Seniors Katherine Bynum, Caitlin Hopkins and Allison Walsh presented their undergraduate research projects at the 2014 Southwest Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society on Nov. 21 in Fort Worth.

The meeting brought students and researchers from all over the Southwest Region to include Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Colorado and New Mexico.

Under the mentorship of Dr. Phillip Pelphrey, associate professor of chemistry and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, each student conducted research as part of the Robert A. Welch Foundation Summer Research Program. This 8-week, paid internship allows students to gain valuable laboratory experience to help further their knowledge and skill in the chemical sciences.

Bynum and Hopkins presented their poster titled: "Copper Mediated Synthesis of 2,4-Diaminopyrimidines: A New Class of DHFR Inhibitors," which focuses on the development of new potential drug targets for the treatment of resistant strains of bacteria.

Walsh presented her poster titled: "Synthesis and Evaluation of Substituted 1,2,3-triazoles: An Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment," which focused on research into a new undergraduate teaching laboratory experiments being developed at Wesleyan.

To learn more about research opportunities or the Welch Summer Research Program, please contact the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at (817) 531-5869 or ppelphrey@txwes.edu.