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Summer of science: Harrison, Tenn., teen one of 8 selected for prestigious program at UT

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Harrison, Tenn., teen one of 8 selected for prestigious program at UTBy Dylan Platz (2013 REU participant)

Humming hymns and talking himself, Brandon Hambrick lets his photographic memory take him step by step through a process known as polymerization.

In the science experiment, the 18-year-old from the Harrison area is creating a chain of large molecules by combining smaller ones — kind of like linking many small Legos to create a big one.

Unlike most students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Hambrick is still on campus for the summer, one of eight students selected by the school for this year’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program in chemistry, which is funded by the National Science Foundation. Having just finished his freshman year at UT, he’s the youngest student selected for this year’s program, at least 3 years younger than almost every other participant.

Read full article here

Professors Long and Best Received eVOL10 Service Awards

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Professors Michael Best (first from left) and Brian Long (first from right) with eVOL10 students at awards ceremony

Professors Michael Best (first from left) and Brian Long (first from right) with eVOL10 students at awards ceremony

Chemistry Professors Brian Long and Michael Best recently received Service Awards from the College of Engineering for their participation in the Engineering Volunteers for Tenth Graders (eVOL10) Program 2013, a program designed to introduce tenth graders to applied sciences and raise their awareness of careers in STEM disciplines including chemistry and engineering.

A total of 32 students participated in this year’s program. Long and Best provided the participating students Chemistry 101 session, graduate student support, instruction, and walked them through Chemical Car Design Projects. For the project, students designed and built their own vehicles that were propelled through the combination of sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid. A competition was held at the end of the program, and impressive distances of travel above 35 feet were attained  by student groups. In the program feedback survey, all of the students considered the experience was “fun” and “rewarding”.

Professor Brian Long mentoring students during Chemical Car Design Project

Professor Brian Long mentoring students during Chemical Car Design Project

Evolved from a previous program: Introduction of Sophomores To Engineering Principles (INSTEP), eVOL10 is a one-week summer program started in 2013. It introduces participants to applied sciences and ACT math preparation, and provides opportunities for them to compete in challenges involving the interplay between chemistry and engineering, and tour an engineering industrial plant. The program was provided to students at no major cost and is projected to continue in future years.

Chemistry BoV Chair is Official Candidate for ACS President-Elect

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Diane SchmidtDr. Diane Grob Schmidt, an UT Chemistry alumna and the Chair of the Chemistry Department Board of Visitors, is offically entered as a Candidate for the American Chemical Society President-Elect, 2014.

With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society, and a non-profit organization, whose members represent professional at all degree levels and in all fields of chemistry and sciences that involve chemistry. Since 1876, over 120 individuals have been identified with the title of President of the ACS.

Currently a Section Head in R&D at The Procter & Gamble Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, Schmidt received the prestigious ACS Henry Hill Award in 2012, and has been serving an active leadership role in ACS for over twenty years. She has chaired or served on more than 20 ACS task forces and working groups that have helped advance the profession. In addition she was elected to the ACS Board of Directors [2002-2010] and the ACS Board Executive Committee.Schmidt currently serves as a Director-at-Large of the Board of Directors at the Oak Ridge Associated Universities.

Schmidt’s name will appear on the fall ballot. You can look for her Candidate statement in the Sept. 16 issue of C&EN. The ballots will be mailed to ACS members on Oct. 4. Please vote for a “Vol Chemist”!

Chemistry Summer Program Awarded NSF Grant

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Professor Michael Best (left), Professor Shawn Campagna (right)

Professor Michael Best (left), Professor Shawn Campagna (right)

UT Chemistry Department has been offering critical research and professional development skills to undergraduate students through its summer program for more than 10 years. This year the program was awarded a three-year-grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and is officially recognized as a site for Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU).

Chemistry professors Michael Best and Shawn Campagna are the two principal investigators of the NSF proposal. “Our REU summer program is designed to provide participating students with the skills necessary to be successful in graduate school, which are very different than those that are required for undergraduate studies.” Best said, “Students participate in a cutting-edge research project and develop laboratory skills, improve their ability to communicate their research project and results, and learn about the different career opportunities that are available pertaining to chemical research.”

REU at UT Chemistry is a 10-week program during which the students work with a research group and are mentored by faculty members inside the Department through research projects and interactive workshops. Student participants will receive $5,000 stipend and free housing on campus. Workshops include weekly seminars, safety, ethics training and resume, career preparation training. This year’s program also included site visits to Oak Ridge National Lab and Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport, TN.

