neighborhood.” Faculty members here are devoted to their areas of expertise, and absolutely love what they do. Working amongst this expert faculty has facilitated my thesis research; when a problem arises, who better to ask than an expert in dealing with that particular issue. I have that option here at Brown. The collaborative environment fostered within the department of chemistry is also evident throughout the larger Brown community. You will not feel abandoned at Brown. It’s hard to get lost here or anywhere else in Rhode Island. You can find just about everything within a short travel.
The graduate chemistry program at Brown is carefully structured. There are many challenging milestones along the way that help students enhance their fundamental skills as a chemist. These milestones ensure we are taking the measures necessary to become knowledge experts in our field of interest. The chemistry graduate program is very challenging, yet very rewarding since it truly brings out the best in you.
I am a member of the Sello Group where my focus can best be described as chemical biology. I study the regulation of antibiotic resistance genes in bacteria. Often times antibiotics cause subtle changes within the cell, and resistant bacteria detect these changes and respond by activating resistance genes. Put differently, antibiotics can induce expression of resistance genes. Past investigations of “inducible antibiotic resistance” have uncovered fundamental insights into how bacteria regulate gene expression. I hope to add to the continuation of this trend in my studies. My current work involves the total synthesis of various naturally occurring antibacterial compounds. Once these compounds are in hand, I use the tools of molecular biology to study how they influence the regulation of resistance genes in bacteria.
Hongbo Gu
Being a graduate student at Brown chemistry is a happy and lucky thing. Not only because of the easy access to most academic resources but also the diversity of research in the department. This diversity provides me a great opportunity to solve problems. Although my research mainly focuses on protein identifications, I obtain great help from other fields of chemistry such as organic synthesis and energy level analysis of molecules. So that, I don’t have to do my research only from a biological perspective, but chemical!
Another great benefit of being a graduate student at Brown is that you can always find attractive projects to do since there are so many excellent researchers around you focusing on all kinds of interesting research fields. From my interdisciplinary project, I have realized that chemistry is not just starting from material A to product B but can be applied to life science and the understanding of the human mystery.
Yanan Liu
When I first visited Brown, I was so impressed by the beautiful campus. As an international student here, I feel at ease, which helps me to concentrate on my research. One thing that also impressed me is the high quality of the courses. The educational atmosphere at Brown nurtures my desire to branch out from my comfort zone by providing opportunities such as interdisciplinary courses, lectures, and seminars.
Coming to Brown is the best decision I made to enhance my academic creativity. Brown is the place that you can be part of science research and communicate with outstanding scientists and scientist candidates.
Undergraduate Students
Kaylie Young
Congratulations to Kaylie Young ‘08, winner of the 2007 Frank and Sara McKnight Prize in Undergraduate Chemistry.
The McKnight Prize recognizes outstanding undergraduate chemistry researchers. Kaylie submitted her research abstract and letter of support from Professor Shouheng Sun in early October 2007. Shortly, thereafter she was notified that she was one of ten national finalists for the 2007 McKnight Prize. Kaylie then traveled all expense paid to New Braunfels, Texas where she attended the University of Texas Southwestern Biochemistry Research Retreat.
On Friday, November 9, 2007 Kaylie and the other nine undergraduate finalists and the entire UT Southwestern graduate student body participated in a Poster Session. Two UT Southwestern Biochemistry faculty members judged Kaylie’s poster and presentation. On Saturday evening, Kaylie was awarded the first place prize ($2000) for her research project entitled “Conjugating Methotrexate to Magnetic Magnetite (Fe3O4) Nanoparticles via Trichloro –s-triazine (TsT).” Among the goals of this research is to design an inexpensive, water-soluble chemistry that will allow for the attachment of functional molecules such as drugs, proteins, and antibodies to magnetic nanoparticles. The project has focused on conjugating the chemotherapy drug Methotrexate to the nanoparticles to serve as drug delivery agents.
Kaylie’s interest in the sciences began as a high school student in Upstate New York; at that point in her science career she was interested in genetics. One summer during high school she learned of an opportunity to work with a nano professor at SUNY Binghamton. It was during this summer that her interest in nanotechnology blossomed. When she arrived at Brown, she intended to be a biochemistry concentrator but as luck would have it her new interest in nanoscience coincided with the arrival of Professor Shouheng Sun. At the end of her freshman year, Kaylie introduced herself to Professor Sun and discussed joining his research group.
Kaylie’s love of research and science extends beyond the Brown University campus. Kaylie has attended two summer programs through the NSF funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). The first was a Nano- Bio REU at the University of Notre Dame.. Remarkably, her achievements at Notre Dame sent her half way around the world to Budapest, Hungary for a two week stay in which she presented her research. The following summer she studied at the University of Washington, Seattle as an intern through the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) REU and presented her work at Cornell University.
Kaylie’s enthusiasm for her research and its potential are contagious. As the first member of her family to attend a private college, she is rightfully proud that her hard work and dedication to science has reaped her deserved recognition. Kaylie plans for the future include chemistry, of course! She is in the midst of the graduate school application process.