About the Department
"Look around you. Find something that doesn't involve chemistry." This is the classic challenge made in many first year chemistry classes. Since chemistry involves the study of matter, this statement appears rhetorical. However, if it were modified to read, "Find something that doesn't involve input from a chemist", it would still represent a respectable challenge to the class. It is this role of chemistry that invokes its designation as "a central science" that provides a knowledge base for a large number of other disciplines. Broadening the statement to include biochemistry permits encompassing the modern direction of health sciences, genomics and understanding life processes.
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Texas at Austin is the embodiment of this broad challenge with its dual mission of undergraduate education and graduate research. The modern classroom and laboratory facilities for formal course instruction are complimented by active, cutting edge research of its faculty and graduate students. With instruction and research in areas ranging from sensor arrays to bioinformatics to nanotechnology, the programs are intended to "operate outside the box" in the fields of chemistry and biochemistry. We encourage you to browse through the subjects being taught in the classroom and discoveries being made in the research laboratories.
While remaining a "central science", modern chemistry and biochemistry clearly illustrate the diversity of paths that remain unexplored. The exploration of these uncharted research areas fuels the excitement and energy found in the students and faculty within the department.
