Experimentation and the desire for a more complete understanding has been the motivation of countless scientists for the past millennium.  This desire to understand and to explore a new frontier has also been my motivation as a chemist.  I am constantly astounded by the progress that early scientists made while having little more than imagination to help them visualize atomic structure.  While these scientists have taken us far, it is exciting to realize that there is so much more basic science to explore.  I find it thrilling to gain a new understanding for a chemical system and to be the very first person to ever conduct a new and novel experiment!  I enjoy conveying this excitement to my students as a way to stoke their excitement and their curiosity.  My philosophy is that hands-on experimentation in new and novel areas is crucial for the education of undergraduate students but also for the encouragement and development of our next generation scientists.  Therefore, our research focuses first on education and experience and second on completing scientifically relevant and important experiments in three main areas: bioanalytical chemistry, biomaterials, and nanotechnology.  I am primarily interested in taking analytical and chemical approaches to address challenges in these areas.  I believe that these are three areas where significant challenges lay and where significant improvements can be made.

The students, joining us at any time in their four years at Emmanuel and finally moving on through graduation, are the life force of this group.  This site is intended to highlight the research that we are conducting, but also to highlight the researchers doing the work.  You’re invited to read more about our work and check back to read about updates and group news.

Professor Aren Gerdon