As society approaches the beginning of the new millennium,
it does so with the knowledge that science and technology have
significantly shaped the world in which we live. From the development
of antibiotics, to the invention of the computer, to the cloning
of Dolly, the impact of scientific discovery is observable at
every glance and an intrinsic portion of our day-to-day lives.
What will the new century bring? Many hypothesize, and some may
do so with insight and clarity. Certainly scientists-educated,
questioning and open-minded-will be needed. The challenges that
lie before them will not be merely scientific in nature, but moral
and ethical as well.
It is here, in this training of our future leaders, that Assumption
takes great pride. The Natural Sciences Department at the College
has a respected tradition of equipping students to meet the demands
of life and career. To view what lies ahead for us, we will begin
by looking at where we have been.
Dr. Eugene Byrnes, retired professor of Chemistry, taught at
Assumption for nearly three decades beginning in 1968.
"I did my undergraduate work at Rensselaer Polytechnic,
majoring in Chemistry. I completed my Ph.D. in Organic Chem-istry
at the University of New Hampshire. In the 1950s I was drafted
and worked in the Chemical Warfare Corps of the Army.
"When I started teaching at Assumption, I was one of only
two Chemistry professors, and there was no Chemistry major. Women
arrived as undergraduates in 1969. I was teaching juniors and
seniors, so I had only male students in my classes for a few years.
For some time, while women were certainly present in Chemistry
classes, the number of male students predominated."
In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Byrnes worked
for many years as a chemist at a firm in Worcester.
"In the summer of 1969, I began working at Astra Pharmaceutical
and stayed with them until they moved their research facilities
to Sweden during the 1980s. I worked on synthesizing potential
drugs. One successful project I worked on was the development
of a better antiarrhythmic medication. The drug was tocainide.
Patents were secured for myself, as the only chemist, and for
three biologists who worked on this."
Dr. Byrnes has great respect for Assumption students, a respect
that is obviously reciprocated. Two years ago, a scholarship in
Dr. Byrnes' honor was established by a former student. It is awarded
annually to an undergraduate in the sciences.
"Although these were generally years of student unrest,
I always liked the Assumption students. They were wonderful, serious,
and well-motivated. They were genuinely concerned about each other
and wanted to do well together. They were cooperative. I hope
I helped to foster this attitude, and I hope I encouraged them.
I wanted them to learn, and I was always on their side. My students
went on to pursue careers in many different fields, including
medicine, optometry, podiatry, and research. Some were hired
as chemists or technical representatives in the paper, plastics,
or chemical industries."
During his 28 years on the faculty, Dr. Byrnes saw many changes
in the Natural Sciences Department at Assumption.
"In the late '70s and '80s the facilities were brought to
a more modern level. New instruments were brought in, such as
spectrophotometers and nuclear magnetic resonance equipment. These
were costly additions, but necessary for the students to learn
what is current in the field.
"While new instrumentation is necessary, it takes up space
on the lab bench, so there is less bench space where the student
can work. The labs were designed at a time when the growth of
the College and the need for these instruments could not be foreseen."
Reflecting on his long and prodigious career, Dr. Byrnes sums
it up in this way. "Today there can be a perception that
anything that is chemical is bad and that everything natural is
good. Some people misunderstand. Not everything natural is good.
Where is the good in poisonous mushrooms or poison ivy? And chemicals
can be very good things. Where would we be without aspirin? I
am proud that I worked on the practical side of chemistry. After
all, chemistry is not just something to be studied for its own
sake. It is useful. Its purpose is to make life better."
Dr. Edward Dix is an assistant professor of Chemistry at Assumption
and a consulting chemist at Symbollon Corporation in Framingham.
Dr. Dix currently teaches two of the courses that Dr. Byrnes originally
taught, Organic Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry. Dr. Dix clearly
states that his work in academia and industry is important and
complementary.
"As a student, I was inspired by my Chemistry teachers.
They were influential in making me excited about Chemistry, and
I knew the place I could show my excitement was in teaching. I
want to help others learn about Chemistry. I was aware that I
didn't want to teach at a research institution where my primary
involvement would be that of research. In that setting I would
have the opportunity to lecture only a few times a week. Here
at Assumption, I see the students develop and grow. It's a wonderful
experience and personally gratifying.
"I enjoy my work at Symbollon also. The company develops
anti-microbial products that disinfect surfaces and
people. I do some analytical chemistry and method development
for them, figuring out how to measure concentrations of chemicals.
