Paul Ehrlich addresses UT
Famed ecologist Paul Ehrlich addressed an audience at UT as part of the Baker Center Interdisciplinary Group on Energy and Environmental Policy series.
Archives for August 2011
Chris Bennett Paper Accepted in JACS
Chris Bennett, a fourth year graduate student in Dr. Camden’s group, published a paper on two-photon properties of molecules in JACS.
Bennett and Camden have worked on this project with their collaborators Dr. Lasse Jensen and Daniel Silverstein at Penn State University for the past two years. They compared experimentally measured resonance hyper-Raman spectra to first-principles calculations of the resonance hyper-Raman intensity and found excellent agreement between the two. The finding not only demonstrated that first-principles calculation of hyper-Raman intensities are now possible for large molecules such as R6G, but also indicated that resonance hyper-Raman will now be a routine aid for probing multiphoton processes.
“As two-photon spectroscopy gains popularity, it is important to fully understand the mechanisms and principles that guide it.” Bennett explains the importance of his work. “Our explorations of hyper Raman spectroscopy are an attempt to understand those principles. We are working to uncover the mysteries in this aspect of science, to help bring it into the realm of popular scientific methods.”
Prior to joining Camden group, Bennett obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from the Wofford College in 2003 and Master of Arts from the Wake Forest University in 2004. He also serves as the secretary for the East Tennessee Section of the American Chemical Society.
Bennett’s research has been focusing on understanding the principles behind the enhancement in surface enhanced hyper Raman scattering (SEHRS). “This project is a direct result of the explorations in that work.” said Bennett. “The theory observed here will help “flush out” the mechanisms of enhancements in further studies.”
Founded in 1879, JACS is the flagship journal of the American Chemical Society and the preeminent journal in the field. This periodical is devoted to the publication of fundamental research papers in all areas of chemistry and publishes approximately 16,000 pages of Articles, Communications, Book Reviews, and Computer Software Reviews a year. Published weekly, JACS provides research essential to the field of chemistry and is the most cited journal in chemistry field as reported in the 2010 Journal Citation Report© Thomson Reuters.
Earlier this year, Bennett also published an article about Probing One-Photon Inaccessible Electronic States with High Sensitivity on ChemPhysChem, a scientific journal published by John Wiley & Sons since 2000.
Vighter Iberi Paper Accepted in NanoLetters
Vighter Iberi, a third year graduate student in Dr. Camden’s group, published a paper on plasmon imaging in NanoLetters.
In the paper, the researchers obtained spatial maps of the localized surface plasmon modes of high-aspect-ratio silver nanorods using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and correlated to optical data and classical electrodynamics calculations from the exact same particles, thus demonstrating EELS mapping to be an invaluable technique for elucidating complex and overlapping plasmon modes.
Since nanostructures continue to be fabricated with ever reducing size and increasing complexity, Camden suggested that studies such as this could “ultimately provide a unified picture of optical and electron beam excited plasmons demonstrating that plasmon maps derived from EELS excitation have direct relevance for the plethora of processes relying on optical excitation of plasmons.” Camden also feels that the correlated measurements described in Vighter’s paper will”deepen our understanding of structures used for surface enhanced spectroscopies, sensor devices, sub-diffraction limit wave-guiding, and energy harvesting.”
The Camden group, formed in 2008, is working to develop new applications of plasmonic nanostructures and to understand fundamental features of the molecule-plasmon couplings underlying these applications. This published study fits into the whole group’s project because “a thorough understanding of SERS enhancement factors largely depends on the plasmonic properties of these nanostructures currently being investigated.” said Vigther.
Vighter O. Iberi (JR) is originally from Nigeria and earned his Bachelor Degree of Science from the Campbellsville University in 2008 prior to joining Camden group in 2009. His current research area involves the study of surface plasmons in metallic nanostructures and their application to Single Molecule Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SMSERS).
Out of 63 journals in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Nano Letters is #2 in Impact Factor: 12.219*; #2 in citations, with 61,066 total cites.
*Based on the 2010 Journal Citation Reports®
Dr. Best Joins Editorial Board of Chem. Phys. Lipids and Publishes Articles in Acc. Chem. Res. and ASBMB
Dr. Michael Best recently accepted an invitation to join the Editorial Advisory Board of the journal “Chemistry and Physics of Lipids”. This journal, published by Elsevier, featuring an impact factor of 2.86, is focused on the properties and biological activities of lipids, which play key roles in both normal physiological processes and those associated with disease. “I am excited to assist in steering the future direction of this influential journal.” said Best. This acheivement has also been recognized by QUEST, an online magazine highlighting UT faculty and students’ accomplishments.
