Dynamics of excited electronic states in DNA

Ohio State University Research Foundation -Do Not Use, Columbus OH

Investigators

Abstract

In this award, funded by the Experimental Physical Chemistry Program of the Division of Chemistry, Professor Bern Kohler of Ohio State University, together with his graduate and undergraduate students, will conduct a bottom-up investigation of the photophysics of single- and double-stranded DNA. The experimental approach of the Kohler group is to use ultrafast, femtosecond laser spectroscopy to probe the photochemical events that take place when small fragments of DNA absorb ultraviolet light. DNA is the basic unit of biological hereditary information. The ultimate goal of research like that of the Kohler group is to investigate how DNA is changed by ultraviolet light, which may have implications in health as well as emerging applications that seek to harness DNA's optoelectronic properties. In addition to the broader scientific impact of the proposed research work, Prof. Kohler plans to organize an annual undergraduate chemistry research fair on the campus of Ohio State University. The goal of this outreach event is to encourage more undergraduate students to pursue research in chemistry and to get students interested in research earlier in their undergraduate careers.