Department Overview

The Department of Chemistry at the University of Alabama has recently undertaken an extensive expansion program in faculty, equipment and research commensurate with the University's objective of strengthening and broadening research activity at both graduate and undergraduate levels. The Department is housed in Shelby Hall,which is a new state-of-the-art facility completed in summer 2004. This new facility provides modern space for the research, teaching, and administrative functions of the department. Shelby Hall is located near the Rogers Science and Engineering Library, the Bevill Energy, Mineral & Material Science Research Building (Chemical Engineering and the MINT program), and the Alabama Institute of Manufacturing Excellence (AIME) building. A number of faculty participate in the interdisciplinary Materials Science Program and in the Center for Materials for Information Technology (MINT) and have space in Bevill Energy, Mineral & Material Science Research Building. Many of the faculty are also strongly involved in the Center for Green Manufacturing, Center for Biomolecular Products and the Center for Advanced Vehicle Technology. These interdisciplinary centers allow department faculty to interact with scientists across campus to address broad-ranging problems of current interest. Students participating in these research programs gain a broad ranges of skills.

Shelby Hall, home of the Department of Chemistry

 

The Department of Chemistry is well equipped for modern research. Departmental resources include the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, Mass Spectrometry, and X-ray Diffraction facilities. Other instruments include several ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometers, gas chromatography-mass spectrometers (GC- MS), gas chromatographs, high performance liquid chromatographs (HPLC), infrared spectrometers, etc. The Department maintains and staffs modern glassblowing, electronics and machine shops for the rapid on-site maintenance of laboratory equipment and the creation of custom-designed apparatus. The University of Alabama also possesses excellent computer and electron microscope facilities. These are located across the street from the Department of Chemistry and are available on a time-sharing basis for chemical research. Other facilities available through the Center for Materials for Information Technology include Ion sputtering, Ion Beam Etching, Tape Coating, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and ferromagnetic resonance spectrometry.

Located within a short walk of the Department of Chemistry building is the Eric and Sarah Rodgers Library for Science and Engineering. This library houses a collection of over 200,000 volumes and subscribes to all major chemical and biochemical journals, as well as all major biology, physics, geology, mathematical and engineering periodicals. The Library subscribes to computerized information retrieval systems as well as the more traditional sources like Chemical Abstracts, Science Citation Index, Current Contents, etc.

The research interests of individual faculty are discussed in detail on their homepages. In each case, the primary instructional emphasis is on research, although this is supplemented by appropriate lecture courses. The research environment in the Department is enhanced by a seminar program, which features distinguished speakers from the forefront of chemical science. The Department also encourages and supports all graduate students to participate in regional and national scientific meetings.

Chemistry Degree Programs

Entering graduate students may pursue either a Ph.D. degree or a M.S. degree with research programs in the following areas:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Inorganic Chemistry
• Materials Science*
• Organic Chemistry
• Physical Chemistry
• Chemical Physics*

*Information on the special or interdisciplinary programs is available through the Department.

Individual research projects may fall into any of these areas or may involve research in disciplines such as bioinorganic, bioorganic, environmental, forensic, medicinal or polymer chemistry.

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