D'Arcy, Karen

Current Grant

CPATH CB: Content and Context: Building Collaborative Partnerships in Higher Education and Industry 

Grants and Contracts

• Model Student Environmental Contract Laboratory, National Science Foundation Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (NSF-CCLI), 2000, K.D’Arcy (PI), J.Addison, J.Yunger, B. Ramirez.  Acquire Atomic Absorption Spectrometer with graphite furnace and computer automation, autosampler for GC/MS, and digester to equip facsimile of professional environmental contract lab. Improve student learning in CHEM 505/506 Environmental Chemistry. Provide environmental analysis services to local junior and senior high school students and teacher, role playing as clients of contract lab. NSF-CCLI award $99,700, $240,000 project total. www.ehr.nsf/PIRSWeb/Doc/088831.htm
  
   
• A Regional WWW-Based FT-NMR for Chemistry Curriculum Improvements, National Science Foundation Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement (NSF-CCLI), 1999, Gregory Moehring (PI), S. Kumar, S. Diab, J. Selbka, S. Park, J. Addison, K. D’Arcy. Develop remote access FT-NMR facility at GSU in partnership with University of St. Francis and South Suburban College, $100,000 award, $230,000 project total. www.ehr.nsf/PIRSWeb/Doc/9950554.htm
  
   
• Thorn Creek Watershed Planning Workshop, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, C2000 $10,000, February 24 and 25, 2000, Governors State University, K. D’Arcy and J. Mendelson.
  
   
• Pilot Study of Stream Flow in Plum Creek, Thorn Creek Ecosystem Partnership, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, C2000 FY00, $5,900, K. D’Arcy.
  
   
• Phone Poulenc Basic Chemicals Company, Chicago Heights, Illinois; 1987-1989; $190,000. K. D’Arcy, E. Cehelnik,  Educational program using chemistry faculty designed to retrain fourteen laboratory technicians.  Developed curriculum and delivered six courses in the area of mathematics, chemistry, and computer science.
  
   
• ENSR Corporation, Acton Massachusetts; 1988-1990; $17,000. K. D’Arcy. Operated USEPA ME-35 Acid Modes acid precipitation monitoring station. Recruited and supervised students operators.

Internally Funded Projects

• "Synthesis of Toluene Degradation Products," Governors State University Mini-Grant; 1989: $800.
• "Cathodic Stripping Analysis of Inorganic Arsenic with Codeposition of Copper, Selenium, or Nickel at a Mercury Thin Film Electrode," Governors State University Alumni Foundation; 1986; $2000.
• "Interface for Computer Assisted Electrochemistry," Governors State University Alumni Foundation; 1988; $1,530.
• "Synthesis of Toluene Degradation Products," Governors State University Research Grant; 1990/1991; $2000.

Workshops Attended

• "NSF-GLRC Summer Practicum for Applied Environmental Problem Solving," May–June 1992 at SUNY Oswego, Oswego NY and the Great lakes Research Consortium.
• "Hyphenated Techniques in Analytical Chemistry: HPLC-MS and SCFE-GC." November 1992, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL.
• "Groundwater Pollution in America," Chatauqua course, Northern Illinois University, April 1988. Supported by GSU Alumni Foundation, $150.
• "Immobilized Enzyme Electrodes: Theory and Practice,"  American Chemical Society, Chicago, IL, September 1985.
• "Acid Rain Control Institute, Developing a Consensus for Action," Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne , IL, August 1985.

Student Research Projects

• Paula Ignat, Karen D'Arcy, Development of Student Experiments with Computer-Aided Electrochemistry, 1988.
• George Uhl, Karen D'Arcy Development of Computer Program for Kinetic Measurements with Computer-Aided Electrochemistry, 1988.
• John Rizzos, Karen D'Arcy, Comparison of Spectroscopic Techniques for Analysis of Metals in Vegetable Oils, 1990.
• Burhan Afandi, Karen D'Arcy, Development of Computer Programs for Solution of Metal-Ligand Equilibrium Problems, 1989.
• Ming Zeng, Aldo Apponi, Scott Hamer, Karen D'Arcy, Synthesis of Some Toluene Degradation Products, 1989–1992.
• Laura Pytlewski, Karen D'Arcy, Carl Raleigh (Motorola, Inc.), Investigation of Experimental Conditions for Capillary Electrophoresis Analysis of Two Organic Acids of Interest to Electronics Industry, 1993.
• Maureen Clapper (Argonne National Laboratory), Jack Demirgian (Argonne National Laboratory), Joseph Addison, Karen D'Arcy, Development of a Method to Detect Volatile and Semivolatile Contaminants in Soil Samples by Thermal Desorption-Fourier Infrared Spectroscopy, 1993.
• Nancy Tomczyk (Argonne National Laboratory), John Schneider (Argonne National Laboratory), Karen D'Arcy and Joseph Addison, Method Development to Determine TNT Degradation Products Using HPLC and Other Analytical Techniques, 1993.
• Elizabeth Autero, Rebecca Serf, Jon Mendelson, Karen D'Arcy, Evaluation of Point Source and Non-Point Source Pollution of  Deer Creek, Will and Cook County, IL, 1993.
• Robert Gruenig, Jon Mendelson, Karen D'Arcy, Evaluation of Chemical and Biological Water Quality Parameters, 1995.
• Liduvina Vivanco (Joliet Central High School), Karen D'Arcy, Development of SPME-GC (solid phase microextration-gas chromatography) method for determination of herbicides in regional environmental samples, 1996.
• James Kopkowski (Amoco, Whiting , IN), Karen D'Arcy, Development of Analytical Method for Determination of ppm Level of Water in Motor Oil, Lubricants, and Fuel Oils, 1997.
• Lina Zayed (Reavis High School), Gary Lyon, Determination of Zinc in the U.S. Cent Minted from 184 to 1962 by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, 2003.
• Glenn Alexander (Marist High School), Gary Lyon, Determination of Tin in U.S. Cent Using Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, 2004.
• Todd Kotecki, Gary Lyon, Determination of Arsenic Levels in United States Cents (1864–1962), 2004.
• James Alexopolous, Gary Lyon, Spectroscopic Determination of Silver in the U.S. Cent Minted from 1864 to 1962 by AAS, 2005.