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Chemistry

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Helen Hoyt

Chair & Associate Professor of Chemistry

2 East South Street

Galesburg, IL 61401-4999

309-341-7798

hhoyt@​knox.edu

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A wooden model of a molecule sits on a shelf in Professor Diana Cermak's office.

B.A., B.S., Minor

How we work

  1. We support student-powered discovery. Collaborative research and small, personal classes are the hallmark of our chemistry program. At Knox, all of our labs are taught by faculty and upper-level classes range from 5 to 15 students.
  2. We provide hands-on experience. Our students begin cutting edge, independent research early in their careers. As a result, almost 90% of chemistry grads pursued independent research during their time at Knox.
  3. We use cutting-edge technology. Knox provides students with all of the sophisticated instrumentation essential to modern chemistry. In the last five years, Knox chemistry faculty have been awarded more than $1 million in grant funding for state-of-the-art, research-grade instrumentation and funding for student scholarships and summer internships on campus, giving students ample opportunity for in-depth research.
  4. We give our students a critical advantage. Our emphasis on critical thinking, clear and concise scientific writing, and excellent presentation skills—in addition to opportunities for extensive lab experience and a bachelor of science degree that extends the chemistry curriculum—gives Knox graduates an advantage when it comes to graduate school. As a result, Knox ranks in the top 4% of U.S. institutions in producing Ph.D. recipients relative to institution size. According to one recent grad, "The rigor of the classes at Knox made the transition to graduate level courses relatively easy for me compared to some of my fellow graduate students."

$84,106

Estimated Salary of Alumni with Chemistry Degrees

Career Outcomes

$2000 to Support Experiential Learning

The $2,000 Power of Experience Grant

Where we work

Because modern chemistry relies heavily on sophisticated instruments, a well-equipped chemistry department is important. Knox provides all the instrumentation a chemist needs, including:

  • Spectrometers: 400 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Infrared (IR), Raman, UV/visible, laser, mass, atomic, fluorescence, circular dichroism, and polarimetry
  • Inert Atmosphere Glovebox, Schlenk Manifolds & Solvent Purification System: Allowing for the synthesis of molecules in water and/or oxygen-free environments
  • Chromatographs: Permeation and research-grade gas and liquid chromatographs
  • Differential Scanning Calorimeter, Variable Temperature Polarized Microscopy
  • Extensive Biochemistry Equipment: Including liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Stopped-Flow Circular Dichroism spectrometry.
  • Computers, 24-Core Server, & Computational Programs: Computational Modeling (Density Functional Theory), Data-gathering, Analysis, Library access to structure-searching databases (including SciFinder Scholar)

What We Learn

The Knox chemistry curriculum has three levels of comprehensiveness:

The major requires 11 credits in general, analytical, organic, inorganic and physical chemistry, advanced studies, calculus and the senior seminar. In addition to major requirements, students preparing for graduate school or professional careers in chemistry are advised to take advanced inorganic and physical chemistry, two upper-level courses in instrumentation, and a two-term sequence in general physics.

Students may also receive certification by the American Chemistry Society by taking, beyond the professional major, one biochemistry course and two additional advanced electives in the department (one elective may be in advanced physics or mathematics). Also recommended for ACS certification are a course in expository writing and an introductory course in computer science.

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Students talking as they wait for chemistry class to start.
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Printed on Monday, December 23, 2024