Nov29
Posted on Nov 29 by
Final Exams are less than two weeks away and all students on campus are starting to pick up the pace to finish their coursework strong. Research members of the GRAB Lab are no exception and our last lab group meeting of the semester is coming up next week. Does that mean research has come to a halt? No! In a student-led meeting today Alex shared some interesting results of about the morphology of calcium phosphate materials, Connor shared results from a new standard addition method for lead analysis in Muddy River water, Emma is planning her first mineralization experiment, Jake has high hopes for both CD and LC-MS experiments, Marielle is learning QCM protocols, Stephanie has conditions worked out for calcium carbonate plate reader experiments, and Kassidy is learning about collagen. That’s an impressive end to the semester! Group meeting is about more than just sharing of data, it is also about working together as a team and encouraging each other to struggle mightily, sometimes fail, and learn a...
Nov16
Posted on Nov 16 by
After shadowing Jake for a couple of weeks and working with calcium phosphate, Stephanie has now started her own experiments having to do with calcium carbonate. This calcium carbonate experiment requires some serious pipetting skills and masterful organization. This allows Stephanie to get away from the stress of every day classes, focus on research, and catch up on new music which she listens to while doing...
Nov09
Posted on Nov 9 by
While many of the GRAB Lab students work on cutting edge biomineralization research, others work throughout Boston on environmental issues plaguing the city. Connor is continuing a lab completed at Emmanuel College in the Analytical Chemistry course where the Muddy River of Boston was tested for heavy metals. The lab tested a small portion of the river, but Connor is working to determine the health of the entire river, by measuring copper, lead, iron, and chromium at 13 different locations! Going from Jamaica pond all the way to the Charles River, the City of Boston can improve the ecosystem of the River known to all in the Fenway with this...
Nov02
Posted on Nov 2 by
The students of GRAB Lab have had reason to celebrate with Halloween, the Red Sox World Series win, and National Chemistry Week! The Emmanuel College Chemistry Club hosted a pumpkin carving event in the spirit Halloween. As the secretary of Chemistry Club and a member of the research team, Marielle carved her own pumpkin as well as assisted on the one pictured. Marielle just recently learned the technique to make dry ice needed for lyophilization. This technique was brought from the lab to the club’s event as a way to combine Halloween with chemistry and entice students to become involved in National Chemistry...
Oct29
Posted on Oct 29 by
When the students of GRAB lab are not in class, studying, or doing research, many of them work as lab assistants. Katarina works as a lab assistant in a general chemistry lab and this week the students were creating their own abbreviated activity series. Working as a lab assistant is a good opportunity for Katarina to review her knowledge of basic chemistry principles, which often times can be applied to her own research. Having Katarina in the lab allows the underclassmen to have someone they can talk to about future research opportunities or ask what being a chemistry major...
Oct29
Posted on Oct 29 by
After researching the morphology of calcium phosphate, Alex will now move onto studying calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate is a common mineral found in the ocean. With increasing climate change, more carbon dioxide is absorbed in the seawater, causing chemical reactions to occur that lower the pH of the ocean and the concentration of carbonate ions. Carbonate is a main component in sea organisms’ skeletons and shells. The lowered pH and concentration of carbonate can harm sea life and Alex hopes he can uncover information about the morphology of calcium carbonate to help save the sea...
