Chemistry Department

From developing drugs that fight diseases to innovations in the energy sources that power our world, chemistry touches our lives everyday.

Our chemistry program offers a freshman seminar course to keep you informed about all the opportunities within college and our program in your first year. You become part of a small cohort for chemistry courses to increase your interaction with our faculty and with each other starting your freshman year. We will guide you starting from the start so you can achieve your after-college goals, whether going into a professional school (pharmacy, medical, dental, etc), doctoral program or industry.

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Dylan DiGrazia (class of 2020) is one of 3 SUNY Oswego students that earned the 2020 Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence

From Amesbury, Mass., Dylan majored in Chemistry and also minored in math and in applied statistics. He has been accepted to the PhD program in Chemistry at Boston College.

Dr. Julia Koeppe receives the 2020 Provost’s Award for Mentoring in Scholarly and Creative Activities

In four years at Oswego, Dr. Koeppe has mentored 50 student researchers in biochemistry. Dedication to the success of student researchers has earned Julia Koeppe the 2020 Provost’s Award for Mentoring in Scholarly and Creative Activities.

Dr. Fehmi Damkaci earns the 2020 President’s Award for Scholarly and Creative Activity

Ongoing research efforts, leadership for an international research competition and a selfless disposition helped make Dr. Fehmi Damkaci the 2020 recipient of the President’s Award for Scholarly and Creative Activity.

Dr. Casey Raymond earns the 2019 SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching

Dr. Casey Raymond is the 2019 recipient for the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has demonstrated beyond-the-call care for the performance and success of his students.

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Dr. Fehmi Damkaci was named the 2019 recipient of the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service

Dr. Fehmi Damkaci, professor and chair of SUNY Oswego's chemistry department and founder and director of the GENIUS Olympiad environmental competition for high school students from countries around the world has earned the 2019 SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service.

Faculty

At the core of our program is a supportive faculty who emphasizes mentorship and works side by side with our students in the lab. Many of our professors have received awards including Distinguished Teaching Professorships, Chancellor's Awards for Excellence in Teaching and Research Mentorship Awards, while some have earned national recognition for working on cutting-edge research problems.

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Hands-on research experience

We encourage undergraduate students to pursue laboratory research and offer several opportunities to engage in year-long projects, many of which you can begin as early as your freshman summer. Projects have included work in cancer and anti-diabetic drug discovery, the effects of lead on the cardiovascular system, ecological and genetic studies, development of new polymers for drug delivery, the assessment of environmental factors such as e-cigarettes, forensic science and more.

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Student spotlight

Emily Ashlaw ('22)

"Biochemistry is a great major because it allows you to explore challenging, yet fulfilling topics and sets you up for a variety of opportunities and career paths. With professors that truly go the extra mile, the chemistry department is a great place to be!"

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