Resources for Chemistry and Biochemistry | Mount Allison

Cragg Resource Centre

Generously donated by the Mount Allison Class of 1949, the L.H. Cragg Resource Centre plays an integral part in research done by science students by providing computing facilities and software to help analyze and present data collected during research.

The Cragg Resource Centre calendar

Computing facilities/software in the Centre
  • 22 personal computers (Windows 7 and Linux)
  • Dell Latitude D620 Laptop
  • Dell 3200MP DLP projector
  • Gaussian 09W
  • PC Spartan Pro, Student Spartan 2.0.0
  • Accelrys Cerius, Accelrys Viewer Lite 5.0
  • Scifinder Scholar
  • Cambridge Structural Database (Conquest 1.9, Mercury 1.5)
  • CS ChemOffice 5.0, MDL ISIS Draw 2.5
  • ChemDraw (download instructions below)
  • SPSS 15.0 for Windows
  • Maplesoft Maple 10, Mathcad 13
  • Microsoft Office 2010, Open Office
  • Refworks, Adobe Reader X
  • Visual Paradigm

Instrumentation

Students have access to a wide range of instrumentation in Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry laboratories.

Instrumentation and features

Inert Atmosphere

LC technology Solutions Inc
Double glovebox

MBraun Inc. LABmaser Pro

  • single user
  • -30 C freezer
  • cold well

IR spectroscopy
Thermo Scientific Nicolet iS5

  • iD1 cell holder
  • iD5 ATR

Thermo Nicolet ir200

NMR

Varian Mercury Plus (200MHz)

  • 1H, 13C, 31P

Jeol ECX-400 (400MHz)

  • 1H, 11B, 13C, 31P

2x nanalysis Corporation; NMeady-60PRO (2017)

  • 60 MHz Benchtop NMR
  • 1H and 11B nuclei
  • 1H and 31P nuclei

Optical Spectroscopy

Perkin Elmer LS 50B luminescence Spectrophotometer

2x Varian Cary 100 Bio UV-Vix Spectrophotometer

  • Cary 100 Software updated 2014
  • 6x6 Multicell Block Peltier
  • Cary Temperature Controller

Varian SpecrAA 220 Atomic Absorption/Emission Spectrometer

  • AA workstation (SpectrAA) updated 2019

Thermo Nicolet NXR 9650 FT-Raman Spectrometer

  • with FT-Raman Microstage and InGaAs/Ge Detectors
  • OMNIC Professional 7.1a/ FT-Raman 7.1/Atlus Software
  • Thermo Electron Standard Collection of Raman Spectra

Imaging and Surface

Park Systems XE-100 Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)

Harrick Plasma RF Plasma Cleaner

UV-vis-NIR Spectroscopy (Princeton Instruments) coupled to an inverted polarized florescence microscope (Olympus)

2 Langmuir balances

BASi Epsilon EClipse Electrochemical Analyzer

Gas Chromatography

Varian Model 3700 GC-FID

Agilent 8860 GC with 5977B MS

  • 7693 Autoinjector
  • MDS ChemStation
  • NIST library Bundle

Liquid Chromatography

Varian Prostar 210 single pump with 320 UV-Vis detector

Agilent 1260 Infinity II

  • Quaternary pump
  • Dioade array detector
  • Auto Sampler
  • Chem Station software

Accessories

Millipore Milli-Q Reference A+

  • Q-pod Attachment

     


    Career resources

    Academic career advising and mentoring

    Biochemist Dr. Tyson MacCormack (tmaccormack@mta.ca) and chemist Dr. Glen Briand (gbriand@mta.ca) are available to meet with students enrolled as chemistry/biochemistry majors to discuss their career options. 

