Overview

General Information

The Center for Photochemical Sciences, established in 1985, evolved from research activities of faculty in the Chemistry Department to make more effective use of focused resources in the photochemical sciences by assembling teams of scientists collaborating in an interactive, interdisciplinary research setting.

Center members include faculty from the departments of Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy, and Biological Sciences at Bowling Green State University. Its unifying intellectual theme focuses on the study of the interaction of light with physical, chemical and biological systems, and on the quest for practical applications of that basic knowledge, which stimulate new technology. The Center serves to expand the synergy of research, teaching and applications in the photochemical sciences.

Goals of the Center

• To conduct research across disciplinary boundaries
• To prepare students and professionals for careers in industry and academia
• To support established technological business through consultation and collaboration, particularly in our immediate locale, and to support the development of new business based on photoscience
• To serve as a resource center and transfer knowledge to those outside the Center

Distinguishing Features

• Strong interaction on regional, state and national levels with industries whose research, development and product initiatives involve the photochemical sciences
• A distinguished Scientific Advisory Board composed of leaders in the photosciences from industry and academia who participate in policy, planning and establishment of long-range goals for the Center
• Research collaborations at the local, regional, national, and international levels

Ph.D. Program

The Ph. D. program in the Photochemical Sciences at Bowling Green State University offers a unique, interdisciplinary research experience that emphasizes studies of the interaction of light with physical, chemical, and biological systems, and on the quest for practical applications of that basic knowledge. The program is designed for students with a background in physics, biological sciences, chemistry or materials science, and features small to medium-sized research groups (3 to 6 graduate students per group) having strong interaction between research directors.

Active areas of research include the study of photo-initiated polymerization, photo-induced electron-transfer reactions, photodynamic damage and therapy in biological systems, artificial light harvesting/processing systems, photosynthesis, circadian rhythms in cells and tissues, vibrationally resolved electronic spectroscopy, and structure and dynamics of RNA.

The Center for Photochemical Sciences is well equipped with specialized facilities necessary to support cutting edge research in the photochemical sciences. Major instrumentation includes 300 and 400 MHz NMR spectrometers, the latter equipped for both solution-phase and solid-state studies, a MALDI mass spectrometer, gas chromatography/mass spectrometers, spectrofluorimeters, an automated peptide synthesizer, and several stereolithography systems. The Center also houses the Ohio Laboratory for Kinetic Spectrometry having major installations for UV-Vis, NIR, IR, IR transient absorption, and visible fluorescence measurements on the femtosecond to millisecond timescales. The Wright Photoscience Laboratory, a new initiative in the Center, also has instrumentation available for photochemical sciences research.