Make your gift go farther by donating to the
Sal and Judy Russo Biochemistry Research Fund!
Gifts to the fund will provide summer research support for biochemistry students in the Chemistry Department. Your gift will provide critical funding for research stipends, travel expenses, equipment, lab supplies, and publication costs. Sal will match the sum total of other contributions to the Endowment up to $5000.
Why Give to the Chemistry Department?
During the 2024-25 academic year, the Chemistry Department was buzzing with robust enrollment, engaging with a vibrant cohort of young chemists, and continuing to be active in research activities and innovative teaching approaches.
Last year, our department had 80 graduates, and we plan to graduate 62 more this spring!
Our research labs were also quite active over the past year, employing over 79 student research assistants in the summer of 2024. 
Additionally, our Research Experiences with Undergraduates program, funded by the National Science Foundation, continues to bring students in from around the country to engage in authentic summer research projects, a program we have been fostering since 2010. We were also continuing to settle in to our general chemistry and biochemistry instructional lab spaces in the new Interdisciplinary Sciences Building, or ISB. It is exciting to teach our students in these new spaces, which has helped us improve and broaden access for our programs.
During the 2023-2024 academic year, we also had a number of notable awards for our faculty in teaching, scholarship, and student mentorship. Prof. Tim Kowalczyk was named a Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, Prof. Amanda Murphy received the Arlan Norman Award for Excellence in Student Mentoring, and Prof. Robert Berger received the Peter Elich Award for Excellence in Teaching. It is an honor and privilege to continue working with such great colleagues and students year after year.
In the Chemistry Department, we are exceptionally proud of our students and their accomplishments, both here and post-WWU. Many of you have helped us realize those accomplishments through your generous gifts to the department, and for those gifts we are truly grateful. Would you like to see what we've been up to over the past year? Please check out our Spring 2025 Newsletter!
About
The Chemistry Department at Western offers courses for students who plan to major in Chemistry, Biochemistry and other physical, engineering and life sciences programs. The department offers M.S., B.S., and B.A. degrees in chemistry and biochemistry. Our Programs are designed to emphasize the fundamental principles of chemistry and their application to technological, societal, and industrial problems, to develop scientific reasoning, advanced hands-on laboratory skills, and to prepare students for success in graduate/professional programs, government, and industry.
Your gift to the Chemistry Department will:
- Support student events and experiences
- Student community outreach
- Provide multiple scholarships and summer research fellowships for students
- Provide undergraduate travel and professional development opportunities
Your Gift Makes A Difference to Our Students...
“2009. It was my freshman year in college, and being a scientist was the last thing I was envisioning for myself. I was a first generation college student, and the only goal I had for myself was to be the first in my family to graduate from college. I wasn't concerned with how or in what field, I would just graduate. 8 years later, and I am an NSF Graduate Research Fellow working on my PhD in biological sciences at Northwestern University-- and I now know, I was meant to be a scientist. What happened in the years in between that triggered such a sudden change? Mentorship. Mentorship and role models have brought me to where I am today. From my professors teaching me the basic concepts in the classroom, to my PI having faith and confidence in my lab skills, even to all of the department professors helping me with graduate school applications... These mentors and role models have been there for me no matter the highs, lows, and challenges I experienced. These mentors have continued cheering me on, even after graduation. My dream is to be like my mentors and teach, illuminate scientific opportunities for those who might not otherwise see them, and inspire the next generation of scientists.”
-- Anne d’Aquino, '14
