By Ruth Bruno

Although deciding on a major can be a long process for some students, the choice was always clear for student Alicia Gizzi.

After learning to measure PH in eighth grade, Gizzi became interested in Chemistry and decided she wanted to continue in that field. Now a junior at CCSU, Gizzi will graduate next year and plans to go on to graduate school.

“You can do a lot of things with Chemistry; I don’t think people realize how much you can do,” says Gizzi.  From working in a sawmill lab to becoming a lab-tech in a hospital, or maybe even finding a biology-related job, like taxology, there are numerous options available to a chemist with just a bachelor’s degree.

Though some students may be wary of the demanding workload associated with this particular major it can be very rewarding for those who are dedicated and have a passion for chemistry. Students find that the small Chemistry department of CCSU can provide an ideal learning environment.

“Here I feel comfortable,” says Gizzi, “There is definitely a one-on-one student to professor interaction going on which you will not receive at bigger universities. We have class, but I believe the majority of the things I learn outside the classroom.” She went on to mention one of her recent research projects working with Dr. James V. Arena as her advisor.

Arena, a professor of analytical chemistry who has been working at CCSU for 25 years, says he spends an average of 20 hours a week working directly with students. Over the years, he has found that students majoring in chemistry need more than just proficiency in math and science to excel.

“You’ve got to be good in abstract thinking because much of chemistry involves looking at molecules and atoms and ions without actually being able to see them. You have to have problem-solving skills. You have to be able to think analytically and logically.”

Students should also have strong writing and communication and writing skills as they may need to clearly express their research to professors and other students. Most importantly though, students who want to major in Chemistry must have a love for the work they’re doing. Arena finds that the students who make it through the most difficult Chemistry courses are those who are wholly interested in the subject.

“If you’re really engaged in the subject and you’re somewhat proficient in the skills mentioned, you can always get better at it, but you have to be engaged in it and you have to find it interesting. You have to come in with some kind of driving commitment to the subject matter.”

Gizzi certainly has that driving commitment. She is currently vice-president of the CCSU Chemistry Club. The club meets Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m. and is open to anybody with an interest in chemistry or biochemistry. The club does some small, fun activities; making ice cream out of liquid nitrogen was the club’s most recent. They annually takes a trip to the American Chemical Society meeting to discuss ideas with other chemists and present the findings of their research. This year, six members of the club will be presenting posters of their work at the meeting.

“Four members will be presenting CCSU research which is great and it looks really good for the school,” says Gizzi.

Both Arena and Gizzi make use of their spare time away from the books and lab. Arena has gone back to school for theology and spends a couple nights a week working in a parish. Gizzi spends the little free time she with the other members of Chemistry club. To any student thinking about majoring in chemistry Gizzi says: “It’s not easy, but it’s doable. I do struggle with it, even in upper-level chemistry, but you just have to do the work.”