Marci graduated from White Pines Collegiate and Vocational School in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and has been active during her time at LSSU in the Chemistry and Environmental Club, Investment Club, Pre-Professional Society, Honors Society, Alpha Chi Sorority, Learning Center, a member of the American Water Works Association and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, and is a volunteer at Pathways Retirement Home. While at LSSU, she has worked at the Learning Center as a tutor and supplemental instructor, learning her advanced tutoring certification and winning the Margaret Hagg Memorial Scholarship. She was a recipient of the Ontario Honors Scholarship for four years. Marci completed her senior research by standardizing a method to fluorescently detect pharmaceuticals and personal care products in drinking water. This study helped to prepare her for her graduate studies at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi to conduct biodiesel research with Dr. Paul Zimba. She will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Chemistry and Chemistry, magna cum laude, with minors in Economics and Mathematics, graduating as part of the Honors Society.
Marci Leanee Savage
2010 Outstanding Graduate
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Chemistry
Faculty and Staff
Class Size IS Important!
Alexei Iretski, Ph.D
Associate Professor
BS 1981, Ph.D. 1984, St. Petersburg Institute of Technology, Russia
Barbara Keller, Ph.D.
Dean, Professor
BS 1977, BS 1978, BS 1986, Idaho State University
Ph.D. 1995, Montana State University
Dave Myton, Ph.D
Professor
BS 1980, George Fox College
MST, Ph.D. 1991, Portland State University
Dave Szlag, Ph.D
Associate Professor
BS 1985, Wayne State University; MS 1987, PhD 1997, University of Colorado
Pariwate Varnakovida, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
B.S. 1999, Chiang Mai University
M.S. 2003, Mahidol University
Ph.D. 2009, Michigan State University
Marshall Werner, Ph.D
Associate Professor
BS 1993, Cornell University
Ph.D. 1998, University of Maryland, College Park
Judy Westrick, Ph.D
Associate Professor
BS 1985, Wayne State University
Ph.D. 1989, University of Colorado
Donna White
Department Secretary (II)
Derek Wright, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
BS 2001, Lake Superior State University
Ph.D 2008, Rutgers University
You will be pleased to know that our class sizes are small, which means it is likely that the professor will know who you are and will work with you one-on-one if you are having difficulty understanding course concepts.
"Our Chemistry & Environmental programs at Lake Superior State University are unique in that undergraduates have access to very sophisticated equipment and instrumentation that is normally reserved for graduate students at larger institutions. Here, students are able to use this equipment to conduct research with faculty mentors. Much of the research in our area is applied 'real world' research which gives students experience solving problems similar to those they may face once they have graduated and are out working. Many of our student alumni have reported back to us that this research experience helped them get into graduate programs at larger universities and helped them to get jobs."
--Barbara Keller, Ph.D
Associate Professor,
Environmental Chemistry Chair
Water Guardian Award
The Chemistry & Environmental Science Department and the Biology Department of Lake Superior State University are the first recipients of Chippewa East Mackinac Conservation District's newest award. The Water Guardian award will be presented each year to staunch supporters of protecting water quality. The District recognizes the importance of protecting this precious resource and proactive management to maintain the good water quality found in this area.
Four professors from LSSU fullfill these qualities. Greg Zimmerman, Barb Keller, Ashley Moerke and Dave Szlag have been instrumental in helping the District develop a water quality protection program. They have dedicated their time to pursuits that promote environmental education and have provided valuable technical assistance and student technicians to gather important data.
Impact in the real world...
Rachel Claucherty-Arnold
What made Rachel's Lake Superior State experience so unique was the practical research she did with top-notch faculty.
"I really enjoyed working with environmental chemistry professor Judy Westrick and biologist Deb Stai," Rachel says. "For my senior project, we evaluated a lab method for cultivating a fungus that causes infections in humans." [ more ]
