Henderson woman is first in her class

Chemistry student earns doctorate from new UNLV program

JACOB KEPLER/VIEWAmanda Hudson of Henderson is the first person to graduate from UNLV?s new doctoral chemistry program. Hudson studies molecular bonding. Advertisement

Henderson native Amanda Hudson is an odd mixture of realist and dreamer, and when she became the first to graduate from UNLV's newly instituted doctoral chemistry program in late June, she vowed to make her dreams for a better tomorrow a reality.

The 28-year-old science enthusiast is most comfortable in a lab, studying molecular bonding -- the arrangement of matter and the effect that X-rays have upon molecules.

"There is so much that can be done with the right research," Hudson said. "Research that is being conducted right now will have a direct connection to better living even 10 years from now. I'm excited to be a part of that."

Hudson has spent the past two years participating in research conducted by her mentor and UNLV Chemistry Department Chairman Dennis Lindle in Berkley, Calif., and while she plans to continue her research after graduation, she isn't positive where she will end up.

"I have been studying physical chemistry with Dr. Lindle in a hands-on, research-based program," Hudson said. "I have been contributing to the work and plan to continue to do so. I have a number of job opportunities available to me, but haven't made any concrete decisions as of yet."

The program at UNLV is only three years old. There are four more candidates scheduled to defend their dissertations in front of the board later this summer, but Hudson is the program's first graduate.

"The master's program here was originally geared toward environmental chemistry," Lindle said. "We gradually moved from that to a focus on physical chemistry in the department, although both of the emphases are available. Our doctoral program is a stringent one. You, of course, have the actual course work and research, then candidates are required to write a 150-page thesis, documenting their research and findings."

Students also are required to take a qualifying exam, answer questions posed by faculty pertaining to their field of specialization and conduct a minimum of four seminars in front of the chemistry department, detailing the findings of their work.

"Amanda has been assisting me in my research," Lindle said. "We study molecules and break them down into a gas phase. The molecules are then subjected to X-rays, which excite and ionize the electrons and molecular structure. We want to see how X-rays interact with the molecules in gas form. This is all very intricate scientific detail that we're getting into now, but you get the idea."

Lindle also worked with Hudson on her master's degree, and research that the pair began during that time was continued during Hudson's doctoral work.

"She has been a great asset to my team," Lindle said. "In the scientific community, you have to be able to compete on a national level, and you do that by having your work published. Some of her findings have been very interesting, and we plan to submit them to some of the top scientific journals in the country. Amanda has been an excellent student, and I think we will see her really make a difference."