Education

B.S. in Chemistry, Drew University
M.S. in Chemistry, Lehigh University
Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry, Villanova University

Courses Taught

Analytical Chemistry
Forensic Chemistry
Separations Chemistry
Analytical Spectroscopy
Technical Information
Forensic Science Administration
Thesis Prospectus
Quality Assurance, Control & Management
Forensic Chemistry & Toxicology Laboratory
Instrumental Analysis,

Memberships & Awards

Memberships: American Chemical Society (ACS), American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS), American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD), Council of Forensic Science Educators (COFSE), Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists (NEAFS),  New Jersey Association of Forensic Scientists (NJAFS), Middle Atlantic Association of Forensic Scientists (MAAFS), Eastern Analytical Symposium, Inc. (EAS), Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT).

Awards: AAFS Criminalistics Section Meritorious Service Award. Chromatography Forum of the Delaware Valley Award

Career Highlights

Dr. Brettell is Chair of the Chemical & Physical Sciences Department of Cedar Crest College. He previously served for 31 years in the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences, where, as Director, he oversaw the operation of the State's regional forensic laboratory system. Dr. Brettell has testified in municipal and superior courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and was the State of New Jersey’s lead expert on the scientific reliability of the breath testing instrument in two Frye hearings before the New Jersey State Supreme Court.

Dr. Brettell has been active in leadership positions in national and international forensic science professional organizations, most recently serving on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Seized Drug Subcommittee of the Organization of Scientific Committees (OSAC) to develop federal standards and guidelines to improve Forensic Science. He presently serves as Commissioner Academician on the Forensic Education Programs Accreditation Commission. He is a certified Diplomate of the American Board of Criminalistics and a Fellow with the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS). 

Books and Book Chapters

J. Anasti and T.A. Brettell, "Hydrophilic-Interaction Liquid Chromatography", Encyclopedia of Analytical Chemistry, Eds. R.A. Meyers, John Wiley, Chichester. 2015.

Education

B.S. in Chemistry, Miami University
M.S. in Physical Organic Chemistry, Seton Hall University
Ph.D. in Physical Organic Chemistry, Seton Hall University

Career Highlights

Jeanne Berk, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of chemistry at Cedar Crest. Her research as a graduate student was based on a new class of polymers called Dendrimers, which she synthesized and then studied their physical properties in solution. She moved to the Lehigh Valley after graduate school and worked as an adjunct instructor at local colleges and universities until finally settling into a position at Lehigh University. There, Berk acted as their first undergraduate laboratory manager, teaching and helping them redevelop their general chemistry laboratories into an inquiry based format. She left Lehigh and joined the Cedar Crest community in order to get back to teaching organic chemistry.

Memberships and Awards

Berk is a member of the American Chemical Society, Alpha Chi Sigma (Professional Chemistry) and Sigma Xi.

Why Cedar Crest?

“The environment. I first found Cedar Crest College as an adjunct teaching over the summer, but I found myself wanting to teach here more and more. So when the organic chemistry position finally opened I had to apply. Some of my closest friends graduated from Cedar Crest College, so I am honored to be here continuing their legacy and they are thrilled I could be part of their experience. The faculty and staff are inspiring and the students truly want to learn and be involved. What more could you ask for?”

Professional Advice

“College is your chance to explore, so make the most of it. If you read a class description and it sounds fascinating, try taking it. Also check out the travel abroad opportunities. It can truly open your eyes. They will all be things you'll treasure from your college experience.”

Becoming a teacher

“After getting my undergraduate degree I had planned on going out into the industrial market, but the job market was bad I decided to go on and get my Masters degree. I left Ohio and ended up in New Jersey, a whole new world. As a graduate student I worked as a teaching assistant (T. A.) in the organic labs and teaching recitations. Students kept telling me that I explained things clearly and their "Aha" moments were pure chemistry for me. I found that the idea of working in a lab became less and less appealing and that teaching was what I wanted. I never looked back, and continued on for my Ph. D. so I could teach.”

Education

B.S. Saint Joseph’s University
Ph.D. University of Delaware

Courses Taught

Chemical Principles Lab
Analytical Chemistry
Technical Information

Memberships & Awards

American Chemical Society
Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh SGA
NIH Postdoctoral Fellow (Stanford University)

Career Highlights

The Kieber-Emmons research lab works on frontier problems in metalloprotein mechanism related to bioenergetics and regulation of bioenergetic machinery. The long-term goal is to use what we learn about how these metalloproteins work to develop new molecules and methodologies as solutions to problems in health and energy. See www.kieber-emmons.com for more details.

