Jason Cross
B.S. (Honors) Brunel University UK -Medicinal and Environmental Chemistry
Ph.D. University of Surrey, Guildford UK - Organic Chemistry
Dr. Cross came to DelVal in August 2011 after working as a professor at Temple University for 5 1/2 years teaching organic chemistry and general chemistry courses. He also taught at The University of Pittsburgh. He is an associate member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a professional organization for chemists.
At DelVal, he teaches Organic Chemistry I lab and lecture and General Chemistry I lab and lecture.
He brings both teaching and research experience. Dr. Cross did research at Vanderbilt University and The University of Pittsburgh.
Some of his research worked on using luminescent lanthanide probes to look at biological events. He wanted to find out whether these complexes were cell compatible and if diseased cells could be imaged.
DelVal appealed to him because of the scenic and safe location of the campus.
“The campus is absolutely beautiful,” said Dr. Cross. “The worst thing that is going to happen to me at DelVal is an acorn is going to fall on my head.”
Dr. Cross knows that students sometimes initially struggle with chemistry and he likes interacting with students and helping them understand it.
“Chemistry is very difficult to teach and it is very difficult to get students to be enthusiastic about it,” said Dr. Cross. “The most rewarding thing about what I do is when a student gets it. …(My favorite part of teaching is) convincing them that they can do it and that it is really not that bad.”
When he isn’t teaching, Dr. Cross can be found working out in his garden, hiking, or working on art projects. He particularly likes painting and working with charcoal.
Dr. Cross is enjoying the change of scenery and the small campus feel at DelVal.
“(My experience so far) has been very good, everyone is very friendly here,” said Dr. Cross. “DelVal is very small so you get to know people quickly. When you walk across campus people say ‘hello’ to you because they know who you are.”
The beautiful campus is not the only reason Dr. Cross came to Delval. He also chose the college because he sees it as a place that is changing for the better.
“I’m very excited about going from college to university status,” said Dr. Cross of DelVal. “That’s one of the reasons I came here. They are definitely pushing the college forward.”
Dr. Cross discussing his research:
The area of research that I am most interested in is utilizing fluorescent and luminescent molecules to act as reporters in biological or electronic events. Species that emit light rather than use, for example, radiation, are much less harmful to the environment and are easier for the user to handle.
The main idea behind this is to essentially “switch on” these reporter molecules once they have undergone a particular reaction with a targeted biological substrate; when there is no substrate available for reaction there is no light being produced. Once the substrate is present, it will react and be able to change the reporter molecule into a form that is able to produce light upon irradiation of light (excitation) or by chemiluminescence (no irradiation).