Chemistry Prof. Kate Buettner may focus her research on inorganic compounds, but it’s the organic relationships she develops with students in the lab and classroom that make her an integral part of our faculty. In the lab, students are involved in every step of the research process, often spending years collaborating on projects and gaining expertise on the specific details that rival Buettner’s own knowledge.
“To be a good mentor, you have to find a way to adapt to each student, and that requires building relationships with them,” said Buettner, who received her Ph.D. from Yale University in 2012. “I work to build a strong community among the students, making lab a home on campus for the students in my group, if they want it to be.”
Buettner’s research focuses on understanding the structure-function relationships in non-natural metalloproteins. She and her students plan experiments, evaluate data, and troubleshoot problems together.
Outside of the classroom and lab, Buettner continues to strengthen relationships with students, with many having presented at national American Chemical Society conferences. Additionally, she serves as a faculty liaison to both the women’s basketball team and the STEM Scholars program.
Buettner aims to prepare students for life and careers after graduation, helping them communicate the knowledge and skills they gained at Gettysburg. Each summer, her students participate in the Cross-Disciplinary Science Institute at Gettysburg College (X-SIG) summer research programming, where there are weekly lunches for students to practice informally presenting their work in a way that a broad audience can understand.
“These skills are important in communicating science,” said Buettner, an avid baker who often brings in baked treats for her students and lab groups. “As students talk about interviewing for jobs, they refer to the skills they built in these lunches as incredibly useful in being able to quickly and simply explain scientific topics.”
From the chemistry lab to the basketball court, Buettner is inspired by her students’ drive and passion to find success and achieve their goals.
Said Buettner, “In all of the time we spend together, we really get to know each other, and my students know that I will do everything in my power to help them get where they want to go in life.”
By Katie Lauriello ’25
Photos courtesy of Kate Buettner
Posted: 12/10/24