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Jeffrey Kovac Appointed National Judge for Phi Beta Kappa Book Awards in Science

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Jeff KovacDr. Jeffrey Kovac, Professor in the Department of Chemistry and President of the UT Knoxville Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, has been appointed to the national Committee of Judges for the Phi Beta Kappa Book Awards in Science. One of a committee of five, Kovac will serve from 2011-2013. The committee judges book entries that advance a scholarly interpretation of the natural sciences and mathematics. The winner of the annual award receives a $10,000 prize.

Professor Musfeldt Attended NUFO Capitol Hill Display

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Professor Musfeldt Attended NUFO Capitol Hill DisplayProfessor Janice Musfeldt (center) attended the National User Facility Organization (NUFO)‘s display on April 7 at U.S. House of Representatives Rayburn Office Building in DC.

Along with Roy Goodrich (left) from George Washington University and David Graf (right) from National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL), Musfeldt and the team represented NHMFL, one of the NUFO facilities during this Science Exhibition.

NUFO was invited by several Members of Congress to hold this exhibition on Capitol Hill to educate members and staff about the research being conducted at national user facilities, as well as the ultimate benefit of this research to the United States.

Last September, Musfeldt was elected as the Chair of NHMFL Users Committee, effective January 2011. Her article Magneto-elastic Coupling in Magnetically Frustrated Co3V2O8 was recently selected for inclusion in the annual Mag Lab Reports Research Highlights Issue. Only 40 reports were chosen out of the 417 submitted. The selected reports will also be featured in chapter two of the lab’s Annual Report to the National Science Foundation.

Chemistry Faculty and Student receive Chancellor’s Honors Awards

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The Chancellor’s Honors Banquet is held each spring to recognize students, faculty, staff and friends of the University of Tennessee for their extraordinary achievements.

The 2011 banquet was held April 11th at the University Center.

Professor Jeff Kovac, Professor Ben Xue and senior student in Chemistry Katherine Sharp received awards during the banquet.

2011 Excellence in Academic Outreach

Jeff KovacThis year’s award goes to Jeffrey Kovac, a tenured faculty member of the Department of Chemistry since 1976. Kovac directs the department’s undergraduate instructional program, carries a regular teaching load, and maintains an active program of scholarship and research.
His talents as an educator reach well beyond the UT campus. As director of the Governor’s School for Science and Engineering, Kovac designs curriculum and activities for 150 of Tennessee’s brightest high school students every year, recruiting appropriate faculty members and teaching at least one seminar himself.
In 2009, he was invited to direct the Tennessee Science Olympiad State Tournament. This program introduces middle and high school students to science and engineering concepts through competitive events. He has improved the state Science Olympiad website and has developed and staffed a coaches’ workshop for Tennessee teachers.

2011 Research and Creative Achievement

Ziling (Ben) XueBen Xue, professor of chemistry, joined the faculty in 1992. Since then, he has been recognized for his contributions in chemistry, especially inorganic compounds and their novel analysis. His work has led to the understanding of the formation of advanced materials and new catalysts, as well as the development of novel analytical methods. His research has been constantly supported by the National Science Foundation, and he has been honored with awards from foundations and associations around the world.

Research and Creative Achievement honors are awarded to tenured faculty who have received national or international recognition in their field.

Also awarded is chemistry senior student Katherine Sharp as one of the 2011 Top Collegiate Scholars.

Click to view more award recipients of 2011 Chancellor’s Honors

Tatiana Brinzari Receives ISMMM Poster Prize

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Tatiana with collaborator Jia LiuChemistry Graduate Student Tatiana Brinzari (picture left) from Dr. Musfeldt’s group received a poster award during International School & Symposium on Multifunctional Molecule-based Materials (ISMMM) held in Argonne National Laboratory from March 13 to 18, 2011.

Brinzari’s winning poster “Magneto-elastic coupling in molecular-based materials: M[N(CN)2]2 (M = Mn, Co) and [Ru2(O2CMe)4]3[Cr(CN)6]” discussed evidence of a strong relationship between crystal structure and magnetic properties in molecular frameworks, where a flexible metal local environment is ready to accommodate a new magnetic state. Jia Liu (picture right) from North Carolina State University is a coauthor on this project and performed electronic structure calculations.

Tatiana valued the opportunity of attending the symposium. “It provided me with unique opportunity to listen to tutorials and research talks and to communicate and discuss science with leading researchers from over the world in the field of molecule-based materials”, she said.