    Past departmental graduates have gone on to (post) graduate education or careers in:

    • medicine
    • dentistry
    • healthcare
    • pharmacy
    • optometry
    • podiatry
    • allied health fields
    • law
    • veterinary medicine
    • doctoral studies in biochemistry or biology
    • education
    • bioinformatics
    • laboratory technicians
    • Masters of Business Administration (MBA)
    • forensic sciences
    • patent agent
    • sales
    • government
    • industry

    It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that their course selections will meet the entry requirements for these graduate programs and that the student attain a high enough grade to pass entrance cutoffs.

    Our best advice for choosing a successful career path is to choose a career

    • whose subject matter you enjoy (and you will never work a day in your life)
    • that requires some specialization (so few others are qualified to do it)
    • is valued by society in general (so your efforts are rewarded)

    Generally, chemistry and biochemistry students will enter one of the following career areas and be employed by the one or more of the following employers by exploiting the following strategies.

    Career areas

    Adapted to Canadian needs from a “BIOCHEMISTRY: What can I do with this degree?” by the Career Planning staff of Career Services at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. (1996, Revised 2003)

    Click here to learn and explore different career paths in the Chemical Sciences.

    Research

    Basic, applied, medical

    Employers Strategies

    University laboratories

    Federal government labs, agencies (NRC, Alberta Innovates, Health Canada, Agriculture & Agri-Food, DFO, RCMP, Canadian Forces, etc.)

    Public health labs

    Commercial medical laboratories

    Independent research foundations

    Industry laboratories (pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, food processors, cosmetic manufacturers, chemical/petroleum industries)

    Bachelor's degree in biochemistry, biology, or chemistry to qualify for laboratory technician/research assistant positions

    Choose courses with laboratory work

    Get on-the-job experience in a laboratory by volunteering and/or doing an honours thesis research project

    Complete a certificate training program, usually one year, to learn specialized laboratory techniques

    Earn master's degree in biochemistry or chemistry for better positions, advancement opportunities, more responsibility, and higher pay

    Obtain PhD to direct research projects and lead research teams

    Healthcare
    • Medicine
    • Dentistry
    • Optometry
    • Podiatry
    • Pharmacy
    • Veterinary medicine
    • Allied Health
    • Occupational and/or physical therapy)
    • Nursing
    • Nurse practitioner
    • Emergency medical services
    • Global health
    • Epidemiology
    • Genetic counselling
    Employers Strategies

    Hospitals

    Medical centers

    Nursing homes

    Private practice

    Canadian Forces

    Plan on attending medical school or other related graduate program

    Maintain an outstanding grade point average, particularly in the sciences

    Secure strong faculty recommendations

    Meet with a pre-health advisor periodically

    Join related student organizations

    Demonstrate leadership abilities

    Volunteer to work in a hospital or healthcare setting

    Find a summer job or internship in a hospital

    Develop a “back-up”plan in case medical/graduate school admission is denied

    Consider alternative but related careers such as nurse or physician assistants

    Research all of the various fields within medicine to determine a particular career goal

     

    Teaching
    Employers Strategies

    Public/private elementary to high schools

    Community college or technical institutes

    Medical professional schools

    Complete an accredited teacher preparation program for certification/licen sure in biology and/or chemistry

    Earn a higher degree in biochemistry or chemistry and gain research experience; PhD required for universities, colleges

    Business and other professional activities
    • Sales/marketing
    • Technical writing
    • Scientific journalism
    • Scientific illustration
    • Regulatory affairs
    • Administration/management
    • Scientific/technical recruiting
    • Intellectual property/patent law
    Employers Strategies

    Biotechnology industry

    Pharmaceutical and chemical companies

    Publishers: textbook, magazine, newspaper, book

    Software firms

    Regulatory agencies

    Search firms

    Law firms

    Legal departments of corporations

    For sales positions, gain sales experience through internships, part-time work, or summer jobs

    Take business and/or computer classes

    Become familiar with desktop publishing and other software packages

    Develop strong written and oral communication skills

    Get experience writing for a school or local newspaper

    Obtain an MBA or PhD to reach high levels of administration

    Plan on attending law school if interested in law

     

     

    Useful job search links