Following a tradition started in 2016, The Department of Chemistry is organizing the 5th Annual Chemistry Department Research Symposium, to be held on Saturday March 14 2020, from 9:00 AM to noon on the Clemson University campus. The purpose of this event is to share the research and accomplishments of the last year with each other and the larger Clemson community that we are a part of. Perspective graduate students are also invited to the event as a means for them to learn about the research in the department and to interact with our graduate students. Alumni, representatives from local industry and students from local public schools are also encouraged to come. Coffee and refreshments will also be served at the event.
This year’s speaker is Dr. Suzanne Bell, a Professor Emeritus at West Virginia University. Dr. Bell retired last year but was the Chair of the Forensic and Investigative Science Department while at WVU.
Dr. Bell obtained a BS (Chemistry and Criminal Justice majors) from Northern Arizona University and an MS in Forensic Science from the University of New Haven. She joined the New Mexico State Police in 1983 and worked as a forensic chemist and crime scene processor. Next she ventured to Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1985 as a technical staff member. During this time, she obtained a PhD from New Mexico State University. She made the leap to academia in 1994, first at Eastern Washington University where she taught undergraduate chemistry courses and assisted the university and the Washington State Patrol in developing a forensic chemistry major. In 2003, she joined the Chemistry Department at West Virginia University. Currently she imposes her will on the next generation by mentoring chemistry and forensic chemistry students from the BS to post-doctoral level. Her group is active in many forensic and analytical chemistry research areas. She is a member of the Scientific Working Group for Seized Drug Analysis, a commissioner on the Forensic Education Program Accreditation Commission (FEPAC), and was recently appointed to the new National Commission on Forensic Science. In addition to numerous research articles, she has authored and edited many text and reference books including Forensic Chemistry and the 4th edition of Forensic Science: An Introduction to Scientific and Investigative Techniques. The lecture will take place in the main Auditorium of the Watt Center and we are currently working to finalize the details.
The symposium is open to the general public and will feature posters presented by graduate students from each research group in the department as well as undergraduate students and student from surrounding schools.
