Marietta College senior enjoys presenting research at annual Chemical Society meeting

by Liz Nedved

Marietta, Ohio (04/11/2019) — Shannon Patberg '19 (Murrysville, Pennsylvania) recently represented Marietta College at the Spring American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition by presenting research she has been conducting over the last three years alongside faculty members Dr. Jim and Michelle Jeitler.

"The opportunity to present at ACS was amazing," said Patberg, who is majoring in Chemistry. "It was so exciting to exchange ideas and converse with some of the top scientists in the nation. It's an opportunity I could not have done without the support of the department - they teach us how to think critically and although the course load is rigorous, it has made me a better chemist."

Patberg's research involved synthesizing a compound that made a first-row transition metal not previously seen in literature and is believed to be a stepping stone for mimicking insulin and aiding in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. This research ultimately led Patberg to three internships sponsored by the National Science Foundation, and the opportunity to continue her research over two summers at West Virginia University where her work was published in a scientific journal.

In addition to her research at Marietta and WVU, Patberg also spent a summer at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte investigating energy efficient OLED's and Solar Panels, which she also presented at the conference.

"Marietta has not only given me the independence to experiment with my own ideas and Dr. Jeitler's (ideas), but also the amazing opportunities with the NSF," she said. "I could not have done any of it without the support of the Chemistry Department - especially Dr. Jeitler and Professor Jeitler."

This is the fifth consecutive year the Biochemistry Department was represented at the ACS Conference by students presenting the results of original research.

Jim Jeitler is an Associate Professor of Chemistry, while Michelle Jeitler is an instructor of Mathematics.

Located in Marietta, Ohio, at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, Marietta College is a four-year liberal arts college. Tracing its roots to the Muskingum Academy back in 1797, the College was officially chartered in 1835. Today Marietta College serves a body of 1,200 full-time students. The College offers 49 majors and is consistently ranked as one of the top regional comprehensive colleges by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, as well as one of the nation's best by Forbes.com. Marietta was selected seventh in the nation according to the Brookings Institution's rankings of colleges by their highest value added, regardless of major.

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