Conducting Research on Ionic Liquids: An Experience at the Freshman Level
Samantha Boursiquot
This semester has been one of the most rewarding times of my stay here at Queensborough Community College. I have always been fascinated by the world of science so taking the first course in honors chemistry (CH-151) has been an unusual experience. The class is small (19 students) and the professor Dr. Paris Svoronos has provided with a great individualized attention and with multiple testing.
I have also started conducting research under Dr. Sharon Lall-Ramnarine on the biodegradation of ionic liquids. I am still at the training stage but I am expected to work daily during the January intersession and obtain results which I will be presenting at the American Chemical Society-NY section’s Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS). This will be my first experience in giving a talk to an audience. I am a little worried but I now that my mentor will guide me to success.
I am looking forward to more honors classes and I would not substitute this experience for anything else.
How the Honors Program Prevented me from Transferring to a Senior Collge
Myoung Eun (Esther) Kim
This semester is my third semester at Queensborough Community College and so far my experiences have been way beyond my expectations.
The reason I came to QCC was because I needed to get started in college and QCC seemed like the perfect place to start based on the accounts of some of my friends who already transferred after graduating from our college. I just wanted the least amount of credits possible and transfer until I met Dr. Paris Svoronos, the Chair of the Chemistry Department. Not only he gave me a good learning experience in his CH-151 Honors class but he also opened up many doors for me as well.
These experiences include my summer internship with the DEP where I spent ten weeks analyzing water samples with pay. I was also given the chance to tutor my fellow college students in QCC in the course I just finished this past semester. Finally I was asked to conduct classes and teach high school students as an instructor on Saturdays through an NSF grant.
I would like to recommend this Honors Program to anyone who is seriously interested in success because this experience is the first step towards many good things to come.
Why Conducting Undergraduate Research Is so Significant: A Reflection of a Recent Graduate
Junior Gonzales
If someone would ask me to mention the most rewarding experiences of my Queensborough education I would almost immediately respond that conducting research with the chemistry department is ranked on top. The reason is that it has left me with a self confident feeling and the unusual opportunity to be a member of a MARC research scholarship at Hunter College.
At Queensborough I conducted research on the microscale determination of the equilibrium constant of weak carboxylic acids using freezing point depression. The procedure, although simple, became tedious because the results had to be reproducible which meant that the same experiment had to be performed many, many times. However everything was forgotten when I presented my results at four different conferences including the National American Chemical Society Meeting in Philadelphia. I want to thank Dr. Paris Svoronos, Dr. Gopal Subramaniam and Mr. Pedro Irigoyen for the invaluable experience
I really believe that undergraduate research is the most helpful life-learning experience that gives the students the unique opportunity to demonstrate how capable they are, to develop their critical thinking, to show their abilities in making thoughtful decisions, and ultimately to realize if they really belong to the science field. I believe the core and essence of research comes from the student and mentor’s enthusiasm. The effort leads to the contribution, the exchanging, and the sharing of ideas and thoughts among student researchers, and creates the incredible degree of bonding between people of diverse origin which is so characteristic of a community college.
How Being in the Honors Program Allows Me To
Sherranette Tinapunan
The very first time I handled tutorial workshops was more than eleven years ago back in high school - helping students with math problems. For my sincere commitment to the students I helped, I was honored with the *Outstanding Service Award* as a peer tutor. This experience has left such a good impression on me that when Dr. Paris Svoronos was looking for chemistry workshop PLTL tutors I immediately grabbed the opportunity.
Taking on the challenge of tutoring chemistry was a daunting task for me. Despite all this, I felt that embarking on this difficult task was worth achieving because I truly believe that I will benefit more from this experience than the students I will be assisting. I can honestly say that my interactions with the diverse group of students have taught me to communicate better and how to 'think on my feet' faster, which I believe is a very valuable skill that I should strive to develop throughout my life.
But most importantly, I am inspired to try harder and to do more by those students who show up regularly and are committed to achieving their goals.