“NSF funding allows us to significantly expand the program, both in terms of the number of students that we can accommodate as well as the scope of programs and workshops that we can offer participating students.” said Campagna.

Besides expansion of the program, UT Chemistry REU also partnered up with Tennessee Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (TLSAMP) to reach out to first-generation college students and students from underrepresented groups.

Application to the program was open to all undergraduate students throughout the United States. Through a competitive selection process, 9 students were admitted into this year’s program.

“I have learned a variety of things from participating in this year’s summer research program thus far. It has changed my entire outlook and attitude toward chemistry and science as a whole.” said Gabriel Webber from the Alabama State University.

Another participant Jessica Ellett from the University of North Georgia felt the same way. “I thought I knew a pretty decent amount when I first came here, but I have learned so much more, about the graduate work, what it’s like to be in a professional lab, and the expectations of required of professional scientists.” said Ellett. “It has been a wonderful experience, one that I know will help me greatly in the days to come.”

An important aspect of this year’s program is the addition of a science journalism student, Dylan Platz, who rotates among the labs, shadowing REU participants, participating in research, and preparing written articles about participants and the program. “As the REU Science Writer, I’m allowed to be in every lab–getting a first-hand look at every student’s research.” Platz said, “It’s an extremely fun time seeing how different kinds of labs are run and how the research is conducted. The REU experience has been great all summer and I expect it to finish up strong.”

Application to next year’s program will open this October on UT Chemistry REU web site.

First Year Graduate Student Gives Talk at Alma Mater

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Tanei Ricks (first from right) with students at GRU.

Tanei Ricks (first from right) with students at GRU.

Tanei Ricks, a first year graduate student at Professor Best‘s group went back to his Alma Mater, Georgia Regents University (GRU), on Wednesday, June 12 to give a talk about graduate school preparations to students in the Summer Scholars Program sponsored by the NSF through CURS (Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship) at GRU.

Ricks was invited by Dr. Andy Hauger, director of the summer program, as an alumnus and former recipient of the Savannah River Scholarship (SRS). Ricks was also the first person to graduate from the SRS program and the only one to go to graduate school so far. Around 20 students attended the talk. Tanei shared his experiences at the UT Chemistry Department and concentrated on graduate school preparation.

“I feel like I’ve learned and progressed so much in the year since I’ve left,” said Ricks, “I feel like I was very well prepared by GRU to handle the pressures of grad school and perform at a high level so it was nice to come back and share my first year experiences with other students who are considering going down this road as well.”

Ricks joined UT Chemistry Department in 2012 and is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Professor Best’s group. His current research emphasizes on synthesizing inositol probes to study biological systems using click chemistry. Ricks recently received PEER Fellowship.

Organic Chemistry Parody

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To help “increase student engagement, encourage learning, advance test scores, and to just have fun in what has become a dreaded class to many students,” UT Organic Chemistry professor Brian Long gave his students a very interesting extra credit assignment: create videos about chemistry parodying favorite songs. Some students went old school, using songs such as “Push It” and “Sweet Cherry Pie,” while others were more Top 40, parodying “Thrift Shop” and “Some Nights.” All 17 of the submitted videos can be seen on the Chem 350 Parody Project YouTube page.

View original article on Tenn TLC team web site.

Chemistry Department Held 2013 Honors Day

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2013 Honors DayThe Chemistry Department held its 2013 Honors Day on April 29 in Buehler Hall 555 to honor students, staff and faculty members for their academic achievements, service to the department as well as their teaching and research achievements. Dr. Arlene Allen Garrison, Vice President of the Oak Ridge Associated Universities, attended the event as the guest speaker.

UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS

  • CRC Press General Chemistry Award – Beini Chen
  • C. W. Keenan Outstanding General Chemistry Student Award – Sara A. Stein
  • Dr. Lucy E. Scroggie Scholarship – Russell T. Smith
  • C. A. Buehler Chemistry Scholarship – Desta D. Bume
  • East Tennessee Section, ACS, Award – Burton K. Mandrell
  • Hach Foundation Scholarship – Maria C. Owens
  • Melaven-Rhenium Scholarships – Desta D. Bume, Christopher E. Freye, Karson N. Lurie, Brittany L. Skyberg, James R. Smith, Russell T. Smith, Benjamin T. White
  • Honors Chemistry Recognition – Zachary R. Austin, Nathan P. Crilly, Phoebe E. Fogelman, Phillip Mingola, Robert W.    Pedersen, Eric J. Oberding
  • Chancellor’s Honors and Office of Research Summer Internships – Nicholas A. DiLoreto, Andrew P. Moss, Alexander C. Parrott, Brian R. Poore
  • Chancellor’s Honors Extraordinary Academic Achievement – Rachel Naramore
  • Chancellor’s Honors Extraordinary Professional Promise – Burton K. Mandrell
  • Office of Undergraduate Research EURēCA Award – Desta D. Bume