Publications

Wang P, Saber MR, VanNatta PE, Yap GPA, Popescu CV, Scarborough CC, Kieber-Emmons MT, Dunbar KR, Riordan CG “Molecular and Electronic Structures and Single-Molecule Magnet Behavior of Tris (thioether)–Iron Complexes Containing Redox-Active α-Diimine Ligands” Inorg Chem 2021, 60, 6480-6491. DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.1c00214

* VanNatta PE, Ramirez DA, Velarde AR, Ali G, Kieber-Emmons MT “Exceptionally High OH Bond Dissociation Free Energy of a Dicopper (II) µ-Hydroxo Complex and Insights into the Geometric and Electronic Structure Origins Thereof” J Am Chem Soc 2020, 142, 16292-16312. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c06425 *Highlighted in a JACS Spotlight available at 10.1021/jacs.0c10801

Ahlburg NL, Velarde AR, Kieber-Emmons MT, Jones PG, Werz DB “Substituted Benzothietes: Synthesis and a Quantum Chemical Investigation of Their Cycloreversion Properties” Org Lett 2020, 22, 11, 4255–4260. DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.0c01261

Education

B.S. in Chemistry and Computer Science, Murray State University
M.S. in Chemistry, Murray State University

Courses Taught

Nursing Chemistry
Environmental Chemistry
Instrumental Analysis Laboratory

Career Highlights

Before joining Cedar Crest in 2003, Thomas Pritchett worked both as an analytical chemist and as an environmental chemist for 21 years. His work included running the GC/MS support laboratory at Murray State University, working in the Superfund program for the U.S. EPA, and working as an environmental consultant. During that time, he taught numerous short courses on subjects ranging from the use of field analytical instrumentation in soil gas investigations, to the use of optical remote sensing equipment for the determination of emission rates, to fence line monitoring at hazardous waste excavations. As of summer 2011, Thomas Pritchett has presented 25 papers at national or regional meetings of professional societies and has been a co-author on 51 additional papers at such conferences. Current research interests involve the application of emerging analytical techniques to the field of forensic science and determination of the uniqueness of partial fingerprints, and the probability of errors in a match of a partial print to a known full print.

Memberships and Awards

Member - Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists
Professional Member - Delta Delta Epsilon international forensic science honor society
Member - American Association for the Advancement of Science

Professional Advice

"You should never stop learning. A college education is less about learning new facts and more about building a foundation of knowledge and skills upon which one can continue their learning after graduation. After graduation life will periodically present you new challenges that will require you to teach yourself new knowledge and skills. Those who can meet those challenges will advance in their careers while those who cannot will stagnate. In the sciences, this is ultimately what will determine whether you will become a true scientist or just a mere technician."

Education

B.S., Saint Peter's College
M.S., John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Ph.D., Criminal Justice, Forensic Science Track, City University of New York

Courses Taught

Trace Evidence and Microscopy
Advanced Microscopy
Legal, Ethical, and Administrative Issues in Forensic Science

Memberships & Awards

Fellow, American Academy of Forensic Science; Director, Forensic Specialties Accreditation Board, Tri-Editor-In-Chief, Journal of Forensic Science Education, Member, Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists

Awards: Lifetime Achievement Award, Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists, 2019; Mary Cowan Outstanding Service Award, American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 2010

Career Highlights

Lawrence Quarino is a professor of forensic science and director of the forensic science program, a role he has served in since 2002.   His professional experience includes 4 years as a forensic scientist with the New Jersey State Police and 11 years as a supervising forensic scientist with the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in New York City. In New York City, he supervised forensic scientists who analyzed physical evidence in over 1,000 sexual assault or homicide cases. He worked on the World Trade Center Identification Project as a molecular biology consultant and has provided expert courtroom testimony in more than 100 cases. He has authored or coauthored more than 30 publications in peer and editorial reviewed journals and has served as the Chair of the Criminalistics Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, President of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientist, and Chair of the Forensic Science Educational Programs Accreditation Commission. Additionally, he has served as a manuscript reviewer for nearly 20 different journals and currently serves as a tri-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Forensic Science Education.  He also currently serves on the Forensic Specialties Accreditation Board.

