Position
Academic Background  
Sample Courses  
Teaching Philosophy   
Research & Interests   
Notable Academic Appointments & Awards
Publication Highlights  
Selected Scholarly Presentations

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Position            

• Dean, School of Arts & Sciences
• Associate Professor of Chemistry, 2002-present

Academic Background         

• Cornell University:
  • Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, 1993
  • M.S. in Organic Chemistry, 1990
• Rutgers College: B.A. in Chemistry, 1988

Sample Courses Taught at Providence College   

• Organic Chemistry I and II (with laboratory) 
• Organic Analysis (with laboratory)
• Contemporary Chemistry 

Teaching Philosophy            

The course I teach most regularly is Organic Chemistry.  This is widely known as a very difficult course, but I love teaching it.  I see my role in this course almost as a translator.  Organic chemistry has so many unique terms and conventions that studying it is very similar to learning another language.  My job is to prepare the students to understand the concepts by clarifying the language and materials that appear in their texts--it is up to the students to work on their own to master them, by putting in the time outside of class and struggling with the material to make it their own.  What is important to me is that students see me as supportive of their efforts to learn even as I hold them to high standards; I let them see that I love coming to class, and I love the subject of organic chemistry, and they respond to that.

Though Organic Chemistry is my major commitment, I also enjoy teaching courses for non-science majors, such as Contemporary Chemistry.  Here, I focus on the application of science to everyday life.  Often students end up bringing or e-mailing articles which they have seen that connect to something we did in the class.  I am always thrilled when this happens, because I want my non-science majors to understand the relevance of science to their daily lives, and give them the tools to make informed decisions in the future.

Working with our upper-level chemistry and biochemistry majors in courses or research is a joy, as I can see them start to visualize themselves as scientists rather than students.  When my research students start suggesting the experiments they want to try next, that's a real milestone.

An essential piece of teaching for me is getting to know my students on a personal level, and letting them know something about myself in return.  We are all so much more than our experiences in the classroom, and my interactions with my students enrich my life every year.

Research & Interests               

In the natural sciences, research is all about experimentation, and one person cannot conduct this type of research alone.  Many of my science colleagues and I have ongoing research programs in which we work closely with students as they conduct the experiments that advance our research projects.  I have supervised 35 Providence College undergraduate students to date as they have conducted research in organic chemistry here on the Providence College campus.  In my research lab, we are currently working on a modified version of a well-known reaction called the McMurry reaction.  This versatile reaction works very well to couple, or join, two molecules called carbonyl compounds together, but it is time-consuming and uses large amounts of costly and hazardous chemicals.  One of my past students came up with a version that is quicker and uses smaller amounts of the hazardous materials, and we are currently exploring the versatility of this modified version of the reaction.  We have made many presentations on this work at local, regional and national conferences.  Let me emphasize that all of the laboratory work on this project has been conducted by Providence College undergraduates.  Without their work, my research program would not exist.  Besides advancing the science, this work provides invaluable experiences to our students as they explore the process of research.  A large number of students who conduct research here on campus go on to attend graduate school or other professional schools, or find it very easy to obtain a research position upon graduation from Providence College.

Notable Academic Appointments and Awards

• Appointed first dean of the College's School of Arts & Sciences, 2008
• Special assistant to the vice president for academic affairs, 2008
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC): Steering Committee Co-Chair, 2006-2008
• American Chemical Society, Petroleum Research Fund, Type G Research Grant, "Face Selection in Electrophilic Additions to Trigonal Carbon," 1996-1999

Publication Highlights

• "The Solubility of Ionic Solids and Molecular Liquids," with Carl Baer.  Journal of Chemical Education, 1999, 76, 1540.

Selected Scholarly Presentations and Activities

• "Face Selection in Electrophilic Additions to Trigonal Carbon," poster presentation, Sixth National Conference of the Council on Undergraduate Research, North Carolina Central University, Durham, North Carolina, June 26-29, 1996.

Presentations by Research Students
(All names are those of Providence College undergraduates at the time of presentation, with presenting students' names in bold, and Dr. Adamus is a co-author on all of these presentations.)

• "A Modification of the McMurry Olefin Synthesis,” poster presentation, Rebekah Lucier, Elaine Augustin, Eastern Colleges Science Conference, St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 22, 2006.
• "Modified McMurry Olefin Synthesis,” poster presentation, Andrew Kennedy, Michael Callahan, Rhode Island section of the American Chemical Society meeting, Roger Williams University, Bristol, Rhode Island, April 28, 2005.
• "Modified McMurry Olefin Synthesis,” poster presentation, Andrew Kennedy, Michael Callahan, Eastern Colleges Science Conference, Southern Connecticut State University, April 9, 2005.
• "Modified McMurry Olefin Synthesis,” poster presentation, Andrew Kennedy, Michael Callahan, 229th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, San Diego, California, March 14, 2005.
• "The Modified McMurry Reaction: The 'One-Pot' Procedure," poster presentation, Heather Bellone, Roland Ostapoff, Andrew Kennedy, Michael Callahan, Rhode Island section of the American Chemical Society meeting, Providence College, Providence, Rhode Island, April 20, 2004.
• "The Modified McMurry Reaction: The 'One-Pot' Procedure," poster presentation, Heather Bellone, Roland Ostapoff, Andrew Kennedy, Michael Callahan, Eastern Colleges Science Conference, Manhattan College, New York, April 3, 2004.
• "The Modified McMurry Reaction: The 'One-Pot' Procedure," poster presentation, Heather Bellone, Roland Ostapoff, Andrew Kennedy, Michael Callahan, 227th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Anaheim, California, March 29, 2004.

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