News - Chemistry Department

The Case for Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Vassar and Italian Scientists Prove Its Benefits

After four years of testing extra virgin olive oil from groves in Italy and California, Chemistry Prof. Miriam Rossi and an interdisciplinary team of Vassar researchers and Italian scientists have shown that this staple of Mediterranean cuisine has some remarkable health benefits.

Feature Article Posted 2/16/2018 Read article

So You Want To Be an Engineer? The Vassar-Dartmouth Dual Degree Program

Twenty-three Vassar sophomores—a record number—are applying for admission to the dual degree program at Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering. The successful candidates will spend their junior year at Thayer, return to Vassar to complete their bachelor’s, and then spend a fifth year at Thayer to earn a bachelor’s in engineering.

Feature Article Posted 2/5/2018 Read article

Free public walking tours of Vassar College history to be offered Saturdays in October and November

Free public walking tours of the architecturally renowned Vassar campus will be held on three upcoming Saturdays. The tour leaders will be Colton Johnson, College Historian and Professor Emeritus of English (10/14), Leslie Offutt, Associate Professor of History (10/28), and Chris Smart, Associate Professor of Chemistry and a Vassar alumnus (11/4).

Announcement Posted 10/5/2017

“Building Food,” Vassar’s upcoming food symposium, examines the relationship between food and architecture, futuristic foods, and features celebrity sushi chef Bun Lai, April 7-8, 2017

A highlight of the will be the lunch panel on futuristic foods featuring celebrity chef Bun Lai of Miya’s restaurant in Connecticut, who makes sustainable sushi made from invasive species.

Announcement Posted 3/22/2017

Making the Connections - Science for the 21st Century

Vassar's new science facility, the Bridge for Laboratory Sciences, supports collaborations between the sciences by bringing the college’s various science departments and programs into closer physical proximity with shared access to state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities.

Feature Article Posted 12/21/2016 Read article

Chocolate Chemistry

Vassar students routinely collaborate with professors on original research. In this video, Miriam Rossi, Professor of Chemistry, and her students are investigating the chemical components of chocolate from a particular region of Ecuador.

Feature Article Posted 7/14/2016

A Quick Tour of the Electron Microscope Facility

The Bridge for Laboratory Sciences houses Vassar’s Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) facility. Take a brief tour with Chris Smart, Professor of Chemistry.

Feature Article Posted 7/14/2016

A Brief Introduction to the Single Crystal X-ray Diffractometer

The Bridge for Laboratory Sciences houses Vassar’s single crystal X-ray diffractometer. Take a brief tour with Joe Tanski, Professor of Chemistry.

Feature Article Posted 7/14/2016

Alter Ego: Teresa Garrett, Triathlete

Always athletic, Teresa Garrett, chemistry professor, has upped her game over the last two years, adhering to a strict training regimen and competing in some grueling races, including the Survival of the Shawangunks where she placed fifth in her division.

Feature Article Posted 7/8/2016

Disrupting Hormones in the Name of Beauty

Epidemiologist Kim Harley ’92, the associate director of the UC Berkeley Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health is concerned about the ways that hormone-disrupting chemicals affect our health. Harley led a study to gauge the effects of chemicals used in personal care products on teenage girls.

Feature Article Posted 6/21/2016