Saint Mary's College Department of Chemistry and Physics

05/15/2026

Congrats to our graduating Chemistry and Physics majors! ⚛️

04/20/2026

Last week at the Midwestern Psychological Association conference, Psychology students presented their qualitative analysis from a study done by Chemistry professors Drummond, Fishovitz, Houser, and Sager-Smith and Psychology Professor Russell on the effect of specifications grading on student test anxiety and stress mindset.

The quantitative analysis was published earlier this year in the Journal of Chemical Education (linked in comments) and was funded by a Ball Venture Fund grant the group was awarded in 2024.

Three cheers for interdisciplinary research!🛎️🛎️🛎️

02/26/2026

It's Donor Challenge Day! 🛎️

If you are able and moved to do so, in addition to your gift to the annual fund, you can also donate to specific funds such as:
Chemistry Donation Fund
Physics Donation Fund
Benton Memorial Fund for Student Research
Drs. Toni Barstis and Joanne Snow Fund for STEM Professional Development

To give to these specific funds, go to the donor challenge page, choose "Donate" under "Other Funds: Restrict my donation" then type in the name of the fund in the "Add specific fund information" section.

THANK YOU for your continued support of Women in STEM and Saint Mary's, in all ways!
https://donorchallenge.saintmarys.edu/

02/11/2026

How many elements can you name?

Every year on February 7th, shines a spotlight on the periodic table, and to celebrate, C&EN just published a really cool periodic table game. Check it out: https://brnw.ch/21wZPdr

01/26/2026

It was so great to have Chemistry alumna, Toni Brock Johnson '89, back on campus this weekend to help kick-off our annual STEM Professional Development Workshop!

The event focused on career development, leadership and nontraditional STEM pathways.

11/17/2025

Words of wisdom to women in science from a Nobel Prize winner!

"A message for the young female researcher will be to not think that certain topics in life are just only for men. I think they have access in our days to different types of science. The infrastructure has facilitated a lot for the integration of female scientists and international scientists. They should go for it, not be concerned by fears or a lack of self-confidence."

Some career advice from scientist and 2020 chemistry laureate Emmanuelle Charpentier. She shared the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Jennifer Doudna for their work on CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors, a method for genome editing.

Read our full interview with Charpentier: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2020/charpentier/1371685-interview-transcript/

Join us on 9 December for Nobel Week Dialogue where we will tackle issues including how mental health, diseases of ageing and the prevention of chronic disease conditions must rise up political agendas. Nobel Prize laureates including Emmanuelle Charpentier, Frances Arnold, Paul Nurse and Jean Tirole will explore one of the most urgent challenges of our time: how to deliver equitable, effective, and sustainable healthcare in the 21st century.

10/29/2025

10/27/2025

Learning how to bounce back from a failed experiment is tough! That's what Advanced Lab and summer research is for 😉

"We fail much more than we ever succeed. We know that. We accept that. We're amazing at dealing with failure. That's what scientists do."

2021 chemistry laureate David MacMillan on what failure means to him as a scientist.

On 3 November, MacMillan joins other laureates and expert panellists to discuss what future we want to build for ourselves and for the next generation of scientists. Read more here: https://www.nobelprize.org/events/nobel-prize-dialogue/india-2025/

10/23/2025

Happy Mole Day!

10/08/2025

BREAKING NEWS
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi “for the development of metal–organic frameworks.”

The 2025 Nobel Prize laureates in chemistry have created molecular constructions with large spaces through which gases and other chemicals can flow. These constructions, metal–organic frameworks, can be used to harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases or catalyse chemical reactions.

Kitagawa, Robson and Yaghi have developed a new form of molecular architecture. In their constructions, metal ions function as corner-stones that are linked by long organic (carbon-based) molecules. Together, the metal ions and molecules are organised to form crystals that contain large cavities. These porous materials are called metal–organic frameworks (M*F). By varying the building blocks used in the M*Fs, chemists can design them to capture and store specific substances. M*Fs can also drive chemical reactions or conduct electricity.

“Metal–organic frameworks have enormous potential, bringing previously unforeseen opportunities for custom-made materials with new functions,” says Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.

Learn more
Press release: https://bit.ly/4njXUtg
Popular information: https://bit.ly/42gZLGZ
Advanced information: https://bit.ly/42gZUKx