Doug Schirch
Associate Professor of Chemistry

Education

BA, Goshen College, 1982
PHD, Michigan State University, 1987

Contact info

Office: SC 311
Phone: (574) 535-7312
E-mail:

• Associate Professor of Chemistry, Goshen College, Goshen, IN. (July 2004-present).
• Academic Dean, Ave Maria College of the Americas, Nicaragua (2002-2004).
• Associate Professor of Chemistry, Ave Maria College of the Americas, Nicaragua (2000-2004).
• Academic Dean, University of Mobile Latin American Campus, Nicaragua (1997-2000).
• Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of Mobile Latin American Campus, Nicaragua (1994-2000).
• Postdoctoral research, Medical College of Virginia, 1992-94.
• Team member and Coordinator of Media/Documentation Office, Witness for Peace, Nicaragua (1987-91)

Current Projects:

• Research on structure-function relationships in serine hydroxymethyltransferase.
• Faculty supervisor for biodiesel project. Used vegetable oil from the college's cafeteria and snack bar are converted to biodiesel for use by the campus generator. Our reactor, based on that described in the book Biodiesel Basics and Beyond, by William Kemp, can process 300 liters of biodiesel at a time. For more information, see:
  • http://www.goshen.edu/virtualgc/photoalbum/2008/biodiesel/
  • http://aztext.com/goshencollege.cfm

International Experience:

• Nicaragua (1987-91, 1994-2004).
• Guatemala (December 1986 - April 1987).
• Haiti (January - April 1980).
• England (July - December 1973).
• Italy (July 1969 - July 1970).

Article in March 2005 Bulletin

• Schirch V., Schirch, D., Martini, F., and Bossa, F. Serine Hydroxymethyltransferase: Effect of Proteases on the Activity and Structure of the Cytosolic Enzyme, (1986) Eur. J. Biochem., 161, 45-49.
  
• Schirch, D.M. and Wilson, J.E. Rat Brain Hexokinase: Location of the Substrate Hexose Binding Site in a Structural Domain at the C-Terminus of the Enzyme, (1987) Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 254, 385-396.

• Schirch, D.M. and Wilson, J.E. Rat Brain Hexokinase: Amino Acid Sequence at the Substrate Hexose Binding Site is Homologous to that of Yeast Hexokinase, (1987) Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 257, 1-12.

• Schirch, D.M. Location and Structure of the Hexose Binding Site of Rat Brain Hexokinase, (1986) Ph.D. Dissertation Thesis, Michigan State University.

• Schirch, D.M., Contestabile, R., delle Frate, S., Iurescia, S., Angelaccio, S., Bossa, F., and Schirch, V. Function of the Active Site Lysine in Serine Hydroxymethyltransferase, (1993) J. Biol. Chem., 268 (31), 23132-23138.

• Schirch, D.M., delle Frate, S., Iurescia, S., Angelaccio, S., Contestabile, R., Bossa, F., and Schirch, V. Serine Hydroxymethyltransferase: Role of the Active Site Lysine in the Mechanism of the Enzyme, (1993) Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 338, 715-718.

• Schirch, D.M., Villar, E., Maras, B., Barra, D., and Schirch, V. Domain Structure and Function of 10-Formyltetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase, (1994) J. Biol. Chem., 269 (40), 24728-24735.

• Cai, K., Schirch, D., and Schirch, V. The Affinity of Pyridoxal 5'-Phosphate for Folding Intermediates of Escherichia coli Serine Hydroxymethyltransferase, (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270 (33), 19294-19299.

• Kim, D.W., Huang, T., Schirch, D., and Schirch, V. The Properties of Tetrahydropteroylpentaglutamate Bound to 10-Formyltetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase, (1996). Biochem. 35 (49), 15772-15783.