[accessibleimage] chemistry Legally Blind And Deaf, Graduate Student Nears Completion Of His Ph.D.

excerpt of article
Legally Blind And Deaf, Graduate Student Nears Completion Of His Ph.D.

Standing in the elevator of the chemistry building at the University of Albany, I'm not sure what to expect. Before I reach the third floor, the doors open and doctoral student Christopher C. Wells walks in; we look at each other knowingly and smile. When the doors open again on the third floor, Wells motions for me to follow him as he zips down the hall to his lab.
 
Scholar Wells holds a model of potassium rhenium nonahydride, one of many molecules he has tested in his nanodevice research.At 5 feet 3 inches tall, Wells's small frame belies the energy within. When we reach his computer, he turns on the terminal and types, "Hello, Linda. How are you today?" in 28-point font. "My interpreter couldn't find a parking spot right away but will be coming in soon." Wells, 28, is legally blind, deaf, and mute as a result of complications from being born prematurely. He says his disabilities made studying chemistry as an undergraduate "a considerable challenge," but he learned to maximize his strengths and graduated from Siena College, in Loudonville, N.Y., with a bachelor's degree in chemistry and a minor in mathematics.

In his graduate work, he has found his niche in computational chemistry. While his colleagues run experiments at the bench, Wells is at the computer solving a complex mathematical equation or using a theoretical modeling program to test an experimental nanodevice that he designed.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/education/85/8530education2.html

Lisa Yayla
Huseby Kompetansesenter
Oslo Norway
lisa.yayla@xxxxxxxxxx

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