Chemistry Department

For recent highlights about the Chemistry Department, check out our NEWSLETTER!

The Union College Chemistry Department is certified by the American Chemical Society and offers small classes and laboratory settings. Our 13 faculty members are dedicated teachers with a wide range of expertise. At Union, you will enjoy stimulating classes and extraordinary opportunities for research. Chemistry students present their research in the campus wide Steinmetz Symposium and at national and regional conferences. Students participate in academic-year and paid summer research with faculty mentors; approximately 30 chemistry and biochemistry summer research internships are awarded each year.

The Chemistry Department at Union College has many advantages:

• Our small class and laboratory sizes allow for close interaction between students and faculty.
• Our excellent collection of chemical instrumentation used in laboratory teaching and for research.
• Our strong tradition of student-faculty research leading to publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national and regional conferences. This research occurs throughout the academic year and the summer.
• Our situation as part of a liberal arts college, allowing chemistry and biochemistry majors to explore interests in fields such as arts, classics, history, economics, and others.
• Union’s strong tradition of the term-abroad experience, of which the predominance of our majors take advantage.
• Our national award-winning Chemistry & Biochemistry Club which sponsors a variety of activities including ACS-partnered events (such as National Chemistry Week), on-campus seminars, social events, and demonstrations.
• The opportunity for students to do internships at local chemical and technical firms.

A recent survey showed that 100% of the 70 students who graduated in the past 5 years with a Chemistry or Biochemistry major were either employed or enrolled in graduate, medical or professional school. Here is a breakdown of those students' current status:

• 36% went directly to employment, mainly in chemical or biotechnology corporations
• 14% enrolled in MD or DO programs
• 26% enrolled in other graduate programs
• 24% enrolled in graduate school in chemistry or biochemistry

Union chemistry and biochemistry students work in our exceptional facilities, using use state-of-the-art instrumentation in laboratory classes and research. Just a few recent examples include:

• Environmental analysis using liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry
• Drug discovery using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
• Biochemical analysis using multifunction spectroscopic plate readers
• Materials research using scanning electron microscopy

In addition, the Peter Irving Wold Center is home to the Aerogel Fabrication, Characterization, and Applications Lab, an interdisciplinary facility for faculty and student researchers in chemistry and mechanical engineering.

Beyond campus, many majors go on Union’s Sicily term abroad, where they engage in research projects with scientists and graduate students at the National Research Council in Palermo. Others hold internships at local chemical and technical firms. Our national award-winning Chemistry & Biochemistry Club is involved in numerous activities, including professional society meetings and volunteer work at local schools.

Union students who graduate with a major in chemistry enroll in medical school and other health-related graduate programs, and go on to further study and careers in business, education, and law. About one-third of our graduates proceed directly to jobs in chemical or biotechnology corporations.

The Union College Chemistry Department values diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our teaching, mentoring, advising, and research. It is the responsibility of our entire chemistry community (students, faculty, staff, and visitors) to ensure that each member feels valued and welcomed. This is a community built on respect for each other’s individual identities, one that is free from discrimination, harassment, exploitation, and intimidation. Together, our diverse perspectives and experiences contribute both to the strength of our collective learning environment and our ability to conduct novel research in chemistry. We commit to being open, to listening, to growing, and to learning (and where appropriate, un-learning) as we strive to make our Union Chemistry community welcoming, just, and inclusive.