Timothy Suder, from Fairmont, W.Va., cited the close faculty-student bond as his reason for choosing West Virginia Wesleyan College.
“I really liked the personal nature of the Wesleyan community and the closeness between the professors and students,” he stated. “I really wanted a college where I could interact with the faculty beyond being another number that showed up to class.”
Suder, a senior, is an active member of the Benzene Ring, the campus chapter of the American Chemical Society.
It is an organization dedicated to getting K-12 students excited about science and proving that chemistry can be fun, too. In addition, he is also a member of the Space club, an on-campus space-related physics club. When asked about how these two organizations influenced his Wesleyan experience,
Suder commented, “These clubs have enhanced my experience at Wesleyan, as they have allowed me to socialize with other students who are in my discipline outside of the normal class schedule.”
But beyond the sciences, Suder also possesses a passion for music: “I am an active member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, which is a music-based fraternity on campus. Through this brotherhood, I have enjoyed the opportunity to meet and work with other students who I may not have met otherwise, who are all united by a love of music. This has allowed me to grow as a leader and to develop skills by working with people who have vastly different sets of expertise than my own.”
According to Suder, it is these organizations along with his classes and faculty that have prepared him for life after Wesleyan.
“All of my classes have worked to prepare me for life after graduation, no matter what I choose to do with my career. The chemistry and physics departments have helped to direct my education and have provided opportunities for internships and direction for graduate school. And through my fraternity, I have found lifelong friends and a brotherhood that will support me in my endeavors,” he said. “By attending Wesleyan, I have taken the next step toward my future and have learned lessons that will be invaluable after graduation.”
When asked for more information about his internships at WVWC, Suder responded, “I have done a couple of internships during my time at WVWC. They can be through several different organizations, such as NASA, but the ones that I did were from the National Science Foundation (NSF). I worked as an undergraduate researcher for the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU). I did one at WVU and one at the University of Oregon, where I assisted a specific research group on one of the projects that they were working on. There are a lot of opportunities out there.”
In addition to his busy schedule, his science courses and his involvement in Greek life, Suder also managed to publish research in May 2019. His research looked into a new way of connecting two scientific instruments together that would improve them, making them more suitable for portable applications.
“This way,” he explained, “the instruments could be used for field work or in certain medical applications.” The paper is published in the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry.
After graduation, Suder plans to pursue a career in research, but not before finishing graduate school for Geochemistry. He is currently waiting for acceptance from several universities.
