Six Lake Forest College students have published peer-reviewed research and used that experience to launch their careers, according to a Mar. 18 announcement from the college. The students worked in Associate Professor of Chemistry Erica Schultz’s lab, where they designed and carried out a project that led to publication in the American Chemical Society’s journal ACS Omega.
The opportunity for undergraduates to participate in research is seen as important for those seeking jobs or graduate studies after earning their degrees. The student-led team, alongside Schultz, developed greener methods for making chemical compounds with less waste and explored ways to remove persistent pollutants from water supplies. Their work resulted in the article “Pd-Catalyzed Hydroxylation of Aryl Halides under Air and in Eco-Friendly Solvent.”
Schultz explained how the discovery came about: “While attempting to design a reaction that to degrade environmental pollutants in the presence of living bacteria, like those found in wastewater treatment facilities, we accidently discovered a more environmentally and economical way to create phenols, a type of molecule often found in pharmaceutical compounds.”
The student co-authors are Jacob Levin ’20, Alana Garcevic ’24, Diana Rosiles-Dueñas ’24, Yousif Saleh ’24, Mariam Beshara ’26, and Gwendolyn Jones ’26. Four of them now work at companies such as AbbVie and Anton-Paar Instruments. Garcevic said her experience was key: “My experience working in Dr. Schultz’s lab is the main reason I was able to get this position at AbbVie. I was able to actually familiarize myself with analytical instrumentation, like HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography), which lab classes don’t really allow the time for. I now use the same instrument many times a week, so I’m grateful for the exposure I had in undergrad.”
Rosiles-Dueñas also credited her undergraduate research: “The research program helped me acquire further experience using chemical knowledge and troubleshooting which is needed to go into industrial chemistry as well,” she said.
The group received recognition in an ACS Omega special issue on undergraduate research. The editorial described liberal arts colleges as places not only for strong chemistry research but also for innovation in teaching future scientists.
Schultz said these experiences help students develop skills beyond technical knowledge: “During research students take responsibility for structuring their day and maintaining detailed observations and data, so when a problem arises, they don’t panic but can break it down into smaller parts and take steps to address each one,” she said. “This benefits the student whether they end up in a career in chemistry or move into other fields like medicine because when they move onto their next role, they have the confidence and experience to excel.”
Schultz concluded by saying: “Their success is a testament to coming to our liberal arts college to study chemistry.”
