Department of Chemistry
UNK Department of the Month
February 2008
The UNK Staff Senate is proud to recognize the Department of Chemistry as the February 2008 UNK Department of the Month. The department’s eleven faculty members and one staff members are dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, and service.
Along with training their own majors for careers and for graduate school in chemistry, the department also makes major contributions to both the General Studies Program and to UNK’s 19 Health Sciences programs – ranging from pre-medicine to pre-physical therapy. The department is also a campus leader in mentoring student learning through research. For instance, in 2005, Chemistry students presented research reports at a dozen national, regional, and local scholarly meetings, and one student published a research paper.
The Chemistry faculty is highly active in research, producing numerous peer-reviewed research articles, a chemistry textbook, and (in fiscal year 2007) over $953,000 in external research funding. The faculty and their students are working on such important research projects as improving the efficiency of electricity-generating solar cells and more accurately measuring atmospheric pollution.
The department’s faculty and staff strive to serve students as well at the UNK and Kearney communities, whether by assistance to students and visitors in the department’s offices in Bruner Hall, or service on numerous campus and University committees, or by use of their expertise for community-wide benefit (e.g., workshops on teaching Green Chemistry to high-school teachers).
The Department won the first-ever University-wide Teaching Department Award in 1993 and through personnel changes, has maintained its commitment to excellence in all its activities.
For all of its activities on behalf of the faculty, students, staff and surrounding communities, the UNK Staff Senate is honored to recognize the Department of Chemistry as the February 2008 UNK Department of the Month.
Thank you to the sponsors of the Department of the Month: UNK Athletics and Staff Senate.