February 2, 2021
Since 1921, the Chemistry program at St. John’s University has offered its students state-of-the-art research laboratories; the latest specialized equipment; an unparalleled faculty who are the best and brightest in their disciplines; and a wide array of grants, internships, and scholarships. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the program. While COVID-19 has forced administrators to rethink potential celebrations, this impressive milestone is still one to be heralded.
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Chemistry Department this fall, a scholarship endowment has been created for current chemistry students. The St. John’s University Chemistry Department Centennial Scholarship Fund will assist Chemistry Majors in St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Launched in the Spring of 2020, the goal is to reach $100,000 by the spring of 2022. Awards will be made annually to students majoring in chemistry in their sophomore, junior, or senior year, with preference given to a student showing financial need.
One of the greatest strengths of the program is the personal bond between faculty and students, and the sense of community among students, explained Gina M. Florio, Ph.D., Interim Dean and Associate Professor, St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “Our faculty make sure students learn chemistry, but they also encourage service in the broader New York City area through educational outreach communities.”
Meeting the needs of students is the foremost goal of the department and its faculty. “If you ask for help in this department, you will get more offers than you can actually use,” she said. “This strong community makes it amazingly rewarding.”
Joseph M. Serafin, Ph.D., Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry, and Alison G. Hyslop, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Graduate Division, and Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry, also recently discussed the program’s many virtues.
“One of the things that sets our department apart is our alumni. We have some pretty amazing alumni,” Dr. Hyslop stressed, adding that a chemistry degree is unique in that it offers a vast array of possibilities. “Because chemistry is a liberal arts degree, our students have strong critical thinking skills and can do almost anything they want,” Dr. Hyslop explained.
Another unique aspect of the St. John’s chemistry program is how seamlessly it ties into the University’s Vincentian mission. In 2018, several chemistry students collaborated with students in other disciplines on an Academic Service-Learning project to aid in Puerto Rico’s recovery from Hurricane Maria. Students worked together to create solar panels that charge a cell phone or other devices connected to a USB cable within a few hours, allowing more than 200 students in a local elementary school to access the internet.
“My chemistry professors at St. John’s were consummate educators and researchers,” observed Robert M. Ianniello, Ph.D. ’76C, ’79G, Principal at RMI Consulting LLC, and a Visiting Professor at Rutgers University. “They were always available to answer questions and share their research interests. They provided great training in the laboratory. The current faculty continues the legacy of the department. I consider myself very fortunate to have been associated with these educators over the past 49 years.”
One of the best things about the St. John’s chemistry department is the close interactions that students have with faculty, noted Tina M. Iverson, Ph.D. ’95C, Louise B. McGavock Endowed Chair; Director, Quantitative and Chemical Biology; and Professor, Departments of Pharmacology and Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University. “The smaller class sizes meant that I knew all of the instructors,” she said. “I think that the culture of the department was very important for starting me on a career trajectory that has gotten me to where I am today.” Dr. Iverson has offered internship opportunities to undergraduate students in the program for several years.
“The chemistry program at St. John’s provides a multifaceted educational experience that has been the bedrock of my professional success,” said Richard Cantoral ’17C, currently an Associate at Goldman Sachs. “The faculty creates a tight-knit community that allowed me to excel, and the hands-on lab courses gave me the opportunity to visualize what we learned in lectures. Most importantly, the program provides translatable skills that one can leverage in any setting. I use what I learned in my lab courses in my financial services job more than I ever anticipated.”