Recent Publications

Lambert, C.M., Clark B., Schwartz T., Brettell T., Quarino L. Evaluation of the Evidentiary Value of Cable Ties, Journal of the American Society of Trace Evidence Examiners, In Press, 2020.

Rogers M., Lal-Paterson A.,  Kishbaugh J., Quarino L., Use of RGB Values in the Periodic Acid-Schiff Color Test to Determine the Presence of Vaginal Fluid, Science and Justice, In Press, 2020 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scijus.2020.06.004.

Education

M.A. in chemistry, University of Scranton
B.S. in chemistry, King's College

Courses Taught

Physical Chemistry Lab
Introductory Chemistry Lecture & Lab
Nursing Chemistry Lecture & Lab
Organic Chemistry Lab
Astronomy Lecture & Lab
Environmental Chemistry Lab

Memberships and Awards

American Chemical Society, Planetary Society, Lehigh Valley Amateur Astronomical Society

Education

Ph.D. in Bioorganic Chemistry, State University of New York at Binghamton
B.S. in Biochemistry, University of Scranton

Courses Taught

Biochemistry I and II
Biochemistry Laboratory I and II
Toxicology
Survey of Organic Chemistry
Heterocyclic Chemistry

Career Highlights

Marianne Staretz, Ph.D., did her doctoral research on the mechanism of the colchicine-tubulin interaction in relation to cancer. A multi-disciplinary approach combining the techniques of organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry and biochemistry was used. She went on to do postdoctoral research at the American Health Foundation, a non-profit research institution dedicated to disease prevention. Her research focused on the effects of isothiocyanates, dietary inhibitors of carcinogenesis, on the metabolism of and formation of DNA adducts by carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines and benzo(a)pyrene. Staretz has continued some of the cancer prevention research at Cedar Crest College by examining the cancer prevention mechanism of organoselenium agents. She has also expanded some of the toxicology experience gained at the American Health Foundation into the area of forensic toxicology and has several ongoing research projects in this area.

Memberships and Awards

Member-American Chemical Society (ACS), Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists (NEAFS), and American Academy of Forensic Science (AAFS)

Professional Advice

"I don't think students realize as they are progressing through their years of college how valuable the experience actually is. The goal is not just to get that degree. You will actually use what you are learning here—so work hard to learn as much as you can. The greater the effort you put into it, the greater the rewards will be."

Why Cedar Crest?

"I have always wanted to teach at a small liberal arts college where teaching is the focus of the college. Cedar Crest College certainly fits in that category. On my first visit to Cedar Crest, I became aware of a faculty dedicated to teaching and knew that I wanted to be a part of that faculty. I am surrounded by some very talented teachers and scholars and it is a privilege to be a part of that community. Being part of the family of women scientists, it is also a pleasure to be involved in the education of future women scientists and contribute to the growth of this family."

Education

B.S., Lycoming College
Ph.D., Lehigh University

Courses Taught

Inorganic Chemistry
Physical Chemistry
Introductory Chemistry
Technical Information

Memberships and Awards

American Chemical Society (Divisions of Environmental Chemistry and Catalysis Science & Technology), Catalysis Society of Metropolitan New York, Gamma Sigma Epsilon National Chemistry Honor Society

Career Highlights

Dr. Welch conducts research in the fields of catalysis, environmental chemistry, and green chemistry.  She has actively served in leadership roles with the American Chemical Society and other scientific organizations.  On campus, she advises first year students as well as the Rho Xi Chapter of Gamma Sigma Epsilon. 

Recent Publications

Welch, L.A. “Catalyzing Learning with Green Chemistry Undergraduate Research,” Physical Sciences Reviews [Online], 2020, 11.  DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/psr-2020-0003

Welch, L.A. “Undergraduate Research in Biofuels from Water-Based Feedstocks,” In Environmental Research Literacy:  Classroom, Laboratory, and Beyond, Welch, L.A.; Berger, M.; Roberts-Kirchhoff, E.; Benvenuto, M.A., Eds., ACS Symposium Series, American Chemical Society:  Washington, D.C., 2020.  DOI:  10.1021/bk-2020-1351.ch004