RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES
VSBMB: The Villanova Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
VSBMB is a recently formed student organization for our Biochemistry majors. This group, lead by students in the Biochemistry Program and advised by faculty members, is active throughout the school year and is engaged in academic, service and social activities. Villanova's chapter is an official member of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology's Undergraduate Affiliate Network.
In addition to regular club meetings, highlights of VSBMB activities include:
- The Biochemistry students have developed and implemented a Mentoring Program in which upper level majors are paired with incoming students into the program.
- Regular participation in Villanova’s Martin Luther King Day of Service.
- Periodically take part in the PAGES program (Philadelphia Area Girls Enjoying Science) leading 6th grade girls in various science experiments.
- VSBMB students are actively involved in community outreach through Youths in Engineering in Science, where volunteers engage weekly with young students in science experiments. They also take part in Schoolhouse Science, which provides an opportunity to teach chemistry lessons at an elementary school.
- Social with the Chemistry club at the end of the school year.
RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP
Biochemistry faculty members are teachers and scholars. The involvement of students in research is central to our mission. Biochemistry program faculty are engaged in research in basic science working toward the understanding of fundamental cellular processes, as well as in more applied biomedical fields.
Many opportunities exist for students to participate in research projects with our faculty members. Students may obtain credit for their research during the school year. They also may participate in the summer research program, which is supported by departmental funds, the VURF summer research program, or through the support of faculty grants. Students may also volunteer in faculty laboratories.
Students are encouraged early in their college careers to discuss potential research opportunities with program faculty. Please visit Biochemistry faculty pages to learn more about their work! In addition to our teaching laboratories, there are twelve faculty research laboratories. Students will find exceptional research opportunities, facilities, and instrumentation at Villanova!
The research and teaching laboratories in the Biochemistry program utilize instrumentation and facilities from both the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Biology.
Major instrumentation located in the Department of Biology includes
- scanning and transmission electron microscopes
- a laser capture microdissection microscope
- fluorescence microscopes
- phase contrast microscopes
- numerous brightfield and dissecting microscopes.
- flow cytometers (2)
- thermal cyclers for quantitative PCR (2)
- several gradient PCR cyclers
- several standard thermal cyclers
- plate readers with fluorescence/luminescence capacity
- X-ray film processor
- gel documentation systems, including super cooled cameras
- several UV-VIS spectrophotometers including two Nanodrop spectrophotometers
- a 96 capillary automated DNA sequencer
- an ultracentrifuge, several superspeed centrifuges, and clinical centrifuges
- laminar flow hoods (11) with nearby water jacketed CO2 incubators
- a variety of standard incubators, both shaking and stationary
- extensive liquid nitrogen and ultra-low temperature storage capacity.
- walk-in cold rooms (2)
- autoclaves (3)
- dishwashers and ovens available for lab preparation.
- A vivarium is located in Mendel Science Center
Major instrumentation in The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry includes
- BioRad Benchmark Plus UV-Vis plate reader
- BioRad iMark UV-Vis plate reader
- UVP EC3 imaging system
- Techne TC3000G thermal cycler
- BioRad T100 thermal cyclers (2)
- New Brunswick Excella E25 incubator/shaker
- New Brunswick C25KC incubator/shaker
- Sorvall RCB5 Plus refrigerated high speed centrifuge and rotors
- Sorvall RC5C refrigerated high speed centrifuge and rotors
- Kendro-Sorvall ultra-microcentrifuge and rotors
- Multiple Nanopure water purification systems
- New Brunswick Ultra low temperature Freezer
- U725 Innova So-Low Environmental ultra low temperature freezer
- Liquid nitrogen cell storage system
- Branson sonifiers (2): 450W and 250W with microtip and cuphorn
- Laminar flow hoods (2)
- water-jacketed CO2 incubators (3)
- EVOS XL Core inverted light microscope (bright phase and phase contrast) with digital screen and camera
- Motic AE2000 inverted light microscope
- Thermo Scientific Biomate 6 UV-Vis spectrophotometer
- BTX electroporation system
- Hybaid hybridization oven
- UVP CC-1000 UV crosslinker
- SNAP i.d. Protein Detection System
- Bio-Rad BioLogic DuoFlow 10 FPLC
- Avestin EmulsiFlex-C5 high-pressure homogenizer
- Bio-Rad Personal Molecular Imager (phosphorimager)
- Perkin Elmer AAnalyst 100 and 300 Atomic absorption spectrophotometers
- Fluourimeters (3)
- Perkin Elmer Spectrum One FTIR (3)
- Perkim Elmer FX FTIR
- Varian Mercury 300 and XL-300 NMRs
- Perkin Elmer Lambda 35 UV-Vis spectrophotometer
- Bruker X-Ray Diffractometer
- Perkin Elmer Polarimeter
- Bruker Tracer III-V SD Handheld XRF
- Jarell Ash ICP Atomic Emission Spectrophotometer
- Multiple chemiluminescence analyzers (nitrogen and sulfur)
- Shimadzu QP-2010 Plus GC/MS Varian 3400/Finnigan MAT ion-trap GC/MS
- Varian 3900/2100T ion-trap GC/MS
- Hewlett Packard 5890 GC/FID (3)
- Shimadzu GC/FID
- Thermo Trace GC/ECD Waters 600/480 LC HPLC
- Varian Prostar Thermo and HP 1050 HPLCs
- Lumex International Capel-150 Capillary Electrophoresis
- Shimadzo Prominence HPLC (3)
- Applied Biosystems 3200 Q-TRAP MS/MS and API 2000 MS/MS
- Thermodyne Tube Furnace
- Differential scanning calorimeter
- thin film spinner
- glove boxes (3)
- solvent purification system
- Dionex ASE200 Accelerated Solvent extractor
Our graduates are prepared to pursue careers in many different areas. Each year, our students go on to further studies in health-related professions, graduate programs, industrial, academic, or government employment, education-related fields, law school, and several other areas. We invite you to explore the outcomes of some of our most recent graduates. Each about half of our students take positions in industrial and healthcare-related employment (e.g. pharmaceutical companies) and roughly the other half attend graduate school or medical school (e.g. Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, Emory, Thomas Jefferson University, and many many more.
College and University Resources
In addition to resources and opportunities through the Biology and Chemistry and Biochemistry Departments, Villanova provides support to undergraduate students in all aspects of their collegiate experience and beyond through the centralized services of the Office for Undergraduate Students, Office of Education Abroad and Career Center.
