Washington College

Department of Chemistry

Get to Know the Department Faculty


Leslie Sherman

Leslie Sherman
Plants

W. Alton Jones Associate Professor of Chemistry

E-mail: lsherman2@washcoll.edu
Phone: (800) 422-1782, ext. 7497
Office: Toll Science S215

Education

B.A. Carleton College, 1985; M.S.C.E. University of Minnesota 1988; Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1997.

Office Hours

T 1:00-2:20, W 2:20-3:20, F 1:30-2:20, also by appointment

Research

Developing a research program in Environmental Chemistry at Washington College has been very exciting for me. The location of Washington College in the Chesapeake Bay watershed provides numerous opportunities to conduct interesting environmental research.

While investigating potential field sites, I learned about the grassland restoration project at the Chester River Field Research Center on Bluestem Farms (formerly Chino Farms), in Queen Anne's County, a project of Dr. Douglas Gill of the University of Maryland. I am delighted to be a part of this collaborative project. The primary goal of the project is to restore natural grassland habitat for birds on previously cultivated soils. Several of the grassland fields are burned every year to remove competing vegetation and improve conditions for growth of the grasses. This Washington College Magazine article describes the overall project .

Controlled Burn

The focus of my component of the project has been the impact of the prescribed burns on the nutrient status of the soils, since the successful establishment and survival of the grasses depends in large part on nutrient availability. I hypothesized that the change from agricultural production to the grassland vegetation, with the combined impacts of the burning and of the lack of tillage over time, would cause a significant change in nutrient status of the surface soil profile in the fields. To test this hypothesis, I have developed or modified techniques to measure the phosphorus content of the soils, as well as pH, organic matter and cation exchange capacity, parameters which are all controls of nutrient concentrations.

I have had numerous students involved in this project over the years, primarily during our Washington College summer research program, but also during the academic year. Chemistry and Environmental Studies majors, as well as Chemistry minors have been involved. The soil sampling can be exhausting, but the interesting results keep us going! The students add a unique dimension to their liberal arts education by pursuing a full time research project. It is clearly a growth experience for the students, as they experience the frustrations and the excitement of laboratory and field research. My students and I have presented our results at American Chemical Society National Meetings and at the Soil Science Society of America Annual Meeting, as well as at Washington College at various events.

Students

My research was primarily supported by a Clare Boothe Luce Professorship in Analytical Chemistry from the Henry Luce Foundation, which I was honored to receive for the years 2001-2006. The professorship is designed to support junior female faculty in science, technology, engineering, or math fields, for the five years up through the tenure decision. The grant provided me with funds for research supplies and equipment, for travel to conferences, and even for childcare!

In addition to my grassland work, I have worked on two other research projects since at Washington College. I recently completed a collaborative project on arsenic contamination in a mining region of Mexico. Working with researchers formerly at Bates College and at a University in Mexico, we examined the distribution of arsenic in soils near mining waste sites and in nearby waterways. I have also been doing conducting some pedagogical research in the use of "Wisconsin Fast Plants" in classes in environmental chemistry and global warming. The plants have a very short life cycle and so are perfect for conducting short term experiments in water and air pollution. I had developed a laboratory exercise in which students subject the plants to elevated levels of carbon dioxide, to mimic global warming. They monitor the plant growth and measure the starch content of the leaves.

Teaching

My own experience as a college student at a small liberal arts college like Washington College, inspired me to become a teacher at a small school. My first teaching experience was actually as a Peace Corp Volunteer in West Africa, where I taught Chemistry and Physics. Currently, I have a dual appointment in the Chemistry and Environmental Studies here at Washington College. In addition to teaching General Chemistry and Honors General Chemistry, I have developed several new courses for the Chemistry and Environmental Studies program, given my expertise in the air, water and soil chemistry of natural and polluted environments. I have given brief summaries below of two of my classes:

Global Warming and our Environment - Course description

Is our climate changing? How do we know? Are we the cause? What will happen to us?

In this CNW class we will consider why the issue of global climate change, often referred to as "global warming," is so controversial. After an introduction on how air pollution can affect our planet's temperature, we will examine the strength of the evidence that suggests that humans are currently warming our planet. We will then turn towards the future and look at what scientists are predicting about climate change. Will sea level rise and flood the area around the Chesapeake Bay? Will the West Nile virus spread in the U.S.? Will New York be submerged under snow, as the movie "The Day After Tomorrow" depicts? What is the solution? Solar power? Nuclear energy? Hydrogen powered cars? We will visit a "green building" as part of the course. The questions are complex and intriguing.

Environmental Chemistry - Course description

Students

In Environmental Chemistry we will study the reactions controlling the cycling of both natural chemical species and anthropogenic pollutants in the water, soil and air environments of our earth system. The chemical processes operating in the natural environment, including acid-base, complexation, redox, photochemical and biotic degradation phenomena are examined. Throughout the course, the chemistry underlying current issues of water, soil and air pollution are studied. In the laboratory portion of the class, we will investigate the water quality of local water bodies, including the Chester River, as well as analyze car exhaust from automobiles.

Here are some of our favorite websites from these classes!

Recent Publications

Recent Presentations

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