Biochemistry at Kutztown University
Department of Physical Sciences • Program in Chemistry
| Program | Facilities | Internships, grad. | Contact |
What is Biochemistry?
Biochemistry seeks to understand life at the level of molecules and their chemistry. Living processes are studied in terms of the chemical reactions that occur, the structure and conformational changes of molecules, and the binding interactions between molecules.
Biochemistry asks questions such as:
-how do cells convert sugar into energy and ATP?
-why is the protein hemoglobin good at carrying oxygen in the blood?
-how do some drugs work as enzyme inhibitors?
-how do DNA mutations result in altered proteins?
-how do plants convert light into chemical energy?
In addition to providing basic knowledge about life's chemistry, biochemistry is used in medicine (drug development), agriculture, and the food industry.
What do biochemists do?
Biochemists follow careers in:
Pharmaceutical industry (drug discovery) Biotechnology
Basic Research (academic & government labs) Medicine (medical school)
Agriculture (plant and pesticide development) Education (teaching)
Food production and technology
The Biochemistry Program at Kutztown University is administered through the Chemistry Program in the Dept. of Physical Sciences. A B.S. in Biochemistry and a minor in Biochemistry are both offered. In addition to coursework, students are encouraged to participate in research projects. This research can count as course credit (independent study) towards the Biochemistry major.
The core courses in Biochemistry include:
General Chemistry I & II Principles of Biology Physics I & II
Organic Chemistry I & II Molecular Biology Calculus
Biochemistry I & II Genetics
More specialized courses in Biochemistry can include:
Protein structure Physical Chemistry II Medical Microbiology Botany
The specific course requirements and a representative course plan are found in the links below:
B.S. Biochemistry Course Requirements (PDF file)
B.S. Biochemistry example course plan
Minor in Biochemistry Course Requirements
Coursework and research in the Biochemistry utilizes facilities in both the Chemistry and Biology programs. The Physical Sciences (Chemistry) and Biology Departments are housed together in the new Boehm Science Center building.
The modern facilities include thermocycler for PCR (polymerase chain reaction), BioTek microplate reader (absorbance, fluorescence, & luminescence), micro and large capacity centrifuges, electrophoresis apparatus for proteins and DNA, Kodak digital gel imaging system, Cary UV-visible spectrophotometer, PTI spectrafluorimeter, Agilent HPLC, Bio-Rad Gene Pulser, and integrated chromatography systems for protein purification.
Program Office Faculty Advisor
Biochemistry Program Dr. Matthew Junker
Department of Physical Sciences Department of Physical Sciences
Kutztown University 314 Boehm Science Center
P.O. Box 730
Kutztown, PA 19530 Phone: (610) 683-4199
Email: junker@kutztown.edu
Phone: (610) 683- 4447 Faculty webpage
Kutztown University Department of Physical Sciences Chemistry Program
Department of Biological Sciences
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
A member of the State System of Higher Education
Last Modified: 8/23/07 by M. Junker
© 2007 Kutztown University of Pennsylvania