Tatiana also felt hornored winning this prize and would like to thank her advisor, “I was pleased to present our research and receive recognition of its importance and originality…Jan (Dr. Musfeldt) supports me and helps me in everything I do”.

Born and grown up in Chisinau, Moldova, Tatiana received her undergraduate degree of inorganic chemistry from Moldova State University (MSU) in 2005. Upon obtaining her master’s degree in chemistry from MSU, Tatiana joined Dr. Musfeldt’s group in 2007. Since then, her research focused on Magneto-infrared and magneto-optical spectroscopy of multifunctional molecule-based materials and novel oxides.

Originally held in Europe and Japan, the ISMMM is designed to  teach, train, and encourage young researchers and students with interest in crystalline electronic materials. The symposium consists of conference-style talks highlighting research in contemporary scientific disciplines including chemistry, physics, theory and materials science. It also provides about ten tutorial talks by experts in the field.

Professor Mays Receives Herman Mark Senior Scholar Award

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Jimmy MaysProfessor Jimmy Mays is selected as one of the three 2011 recipients of the Herman F. Mark Scholar Awards of the Polymer Chemistry Division of ACS. The Awards will be given during 2011 ACS Annual Meeting in Denver, CO this August.

The Awards were established in 2006 and are sponsored by Elsevier, the publishers of the journal Polymer. It is founded to recognize excellence in basic or applied research and leadership in polymer science by scientists of all ages. The awards are usually presented biennially at the Fall meeting of the Polymer Chemistry Division.

Professor Mays is internationally recognized as a leader in synthesis of polymers and copolymers having tailored architectures. He is presently involved in synthesis of tailored polymers for such diverse applications as new and improved rubbers, low cost fuel cell membranes, and improved polymer-based batteries.

Professor Mays received his B.S. degree in polymer science from the University of Southern Mississippi and his Ph.D. degree in polymer science at the University of Akron. He then worked in industry for five years with Hercules, Inc., prior to joining the chemistry faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Dr. Mays moved to Tennessee in 2002 to accept a joint appointment at the University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

“The late Herman Mark was one of the pioneers of polymer science, and it is a great honor to receive this prestigious award that bears his name.” While feeling hornored to be given this award, Professor Mays expressed his gratitude towards those whom he has collaborated and worked with, “In reality this award does not so much recognize my personal contributions to polymer science as it recognizes those of the numerous students, postdocs, and collaborators that I have had the pleasure of working with over the years. I also thank Professor Mark Dadmun for nominating me for this award”.

The award consists of a plaque and an honorarium of $1000, which may be used to support travel expenses to the ACS Meeting including the Herman F. Mark Symposium, where each Mark Scholar is expected to present a lecture.

Michael Peretich Gives Seminar Talk at JMU

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Mike Peretich JMU SeminarChemistry Graduate Student Michael Peretich from Dr. Barnes‘ group was invited to give a seminar talk at James Madison University (JMU), his Alma Mater, on Friday, Jan. 28, 2011.

Michael’s talk “Targeted Synthesis, Characterization, and Catalytic Activity of Nanostructured, Single-Site, Heterogeneous Catalysts Containing Isolated W(VI) or Zr(IV) Centers” discussed one challenge facing the catalysis community — the design and controlled synthesis of specific catalytically active sites. Peretich’s work focuses on the targeted synthesis and characterization of two types of materials: (1) nanostructured silicate supports and (2) nanostructured, single site, heterogeneous catalysts that contain isolated W(VI) or Zr(IV) centers.

Hosted as part of JMU’s regular semimar series, Michael’s talk was attended by approximately 60 people including JMU Chemistry faculty, the dean of the College of Science and Mathematics, and JMU Chemistry majors.

Michael was excited to be invited back to his Alma Mater, “I set a goal when I was an undergraduate at JMU that I would give a seminar at JMU towards the end of my graduate studies” said Michael. He also considered this a good opportunity to prepare for future job interviews. “Most jobs require each candidate to give a seminar during the interview process, so I used this opportunity to refine my presentation.  It also helped me organize parts of my dissertation, which I’m in the process of writing”.

Michael PeretichBorn and raised in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Michael graduated from Stafford Senior High School in 2002 and completed his B.S. in Chemistry (ACS certified) and Mathematics from JMU in 2006. His honor thesis was selected as one of the top honors theses at JMU and received the Phi Beta Kappa Award for Outstanding Honors Project.  Prior to joining Dr. Barnes’ group in 2006, Michael completed a summer research internship at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the University of Tennessee in 2004, and worked with Dr. R. Gregory Downing at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) the following summer. At UT, Michael conducted research under the direction of Prof. Craig Barnes, studying the synthesis, characterization, and catalytic activity of nanostructured, single site, heterogeneous catalysts and nanostructured supports.

