Research with Curotto Helps Patel Develop Passion for Chemistry

By Purnell T. Cropper | January 25, 2011

By Heather C. Mick ’11

Chemistry major Sanket Patel ’12 sought out research opportunities with Arcadia faculty early in his academic career to develop a greater understanding of chemistry. Now, he’s prepared for medical school and to conduct his own research projects in the future.

“I have been part of the Physical Chemistry Research Program with Dr. Emanuele Curotto, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Physics, since my first year at Arcadia,” Patel says. “After going through the necessary training, I dove into a specific aspect of Dr. Curotto’s project to aid in his research. We focused on studying atomic clusters of ammonia and hydrogen chloride for hydrogen storage as a fuel source.”

Patel found his research with Curotto to be invaluable and helped to prepare him for medical school.

“His methods of teaching gave me a deeper understanding of the subject matter which I thought was beyond my understanding at first,” he says. “I am now able to use that knowledge or that life lesson and come up with my own research topics. In fact, I have been able to raise another possible engineering question which I plan to investigate during the coming summer with Dr. Curotto.”

After graduation, Patel is looking forward to attending medical school to become a doctor. While studying chemistry is an unorthodox path to medical school, Patel says that it is the path that gives him the greatest satisfaction.

“I greatly appreciate and thank Dr. Curotto for giving me these opportunities and for instilling in me a love for chemistry, mathematics, and physics.”