Volume 67, Issue 3

Department in Focus: CHEMISTRY
by Yoel Preminger

Amid the labyrinth of convoluted glass tubing and Bunsen burners, the Yeshiva College Chemistry Department continues to draw hundreds of students to its classes. The 2002-2003 academic year marks a milestone in the department with several significant changes that the chemistry faculty hopes will interest both science majors and non-science majors alike.

Each year, Yeshiva College graduates anywhere between thirty and seventy soon-to-be doctors.  Buried deep within those ranks, however, stand less than a handful of diligent students, who, instead of majoring in biology or liberal arts, choose the path rarely taken – chemistry.  “A chemistry major is extremely difficult to accomplish in the three years most students have on campus,” explains Dr. Raji Viswanathan, the chemistry department chair.  Realizing this problem, she has reduced the course requirement by one, making the major more attainable for future students.  Additionally, most pre-med students ultimately find the biological sciences more valuable for their future occupation, contributing to the dearth of interest in chemistry.

There are currently fifteen students majoring in chemistry.  Each year, Yeshiva graduates approximately 5 or 6 students, more than most universities of equivalent size.  With an expanded faculty and improvements in laboratory facilities on the sixteenth floor of Belfer Hall, Yeshiva hopes to attract additional students to pursue chemistry research.  The current expanding faculty and advanced laboratories are just the beginning of an ongoing advancement process.

Viswanathan, who has increased the chemistry course offerings throughout her tenure at Yeshiva, hopes that the current improvements will allow future research capabilities for students and faculty. “Of the eleven years of my teaching at Yeshiva College, this [one] looks to be the best yet!” she said.

Previously, Viswanathan has taught the standard general chemistry lecture and lab. She is now teaching a newly created honors general chemistry course, which covers the basic topics and requires students to pursue advanced projects, such as the design of an airbag.

Who’s Who in Chemistry

Culminating an extensive search process, the department has succeeded in hiring two new chemistry professors in both the organic and inorganic fields.  Dr. Bruce Hrnjez was selected to fill a tenure-track line in organic chemistry, while Dr. Lance Silverman is teaching the inorganic course.

The chemistry department welcomes Silverman, who previously worked as an industrial chemist and subsequently returned to an academic environment.  He began by accepting the role of visiting professor at Sara Lawrence College in Westchester.  When asked about the change in professions, he responded, “I was looking for a more personable connection to people and found that in teaching.”  He is enthusiastic about teaching at Yeshiva and has been favorably impressed by the students here.  Additional courses that he hopes to teach in the spring include analytical and general chemistry.

Replacing former organic chemistry professor Dr. Wayne Schnatter, who was denied tenure last year and is now teaching at Long Island University, Hrnjez comes to Yeshiva with a long list of credentials.  He received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Johns Hopkins University and completed post-doctoral work at the University of Chicago.  After teaching organic chemistry at North Dakota State University, he conducted biochemical research at Harvard Medical School for six years.  When asked why he chose Yeshiva among other universities, he answered, “Well, my wife is a native New Yorker, I’m Jewish, and I wanted to be in a Jewish atmosphere where I can hopefully pick up some yiddishkeit from my students.” 

The dual curriculum, coupled with the student’s continuing commitment to Judaism, has already made a favorable impact on Hrnjez.  “I am very impressed with the quality of students and feel they are on par with the students of Harvard,” he asserts.  He is elated to be teaching here and ultimately hopes to help establish undergraduate research in experimental chemistry on campus.   

Professors Gail Horowitz and Dr. Rosalyn Strauss each teach a redesigned non-majors introductory chemistry course, “Science of Chemistry: Global Issues” and “Science of Chemistry: Everyday Life,” respectively.  Horowitz teaches the course with an environmental focus, while Strauss teaches her course with a biological twist.  “Each course allows for the student to choose the course that interests them more,” says Horowitz, who is longtime Yeshiva College faculty member.  “Since the improvements in the course last fall the enrollment has increased,” she said.  In the past, mostly Sy Syms students were taking the class to fulfill their science requirement, but with theses new changes the department hopes they can attract more Yeshiva College students.

Rounding out the department are Drs. Joy Kunjappu and Mrinal Bhatacharjee, who will continue to teach the organic lab sections along with Horowitz.  Both Strauss and Horowitz will continue teaching the general chemistry lab sections.

The only particularly salient complaint from most chemistry students is the lack of serious research on campus. Although most pre-med students work at laboratories over the summer in order to gain experience expected from medical schools, students interested in pursuing graduate work in chemistry have found it difficult to develop strong experimentation and research skills at Yeshiva.  Responding to such concerns, Viswanathan promises that she will continue to rally toward the upgrade of Yeshiva’s labs, thus allowing for future on-campus research by the students and faculty.

With all the current and future improvements the chemistry department is assembling – including hiring qualified professors, and making strides to improve the labs – now is an ideal time to experiment with the major.  So for those hesitating to cross the line into the world of elements, compounds, and bonds, exploring the world of chemical experimentation may very well be the place to go.

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