My poster will describe research in mechanistic organic chemistry and chemical education.  For my organic chemistry research project, I have studied a family of reactive thiophene and furan derivatives via experimental and computational techniques.  Thienyl and furanyl carbenes have long been postulated as intermediates in organic chemistry, and have been the subject of considerable theoretical interest however, they have eluded spectroscopic detection.  We now report the detection and characterization of triplet 3-thienylcarbene, along with methyl and methyl-d₃ substituted derivatives, by IR, UV-vis, and EPR spectroscopy in cryogenic matrices.  Photochemical reactions of these carbenes will also be described.

For my chemical education project, an interactive website devoted to introducing current science and engineering research into middle school and high school classrooms has been developed.  The website, entitled Today's Science for Tomorrow's Scientists, currently presents three different research areas, which can be broadly characterized as organic, inorganic, and biochemistry.  Online pre and post surveys explore three areas; students' attitudes towards science, students' perception of the research environment, and the ability of the website to deliver content that meets the National Science Education standards.  The development of the website as well as finding from pre and post surveys will be presented.