Summer Research Opportunities

 
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Molecular modeling, or computational chemistry, is a broadly applicable research pursuit without a required association to experiment. Molecular modeling encompasses all theoretical and computational methodologies used to model or mimic the behavior of molecules. Modeling techniques are routinely used in the fields of drug design, computational biology and materials science to investigate the structure, dynamics, surface properties, and thermodynamics of inorganic, biological, and polymeric systems.

Molecular modeling is a predictive technique but most predictions are validated by experiment. On the other hand, experimental data is prone to error and misinterpretation. Molecular modeling provides additional, often not experimentally attainable, data to solve scientific problems more completely and can explain unusual experimental results. The combination of both experimental and computational techniques provide an excellent toolkit to probe the atomic structure and behavior of materials, new and known. In short, experiment tells us what the molecules are doing and modelling helps us understand why.

In this SIR, we will
* Become familiar with molecular modeling programs, databases, and online resources.
* Understand the factors to consider in creating and validating a structural model of a chemical compound.
* Apply Molecular Modeling to predict the physical properties of a chemical compound, e.g., geometric structure, molecular energy, dipole moment, reaction energies, molecular orbital energy differences, etc.
* Compare experimental data with calculational data, e.g., the IR spectrum characterizing the molecular structure, the predicted Heat of Formation (H°f) using an Isodesmic reaction, and the predicted Heat of Reaction (ΔHrxn) for a practical chemical reaction.
* Prepare scientific publications both oral and written.

Prerequisites: IMSA “Scientific Inquiry - Chemistry” level knowledge of chemistry; Basic use of laptop computer including ability to download software
Category of Study: Chemistry
Organization: IMSA, Aurora Campus
Dates + Times: July 7 - 18, 2025
Housing/Transportation: Students provide transportation to the IMSA Aurora campus. Students will reside in the IMSA residence halls and receive all meals.
Positions Available: 12
Primary Mentor: Dr. Joe Golab, Chemistry faculty

Note: The IMSA programs will be fee-based this summer at a rate of $1200/wk for the on-campus portions of the program. Scholarships are available for eligible students.

 
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Students will identify the effects of natural compounds such as turmeric and cinnamon on diabetic blood and urine. Hyperglycemic blood and urine will be created by adding different amounts of glucose to lab-created, simulated blood and urine. Students will study the effects of natural compounds in reducing glucose concentration k. Both blood and urine, and then project their knowledge through experimentation. Students will use the same concentrations of 4 spices known to reduce glucose levels ( more can be added after discussion with students). The students will identify the effects of turmeric, ginger, curcumin and cinnamon on simulated diabetic blood and urine by measuring the concentration of glucose in blood and urine will to see what effect these compounds have in reducing glucose concentration. Differences between the effects of the individual compounds on simulated blood and urine will also be studied and conclusions drawn based on evidence. Once the best candidate for reducing glucose concentration has been identified for both blood and urine (they might be different), students will proceed to further study these compounds by testing the effect of different concentrations on blood and urine and draw conclusions based on evidence from their project. Students will also be responsible for providing suggestions for further research. This project will give students an overall idea of diabetes ( a rising concern among youth) and how ingesting natural compounds can help prevent or manage this condition.
Prerequisites: A basic knowledge of biology.
Category of Study: Chemistry
Organization: IMSA, Aurora Campus
Dates + Times: July 7 - 25, 2025
Housing/Transportation: Students provide transportation to the IMSA Aurora campus. Students will reside in the IMSA residence halls and receive all meals.
Positions Available: 5
Primary Mentor: Dr. Sowmya Anjur, Former IMSA Biology Faculty

Note: The IMSA programs will be fee-based this summer at a rate of $1200/wk for the on-campus portions of the program. Scholarships are available for eligible students.

 
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This project would involve generating Monte Carlo events that simulate events that could occur at the Large Hadron Collider. We would then analyze them by comparing histograms of various quantities to see which ones would do a good job of separating signal from background, and then construct a series of cuts that are designed to do just that. If there is time, which I doubt but is a possibility, we can look at Monte Carlo that has been processed by a detector simulation and talk about the messiness of real-world physics and calculate some efficiencies and systematic uncertainties. While my research group’s work is in C++, I think I would do this in Python as much as possible to reduce the overhead for the students.
Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of Python
Category of Study: Physics
Organization: IMSA, Aurora Campus
Dates + Times: June 30 - July 11, 2025
Housing/Transportation: Students provide transportation to the IMSA Aurora campus. Students will reside in the IMSA residence halls and receive all meals.
Positions Available: 6
Primary Mentor: Dr. Peter Dong, Physics faculty

Note: The IMSA programs will be fee-based this summer at a rate of $1200/wk for the on-campus portions of the program. Scholarships are available for eligible students.