With a generous gift from the Arel family in 2003, the chemistry department created an endowed summer research fellowship in honor of Father Michael Custer, O.S.B. a long time faculty member in the department. This program, which had funded students since 1997, promotes research during summers by Saint Anselm College students under the direction of faculty of the chemistry department. The award provides a student with a stipend and the opportunity to receive College housing, for a period of up to ten weeks during the summer, by mutual agreement with the research mentor. The program is targeted at current sophomores and juniors who will carry out research projects with chemistry faculty.
Father Michael was born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1910. He entered the Benedictine community at Saint Anselm College in 1934. After receiving his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Saint Anselm in 1936 he went on to obtain his Master's degree in chemistry from the Catholic University of America.
Upon his return to the college he began teaching chemistry and as part of his research tested the milk from the abbey's dairy herd. In 1945 he was appointed Chairman of the chemistry department; at the time there was no chemistry major. By the time he stepped down as chairman, the chemistry major was established and accredited by the American Chemical Society. In 1982, the New England Association of Chemistry Teachers awarded the John A. Timm Award for the Furtherance of the Study of Chemistry to Father Michael.
After retiring from teaching he became an unofficial greeter in the admissions office, often trying to convince prospective students to become chemistry majors. Father Michael died on May 1, 2006.
Students who apply to the program must have selected a proposed research mentor and, together with their mentor, developed a research plan for the summer. The applicants will be screened and chosen based on merit and interest match by the faculty of the chemistry department. Once selected, students are expected to carry out their proposed research activities, under the direction of their faculty mentor. The culmination of this work is a written report and/or poster that summarizes the progress made during the summer.
Past Recipients
Year of Award | Student | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Melody Oakes | Art Analysis by Handheld X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry and Portable Colorimetry
Presentation: Winter Conference on Plasma Spectrochemistry 2026, Tuscon AZ |
| 2021 | Anthony Castagno | LED Light Bulbs and Small Scale House Fires |
| 2020 | Skyler Hickey | Developing and Evaluating Surfactant Vessicles for Targeted Drug Delivery Applications: Protein Functionalization Studies |
| 2019 | Megan Laham | The Synthesis of 1,3,5,7-tetraethynyladamantane |
| 2018 | Nicholas Allen | Elemental Analysis of Etruscan Loom Weights using X-Ray Fluorescence
Presentation: ACS Fall 2018, Boston MA |
| 2017 | Luke Douglass | Elemental Analysis of Bucchero Pottery using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy
Presentation: SciX 2017, Reno NV Publication: Mary Kate Donais, Luke Douglass, William H. Ramundt, Claudio Bizzarri, David B. George. “Handheld Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy for Field Archaeology: Characterization of Roman Wall Mortars and Etruscan Ceramics”, Applied Spectroscopy Practica, 1(1), 1-9, 2023. DOI 10.1177/27551857231175847. |
| 2016 | Kaliopi Konomi | Elemental Characterization of Fresco Pigments, Cistern Walls, and Mortar Walls via X-ray Fluorescence |
| 2015 | Jacqueline Kelly | Analysis of Archeological Soils
Presentation: "Analysis of Archaeological Soils” Jacqueline Kelley, Alexandra Scafidi, Nicole Eyet. Poster presented at 250th American Chemical Society National Meeting, Boston, MA. August 2015.
|
| 2014 | Charles Dooley | Microwave Assisted Syntheses for the Organic Chemistry Lab
Presentation: Poster, ACS Fall 2015 |
| 2014 | Brianna Goddard | Activation of Carbon Chlorine Bonds Using Palladium (II) Catalysts
Presentation: "Chlorocarbon Activation by Palladium Complexes", Briana Goddard, Derk A. Wierda. Poster presented at the 18th Annual Northeast Student Chemistry Research Conference and Career Symposium, April 16-17, 2016, UMass-Boston |
| 2013 | Katharine Lunny | Archeological Samples: From Collection to Analysis
Presentation: “Analysis of archaeological samples: Mass spectrometry of organic residues” Katharine Lunny, Nicole Eyet, David George. Poster Presented at 246th American Chemical Society National Meeting, Indianapolis, IN, September 2013 |
| 2011 | Anthony Desmond | Portable X-Ray Fluorescence used for In Situ Archaeological Studies and Laboratory Coin Analyses
Presentation: Pittcon 2012 Orlando FL Publication: Mary Kate Donais, Bradley Duncan, Sara Wojtas, Anthony Desmond, David George. “Differentiation of Hypocaust and Floor Tiles at Coriglia, Castel Viscardo (Umbria, Italy) using Principal Component Analysis and Portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry”, Applied Spectroscopy, 66, 1005-1012, 2012. |
| 2009 | Jacqueline Cloud | A Study of Factors that Influence the Infrared Spectra of Pollens |
| 2008 | Brendan Sweeny | |
| 2008 | Timothy Bergeron | |
| 2006 | Tim Thibodeau | Investigation of the Surface Chemistry of YBCO Superconductors |
| 2005 | Caitlin R Jenkins | |
| 2004 | Ashley Dumas | Quantitative Spectroscopic Characterization of Ancient Bronze Coins
Presentation: Sigma Xi Annual Research Conference 2004, Montreal Canada Publication: Mary Kate Donais, Greg Whissel, Ashley Dumas, Kate Golden. “Analyzing Lead Content in Ancient Bronze Coins by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy”, Journal of Chemical Education, 86, 343-346, 2009. |
| 2003 | Sean C McClintock | Synthesis and Studies Directed Toward Medal Mediated Self-Assembly of Three Dimensional Structures |
| 2002 | Meghan Germain | Synthesis of the Mono-Substituted Model for 1,3,5,7-Tetraethynylmethane |
| 2001 | Sarah Lastella | |
| 1999 | Angela M Genco | |
| 1998 | Jonathan Mellen | |
| 1998 | David Mowbray | |
| 1997 | Julio C Silva | |
| 1997 | Joel T Sweetser | Presentation: Studies of Chloro- Fluor- carbon activation. Joel Sweetser, Derk A. Wierda. Presented at Thirty-seventh Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium of the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society, April 25, 1998. |