STAFF AWARDS

  • Outstanding Service Award – James A. Murphy, Linda C. Sherman
  • Carol Moulton ACGS Service Award – Art D. Pratt
  • James F. Green ACGS Service Award- Rachel Rui

GRADUATE AWARDS

  • Second Year Candidacy Award – Samuel M. Rosolina, Hubert K. Turley
  • Outstanding Teaching Awards -Tanei J. Ricks, Brian E. Sundahl
  • Judson Hall Robertson Fellowship in Analytical Chemistry – Vighter O. Iberi
  • Graduate Fellowship for Achievement in Inorganic Chemistry – Christopher R. Murdock
  • Jerome Eastham Fellowship in Organic Chemistry – Yundi Gan
  • East Tennessee Section, ACS, Graduate Fellow – Peng Chen
  • Joint Institute of Neutron Sciences Fellowships – Seth C. Hunter
  • Eastman Chemical Company Fellowship Award – Weiyu Wang
  • Winners of the Board of Visitor’s Poster Competition – Vighter O. Iberi, Tara M. Michels-Clark

FACULTY AWARDS

  • NSF Career Award – Dr. Jon P. Camden, Dr. David M. Jenkins
  • Chancellor’s Award for Interdisciplinary Research – Dr. George K. Schweitzer
  • College of Arts & Sciences: Junior Faculty Research and Creative Achievement Award – Dr. Jon P. Camden
  • Extraordinary Service to the College as Director of the Govenor’s School for Science and Engineering (1994-2012) and Science Olympiad State Tournament (2008-2012) – Dr. Jeffrey D. Kovac
  • Tennessee Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation: Faculty of the Year for professor/instructor for outstanding academic instruction and service – Dr. Christiane Barnes
  • American Association for Advancement in Science Fellows – Dr. Jimmy W. Mays, Dr. Alexei P. Sokolov
  • American Chemical Society Fellow – Dr. David C. Baker
  • New Faculty – Dr. Steven R. Neal
  • Gleb Mamantov Professorship in Chemistry – Dr. Jon P. Camden
  • Ziegler Professor Announcement – Dr. Michael D. Best

Weiyu Wang Received Eastman Fellowship

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Weiyu WangWeiyu Wang, a chemistry graduate student in Professor Mays‘ group received 2013 Eastman Chemical Company Summer Fellowship.Established in 2001, the fellowship was designed to assist students in their research as well as help Eastman identify top performers who are in the early stages of their graduate careers.

Each year, selected universities are requested to submit nominations of students and encourage them to apply. A team of scientists from Eastman then rank all of the received applications and award either travel grant or full fellowship to several applicants. Wang received one of the three nation-wide full fellowship this year.

“Weiyu stood out as a candidate because the team felt he was a rising star.” Dr. Peter Chapman, Eastman Senior Chemist commented, “At this early stage in his career, he already has contributions to 3 publications.  He also is developing himself to have a very broad knowledge of polymer synthesis and characterization techniques.  Based on his early career performance, the team felt that Weiyu has a lot of potential as scientist.”

While excited to receive the fellowship, Wang is thankful for all the help he received from his mentors and staff in the Chemistry Department. “I’m sincerely grateful to Dr. Mays and Dr. Kilbey for the support they give to me and also Mr. Tom Malmgren for his help of polymer characterization.” said Wang.

Born and raised in a small town Baiyin in northwest of China, Wang attended Hunan University as a chemistry undergraduate student in 2007 and started research during his undergraduate studies. He participated in two projects in the field of Surface Enhanced Raman spectroscopy and gold nanoparticles and co-published three papers in different journals. After graduation in 2011, Wang applied to the University of Tennessee Knoxville and joined Professor Mays‘ research group. His research is now focusing on the project “Role of chain microstructure and branching on solution and thin film phase behavior”.

Previous recipients of Eastman Chemical Company Summer Fellowship from UT

  • 2008 –  Michael Gilbert    Full Fellowship  (Dr. Frank Vogt)
  • 2011 –  Rebecca Horton   Travel Grant  (Dr. Frank Vogt)
  • 2012 –  Christ Bennett      Travel Grant   (Dr. Jon Camden)
  • 2013 –  Weiyu Wang       Full Fellowship  (Dr. Jimmy Mays)