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Department Mission & Profile

Our Department is committed to rigorous and innovative curriculum that focuses on developing problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication skills, and provides high quality education in chemistry and biochemistry. We offer a B.S. Chemistry degree program that is accredited by the American Chemical Society, as well as a B.A. Chemistry degree, a B.S. Biochemistry degree, and a research-intensive graduate program leading to M.S. Chemistry and M.S. Biochemistry degrees. Our award-winning faculty are vigorously involved in research projects with undergraduate and graduate students alike, and receive significant external grants and contracts annually. Our Department offers extensive opportunities for students to participate in novel research projects across a broad spectrum of areas in the chemical sciences. Our modern facilities are housed in the recently-built Molecular Life Sciences Center and the newly-completed Hall of Science. For further information, please contact our Department office or our academic advisors.

Dept Faculty 2009

Department Welcomes New Biochemistry Faculty Member: Dr. Jason Schwans

Dr. Jason Schwans Jason Schwans in the lab

Assistant Professor Jason Schwans joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at CSULB in August 2012 after his postdoctoral studies in Department of Biochemistry at Stanford University. Jason received a Bachelor's degree in chemistry and music from Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD, where he conducted research in analytical chemistry under the supervision of Professor Duane Weisshaar. He then attended the University of Chicago where he completed his Ph.D. in 2003. His research at Chicago was conducted under the guidance of Professor Joseph Piccirilli and was concentrated on synthesizing and applying nucleic acid analogs to investigate RNA structure. He then moved to Stanford where he studied the physical and chemical basis of enzyme catalysis in Professor Dan Herschlag's lab. After joining the faculty at CSULB, he is now establishing his lab where he will concentrate on using unnatural amino acids and nucleotides to investigate enzyme function. Research in the Schwans lab will be multidisciplinary and situated at the interface of organic chemistry and biochemistry. Jason is excited to welcome students interested in using the power of organic chemistry to address biological problems, and students are encouraged to contact him about research opportunities. This fall Jason will be teaching organic chemistry and a colloquium in biochemistry. In his spare time he enjoys music and spending time outdoors.

Calendar of Events [full page view]


Department News [Archived Here]

Jump Start Chem Summer 2013 Want to get a better grade in general chemistry and pass the CPT? Jumpstart is a custom designed preparatory course for the Chemistry Placement Examination (CPT) required for all students taking chemistry at CSULB. The course is an intense 45 hour workshop and covers critical topics from the CPT which are also key to succeeding in general chemistry. Click Here for more details!


SAACS Award The local chapter of the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society (SAACS), was named Student Organization of the Year by the associated student body (ASI). The award is presented to the student organization that is well-rounded and demonstrates a substantial contribution to students on and off campus. Congratulations to President Hannah Pham & the entire SAACS team!

Department students win awards This year's Chemistry & Biochemistry Awards Banquet will be held on Tuesday May 7th. Among others being honored this year, Biochemistry majors Tuyen Tran and Phuc La will receive the Outstanding Graduating Senior of the College and the College Rhodes Award, respectively, for their outstanding academic achievements. For a listing of Departmental awards and honors, please click here!


Department Faculty win awards Chemistry & Biochemistry faculty win awards:
Prof. Vas Narayanaswami was named the 2013 Most Valuable Professor by the CSULB Alumni Association and Prof. Young Shon received this year's CSU Long Beach Distinguished Faculty Scholarly and Creative Achievement Award! We congratulate Dr. Vas and Dr. Shon on this outstanding recognition!


Ronald Evans, 2013 Distinguished Speaker The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is pleased to announce our annual Allergan Distinguished Lecturer: Ronald M. Evans of the Salk Institute will visit campus on Wednesday, February 20th. Dr. Evans, whose work focuses on peroxisome proliferator activated receptors and their roles in diabetes and other metabolic disorders, will provide a general talk at 12:00 PM and a research seminar at 4:00 PM. For more information, please click here for the official announcement.


Vas Lab Publication The Vas Lab recently published their article titled "Biochemical and Biophysical Characterization of Recombinant Rat Apolipoprotein E: Similarities to Human Apolipoprotein E3" in the Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Prof. Vas' co-authors include undergraduate students Tuyen Tran, Carlos Gallo, Max Amaya and Jessica Kyees, and graduate student Sea Kim.


Derakhshan Lab Publication The Derakhshan Lab recently published their article "Synthesis, Crystal Structure, and Magnetic Properties of Li3Mg2OsO6, a Geometrically Frustrated Osmium(V) Oxide with an Ordered Rock Salt Structure: Comparison with Isostructural Li3Mg2RuO6," on which graduate student Sophia Nguyen was first author, in the journal Inorganic Chemistry.


Career Day Chemistry & Biochemistry Career Day is Saturday October 13th! Have you thought about what will you do after you graduate with a BS or BA degree? Do you know what the career options are for a Chemistry or Biochemistry graduate? Attend our third annual Career Day. For more information, including a list of speakers, click here. Pre-registration is required.



Shon Lab Diagram Prof. Shon's Group recently had two articles accepted for publication! The first, co-authored by graduate student Elham Sadeghmoghaddam (who now has three first authorship credits) and undergraduate student Hanmo Gu, will appear in ACS Catalysis. The second, co-authored by graduate student Diego Gavia, was accepted in Langmuir.



Slowinska Lab Publication Image The Slowinska Lab recently published an article in Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, titled "The microstructure of collagen type I gel cross-linked with gold nanoparticles", co-authored by undergraduates Thomas & Joseph Schuetz, grad students Nathan Richmond & Luciano Castaneda, and Dr. Marianne Harmon of Aerospace Corp. The article reports on the structure of collagen cross-linked with gold nanoparticles.


Department Awards Banquet Honors Sorin Lab Student The 2012 Department Awards Banquet was held on Tuesday May 8th to honor this year's academic and research award recipients. Biological Sciences major and Sorin Lab researcher Erik Carpio was awarded this year's Glenn M. Nagel Undergraduate Research Fellowship by the wife of former College Dean and Professor of Chemistry Glenn Nagel.