Taking Introductory Honors Chemistry: The Gateway to Scientific Success
Gerasimos Couloumbes
I did not know what to expect heading into an Honors Chemistry course. I knew that the work would be arduous, but I also had positive feelings about it. Being an honors student, and taking honors courses with the supervision of credited and excellent professors such as Dr. S.Svoronos is an honor in itself. The way the information is presented and the class is taught is straight forward and the challenge is there lying in front of you. It is your decision whether to go the extra mile and study, or fail out of it. Given the chance by Dr. P.Svoronos, it would be wise to go that extra mile for the sake of future opportunity and credentials. Not only do you learn in an understanding and comfortable environment, but the advantages in being in the program is in itself bestowing. It is an excellent head start for your transcript if you plan for a four-year college. Honors chemistry has been one of the many more challenging courses that not only brings about character and academic discipline to an individual, it brings out new ideas and advancements from us. I have immense respect for the course and those who run it, and I am grateful to be apart of it.
Being Involved in Honors Experiences with the Chemistry Department
Ti-Ya Chang
I took Honors General Chemistry 151 last semester, spring 2008, which was expected to be a very challenging course. The professor of this class was Dr. Paris Svoronos, and I am sure he highly expected us to achieve an A from this class and also to reach our life goals by learning chemistry. During the lecture class, the professor shared his knowledge with students, and students shared what they knew with each other after the class. All I felt from this class is the absolute cooperation and great participation.
Last semester, Dr. Svoronos encouraged students did not leave summer as a blank vacation, so I applied to serve as an intern in Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which was a very interesting and useful experience. First of all, I was required to learn the process of analyzing water, and then I had to be able to understand the data of the samples from each water factory and different laboratories. Additionally, I worked there as an assistant for several chemists. I had to type the data and to categorize the samples. I thought chemists there were very serious, quiet and wearing big glasses, but actually they loved to share their experience when they were students, to give suggestions to me about the future, and they were really friendly and patient when they taught and explained to me the details of the various processes. From the conversation with them, I could see the passion of being a chemist, and this experience also helped me reassure my life goal. I did not regret to spend my summer time in DEP, because I did learn and I did enjoy it.
Of course, it is not easy to get an A from an Honors class, but what I believe is that working as hard as I can, and there is definitely no excuse for not studying. As I say, taking honors classes is not like taking regular classes. They require that students not only thoroughly concentrate on studying but also completely enjoy the moment of gaining knowledge. Studying is fun! Furthermore, seminars which are held each semester by the Chemistry Department are really interesting because they are the chances to know what is going on outside the textbook, and they also provide the opportunities to realize how to apply what we learned in our daily lives! I appreciate that I got the chance to be a student in honors classes.
Taking Honors Classes at Queensborough: How this Experience Expands the Student’s Academic Horizon
Eva Maria Santos Tejada
The honors courses at Queensborough consist of small size classes. Even though one may initially feel scared, this experience provides individuals with an excellent opportunity to directly interact with the instructors. This program is challenging because it engages the student’s commitment and dedication. In my experience, honors courses had challenged me academically and personally, since the classes are more intense that any other regular section. However, the results are extraordinarily worthy.
First this section academically allows students to expand their horizons when pursuing their fields. Second, the interaction with the instructors creates a strong bond of friendship, respect and trust between both the faculty and the student. It also helps students to develop a critical thinking in the area the course is related to. For instance, honors students in the chemistry department are required to attend certain seminars during the semester, where they have to write a summary of the talk. Although this is challenging because some topics are way beyond the student’s knowledge and background, this experience still allows student to think as a scientist. Finally, I encouraged all students who want to take this challenge to try and make a difference in their own lives. The benefits acquired through the experience of this program will lead to successful graduates who will have more opportunities in their lives on and off campus in the future.
Nilda Montes (Honors Graduate, Physician Assistant student at York College)
Hi Dr. Svoronos! I am writing to let you know that all is well. I’am on my 2 nd rotation. My first as I told you was Primary Care and that went well. This rotation is at the Veterans Association Hospital of Queens is my Geriatric Rotation and is interesting. On one side it’s sad because so many of the patients are injured and very ill. They have placed me on two wards- one of which is Palliative Care Unit, which is quite depressing and sad. However I must admit on the other hand that I enjoy it because I try to get them to talk to me and try to get them to smile. So if I can make them feel any better during their time left, it makes me feel good. Now I can appreciate the Honors course disciplines I got from Queensborough!
