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Undergraduate degrees: B.A., B.S.
Undergraduate minor
Organic chemistry goes green
In 1998, two University of Oregon chemistry professors developed a ground-breaking approach to teaching organic chemistry that places environmental concerns at the forefront of chemical procedures.
Designed by Professor Ken Doxsee and Assistant Professor Jim Hutchison, the green chemistry program provides a comprehensive laboratory experience that focuses on low-waste, high efficiency chemical processes without the typical levels of exposure to toxic materials. Unlike traditional labs, the green labs don’t require limited space with special exhaust systems; students can use regular lab space, which is more readily available. This means more hands-on experience for more students.
It also adds a vital dimension to the study of chemistry: the understanding and acknowledgment that materials used in science can have harmful, even devastating effects on the environment. “There are more and more regulations on chemicals and waste for good reason,” says Doxsee.
Students learn at the university level to incorporate environmental awareness into the spirit of scientific discovery. “We learn the same chemistry and concepts as the regular organic lab, but we get so much more beyond that,” says student Anna Shope.
“It is safer, cheaper and provides a better education—how could it not catch on?” Doxsee asked shortly after the green chemistry option was added to the curriculum. And he was right—the UO chemistry department has recently been enlisted by the National Science Foundation to disseminate the program to faculty around the world.
Points of Interest
- A recent American Council on Education survey places UO’s Department of Chemistry among the thirty strongest in the nation.
- In addition to the Materials Science Institute, the Institute of Molecular Biology, the Shared Laser Facility, and the Oregon Center for Optics, chemistry faculty members are affiliated with the Institute of Neuroscience, the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, and the Institute of Computational Science.
- In addition to the opportunity to conduct research during the academic year, the Materials Science Institute offers intensive summer programs that include the Research Experience Undergraduate [REU] Program, CHIP Camp, and Poly Camp.
- Intel recently donated instrumentation worth $425,000 to the Materials Science Institute at the UO—including two optical light microscopy stations and a large sputter-deposition system.