SIUE Chemistry Department teams up with Sigma XI

The SIUe Chemistry Department is expanding its research this semester and has connected with Sigma XI for funding. Rachel Davis has received $1,000 from Sigma XI, the fund is now active and being used for research related to Aquatic Vertebrates. Along with the Sigma XI award, Davis received the URCA associate award in the Chemistry Department, which is an internally funded award by the University for Undergraduate Projects.  Danielle Smith also received $500 in research grants towards a project investigating antibiotic levels in ground water in the Greater St. Louis Area from the Illinois Groundwater Association.

Dr. Kevin Tucker, Department of Chemistry

The Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research program has provided undergraduate and graduate students with valuable educational experiences since 1922. By encouraging close working relationships between students and mentors, the program promotes scientific excellence and achievement through hands-on learning.

Kevin Tucker, Assistant Professor, Analytical Chemistry, “It’s a great learning opportunity for undergraduate students to learn how to write a grant. These grants are written by students for their own projects. I oversee this process, so it’s not only an opportunity to get funding but an opportunity to do research”.

The program awards grants of up to $1,000 to students from all areas of the sciences and engineering. Students use the funding to pay for travel expenses to and from a research site, or for purchase of non-standard laboratory equipment necessary to complete a specific research project.

“I’m the first faculty member in the Dept. of Chemistry to receive funding from Sigma XI. I think now that I’ve received it, other faculty members are looking at it as a potential source of small funding for faculty and student research” says Tucker.

In October, Davis aims to present her preliminary data at the East Central Illinois American Chemical Society Undergraduate Research Symposium conference in Champaign, Ill. Smith will also look to present her Ground Water findings next semester.

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