dobrzykowski

Tony Dobrzykowski: Small Science, Big Impact

By Emily Warpool,
Dean's Office, College of Arts & Sciences

Recent graduate Edward Anthony Dobrzykowski III has done a lot over the course of his 4 years in the undergraduate chemistry-biochemistry degree, though you wouldn’t be able to see his results without a microscope.

Originally from Puyallup, WA, Tony has spent the majority of his research career at NKU creating devices used to detect and observe single molecules. Some of these sensors measure less than 100,000x smaller than the width of a human hair. Tony and his research group leader, Dr. Celeste Morris, have been measuring molecular interactions with devices called nanopipettes, hoping that their observations will provide insight into the behavior of cancer tumorigenesis. Tony explains that “It is essential that the electrodes are so small because it enables us to measure single or tens to hundreds of molecules at a time, rather than millions that may be in solution” creating more accurate results for possible scientific and medical applications.

Tony first started his research when Dr. Morris approached him after he had submitted an application to the UR-STEM program for undergraduate research.

Tony graduated from NKU with a major in Chemistry-Biochemistry this May, and will continue on to graduate school in analytical chemistry, focusing on electrochemistry and mass spectrometry.