Other than that all is well. I just wanted to keep you updated. I’ll call you soon. Hope you still haven’t replaced me with anyone else!
Ten weeks at Cornell University
Rosa Rosales
I spent ten weeks at Cornell University this past summer doing research under the CCMR program. The CCMR is a program where a student is given the opportunity to conduct research, participate in workshops, trips and mini courses.
I was the only community college student among 41 participants. I felt so proud to have represented Queensborough. There were students from Columbia, Carnegie Mellon, University of California, MIT as well as other students from Cornell University.
The common factor among all of us is that we have had prior experience with conducting research. My project was unusual and challenging and was entitled “Development of an Exhibit on Brownian motion in a Science Museum.” I was working in two places, at the Sciencenter under the direction of Dr. Kathy Kraft and the Stroock Lab at the Chemical Engineering Department under the direction of Dr. Abraham Stroock, and Mr. Joseph Woody. Our goal was to develop a prototype exhibit in an exciting way where kids and people could see the thermal nature of matter in microparticles. During the period of almost ten weeks of work we acquired exciting results which I was assigned to orally present as well as demonstrate the prototype exhibit.
I am so thankful for the guidance that I have received from Dr. Paris Svoronos of the Chemistry Department, Dr. Patricia Schneider of the Department of Biological Sciences and Geology and Dr. Ruel Desamero of the Biochemistry Department at York College. Through them I first started doing research at York during the summer of 2004 which was the turning point for my acceptance to the Cornell University research project. I was also accepted to similar programs at both Rutgers University Medical Center and Tufts University.
I believe that Queensborough has great opportunities for its students through the hard work of their faculty seeking to help us. I also believe that as long as one is committed to his or her own obligations, one can grow as a prime caliber student.
Something I Never Expected to Find at QCC
Iram Riaz
Most people would think that honors classes are for the over achievers or extreme go getters who have possibly never received less than a grade of 3.8 or 3.9 in any of their classes. I as a former Hunter College student definitely held firm to this belief. However, I learned through my experience in taking Honors General Chemistry 151 and 152 at Queensborough Community College that being in an honors class is not just a challenge but it's also a step up to greater understanding. As a Hunter College student I was accustomed to attending most classes, especially science classes, in big lecture halls. The class material would be presented on projectors with barely enough time given to copy the material. At Queensborough the class sizes are smaller, the lecture material is covered more thoroughly, and there is also an opportunity to ask questions. My chemistry 151 professor, Dr. Svoronos, taught the class by explaining the material first and then giving us countless hours of homework, cumulative exams every two weeks, and provided class time for review sessions with a tutor and a session with himself. His style taught me to work harder than I ever had before and I felt that his positive attitude toward student success made me strive to get an A in the class. I also had the opportunity to attend an American Chemical Society presentations conference held at Queensborough in May of 2004. Students from many colleges get the opportunity to present their research at this annual conference. Another opportunity I had was to pick any chemistry related topic and present it through power point for my CH-152 class. My professor in chemistry 152 was Dr. Chauhan who also tested us regularly and covered examples from our textbook very thoroughly. Both of my chemistry professors went the extra length to have their students come to the blackboard and work out any additional problems we had in front of them. This amazed me because finding professors who are passionate about teaching and care for their students to this degree is very hard.
Taking honors classes has been the best experience I've had as compared to any other classes I've previously taken. The initial fear I had going into the honors CH-151 class was completely erased by the fact that Dr. Svoronos pushed the students to work hard through his personal interest in each students success.
Why the Honors Program Has Helped Me Academically and Personally
Hughton Walker
Participating in the honors program at Queensborough Community was a wonderful and enlightening experience. The honors classes are small so you tend to receive a lot of personal attention from the professor which is great if you don’t understand a topic and you develop an excellent rapport with your professors. In addition the honors classes are exciting, challenging and the camaraderie amongst honors students was amazing. I still stay in contact with most of the friends I met in the honors program.
Most of the honors professors conduct innovative scientific research and honors students gain invaluable experience by participating in these research projects. I have done research in diverse fields, from Biochemistry to Computational Chemistry and the synthesis and characterization of Ionic Liquids.
I cannot possibly put into words what the honors program has done for me academically and personally. As an honors student I attended special lectures, seminars and symposia. Interestingly several students who participated in the honors program are now at some of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning from Cornell University to The Cooper Union and have had research published in several scientific journals.