I think it is important for my students to see someone from the
faculty working in industry, experiencing firsthand what they
may face after graduation.
"I've learned quite a bit at Symbollon, and it has filtered
back into my teaching. This was an unexpected benefit. For example,
I used a certain technique in my work at Symbollon and then introduced
it into the Analytical Chemistry course here. I had expectations
that my work would help me grow as a chemist and broaden my horizons.
However, it has actually changed some of the ways I teach."
Dr. Dix encourages his students to become involved in independent
study.
"I try to give the students a piece of a puzzle to work
out. I'm specifically interested in how the shapes of molecules
may dictate their reactivity. There are molecules that can assume
some different shapes. In a study with a student, the
initial compound showed that the molecules were not reactive.
While this was somewhat distressing, as we were discussing this,
we realized that all we needed to do was to rephrase the question.
No longer were we questioning if we could get the reaction to
work; we were now asking what the space requirements were on this
molecule to make this reaction work. The next student to take
on this research project will go directly to where we left off
and build different molecules." According to
Dr. Dix, the computer has become an invaluable teaching tool in
Chemistry.
"I am looking forward to doing more computer modeling, to
see what reactive states of this molecule look like. This is the
way Chemistry is being done now and will continue to be done.
You start off looking at what the computer predictions are and
then go to the lab and see if they match the predictions. It helps
us learn and refine our knowledge.
"Molecular modeling also feeds into the classroom. Where
we used to rely on two-dimensional pictures of molecules drawn
on a chalkboard, now we can project three-dimensional images onto
a screen from a computer and rotate it in real time. This is a
wonderful tool to reinforce the material being presented and show
graphically how we think these chemicals react."
Computers in Chemistry also assist those doing research.
"The person who worked on a project before me at the University
of Rochester, where I received my Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry,
spent six months figuring out what one reactive state on a molecule
looked like. I can now do the same work in about one half hour,
using the computer on my desk.
"This is one reason we need better multimedia lecture facilities.
No one anticipated how vital computers would be to our teaching
effectively. I look forward to having enhanced computer capabilities
in the classroom. Also important, as we put more research components
into our curriculum, is space for research projects. Sharing space
with teaching labs does not allow for uninterrupted experimentation."
Assumption students pursuing research projects impress Dr. Dix
with their diligence.
"These students want to learn more and more, and often more
than what we have time for in one course. I had one student who
was interested in Environ-mental Chemistry. He did water samples
on a pond where he fished as a boy, testing for contaminants.
"Students at Assumption are genuinely nice. It is extremely
interesting to watch them develop as the academic year progresses.
I'm satisfied when the student really understands, and I can see
the light bulb go off in class or in the lab. I see it all fit
together for him or her. It's a wonderful feeling when you can
show them the material by graphic representation. You see them
make the connections and get excited by it."
Natural Science majors are pre-pared for a variety of career
paths after graduation.
"Students who major in the Natural Sciences at Assumption
are well-spoken and well-rounded. They receive a liberal arts
degree, not a technical degree. The careers they eventually pursue
are quite diverse. If our graduates obtain positions in customer
service and quality control, they typically move into areas of
increased strong contact with
customers.
"We also offer a post-baccalaureate program for students
who have a bachelor's degree, but need to obtain science prerequisites
for medical school. These are students who are entirely focused.
They are on top of the material, and they raise the standards
of the class. They are highly motivated individuals."
While Dr. Dix clearly enjoys his role at Assumption, there are
some drawbacks.
"The facility we're in is limiting us in how we do what
we do. The program is stronger than people even inside the College
realize. We are as good as countless schools, and better than
most. Yet when potential freshmen are looking for a college, we
do not have the benchmarks that other institutions have to show
they're so strong.
"Our curriculum is very much up to date. We continue to
examine it and keep our teaching current. However, the
computer center and the science building don't look up to date.
There is wonderful technology that is contained in just
one classroom. And this is something prospective students see
as they walk around campus."
Dr. Kimberly Schandel is an assistant professor of Biochemistry
at Assumption, teaching both Chemistry and Biology. Dr. Schandel
teaches two courses formerly taught by Dr. Byrnes, Biochemistry
and Medicinal Chemistry. In addition, she is an adjunct assistant
professor of Molecular Genetics at UMASS Medical Center. She arrived
at Assumption in 1993.
"I had considered other careers, including medical school,
but I knew I would love teaching and the interactions with students.
