Kevin McWilliams' Research

Dr. Kevin McWilliams' research currently focuses on three different projects:

1) Organometallic Synthesis: Focused on developing novel structures, primarily using ruthenium as the metal center, in order to study these materials’ reactivities with small molecules along both kinetic and equilibrium lines. Their use as possible catalysts for organic couplings is the end goal.

2) Heavy Metals in Donax Variabilis: Focused on quantifying the number of heavy metals (Fe, Pb, Ni, etc.) present in clams that filter feed in the intertidal zone at three different beach locations along the Grand Strand, along with the amount in their environment (sand, water). This is done via AA spectroscopy, and the end goal is to correlate possible pollution based on temporal and anthropogenic factors.

3) 3-D Printing: Focused on producing PBA-based chemical models for use in the general chemistry sequence and advanced courses. The end goal here is to improve the pedagogical methods for better teaching spatially challenging concepts such as molecular polarity and hybridization.