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Scientia Pro Amore Dei  A Samford University Laboratory of Undergraduate Research in the areas of:
Organic Synthesis, Reaction Methodology, & Medicinal Chemistry
Research Projects:
Ligand Design for PDT - Furan-bridged, ten-membered rings - Metal-thiol surfaces for EE2 removal - Pedagogy and Study Habits
Synthesis of Novel Ligands for Use in Photoactive, Cytotoxic Ruthenium Complexes:
Potential Cell-specific Photodynamic Therapy Agents

The primary drawback to chemotherapy is side effects. These effects arise because the drugs employed kill non-cancerous cells in addition to cancer cells.

The use of biomolecules to target specific cancer cell lines is becoming a reality and new methods are being discovered every day.

This project seeks to explore the possibility of creating person-specific drugs, and release the drug in a controlled fashion, limiting the side effects.

Therefore, the goals of this project are to develop prodrugs that:
  • Target specific cancer cell lines using biomolecules such as antibodies or peptides

  • Selectively decompose the pro drug in the intercellular matrix using pH dependence or other intercellular properities

  • Control the release of the drug once inside the cells

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Synthesis and Methodology Towards the Construction of Furan-bridged Ten-membered Rings:
The Cembrane Families of Natural Products
The primary drawback to natural-product derived chemotherapeutics is the typical, miniscule natural abundance. Thus, new synthetic meathods are required to investigate their viability as drug candidates.

Though a synthesis may be achieved, the length and complexity of it may be industrially prohibitive from an economic stand-point.

As many natural products are synthesized by a similar biosynthetic pathway in nature, it would be beneficial to create syntheses that exploit these common features to create different chemical architectures in a highly rapid fashion, thereby increasing industrial feasibility.

Therefore, the goals of this project are to:
  • Develop a general method for the synthesis of furan-bridged, ten-membered rings

  • Develop a general method for the synthesis of fused heterocycles

  • Complete the total syntheses of furan-bridged, ten-membered ring natural products
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Synthesis of Polymerizable Thiols:
Gold Thin-films for the Removal and Quantification of EE2 from Waste Streams

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as ethynylstradiol (EE2) are common to industrial and municiple waste effluents and have a harmful impact on aquatic life.

Using known sulfur-metal thin-film self assembly, we aim to modify a surface to create a flow-over quantification and remediation device.

Therefore the goals of this project are to:
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Utilizing Principle Component Analysis (PCA) in Undergraduate Education:
Evaluating Study Habits in Chemical Education and Structure-Function Relationships

Suggesting valuable study habits to students is always fraught with discontent due to the number of hours and types of study often recommended. This is both understandable considering how each student appears to get different levels of success from different types of study, but also frustrating as we educators would like to most adequately prepare our students for success.

Given the variability in the types and amounts of study each student undertakes, this projects seeks to apply statistical methods to uncover the methods that correlate to the different types of success each student desires.

Therefore the goals of this project are to:
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