Echo staff report
Students Thy Duong and Tom Yang and instructor Heather Sklenicka attended the 32nd annual Winchell Undergraduate Research Symposium on the campus of Century College in White Bear Lake. (Photo courtesy of College Relations and Marketing)
WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minnesota ó Rochester Community and Technical College students Tom Yang and Thy Duong were among more than 80 students who presented original research in oral and poster sessions at the 32nd annual Winchell Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Yang presented ìThe Mitigation of Photoinduced DNA-Oxidation by Using Antioxidants Found in Foods Under Different Temperature Settingsî and Duong presented ìPolymerization of Thermal Aspartate by Green Chemistryî at the symposium, which included 17 public and private colleges in Minnesota and Wisconsin, on April 27 at Century College.
ìHaving the chance to work on organic chemistry synthesis and having my own independent project has taught me not only lab skills, but also my critical thinking and troubleshooting process,î Duong said. ìMoreover, my academic writing and communication skills have improved a lot through three research symposiums I have attended.î
RCTC students Rebecca Seemann and Duong presented their original research at Minnesota Undergraduate Scholarsí Posters in St. Paul in February and at the Minnesota Conference of Undergraduate Scholarly and Creative Activity in March. Their presentation was the ìImplementation of Greener Labs for the Organic Chemistry Curriculum.î
ìResearch has provided me with the unmatched opportunity outside the classroom to explore a reaction in-depth. Also, a project in green chemistry has allowed me to take an increased awareness of environmental impact and safety and apply those concepts in the lab,î Seemann said.
RCTC student Joseph Kinzer presented his original research at Minnesota Undergraduate Scholarsí Posters in St. Paul in February on ìThe Impact of Homework Timing for Introductory Chemistry Students at RCTC.î