Kathleen McCann

Dr. Kathleen Rae McCann, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
E-mail:  kmccann@martinmethodist.edu
Office Phone Number:  931-363-9839 or ext. 3839
Office:  Andrew Science Building, Room 201

A native of Storm Lake, Iowa, Kathleen attended Morningside College and received a B.S. in Chemistry with minors in Physics and Mathematics.  After college, she stayed in Sioux City, IA and worked as a Quality Assurance/Quality Control Chemist at a Cargill soybean oil refinery for a year before entering graduate school at Texas A&M University, where she received her Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry.

At Texas A&M, Kathleen was part of the research group investigating the structures of cyclic and bicyclic molecules.  As part of her work she performed theoretical computations using supercomputers and took spectra of actual molecules using Ultraviolet (UV), Infrared(IR), and Raman spectroscopies.  She obtained spectra to interpret from a Raman microscope and a jet-cooled fluorescence excitation spectrometer that was able to do both florescence excitation spectra (FES) and single vibronic level fluorescence (SVLF) spectra.  Her graduate research involved looking at the complete ground and excited stated of 1,3-benzodioxan, and work on two molecules and their salts as part of a larger project to find a way to spectroscopically determine the presence of anthrax. 

While at Martin, Kathleen has taught a variety of courses ranging from Physics to Biochemistry to Organic Chemistry to Physical Science.  She has also had two articles published, one in the Journal of Chemical Education and one in the Journal of Molecular Structure. She regularly attends meetings of BCCE (Biennial Conferences on Chemical Education).

While not teaching classes, lab, or holding office hours for students to ask questions and receive help in their classes, Kathleen relaxes by either reading or knitting.  She is a member of a group that was started by a student under the Martin Serves umbrella that knits and crochets for the homeless.  Throughout the year she makes several hats and scarves for the group and makes other items, such as socks, for herself and other family members.