WKU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

03/12/2026

WKU Chemistry and Biochemistry Graduate Alumni Spotlight, Brian Kellogg!

03/05/2026

Bowling Green High School participates in the dual credit program by offering Chem 105/106/107/108 courses to students. Professor Skipworth visited Ms. Watson’s class this week and shared some Ogden goodies with the students.

03/02/2026

Graduate Alumni Spotlight
Mr. Tony Oakes, MS Chemistry, Class of 2003
I am thankful to the WKU Department of Chemistry faculty for enriching me with a high-quality education and research experiences that I continue to use in my career today. My first position was working as a Forensic Chemist for the Kentucky State Police. I am currently an Environmental Scientist Advisor for the Kentucky Environmental Protection Agency. As a Forensic Chemist, I was responsible for receiving suspected drug evidence from law enforcement agencies. I analyzed evidence regarding controlled and non-controlled substances and testified as an expert in federal, state, and county courts. As an Environmental Scientist Advisor, I evaluate the possibilities of law and regulation violations during investigations and inspections. During an environmental emergency, I review and implement remediation of hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants, and petroleum to minimize and mitigate environmental impacts.

02/27/2026

We are accepting applications for a student ambassador. Applications and information can be found at https://www.wku.edu/chemistry/student-engagement.php. Applications and materials are due April 15, 2026. Please email ambassador coordinator, Professor Carnetta Skipworth, with questions ([email protected]).

02/25/2026

Graduate Alumni Spotlight:
Ms. Amanda Houchens, MS Chemistry, Class of 2020.
Back in 2016, I did not initially start taking Graduate-level Chemistry classes with the intent to pursue an MS in Chemistry. Instead, my goal was to acquire the 18 hours to be able to offer the SPAN Chemistry course (now called Dual Credit) to the students at the high school where I teach. Once I was invested, though, I continued my coursework with a tremendous amount of support from the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. What could have been a very overwhelming experience was made manageable with the support of my professors, fellow graduate students, research advisor, and thesis committee. Being able to take night classes and having the flexibility to do the majority of my research during the summer worked well for my schedule of teaching high school full-time. I cannot say enough about how wonderful the Chemistry Department faculty was in this endeavor. Upon completing my coursework and defending my thesis, doors opened for me professionally that were not there before. In addition to teaching in the Dual Credit Program, I also started teaching courses in the evenings on the Main Campus of WKU. I was also able to obtain my Rank I certification for teaching high school Chemistry in the state of Kentucky.

12/05/2025

Holiday Potluck 2025

12/01/2025

Several students in our department attended this year’s KAS Conference, where they presented their research work from their labs. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is incredibly proud of these students and their accomplishments. This experience allowed them to improve their professional skills regarding research, as well as engage and collaborate with other students.

11/24/2025

We are proud of our teaching assistant, Lindsey Sargent, for winning the Ogden Foundation Scholar Award this fall.

11/15/2025

Happy Ginkgo Day! The Ginkgo tree leaves drop almost simultaneously each year. It is also known as the “living fossil,” being the only surviving species of an ancient plant. One day the tree will be full, and the next day the leaves have fallen!

11/13/2025

Experience WKU offers high school students the opportunity to become familiar with the departments at WKU. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry conducted an experiment in which students made their own synthetic polymers! Dr. Kevin Williams gave the students a tour of his research lab and the NMR instrument used in multiple research labs.

10/27/2025

10/24/2025

The McNally Award is given once a year to recognize a graduate student from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. This year’s recipient is Ganiyu Ademola! Ademola has excelled in his research, classes, and teaching.

His research is over the stimuli-responsive functional materials, with a specific emphasis on the integration of self-healing properties into polymers via host-guest interactions. Ademola states, “I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Li, for his invaluable mentorship and enduring patience. Additionally, I extend my appreciation to the faculty, staff, graduate students within the department, the members of the Li Group, and my family and friends for their unwavering support throughout this journey.”

The McNally award ceremony was held at the Covington Woods Park on October 17th and handed by the department chair, Dr. Matthew Nee.