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Williams College
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Department of Chemistry
LAWRENCE J. KAPLAN
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Professor of Chemistry
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LAWRENCE J. KAPLAN
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Professor of Chemistry
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Education
Fall Semester 2009
CHEM 321/BIOL 321/BIMO 321: Biochemistry 1: Structure and Function of Biological Molecules (The Catalog Description)
The course description and syllabus are available but more detailed information for this course is on Blackboard.
Spring Semester 2010
Fall Semester 2005, 2007, 2008
CHEM 321/BIOL 321/BIMO 321: Biochemistry 1: Structure and Function of Biological Molecules
Spring Semester 2006, 2009
CHEM 367: Biophysical Chemistry
LEGAL STUDIES 101: Processes of Adjudication in the Legal Studies Program
Spring Semester 2005
CHEM 113: Chemistry and Crime: From Sherlock Holmes to Modern Forensic Science
While the information for this course is on Blackboard, a description of the course and an abbreviated syllabus are available.
Chemical Education
A major grant from the National Science Foundation - Division of Undergraduate Education, the Course Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement - National Dissemination Program was awarded to support a proposal "A Series of Workshops in the Chemical Sciences." The grant was for the period 2001-2003. In order to administer the complex situation of offering more than fifteen five-day workshops for approximately 15 participants annually, we established the Center for Workshops in the Chemical Sciences (CWCS).
A renewal grant was awarded for the period 2004-2006. The NSF - Division of Undergraduate Education, the Course Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement - Phase 3 Program awarded the CWCS a grant for the period 2006-2010. This will insure funding for the Center through 2010.
To learn more about this project and the workshops offered see,
For information on my Forensic Science workshop, see my home page for the CWCS or my page specifically for the forensic science workshop. While I have taught 15 forensic science workshops under the auspices of CWCS since 2001, in 2009, I coordinated a special Forensic Science Workshop for alumni of previous workshops. See the schedule and pictures of the activities at this workshop.
As a consequence of my work in forensic science and my interest in evidence and the admissibility of scientific evidence, I have been part of the team teaching in the Legal Studies Program. This interdisciplinary program is designed to give students a background and framework for understanding the law as a means of regulating human behavior and resolving disputes among individuals, groups, and governments.
Isothermal Titration Calorimetric Investigations of Biochemical Systems
We continue to develop a number of experiments using the isothermal titration microcalorimeter (ITC) obtained from MicroCal, Inc., Northampton, Massachusetts for the chemisty and biochemistry curriculum. The purchase of the equipment was supported by The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation through its Special Grant Program in the Chemical Sciences and the National Science Foundation through an Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement Grant in the Division of Undergraduate Education. One of these experiments involves the interaction of the enzyme ribonuclease (RNase) with the substrate analogue cytidine monophosphate (CMP). The binding of native RNase, RNase S (created by limited proteolysis of RNase with subtilisin), the S-peptide and the S-protein with CMP can be studied with the ITC to yield a complete thermodynamic profile. This profile includes, by direct experimental determination: delta H, the enthalpy change; K, the equilibruim binding constant; n, the number of binding sites; and by calculation: delta S, the entropy change; and delta G, the free energy change.
Employing the ITC, we have begun an investigation of the interaction of various histones with chromatin. Specifically, we are studying the interaction of histones H1 and H5 with native chicken erythrocyte chromatin and chromatin which has been stripped of its linker histones.
Analytical Techniques in Forensic Science
A number of analytical procedures are being developed or modified to investigate evidence obtained from suspected criminal activity. The use of the attentuated total reflectance ATR-FTIR in the analysis of various forensic samples is being studied. Modifications to the standard GC analysis for accelerants in suspected arson cases are being tested for sensitivity and reproducibility; the HPLC analysis of drugs such as anabolic steriods is being refined; and modifications to the existing procedures for DNA profiling are being developed.
- The goal of this work is the development of computer-based multimedia to assist students in learning about complex scientific processes and concepts. Specifically, through the production of a computer controlled, interactive CD-ROM interfaced with a World Wide Web site, we are developing a supplement to a multidisciplinary forensic science laboratory program. The CD-ROM will provide crime scenes and the experimental/instrumental tools needed to analyze the evidence collected. After collecting the evidence, the students would employ the animated, simulated crime lab to perform experiments. Each computer simulated procedure would provide a real-life sense of what it is like to work with the equipment and an opportunity to review the basic concepts on which the experiment is based.
Forensic Websites of Interest
Chemistry and Biochemistry Websites of Interest
