Student Research
Student research is an integral part of the Biochemistry Major at Bowdoin. Students work with faculty members on cutting-edge research projects using state-of-the-art equipment, and they are often able to publish completed projects.
Honors graduates in Biochemistry present their research projects to the faculty and to other students in a poster session held in May.
Biochemistry majors are encouraged to parcticipate in research, either on-campus or at other sites. Research parcticipation might include working during the summer in a laboratory at Bowdoin or at another institution or perhaps in a commercial or government laboratory setting. Course credit is awarded for research carried out at Bowdoin during the academic year. Students enroll in Independent Study in Biochemistry, and the projects can be for either one or two semesters and during either or both of the junior and senior years. Projects are usually supervised by a faculty member in the Biochemistry program, but occasionally supervising faculty are other members of the Biology or Chemistry Departments. Majors who wish to be considered for graduation with honors must complete a research thesis based on an Independent Study project carried out on campus for a minimum of two semesters.
Biochemistry Honors Projects: 2002-2003
The following seniors were awarded Honors in Biochemistry at Commencement in May, 2003. This list is provided, in part, as a means of offering examples of the research areas in which honors projects may be pursued at Bowdoin. This, of course, is not an exhaustive list of research choices that are possible on this campus. For more examples, please see the section below on Faculty-Specific Projects and/or individual faculty web pages
- Scott A. Barbuto:Mutational Stabilization of the Prion Protein
- Elizabeth A. Barney:Synthesis, Purification, and Optical Spectroscopy of Dimethyl Polyenes
- Ryan A. Brawn:Synthetic Beta-Sheets Built from the 1 and 4 Positions of a Cyclohexane Tether
- Arij Faksh:Absorption and Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Long Polyenes
- Justin M. Hardison:Photosynthesis in Transgenic Cotton Overexpressing Ascorbate Peroxidase Grown under Chilling Conditions
- Colin C. Heinle:Comparative Study of the effects of AI3+. Ga3+, and In3+ on a Luminescent Platinum (II) Dimer in Aqueous Solutions
- Noah A. Kolb:The Effects of Tributyltin on the Production of Anaerobic Metabolites Derived from Pyruvate in the Blue Mussel Mytilus edulis
- Andrew F. Larson:The Role of Thylakoid Associated Kinases (TAKs) in the Distribution of Light Energy in Arabidopsis thaliana
- Nicholas A. Lillo:Application of the Comet Assay to Genotoxic Effects of Pollutants in the Blue Mussel, Mytilus edulis
- Elizabeth G. McCain:The Immunology of Parasite Resistance in Sheep
- Elise M. Meoli:The Enantioselective Catalytic Capabilities of a Lanthanide-Sulfonamide Complex with a Ferrocene Backbone