Document 2339868

The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College
www.utb.edu
Career Center
KNOWLEDGE KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES.
The next in this series will appear on April 21.
The next in the edition of this series will appear on Oct. 23, 2008
REAL RESEARCH
Take these steps to become
a UTB/TSC student
• Take a campus tour. For more information,
contact the Office of Admissions and
Recruitment at (956) 882-8600.
• Complete an online admission form a
www.utb.edu.
• Take the C.O.M.P.A.S.S., THEA or a stateapproved alternate test prior to enrollment.
For more information on C.O.M.P.A.S.S.
testing dates, call the Testing Center at
(956) 882-8875.
• Meet with an academic advisor to plan a
course schedule and degree plan. For more
information, contact Academic Advising at
(956) 882-7362.
• Attend Scorpiontation, UTB/TSC’s
freshman orientation experience. For more
information, call the Office of the Dean of
Students at (956) 882-5141.
Financial Aid Checklist
UTB/TSC students (from left to right), Abraham Ruiz, Kali Wallenta and Rose Alvarez, are measuring gas volumes for
the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide.
UTB/TSC chemistry students work in labs, make discoveries
Undergraduate chemistry major
Cassandra Cavazos of San Benito
is researching how native medicinal
plants can contribute to treating
diabetes
Cavazos, 22, a senior at The
University of Texas at Brownsville and
Texas Southmost College, is working
with the Department of Chemistry and
Environmental Science’s Dr. Arnulfo
Mar doing qualitative tests that analyze
proteins, carbohydrates, sugars and
amino acids in plants found on both
sides of the border or in herb stores.
“I think it’s a rewarding experience,”
she said. “It puts you out there to do
things you haven’t done before.”
UTB/TSC offers a close facultystudent environment for chemistry
studies, which allows students, such
as Cavazos, to engage in active
research beyond the confines of their
coursework.
The university offers a Bachelor
of Science in Chemistry, which
requires students to take courses in
general chemistry, organic chemistry,
biochemistry, physical chemistry,
chemical
literature,
inorganic
chemistry and other subjects. Dr. Wei
Lin, an assistant professor of chemistry,
said students coming into the program
typically have high grades in general
chemistry and sound competency with
mathematics.
Abraham Ruiz Jr., 21, a senior
chemistry major from Los Fresnos,
said the first and second sections of
Organic Chemistry were his favorite.
“It’s really fun. It’s like a puzzle, and
you have to name the molecules. You
also do quantitative analysis,” he said.
Department
faculty
members
emphasize doing laboratory research,
which engages students and helps
them build practical experience.
Some of Cavazos’ laboratory work
on plantains and diabetes enabled
her to present basic findings to an
American Chemical Society gathering
in New Orleans and to Rice University
in Houston.
“It’s good stuff for us because it’s
good verification to reduce blood sugar
levels in a diabetic,” she said about the
fruit. “We made a tea out of them and
studied them.”
The department offers a chemistry
internship for academic credit for
students to work in the community with
established chemistry professionals.
The department also offers a chemistry
seminar for academic credit in which
students research a current chemical
topic and formally present findings to
students and faculty members.
“It’s more about the experience
working on the real stuff than the
chemistry labs in their courses,” said
Lin. “A lot of chemical companies
expect previous research experience.”
Summer internships are also valuable
to students.
Ruiz spent two months last
summer studying organic metallics
and pharmaceuticals with a faculty
member at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology.
“I was in the lab all day long,” he
said. “We had to record everything.”
Ruiz hopes the work will help him
look better to pharmacy programs after
he graduates.
“I want something secure and to
help society and to make a difference
for a better world,” he said about the
pharmacy profession.
Cavazos chose to major in chemistry
because she has an interest in forensics.
She wants to study either forensics or
pharmacy in graduate school.
“I know chemistry isn’t people’s first
choice,” said Cavazos. “If you want to
be a doctor or work in any lab for a
company, what better way to get into
chemistry? It’s interesting once you
put your time into it. It’s very hands
on.”
Past UTB/TSC chemistry graduates
have gone on to graduate school at The
University of Texas at San Antonio,
Texas A&M University-Kingsville and
the University of Houston.
Follow us at
facebook.com/utbrownsville.
Average Annual Salaries for Chemistry Careers
Basic chemical manufacturing
$128,390
Chemical engineering
$84,680
Chemistry instructors and professors
$79,840
Federal government
$95,690
Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing
$66,520
1. Apply for financial aid using Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
online in order to apply for federal and
state grant, work-study and loan programs
(www.fasfa.ed.gov). Parents and students
should apply for a pin number at
www.pin.ed.gov.
2. Students must apply for admission
to UTB/TSC and make sure all official
transcripts are sent to the Office of
Admissions and Recruitment. Transfer
students must request evaluation of
transcripts.
3. Take the C.O.M.P.A.S.S./e-Write exam or other
Texas Success Initiative (TSI) test. Check
with the Testing Office at (956) 882-8875.
4. Students will receive either a Student
Aid Report (SAR) or a Student Aid
Acknowledgement and must review the
information for accuracy.
5. A financial aid advisor will review the
application and may need to request
additional documentation from the
student. Comply with all Office of Financial
Aid requests for verification of information.
6. Once the file is completed and cleared, the
student will receive a letter stating
his/her eligibility status and/or award offer
via e-mail.
7. Register for classes before the designated
deadlines as indicated in the course
schedule and pay balance at Business
Office before payment deadline. Six credit
hours are required for most financial
aid programs. E-mail your financial aid
questions to [email protected].
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics and the American Chemical Society
Some fields that chemistry degree-holding students can pursue include
agricultural chemistry, chemical technology, food and flavor chemistry,
forensic chemistry, geochemistry, textile chemistry and science writing.
Y
L
APP NOW!
GET READY FOR REGISTRATION!
General registration begins April 30. Get the summer and fall classes you want.
Start submitting your admission and financial-aid applications now.
Go to www.utb.edu and select BECOME A STUDENT or call (956) 882-8600.