UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 29, Page 1
April 27, 1995
UD chemistry program premiere in the country

     The University's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has the
distinction of being the first in the country to receive American
Chemical Society (ACS) accreditation for its environmental chemistry
program for undergraduates.
     Cathy Nelson, representing the ACS Committee on Professional
Training, said in a letter to department chairperson Jean Futrell,
Willis F. Harrington Professor, that "bachelor's degree graduates who
have completed the curriculum... are eligible for admission as members
to the society following graduation."
     According to John Burmeister, Alumni Distinguished Professor and
department associate chairperson, who initially proposed the
environmental chemistry concentration, "The University of Delaware is
the first and only program of this nature, in the entire country-out
of 603 institutions-that is certified by the American Chemical Society
to grant a B.S. degree in chemistry in this important and rapidly
growing area of study."
     The University has been a leader in chemistry education for more
than 20 years, he said. Burmeister said he proposed the new
concentration when the ACS broadened its requirements to accept other
specializations, such as biochemistry and chemistry education, which
the department also offers.
     In developing the concentration, Burmeister said no course
requirements of a B.S. chemistry major were eliminated, nor did the
department add to the overall number of hours required. Instead,
students are offered assistance in selecting 14 hours of elective,
environmentally-related courses-in such areas as geology, biology,
geography, civil engineering, marine studies and plant sciences.
     In essence, Burmeister said, students interested in this
concentration are advised to take elective courses that allow them to
achieve a very important and marketable credential.
     Two of this year's graduating seniors-Loyce Ciano of Wilmington
and Tara Crowe of Felton-will be the first UD students and, in fact,
the first in the nation, to graduate with ACS certified B.S. degrees
in chemistry, with an environmental chemistry concentration .
     Society, government, business and industry have focused on the
environment for the last 25 years, Burmeister said. Initially, those
interested in making conditions better and cleaning up problems were
social activists, he said. They identified global environmental
problems and called attention to the need to solve them. However,
Burmeister explained, many of them did not have background nor the
experience in the sciences needed to correct the situation.
     "If we are going to address problems involving the environment,"
Burmeister said, "we are going to have to deal with things that are
chemical in nature, for everything is made up of chemical elements.
     "Some of the major environmental problems that we are dealing
with today were actually created by chemicals, not intentionally but
because people did not know any better. To get to the core of the
matter," Burmeister said, "to develop meaningful solutions to existing
situations and prevent future problems, we need to address them
through analytical chemistry."
     Chemistry graduates, Burmeister said, who have a strong
foundation in the fundamentals of science and also are aware of how
their discipline relates to other areas- other sciences, politics,
geography, world growth and its impact on the environment-will better
understand and be able to solve existing problems and prevent new
ones.
     "Our students who graduate with both knowledge in the hard
sciences and an understanding and appreciation of environmental issues
will be productive employees, sought after by private industry and
governmental agencies," Burmeister said.
     "This concentration is so new," Burmeister said, "that very few
people are even aware of its existence. I've been asked to prepare a
short article for Chemical and Engineering News. After that is
published, I expect the calls will start coming in from colleagues at
other institutions."
                                                         -Ed Okonowicz