With over seventy total researchers during the summer, the Furman University Chemistry Department boasts one of the largest undergraduate research programs in the nation. The summer of 2014 marked the 50th consecutive program in which undergraduates, masters students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty mentors, and visiting faculty from area schools work together over a ten-week period in a wide variety of scientific research projects. The undergraduate students, who receive stipends for the summer, carry out independent investigations in the areas of analytical, inorganic, physical, organic and bio-organic chemistry. This program would not be possible without the support of wide variety of public and private sources.
These student/faculty collaborations produced the following research papers that were published in peer-reviewed journals.
Submissions from 2026
The Hydration of Trifluoroacetic Acid from 0 K to 298 K, Walker J. Smith, Caroline S. Glick, and George C. Shields
Submissions from 2025
Computational Exploration of the Ability of the 2-Methyltetrols Produced from Photooxidation of Isoprene to Form Prenucleation Complexes, Conor Bready, Alexandra Sorescu, Caroline S. Glick, and George C. Shields
Structure and Stability of Phospholipid-Based Microbubbles Studied Using a Spin Probe, Lauren E. Jarocha, Jason E. Streeter, Sherwood Ivan Weaver, Andrew McHorse, Natalia V. Lebedeva, Paul A. Dayton, and Malcolm D. E. Forbes
Quantum Chemical Exploration of Fentanyl and Its Analogs: Conformational Landscapes and Energetics in Solution, Kimberlyn McKnight, E. Liyah Reed, Caroline S. Glick, Leah A. Juechter, Christina A. Guevara, Caitlin E. Scott, and George C. Shields
Reliable structures and electronic energies of small water clusters using density functional and local correlation coupled cluster model chemistries, Ben Petty, Vance Fowler, Audrey Ryu, Caroline S. Glick, Carly Rock, Qihang Wang, Greg Tschumper, and George C. Shields
Chemically-triggered dopant release from surface modified polypyrrole films, Grant A. Richter, Allen Knepper, Paul J. Molino, and Timothy Hanks
Research at Predominately Undergraduate Institutions Published Recently in The Journal of Physical Chemistry A, B, and C, George C. Shields
Physical Chemistry Concepts Introduced into the Chemistry Curriculum using WebMO, George C. Shields and Will Polik
Xylylethynyl Titanocene with a Microsecond Emission Lifetime Photosensitizes Singlet-Oxygen Formation and Photon Upconversion, Jack M. Sledesky, John H. Zimmerman, Henry C. London, Ethan C. Lambert, Colin D. McMillen, Matilda Barker, Kenneth Hanson, and Paul S. Wagenknecht
Development of a Colorimetric Polydiacetylene, Solid-Substrate Sensor for SARS-CoV-2 Detection in Human Saliva, Christopher T. Stueber, Timothy Hanks, Paul L. Dawson, Julie K. Northcutt, William T. Pennington, and Belinda Cochran
Submissions from 2024
Synthesis and Characterization of New Organoammonium, Thiazolium, and Pyridinium Triiodide Salts: Crystal Structures, Polymorphism, and Thermal Stability, Madhushi Bandara, Khadijatul Kobra, Spencer R. Watts, Logan Grady, Connor Hudson, Claudina Veas, Timothy W. Hanks, Rakesh Sachdeva, Jorge Barroso, Colin D. McMillen, and William T. Pennington
Supporting STEM Success Through Prematriculation Undergraduate Research, Lynn Breyfogle, Karen Castle, Xiaoyan Liu, and George C. Shields
Stability and Structure of Potentially Atmospherically Relevant Glycine Ammonium Bisulfate Clusters, Annapoorani Hariharan, Conor J. Bready, Jack G. Ajello, Samantha H. Black, George C. Shields, and Christopher J. Johnson
The Synthesis and Crystallographic Characterization of Emissive Pt(II) and Au(I) Compounds Exploiting the 2-Ethynylpyrmidine Ligand, Sarah L. McDarmont, Mary Jo McComick, Paul S. Wagenknecht, Lily E. Duplooy, Jared A. Pienkos, and Colin D. McMillen
Impact of Intracellular Proteins on μ-Opioid Receptor Structure and Ligand Binding, Caitlin E. Scott, Leah A. Juechter, Josephine Rocha, Lauren D. Jones, Brenna Outten, Taylor D. Aishman, Alaina R. Ivers, and George C. Shields
Ligand-to-metal charge-transfer states in emissive d0 metallocenes: Design strategies for titanocene based photocatalysts, Paul S. Wagenknecht
Investigation of the Effect of the Trifluoropropynyl Ligand on Pt(N^C^N)X (X = Cl, C2CF3) Complexes, J. H. Zimmerman, B. J. Cahill, W. M. Thomas, J. S. McCarthy, C. D. McMillen, and Paul S. Wagenknecht
Submissions from 2023
Conducting research at primarily undergraduate institutions, Nicholas D. Ball, Maria A. Gomez, Brian P. Rempel, Elaine R. Farkas, Tori E. Makal, George C. Shields, Carol A. Parish, Blakely W. Tresca, Elizabeth G. McGinitie, and Emily Edwards
Design Strategies for Luminescent Titanocenes: Improving the Photoluminescence and Photostability of Arylethynyltitanocenes, Matilda Barker, Thomas J. Whittemore, Henry C. London, Jack M. Sledesky, Elizabeth A. Harris, Tiffany M. Smith Pellizzeri, Colin D. McMillen, and Paul S. Wagenknecht
Garcinolic Acid Distinguishes Between GACKIX Domains and Modulates Interaction Networks, Meghan E. Breen, Stephen T. Joy, Omari J. Baruti, Matthew S. Beyersdorf, Madeleine J. Henley, Samantha N. De Salle, Peter D. Ycas, Azya Croskey, Tomasz Cierpicki, William CK Pomerantz, and Anna K. Mapp
Quantum chemical modeling of organic enhanced atmospheric nucleation: A critical review, Jonas Elm, Daniel Ayoubi, Morten Engsvang, Andreas Buchgraitz Jensen, Yosef Knattrup, Jakub Kubecka, Conor J. Bready, Vance R. Fowler, Shannon E. Harold, Olivia M. Longsworth, and George C. Shields
Prebiotic dimer and trimer peptide formation in gas-phase atmospheric nanoclusters of water, Shannon E. Harold, Skyler L. Warf, and George C. Shields
The driving effects of common atmospheric molecules for formation of clusters: the case of sulfuric acid, formic acid, hydrochloric acid, ammonia, and dimethylamine, Olivia M. Longsworth, Conor J. Bready, and George C. Shields
The driving effects of common atmospheric molecules for formation of clusters: the case of sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, ammonia, and dimethylamine, Olivia N. Longsworth, Conor J. Bready, Macie S. Joines, and George C. Shields
Mass spectrometry imaging of hair identifies daily maraviroc adherence in HPTN 069/ACTG A5305, Elias P. Rosen, Nicole R. White, William M. Gilliland Jr., Roy R. Gerona, Monica Gandhi, K. Rivet Amico, Kenneth H. Mayer, Roy M. Gulick, and Angela D. M. Kashuba