Faculty Spotlights
Faculty Spotlight: Richard Lord, Chemistry
What are your undergraduate research mentor experiences?
I have worked with five students since arriving at GVSU in 2012. Two have been Modified Student Summer Scholars (2013 Adam Terwilliger, 2014 Talon Kosak), and three of the students (Sam Bidwell, Talon Kosak, and Adam Terwilliger) presented their research at the National American Chemical Society Meeting and Student Scholars Day in 2014.
Would you briefly explain the focus of some of the most recent research you have mentored students in?
Research in our group uses computer simulations to better understand the reactivity and properties (structures, bonding, etc.) of chemicals that include transition metals like iron or nickel. We are particularly interested in reactions where an electron is added to or removed from a compound, such as in the reduction of carbon dioxide to afford value-added materials. We work closely with experimental laboratories at GVSU and elsewhere to test the hypotheses that come from our simulations.
Why is mentoring undergraduate research an important component of your work?
Undergraduate research is personal for me because it decided my choice of major and ultimately my career. The one-on-one interactions with my research mentors taught me as much or more than I learned in any classroom. As an advisor, it is wonderful to see students’ creative approaches to problems, discuss topics we don’t cover in the curriculum, and help you become an independent scientist. Science that is being worked out for the first time does not succeed like a typical lab, and it is important that students learn that early. Also, your work is the only way our research continues forward during the semester!
If a student is interested in your field of research, what are some suggestions or tips you might share with them to help them get more involved and/or better prepared to engage in this type of research?
Read up on projects in your department or in an area of interest to you. If you are not sure where to start, talk to a professor whose class you enjoyed and ask them to point you in the right direction. Research involves a lot of failures and repetitive tasks; the “big picture” must keep you motivated. Once you find a project, contact that advisor about the possibility of doing research. Explain why you are interested and what lab skills you have. You are not expected to propose your own research, but the most serious students (and most likely to get a position) are familiar with our work.
Who are some of your previous mentees, and what are they doing now?
Chris Taylor (’13) is pursuing a graduate degree in computer science at GVSU, Sam Bidwell is a summer research fellow at the University of California – Merced, Adam Terwilliger is a summer intern at the statistical software company SAS, and Talon Kosak is currently a Modified Student Summer Scholar in my lab.
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