Grant Funds Research for Chemistry's Patrick Melvin and Student Opportunities
A two-year grant from the Charles E. Kaufman Foundation will help fund the work of Assistant Professor of Chemistry Patrick R. Melvin, in particular providing stipends for four undergraduates to conduct research with Melvin during the summer of 2022 and the summer 2023. The grant will also pay for student travel to chemistry conferences, such as the American Chemical Society’s National Meeting this spring.
The Melvin Laboratory focuses on organic/organometallic chemistry with an aim to produce new and improved synthetic strategies.
"With pharmaceutical molecules growing ever more complicated, we need novel methods to tackle challenging transformations and stitch together important bonds," explains Melvin.
This grant is titled "Improving on Mother Nature: Efficient Fluorination of Organic Molecules Using a Novel Sulfur Reagent" and is part of the lab's investigations into a new class of molecules to help install fluorine into organic compounds. Fluorination is used in medicinal chemistry to improve a variety of properties.
"Our goal is to create more efficient methods to incorporate fluorine into organic molecules in the first place, thereby making it easier synthesize important pharmaceuticals," explains Melvin.
Upwards of 15 undergraduate students will be supported by this funding, developing specific skills in organic synthesis and methodology while also gaining experience in bringing a project from initial hypothesis to publication.
Bryn Mawr’s Chemistry Department has a more than century-long tradition of combining high quality, visible research programs with excellent teaching. The department seeks to provide a supportive and rigorous curriculum at the undergraduate and graduate level to students having diverse preparation and diverse goals.