Suydam:Research Opportunities
Overview
The Suydam lab accepts applications from current Seattle University students throughout the year for research conducted the following quarter. In addition a limited number of paid summer positions are available for those students interested in continued research projects. Students planning to pursue graduate studies are strongly encouraged to begin work in the lab by the end of their second year.
Timeline
Skills Developed
Research team members will develop the following skills through their work in the lab.
- Synthetic Organic Chemistry
- Synthesis, purification and characterization of 7-deazaguanine analogs.
- RNA Biochemistry
- Preparation and refolding of structured RNAs. Fluorescence based assays to determine small molecule binding affinities.
- Literature Searching
- Structure and reaction based searching of chemical databases. Topic and citation driven searching of literature databases. Citation and article management.
- Data Presentation
- Proficiency with professional data analysis and presentation software (including Graphpad Prism, Adobe CS5, ChemDraw and Topspin).
Attributes of Successful Research Team Members
Successful members of our research team have exhibited the following characteristics.
- Enthusiasm
- It is extremely difficult to follow through on a complicated research project without a deep and motivating interest in the question being addressed.
- Collegiality
- Our research program requires members to share techniques, reagents and ideas on a daily basis.
- Professionalism
- Our experimental techniques require a careful and detailed approach with an emphasis on safety.
- Organization
- Because our projects build on the success of previous team members we require detailed notebook entries and meticulous data retention.
Requirements
All research team members must meet the following minimum requirements.
- Achieve a record of good performance in all courses required for their chosen major
- Enroll in at least one credit of CHEM 499 during the academic quarter of participation
- Commit to ten weeks of research during the academic quarter of participation
- Commit to at least 4 hours/week of research per credit of CHEM 499, or 40 hours/week during the summer term
Application
Students interested in conducting research in the Suydam Lab are encouraged to contact professor Suydam with any questions and to submit a research application by e-mail.