Jazmine Roth

Hello! My name is Jazmine Roth. My hometown in Sneads Ferry, North Carolina and I completed my undergraduate degree in chemistry at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington. I was involved with research on campus in physical chemistry working on how to code using Fortran and Macro via Excel to solve the time dependent Schrödinger Equation in order to show the relationship between a metal atom surface and a protonated H2 molecule. This could then be visualized by creating contour plots of the desired orbitals. Additionally, I did a research project, we measured a range of contaminants including an irritant and compounds that can be detrimental to the aquatic life as well as our own. We contrasted the abundance of the following contaminants in a site in the intracoastal waterway and in the Cape Fear River: Caffeine, Sucralose, Atrazine, 2,4-D, and Ibuprofen. Standards were optimized on a mass spectrometer using direct infusion and then analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Helping fellow students and building a strong community was also very important to me, as I worked as a Supplemental Information Leader for Organic Chemistry. This job allowed me to explore my love for teaching and guiding fellow students in how to best understand the material while learning to apply my knowledge to different nuances that occur when students ask great questions.

I chose Penn State because of its unique program set-up that allowed me to take hands-on classes during my first year with the ability to have a close relationship with the professors. Additionally, the opportunity to spend the summer immersed in my research with no distractions or stress from classes was an invaluable opportunity. I am excited to explore my opportunities and possible routes for future research!