Jane A. Roman, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry

Education
B.A.: Regis College 1961
Ph.D.: Boston College 1970

Teaching Experience
Regis College (1974-present)
Boston College (1978-1982) Summer Session, Evening College
Curry College (1977-1979) Evening College - Part Time

Teaching Interests
I practice my profession with energy and enthusiasm, whether the students are chemistry minors or biochemistry majors enrolled in Organic Chemistry, Advanced Organic Chemistry, Molecular Structure, or an advanced seminar in Science and Public Policy, or they are non-majors in the Natural Science course.

Motivating students to achieve their highest potential is my prime objective, and I have successfully accomplished this in a number of ways. Many of my former students are practicing physicians in prestigious hospitals, researchers in pharmaceutical or other industrial settings, teachers in pre- and post-secondary institutions, and practitioners in the field of environmental health and toxicology.

I have been actively engaged in undergraduate research. Many of my students have worked on research projects that enriched their educational background. Many also have submitted abstracts and presented their works at the Northeast Section Meetings of the American Chemical Society.

More recently, I have focused my energy on my activities as chair of the Department of Chemistry and Physics. It is my philosophy that course offerings should reflect the current scientific trends and provide students with a solid and competitive foundation in chemistry and related sciences. For this reason, much of my time is spent designing and implementing new courses that reflect current trends in the chemical sciences.

Course Development
One of the most exciting courses I have implemented is the Science and Public Policy Seminar. Here, in collaboration with a former student (now a graduate of the Kennedy School of Government), I designed the seminar using the teaching pedagogy of the Harvard Case Study Method to address environmental and ethical issues that are of major societal concern.

This is a very popular course and offers students an opportunity to integrate public policy and science. Because the course stimulated an interest in the area of environmental health, some former students are currently working or seeking advanced degrees in this field. The course is just one example of the many others introduced to majors that has directly led to a new area of interest and employment.

I also worked with nine other faculty members from the English, Political Science, French, Religious Studies, History, Music, Economics, and Biology departments to design a seminar for all first-year students. The format and readings assigned for the course reflected an integration of all these disciplines. It was one of the most challenging experiences I have had in my teaching career because it offered both me and the young women whom I mentored an opportunity to live the proverb that "learning is indeed a lifelong experience."

Finally, I have engaged actively in the education of inner-city students. I was a consultant for several years in the Boston Partners for Education and taught inner-city minority students for several summers in a college awareness program.

Research Interests
My research deals with the study and reactions of polyaromatic hydrocarbons with inorganic salts in non-aqueous media. The reaction mechanisms involve electron transfer intermediates and yield nitro- substituted products. The study of these reactions stems from the generation of radical cations using inorganic salts and iodine.

This research is an extension of work begun during my doctoral study and continues with collaboration of my former research director. Several students have built on my original work and obtained products that indicate the pathway of reactions. Proof of the mechanism for these reactions is ongoing.

Other Professional Activities
In 1999 I was the principal investigator on a grant proposal from Blue Cross/Blue Shield for instruction in a summer nutrition program for inner-city Latino young women. I have also served as a committee chair for the National Science Foundation, reviewing grant proposals submitted to the NSF-ILI grant program.

Personal Activities
I have served as a town meeting member in my community. I am an avid golfer and spend much of my free time enjoying the outdoors in this way. I also am an enthusiastic reader of mysteries and often think of trying my hand at writing. However, my love and enjoyment of cooking takes the remainder of my free time.