I would recommend that any student planning to pursue a career in science or any field for that matter to participate in the honors program at Queensborough, and I have to say that the experience is invaluable.
The Coorperative Learning Environment of the Honors Classes
Karina Biramyan
I like the cooperative learning environment in my honors classes. Honors classes are designed to be more discussion-based than other classes, that is very helpful to understand the most difficult material. The reason is the small class size and the individual attention one gets from the instructor. So far I have had Honors General Chemistry I with Dr. Svoronos and I am currently taking Honors General Chemistry II with Dr. Chauhan.
As a result of my success in Honors general Chemistry I, I am currently conducting two-hour workshops, once a week, to students currently taking Introductory Chemistry. The feeling of transmitting my knowledge and helping other students who were in my place a week ago is immeasurable.
I found honors classes to be very challenging. Honors students enjoy learning, are eager to try something different and like to think outside of the classroom. My classmates are students with inquiring minds and students who always want to know “why?” All of the above motivates me to do the best I can.
I recommend Honors classes to all my friends and classmates.
Steve Da Silva
Taking an Honors class is something I am really proud about. Honors courses are very special because the class is small compared to a regular one. The great thing about this small group is that the professor has time to interact with the students. The honors class also gives you honors credit which is better than a regular class credit, since it will hopefully give me a better chance when I apply to a four year school. I intend to earn at least 12 honors class credits with a GPA of 3.40 or better in order to graduate with an Honors certificate. Personally I want to eventually go to medical school after earning my B.S. I was advised to take all my credits needed in a small college rather than in a large college or university, because I will be able to master the material in a better fashion.
I am currently taking Honors General Chemistry I with Dr. Paris Svoronos. We are a class of 14 students and have an adequate opportunity to ask as many questions as we want. Dr. Svoronos often brings us to the blackboard to work our problems out and insists that we explain the difficult parts to the rest of the class. The professor teaches you techniques on how to solve multi-step problems using plain reasoning.
In the lab I have Dr. David Sarno who has worked for Dr. Alan MacDiarmid, the 2000 Nobel prize winner in Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Sarno is demanding yet always available to help us. I chose to start doing research with him this January. I know I will have to present my findings at the 53 rd Undergraduate Research Symposium of the American Chemical Society-NY section at St. John’s University this coming May. I intend to stay at Queensborough until May 2007 so I will be working with Dr. Sarno for almost two years. This certainly exciting!.
I recommend honors courses for the incredible opportunity that will help my academic development and career plans.
Wayne Narain
Taking Honors Classes at Queensborough was the first step that led me to conducting independent research. These classes included chemistry and mathematics. I conducted my research at the College of Staten Island and had my findings presented at Stony Brook, Rutgers University and the National American Chemical society Meeting in Washington DC.
Participating in research was one of the most valuable experiences in my lifetime. It imparted knowledge and inspiration to do more productive things in my life. Research also sparked the interaction of students from every possible culture you can imagine, some of whom have become my very best friends. By participating in the research program I was exposed to faculty members who were excellent mentors. They exercised patience in teaching me how to perform research and exposed me to lectures. Research gave me a definite perspective on which career I want to follow. It opened doors for awards and scholarships for me and I am evidently happy that I participated in this aspect of education.
Sheryl Ferreira
Being in a Honors class allows me to have a better understanding of the material that is being taught. Also, the tutoring available for the Honors class is very helpful. I came from a university ( Rutgers) that had hundreds of students in one class, which did not allow me to be able to understand or interact with my professors. The advantage of having a smaller number of students in one class, allows one-on-one interactions which leads to better understanding of the material. The tutoring before class allows me to review and answer some questions I have on the material being taught.
Sabrina Song
In order to achieve goals or even to get started, what is the most important thing to an individual has to do? The answer is self-confidence, thinking ‘I can do it’. People tend to underestimate their potential and that can be an obstacle in a way of developing their ability to succeed. I was one of those people; I underestimated my ability and did not trust myself. However, things have changed since I started taking a chemistry honors class and conducting research.
