Students Present Research at Symposium
Posted on Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Westminster College students Keri Biedka and Brittany Bivens presented their research at the American Chemical Society Student Affiliation "In Miniature" Symposium 2009 April 20 at Duquesne University.
Biedka, a sophomore chemistry major, is a daughter of Mark and Amy Biedka of Harmony and a graduate of Seneca Valley High School.
Bivens, a senior biochemistry major, is a daughter of Carol Bivens of Saegertown and Jonathan Bivens of Meadville. She is a graduate of Saegertown High School.
Their work, "Qualitative analysis and prospective quantification method for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)," was one of 22 posters presented by undergraduates from various schools in the region.
The work was a collaboration between Bivens' senior thesis and Biedka's independent study with Dr. Helen Boylan, Westminster associate professor of chemistry and a 1995 Westminster graduate. Their research, which could be used for quality control purposes, used LIBS to differentiate between the coating and bulk of pharmaceutical materials.
In addition, they attempted to quantify the mineral content of the pharmaceutical materials using innovative approaches. Because LIBS spectra are so complex, quantification proves to be very difficult.
Contact Boylan at (724) 946-6293 or e-mail boylanhm@westminster.edu for additional information.
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