In addition, Best was recently invited to provide an article for a special issue of the journal “Accounts of Chemical Research”. This publication currently possesses one of the highest impact factors among journals associated with chemistry (21.84). Accounts of Chemical Research publishes focused review articles that primarily describe work performed in the author’s own laboratory. Best was invited to contribute to this special issue by guest-editor Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi, Professor of Chemistry at UC-Berkeley and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. The special issue revolves around the profound advances that have resulted from the field of bioorthogonal reactions and “click chemistry”. Best’s article focuses on work from his lab as well as others in which this chemistry has been extended to study the biological properties of lipids relating to diseases such as cancer. Joining Best as co-authors on this article are graduate students in his lab Meng Rowland and Heidi Bostic.
Meng, Heidi, Dr. Best and Chi-Linh after escaping Alcatraz to attend the 2010 ACS Meeting in San Francisco
Finally, Best was also invited to provide a feature article for the monthly ASBMB Today. For those who are more on the chemical side of the fence, ASBMB Today, published by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), is essentially the equivalent for this society that corresponds to Chemistry & Engineering News for the American Chemical Society (ACS). Best’s article focuses on recent advances in the design, synthesis and application of lipid probes for studying biological properties.
Department of Chemistry Acquires New Leadership
Charles Feigerle, professor of physical chemistry, has been named the new Head of University of Tennessee’s Department of Chemistry, effective July 1.
Feigerle has been in the department for 26 years and has served as the Associate Head for four and half years. This played an important part in the Head Search. “In making this decision, I have favored administrative experience, which is extremely useful in a large, complex department like this one.” said Harry McSween, Interim Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
As Department Head, Feigerle will provide leadership in academic programs; planning, developing, integrating and implementing departmental teaching, research and outreach efforts; recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty, staff and students; and the pursuit of competitive grants, research contracts, gifts and other special funding to provide support for scholarships, fellowships and professorships.
“I am impressed by, and agree with, Chuck’s assessment of the program and his vision of how it might be improved.” McSween said. “I am confident that he can advocate effectively for the Department and build consensus on its future direction.”
With 30 faculty members and 125 graduate students as of Fall 2011, the Department of Chemistry is one of the largest departments on UT campus. Recent reductions in state and university budgets combined with UT’s goal to become a “top 25” state university bring tremendous challenges for the new Department Head.
“This department has a long history of producing excellent undergraduate and graduate degree candidates. It is already a research leader at the University of Tennessee and has the potential to also lead in Tennessee’s quest to become a top 25 state university.” Feigerle said. “I have seen great progress in this department during my career and it is my goal to build on that progress.”
With the incoming graduate class this fall, the Department will witness the highest graduate student enrollment ever. Also, during the year S2010, the faculty of the Chemistry Department submitted more proposals (in total dollars) than any other department in the College of Arts and Sciences. Even with the economic downturn, Feigerle has full confidence that the Department is “ready to meet these challenges with the help of our supporters and with the hard work and dedication of our students, staff and faculty.”
Feigerle earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1977 and obtained his Docterate from the University of Colorado in 1983. His research interests lie within the broad umbrella of experimental physical chemistry, with emphasis on development and characterization of advanced and emerging materials. He has authored and co-authored 89 publications.
Feigerle replaces Craig Barnes, who stepped down in July, 2011 to return to his position as a professor of inorganic chemistry.
Frank Vogt, associate professor of analytical chemistry, was appointed in July 2011 as the Associate Head on a renewable 3-year term.
Facing the challenge of advancing the department’s graduate program, Vogt developed two strategies. “…by encouraging more internal collaborations between research groups, we can ensure graduates from the program are well-rounded and marketable.” Vogt said. He also plans to utilize novel recruiting techniques to competitively recruit the brightest college graduates.
“Frank has a history of supporting his students on GRA’s when possible and graduating his students in a timely fashion; both of these are important goals for our graduate program.” Feigerle expressed his full confidence in Vogt for leading graduate program and the whole Department forward. “From my interactions with Frank, I am convinced he will bring a special enthusiasm and dedication to the position of Associate Head.” Feigerle said.
During Vogt’s six years as a faculty member in UT’s Chemistry Department, he has received several NSF grants and funds from USDA, Eastman Chemical Company, and collaborations with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Vogt’s research vision is advancing analytical chemistry by combining optical spectroscopy with innovations in statistical data analyses with the goal to make instrumentation more sensitive and more selective. His current research focuses on studying chemical reactions in microalgae cells in response to changing environmental conditions. His research has resulted approximately 40 publications.