Before the 2005 winter break, Dr. Svoronos, the Chairman of the Chemistry Department, introduced me to one of the great chemistry professors, Dr. Jun Shin, to conduct research with him. I started doing experiments with Dr. Shin in January, going to school Monday thorough Friday four hours a day. The experiments and data collecting for the research continued till the spring semester. I was taking four classes and had a part time job at that point. It was time consuming to spend ten hours a week for the research.
Occasionally, the results of the experiment did not come out right and I had to redo, many procedures or think of other ways to do it. Four months later, we had the First QCC Honors conference which was my first presentation on the research. It was the moment that I felt the time I had been spending was worth it. That was just beginning of the presentation. On May 7, we had an American Chemical Society-NY section meeting at Stony Brook, followed by an ACS Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting at Rutgers University (May 24, 2005) and finally an ACS National Meeting in Washington D.C. (August 29, 2005).
As a foreigner, doing presentations in English with sources that I did not even understand in the beginning in four different places was like dreaming. Throughout this experience, I gained the self confidence that I needed. When I transfer, now I will have the confidence to compete with the best students and I believe this is the first step to success.
I thank Dr. Svoronos who considered me as his own daughter (that is why he was more than twenty sons and daughters) and has encourage me to be involved with the research. I also thank Dr. Shin who explained to me very well the project and helped to get through it.
Mary Kwon
Last Spring I completed CH-151 (General Chemistry I) honors and it was undoubtedly a great learning experience. The professor who taught the course was Professor Paris Svoronos who is a spectacular mentor. He was great at grabbing your attention, making sure you fully comprehend the material, captivating you to think beyond the norm, and motivating you to achieve your goals. I am currently taking CH-152 (General Chemistry II) honors with Dr. Moni Chauhan and I am having the same experience. Not only do you have great professors teaching the courses but the class size is small and intimate. This allows you to have a learning experience that is intense and memorable. I would recommend taking honors courses to anyone who wants a challenge and who is serious and dedicated about learning.
Hyun Jeung Kim
This semester I am registered in Honors General Chemistry I. This is my first honors course to take at Queensborough. The course certainly needs a great effort to be on top of it but I like it.
My classmates are nice to help each other and that has left me with a great impression. Since none of us is assured of an A we are forced to work together in problem solving and our effort to get through. This has created a great degree of bonding between us.
Overall this experience is great and I am looking forward towards more such courses in the future.
Hye-Rim Hahn
This is my first semester of taking an Honors class. It is General Chemistry I with Dr. Paris Svoronos. At the beginning of the semester, even though I have heard that the Honors class is never easy, I underestimated it. I treated it is if it was a regular course that I used to take but then fell behind. I therefore realized that I had to spend the time and effort for it.
So now that I am settled I have found out that my fellow classmates are great in working together and I know that I will be doing well not only in this class but also in the future because I got a lesson to never underestimate anything in life. Certainly this class does not allow me to be lazy but I get excited thinking where I was in early September and where I am now, six weeks later. Therefore I will seek the Honors classes whenever I can register them.
Guang Horng David Shyu
I have had an extremely positive experience with the Queensborough Community College Honors program. The list of honors classes that I have taken or am currently taking are EN-102 English Literature, CH-151 General Chemistry I, and SS-260 Contemporary Economic Problems. What sets these classes above the regular classes is the unusual dedication and subject proficiency of the professors in the program and the determination of the students to learn. With an, almost unheard of, average class size of less than 15 students per class, individual attention is not a scarce resource. Most the students in my honors classes keep in touch with each other throughout the week to organize study groups to help better understand the challenging material in these classes. When it comes time to register for classes again I will again specifically look for courses offering Honors sections.
Erin Robinson
Taking honor's chemistry 151 has been extremely Beneficial to me. The class setting is small and this enables the student to receive the individualized attention that one would not receive otherwise. Dr. P. Svoronos is able to evaluate the potential in his students even when we do not see it ourselves. Upon the commencement of every class, Dr. Svoronos has often anecdotal tales of previous students that have excelled in their fields after taking Honors Chemistry classes. This has allowed me to look at my future beyond QCC.
Erika Feldeshi
Being involved with research at QCC as an undergraduate was part of my involvement with the honors program. It was certainly a great experience and a privilege.
