The chemistry research of Georgia Highlands College (GHC) Pre-Engineering Pathway student Muhammad Hanzala will soon be seen by a larger audience following its acceptance into the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR).<\/p>\n
Hanzala\u2019s road from research to publication began during his Chemistry 1 class with Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Hanzala\u2019s research advisor Erin Shufro.<\/p>\n
\u201cProfessor Shufro and I were looking for research projects to do and I noticed at my work that the amount of pentane, an expensive chemical, being used in fragrances was excessive,\u201d Hanzala, who works as a media and marketing analyst for a fragrance company, said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Hanzala said after discovering the problem, he and Shufro brought the method to GHC labs, refined it and made it cost effective, successfully reducing the price of an extraction.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe experiment involved a lot of chemistry, so it was befitting that the research was done as a part of a chemistry class,\u201d Hanzala said.<\/p>\n
Shufro explained that while the research was done outside of the normal lesson plan, it did require advanced chemistry knowledge, so she was proud to support Hanzala\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile our equipment is on-par with what is standard for most colleges and universities, we do have a resource that is invaluable \u2013 the human resource,\u201d Shufro said. \u201cOur students here at GHC are individuals, not just one of the crowd, and as such I can offer them my time and energy to help them be successful.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
After extensive research and discussion, Hanzala and Shufro decided the complexity of the experiment and its end result was something that should be submitted to NCUR for presentation.<\/p>\n