ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ

Analytical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Philosophy of Science, Science-Theology Issues, synthesis and characterization of inorganic materials, fate and speciation of substances in the environment

• B.A. Chemistry major, Computer Science minor (ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ College)
• Ph.D. Chemistry (Temple University)

• General Chemistry I, CHEM105 (lecture and lab)
• General Chemistry II, CHEM106 (lecture and lab)
• Chemical Analysis I, CHEM221 (lecture and lab)
• Chemical Analysis II, CHEM321 (lecture and lab)
• Environmental Chemistry, CHEM340 (lecture and lab)
• Natural Science Capstone, CHEM/BIOL495
• Chemistry Senior Seminar, CHEM490
• Chemistry Junior Seminar, CHEM390
• Research Methods, CHEM/BIOL393
• Undergraduate Research (mentoring), CHEM422

Professor Schaeffer is originally from Ephrata, Pennsylvania, where he discovered what has become a lifelong passion for baseball and the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. His undergraduate degree is from ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ College where he studied chemistry and computer science and played varsity baseball for four years. Following college, he worked for over three years as an analytical chemist at a commercial laboratory in Harrisburg.  Dr. Schaeffer then entered graduate school at Temple University in Philadelphia and completed his Ph.D. in chemistry with a dissertation in solid-state inorganic chemistry.  He then taught and conducted research with undergraduates for eight years at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA and two years at Kutztown University in Kutztown, PA.  Professor Schaeffer fulfilled a career dream by joining the faculty at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ College in 2004.  He has mentored over seventy undergraduate research students and published twenty-five peer-reviewed journal articles. 

Jennifer L. Esbenshade and Richard W. Schaeffer; A Quantitative Analysis of the Uptake of Heavy Metals into Common Garden Vegetables from Contaminated Soils.  Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science, 92(2): 23-26, 2019.

Danielle Hepler, Abigail Hing, Sharon Kauffman, Tjia-Ern Lau, Mallory Ziegler, Richard Schaeffer, and Kathryn Witt; How Long Should Chaya Leaves be Boiled?  ECHO Development Notes 141: 4-5, 2018.

Claude H. Yoder, Jill D. Pasteris, Katherine A. Krol, Victoria L. Weidner, and Richard W. Schaeffer; Synthesis, Structure, and Solubility of Carbonated Barium Chlor- and Hydroxylapatites. Polyhedron 44(1): 143-149, 2012.

Jennifer Esbenshade and Richard W. Schaeffer; A Survey of Heavy Metals Present in the Soils of a Retention Pond for parking Lot Runoff.  Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science 85(1):23-26, 2011

C. H. Yoder, R. W. Schaeffer, P. McWilliams, A. Roland, X. Lui, and J. Shambeda; The synthesis of copper/zinc solid solutions of hydroxyl carbonates, sulphates, nitrates, chlorides and bromides.  Mineralogical Magazine 75(5): 2573-2582, 2011.

C. H. Yoder, E. Bushong, X. Lu, V. Wiedner, Katrina Martin, John Haller, Jonathon Lorgunpai, and Richard W. Schaeffer; The Synthesis and Solubility of Copper Hydroxyl Nitrates: Gerhardite, Rouaite, and Likasite.  Mineralogical Magazine 74(3): 433-440, 2010.

Awards:

• Robert and Marilyn Smith Teaching Excellence Award, 2014
• Daniel Swern Research Fellowship, 1990
• Guy F. Allen Award, 1988