Dr. Ahlberg's Research

Dr. Ahlberg has three areas of research that involve small projects suited to undergraduate participation: synthesis of heterocycles with applications to medicinal chemistry (antibiotics, anti-cancer, and malaria treatments), HPLC separations of amino acid method development (quantitative separations of chiral amino acids found in egg shells), and chemistry educational questions (often applied to laboratory best practice).

The small molecule synthesis projects employ our department's NMR (a powerful tool to identify molecules) and the GCMS (gas chromatography-mass spectrometer, another powerful identification tool) to verify our products.

The separation of amino acids uses our HPLC (high performance liquid chromotograph) for separation and identification as well as the UV and fluorimetry instruments.

Students can appreciate a practical application for these instruments while entertaining the possibility that a new medicine could be developed. Because students should think about their research question and make it their own, projects that appeal to a particular student's interest can also be considered.