FLC chemistry student researcher creates molecules powered by light to make industry cleaner

Second year student Mara Millette and assistant professor of chemistry Izzy Lamb, presented their findings this fall at the 2025 American Chemical Society Conference in Washington, D.C.

October 10, 2025

Can a new molecule help make chemical processes cleaner and more efficient—and maybe even change how the chemical industry works?That’s the question driving Fort Lewis College Assistant Professor of Chemistry Izzy Lamb, Ph.D., and his student, sophomore Mara Millette, who presented their findings this fall at the 2025 American Chemical Society Conference in Washington, D.C.

Their research focuses on organic photoredox catalysts—molecules that use light, rather than heat, to drive challenging chemical reactions that require control over single electrons.

“The molecules we’re making have usually never been seen on Earth before,” Millette said. “We have to figure everything out as we go—from purification to reaction. It’s challenging but incredibly rewarding.”

In the lab, Millette holds a glowing flask containing one of the catalysts she designed and created during a National Science Foundation-funded summer research experience. When illuminated with violet light, the molecule absorbs energy and transitions into an “excited state” that can power complex chemical reactions. Some of that energy is released as visible fluorescence—a side effect that Millette and Lamb both find mesmerizing.

“She designed and made that molecule from scratch,” Lamb said. “It’s exciting because we can now test how efficient it is at doing specific reactions. We’re studying everything that happens after the molecule absorbs light so we can understand what makes it tick—and what makes it so efficient.”

The efficiency matters. According to Lamb, roughly one-ninth of all U.S. energy consumption goes toward industrial chemical reactions. Traditionally, those processes rely on heat—a method Lamb compares to boiling pasta water.

“When you turn on your stove, you can feel the heat escaping—that’s wasted energy,” he explained. “By using light to directly drive the reaction, we can make the process far more efficient. If we can apply this to industrial reactions, it could reduce fossil fuel use and make manufacturing more sustainable.”

A spark of mentorship

Lamb’s fascination with light-powered chemistry began when he was a graduate student at CU Boulder studying molecules similar to the ones his students now make at FLC. Back then, he didn’t know how to synthesize them himself.

“In the summer of 2024, I asked my colleague Kenny Miller how hard it would be to make one of these molecules from scratch,” Lamb said. “He said, ‘Super easy.’ So he taught me the basic principles of synthetic chemistry.”

That brief collaboration became the foundation of Lamb’s current research program. “That little bit of mentorship was enough to get me rolling,” he said. “Now it’s become a huge part of what my students do.”

In 2024, Lamb and a student successfully developed a new molecule that behaved exactly as predicted. This past summer, Millette continued that work, creating new variations to test how small structural changes affect performance and efficiency.

Finding her passion for research

Millette transferred to FLC from Colorado Mountain College’s Vail Valley campus in search of a smaller school where she could study science and stay close to nature.

“I never expected to end up in chemistry research,” she said. “At a bigger school, I don’t think I’d have had this opportunity. I just started talking to my professors, got curious, and suddenly I was in the lab all summer doing research full time. It’s been life-changing.”

Her summer internship was part of an NSF-supported undergraduate research program (PEAQS) that allows FLC students to work as paid researchers during the academic year and summer. Millette plans to continue her research and hopes to pursue graduate studies in chemistry.

“It’s incredible to realize you’re the first person in the universe to make something,” she said. “And that it could someday help make the world more sustainable.”