Professor Melinda Greer has boxing gloves in her office. It may seem ironic that Greer, the only female faculty member of the chemistry department at UD, would be the one professor to have a momento from such a male dominated sport in her office. But Greer is used to being a little out of the ordinary. After spending almost a decade in a major with nearly all men, Greer has adapted to being in the minority- not that she has ever let it bother her. "I have never felt competitive or discriminated against," she says, "and the staff at UD has been wonderful." Nevertheless, "it would be nice to have more female colleagues, and I am sure that there will eventually be more." In fact, according to Gary Morrow, the chemistry department chairman, 44 female undergrads have graduated UD's chemistry program in the past five years. Over half of these women have gone on to pursue higher education at either a graduate or professional school. And women like Greer have helped to pave their way.

Greer obtained a B.S. in chemistry at Western Kentucky University and went on to get her Ph.D. in organic chemisty from Vanderbilt University in 1997. Currently, she teaches general chemisty and organic chemistry while also juggling the responsibilites of research. Greer focuses on materials research and the crystal engineering of organic molecules. By investigating the causes for certain molecular orientations of organic molecules in crystals, Greer hopes to discover techniques to manipulate these orientations to her advantage. Then, she can "design" a solid with specific properties. Her research can easily be applied to the manufacture of better conducting materials or to produce solids with non-linear optical properties, not to mention the huge implications it could have on medicine.

However, Greer is now focusing more on combining her research with her teaching. In fact, she sees research as one of the best means of educating students. Her undergraduate researchers don't just get dishes to clean and beakers to watch; they are intimately involved in the research process. But with this involvement comes risks. Greer's first two lab assistants were extremely accident-prone, and they were known to drop glassware regularly. By the end of their time with Greer, the students were amazed that she had never lost her temper with them, even when bits of broken glass littered the floor. So, in a tribute to her patience, the assistants bought her a pair of boxing gloves as a way for her to take out her hidden aggression. But today, the boxing gloves are still in their original package, unused and in perfect condition.

This page was created on
04/02/01 by Lisa Kaiser.
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