Faires Faculty Forum features chemistry professor, student research

Dr. Jessica Sarver, assistant professor of chemistry at Westminster College, will present “Measuring Antioxidant Levels Using Electron Spin Resonance ExBEERiments” at the Faires Faculty Forum at 11:40 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17, via Zoom.

Sarver will discuss findings from a collaborative research project, conducted by Sarver and an undergraduate, that measured the levels of antioxidants in beer using an instrumental technique called electron spin resonance (ESR). Sarver said they studied how the varying hops used to brew beer affected the level of antioxidants as a measure for the aging of beer. Sarver will explain where antioxidants found in beer come from, how the ESR technique works and how the levels of antioxidants changed for a series of home-brewed beers and beers aged over time.

Sarver, who joined the Westminster faculty in 2016, earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Penn State Behrend and a doctorate in philosophy and chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh.

The Faires Faculty Forum was established in 1990 by Dr. Barbara Faires, Westminster professor of mathematics emerita, during her term as dean of the College and vice president for academic affairs.  Faculty members from all disciplines volunteer to present lectures on their current research, artistic productions, and scholarship of teaching and learning.  Each forum presents new ideas with innovative lecture techniques.

Contact Sarver at 724-946-6299 or sarverjl@westminster.edu for additional information on electron spin resonance.

Zoom links will be emailed to current and emeritus faculty prior to the forum. For others who wish to attend, please contact Dr. Erin Wilson, faculty development officer, at wilsonee@westminster.edu to obtain a link.

For more information about Westminster's chemistry major, please visit www.westminster.edu/chemistry.

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