At first I was extremely scared because laboratory was not always my favorite field of interest. Eventually I was introduced to my mentor Dr. David Sarno who made everything seem very simple and convinced me about my ability to the extent that I was not afraid anymore.
Unlike the regular laboratory which is part of the curriculum, doing research was fun, interesting and rewarding. The main point is that it is a process where keeping up with, on a weekly basis, is a must if one needs to make progress. Since the time and space for using the lab was rather limited I had to come as much as I could especially during the January break. The results I obtained with Dr. Sarno gave me the opportunity to give two power point presentations first at the First Annual Honors Conference (April 15, 2005) and then at the 53 rd Undergraduate Research Symposium of the ACS-NY section at Stony Brook in front of large audiences. . Although nerve wrecking, the experiences were magnificent and help me boost my confidence.
Overall I truly believe that anyone who bumps into this opportunity of conducting supervised research as part of the Honors Experience should grab it and enjoy the rewarding things it has to offer.
David Igbinoghene
As a student taking an honors class for the second consecutive semester, I can tell you that the benefits for me have been endless. I took a CH-120 honors class last spring with Dr. S. Svoronos, in a small group consisting of only ten students. Because of this small class, she was able to attend to each student’s specific needs while teaching a very thorough and demanding class. This class was also beneficial to me because I was asked to orally present a mini research project, for the 1 st Annual QCC Honors conference, allowing me to experience giving a chemistry-related talk to an audience for the first time, something all other non-honors students did not do.
I am now taking the next honors chemistry class (General Chemistry I) with Dr. P. Svoronos, from which I have already started to benefit for the second time around. I now have a professor that not only knows the work, but also relays it to me in a manner which I understand and I, myself, can explain to the other students. This is another class that consists of less than fifteen students and for that reason I have the professor’s full attention, providing me with a chance to learn the material’s concept beyond what I would have learned in a regular chemistry class.
I know that very soon I will be doing experimental (not only literature!) research in the department which this time I will have to present at an American Chemical Society Conference. Although it sounds scary, I am still confident that I will undoubtedly succeed because the Honors program in the chemistry department is being taken seriously by all its faculty members.
Boris Isakov
I am currently 21 years old and knew all along that without at least a master’s degree it is very hard to find a well paying job. I was born in Russia and moved to Israel when I turned six and attended a private high school named "ORT ABIN" which is a professional science school that mainly concentrates on chemistry and biotechnology. It is there that I started to like chemistry because this field delas with a lot of common sense.
This semester I registered for Honors General Chemistry I. I decided to take this class for several reasons, such as the fact that I wanted to challenge myself and because of my love for chemistry. Six weeks later I am amazed about the extent of what I have learned and the way I am thinking. In a small class where everybody knows everybody else since week 2 of the semester, I have developed the sense of collaboration that will help everybody involved. I recommend this class to everybody who wants to achieve something out of his academic life and is not afraid to try something different and challenging.
Aysha Naz
I was really happy to take honors classes. Their size is small when compared to a regular class. Because there are less students there is a good chance that we know each other well and closely. We help each other out with our assigned homework problems. Moreover the instructors pay almost equal attention to all the students and encourage us to do better.
I first had Professor Paris Svoronos in my General Chemistry and had the opportunity to solve problems on the blackboard. This helped me confidence and I am currently assigned to conduct PLTL workshops to the students taking General Chemistry I. During the Spring 2005 semester I did take Honors General Chemistry II with Dr. M. Chauhan and had the opportunity to make an oral presentation on “Free Energy” at the First QCC Honors Conference on April 15, 2005.
Alana Doonachar
I have completed Honors General Chemistry I and I am currently taking Honors General Chemistry II. It is a privilege for me to be a part of an Honors class because it opens doors for research and personal academic development, as well as better interactions with students and the professor. I enjoy being part of a small classroom where there is active enthusiasm and participation from the students' part. I have met some wonderful people in these classes who share the same motivation and desire to learn and apply what they have learned. It is very rewarding to be a part of this class and therefore, I encourage any student who is qualified to join such classes.
Abhishek Roka
There is an old saying which says that your abilities and skills are measured by the competition you have. And if that is the case then the students attending the Honors Program here at QCC are amongst the best skilled students out there. This is because the atmosphere is competitive, the students are more motivated and the instructors are challenging.
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