Amber Davis
Ph.D., Integrated and Applied Sciences

Saint Louis University has become the standard of teaching excellence, which is why I first chose to complete my bachelor’s degree and then continue my quest for learning and complete my degree of Master of Science (Research) at this University. The small class sizes allowed me to build a personal relationship with the outstanding faculty, which heightened my level of learning experience and the professors’ ability to communicate the material. Moreover, as an undergraduate student at Saint Louis University, I was given the opportunity to experience a wide variety of subjects, which increased my desire to continue my education. The graduate program had every aspect of a great learning environment that I was looking for: caring and intellectual mentors, thorough intellectual training, an opportunity to directly participate in chemical research, and available assistantships/fellowships. Saint Louis University continues to inspire me, and I feel that I still have more to learn, which is why I have chosen to continue my education at this institution.

The Ph.D. in Integrated and Applied Sciences, Chemistry track, will allow me to continue the research I did as a master’s student, while expanding my knowledge in many different scientific disciplines. Since I obtained a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in chemistry, I feel that I have gained a greater understanding of how these two fields are integrated with one another. However, I hope that by entering into the Integrated and Applied Sciences Program, I will obtain an even greater understanding that is inclusive of other scientific disciplines. I worked under the direction of Dr. Brent Znosko as a master’s student and will continue my research in his lab. The Znosko lab investigates the thermodynamics of RNA structural motifs, which has required me to use my biological background, while expanding my understanding of chemistry. As a master’s student in the Znosko Lab, I studied the thermodynamics of single mismatches found in RNA. I also completed a computer-based project that investigated the structural aspects of published RNA structures containing single mismatches. However, the Ph.D. program will allow me to continue this examination of structure by using NMR. I will also be able to incorporate the data that I have collected to understand how RNAs interact with other biomolecules by using the method of fluorescence combined with the methods of NMR and UV-vis spectroscopy.