Anna Asmundson, a student researcher in the Department of Chemistry at Western Washington University, presented her research interests to state legislators at the third-annual "Faculty Serving Washington" event in the state capitol Jan. 23, 2008. She was invited by the Council of Faculty Representatives, a state-wide organization comprised of faculty members from each of the public four-year, institutions of higher education. Western’s representative is Professor John Purdy, who helped arrange the event. Asmundson presented on the design and generation of a single-chain recombinant human hemoglobin for use as a blood replacement. This project addresses the issues associated with administering normal human hemoglobin to patients in critical care by re-engineering the molecule to attenuate the negative affects associated with direct injection while still maintaining the necessary function (oxygen delivery).