Chemistry

The Chemistry Department is located on the third floor of the 70,000 square-foot Science Center facility. The Science Center houses enhanced teaching and lab spaces, research and outreach facilities, and state-of-the-art collaboration areas for students.

Chemistry Facilities

Outreach opportunities are available to practice new skills while helping others through Rural Outreach Chemistry for Kids (ROCK) and Southern Alleghenies Learn and Serve Alliance. In 2017/2018, the ROCK program conducted over 216 outreach events reaching 5,660 regional K-12 students in Blair, Bedford, Cambria, Somerset, Westmoreland, and 
Clearfield counties.

Learn more about the ROCK program

Undergraduate research is a key component in the chemistry program at SFU.

Students can start doing undergraduate research as early as their freshman year. The chemistry department is currently working on a five-year NSF STEP grant with the environmental engineering and mathematics departments. Research students are working in collaborative teams between the three departments to better understand environmental chemistry. Specifically, projects are focusing on a local problem involving acid mine drainage from regional abandoned coal mines.

One-on-one instruction from our faculty.

Students often work directly with our faculty to further their knowledge through actively participating in research projects and presentations. Dr. Rose Clark is working with Griffin Sangrey on the electrochemical analyzer.

Community-Engaged Courses provide opportunities for students to work together to affect change in the community as well as gain an enriched learning experience through hands-on activities. Students apply what they are learning in class to meet a community need.

Addressing the local lead issue

Developing communication tools for deaf/blind

Helping to make the world cleaner

The Saint Francis University Chemistry Program has been approved by the American Chemical Society to offer ACS certified degrees. An institution with an ACS-approved program in chemistry is committed to providing  a broadly based and intellectually challenging experience in chemistry. The ACS Committee on Professional Training (CPT) carefully evaluates a chemistry department’s program with respect to its breadth and depth, the qualifications of the chemistry faculty, the adequacy of the facilities, condition of instrumentation, access to current chemical literature, and opportunities for a meaningful research experience. An academic institution whose chemistry department meets the guidelines for ACS approval is placed on a nationally recognized list of approved chemistry programs. For more information, visit American Chemical Society.