I also knew I would enjoy a small college, rather than a big research
university. As an undergraduate at Pennsylvania State University,
I saw how much time the faculty spent in grant- writing. It left
little time for teaching.
"Penn State was a great experience for me, but I also realized
the limitations of an institution that big. Students get lost.
Students have to work hard to make themselves known to the faculty
and to benefit from their professors' expertise."
Dr. Schandel encourages her students to pursue different options
while they are undergraduates.
"Sometimes my students seem frustrated because they don't
know exactly what they want to do. I tell them that they should
let themselves experience college and think about what kind of
life they want to have. They need to keep in mind that their career
isn't their life, but just a part of it. It's easy to see the
typical career path into medical school, but
students tend to forget how many alternatives there are, such
as health care administration or management, high school science
teaching or technical support personnel.
"In high school, you're not exposed to the various disciplines
that are available on a college level. I often encourage my advisees
to pick a minor that is very different from their major. I urge
them to consider History, English, or Philosophy. These are areas
that give the students balance and broaden their academic experience.
It's important to keep in mind that Science isn't everything,
especially if the student wants to pursue a career in health care.
It's hard to teach the personal skills needed in the health professions.
The student must be able to feel empathy, and this often comes
from an understanding of different cultures and other ways of
thinking. The student can help develop these from other courses
in other areas."
Dr. Schandel has found her students to be quite motivated and
hard-working.
The Natural Sciences at Assumption
"Students who major in Science at Assumption are generally
serious. They chose this major real-izing it requires a
significant time invest-ment in class and in the laboratory. They
expend a lot of effort, and they tend to manage their time well.
I am impressed that our students are often motivated to explore
topics in detail, to look at tangentially related ideas."
Many of Dr. Schandel's students, like Shannon Mission '99, have
been involved in internships and independent research projects.
"Independent research is done on campus and is a great steppingstone
to graduate school. In fact, it has become a prerequisite for
graduate school. The students are able to work in the lab and
formulate a question that can be answered with some type of experiment.
"Internships are done off-campus. One student completed
an internship at the Cancer Center at UMASS, looking at how different
components of cigarette smoke can damage DNA. She was very excited
about the lab-based research,
and then realized a career in this area was not for her. Research
can be slow going, and you're very isolated when you're doing
it. Sometimes internships can show you what career you do not
want to pursue, and this is extremely
important.
"Another student worked at a shelter for battered women.
She was involved in taking the histories of women and finding
support services for women and their children. This internship
greatly influenced her. She is now pursuing a Master's in Public
Health at Tulane, specializing in the issues of women and children.
"Internships also give students a connection outside the
College. Perhaps a supervisor at the placement site will be a
job reference one day, someone who can comment on the student's
attitude, professionalism, and skills not addressed in a classroom
setting."
While Dr. Schandel is impressed with the curriculum in Natural
Sciences, she is aware of the limitations that presently exist.
"We are a very strong school and provide an excellent education.
The students here are as good as I have seen anywhere. They are
involved in very interesting projects as well. One student did
a semester-long project on a disease that makes people ultra-sensitive
to sunlight. It's a genetic disease, and she studied the mode
of inheritance. These people cannot repair DNA damage the way
others can. At the end of the semester, she tied together elements
of what is normal DNA structure and what happens when it becomes
damaged.
"However there are limits on what we can do here. If we
had better facilities, we could do so much more. We are able to
offer courses in all the important areas, but our labs are not
impressive. Prospective students do not get the impression that
we are strong. They don't see on their initial tour that we can
offer them what other schools can."
Dr. Schandel and Dr. Dix share a common vision for the future.
Dr. Dix has confidence that what is good about Assumption will
get even better.
"I hope to see even more collaboration between the students
and the faculty. In the future, there will be different kinds
of spaces available for more research-oriented programs. A student
will be able to call a space his own. There will be some smaller
labs which would allow experiments to run over a period of time."
Dr. Schandel agrees with these comments.
"As a department, we will continue to evaluate what we do
and determine how we can do it even better. In the future, we
will be able to integrate lecture and lab courses without a division
between the lecture work and the lab work. The concepts the students
will learn in lecture will come out of the experiments in the
lab. This is the wave of the future.
"I am sold on Assumption. I liked it from the beginning
when I first interviewed here. This is a very unified department.
We have different personalities, but we all have the same focus.
We're here for the students. That is our first priority."
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