This semester, Michael successfully defended his dissertation “Targeted Synthesis and Characterization of Nanostructured Silicate Building Block Supports and Heterogeneous Catalysts with Tungsten(VI) or Zirconium(IV) Centers”.

After graduation, Michael will be working as a chemist in the Fuels and Lubricants Chemistry Lab, a civilian position with the United States Navy, specifically the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), in Patuxent River, MD.

Dr. Schweitzer named Quest Scholar of the Week

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George SchweitzerGeorge Schweitzer, Alumni Distinguished Service Professor in Chemistry, has been an active member of the faculty in chemistry for over 60 years. He was the first Macebearer for the University in 1961.

Schweitzer has an active, funded research group in the area of lanthanide research, and most recently he has collaborated with researchers in the Department of Nuclear Engineering to develop new neutron detectors. He and a former student of his, Dr. Lester Pesterfield, published a book entitled The Aqueous Chemistry of the Elements with Oxford University Press in 2010. The first printing of this book has already sold out.

Visit the Quest Gallery at Trace, UT’s digital archive, to access publications of other Quest Scholars of the Week.

Dr. Xue named AAAS Fellow

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Ziling (Ben) XueZiling Xue, professor of chemistry, has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for distinguished contributions to the field of inorganic-organometallic chemistry, particularly for synthesis of metal complexes and mechanistic studies of the formation of metal carbenes.

Irene Abia won YCC Leadership Development Award

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Irene AbiaChemistry Graduate Students Irene Abia from Dr. Baker‘s group received Leadership Development Award from Younger Chemists Committee (YCC) of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

The award will support Abia to attend the YCC Leadership Development Workshop. This YCC program recognizes emerging leaders in the profession and helps them prepare for the leadership opportunities at volunteer organizations, such as ACS, and in their professional careers.

Abia will attend the workshop from Friday, January 21, 2011, to Sunday, January 23, 2011. The workshop is held in conjunction with the ACS Leadership Institute, in Fort Worth, Texas. During the workshop, participants will engage in discussions about the characteristics and behaviors of effective leaders, identify leadership skills, develop a personal leadership development plan, and learn about leadership opportunities in the American Chemical Society.

Irene Esah Abia (Angeh) was born in Buea, Cameroon. After graduating from Bilingual Grammar School Buea in 1997, she attended the University of Buea where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. In 2003, she enrolled into the Medical University of Southern Africa, South Africa where she obtained an Honors Bachelor degree in Chemistry. From 2003 to 2006, she went on to study at the University of Pretoria, South Africa where she conducted research with Professor Kobus Eloff earning a Master’s degree in Medicinal Chemistry. In the fall of 2006, she moved to the United States and joined the research group of Professor David C. Baker at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, where she is conducting research in the synthesis of carbohydrates. Prior to this award, Abia also received CIBA Young Scientist Award.

Dr. Jimmy Mays awarded Navigator Awards

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Jimmy MaysEric Dobson, CEO of TrakLok Corp., was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Technology 2020’s Innovation Valley Technology Council.

Dobson is the former CEO of Navigational Sciences Inc. He co-founded TrakLok in 2008 to develop and commercialize both GeoLock hardware and Traklog software to manage container security and provide the industry’s first complete intermodal tracking security system. Earlier this year, Dobson acquired local company TeleSensors to provide electronic design and development, and wireless sensor platform.

Also honored with the council’s Navigator Awards were:

n MS Technology of Oak Ridge, Technology Company of the Year. Founded in 1994 as a Tech 2020 incubator client, MS Technology began building its business with microwave melting technology developed at the Y-12 National Security Complex. A graduate of Y-12’s mentor protege program in 2008, MS Technology employs 160 individuals.

n Jimmy Mays, a University of Tennessee chemistry professor, and Lee Bzorgi, director of the National Security Technology Center at Y-12, Pathfinder Research Entrepreneur of the Year.

“Dr. Mays and Dr. Bzorgi have a distinguished history of innovation and entrepreneurship,” said John Hopkins, the Tech Council’s chairman. “And while their accomplishments and awards in transforming ideas into useful products are tremendous, the work they do to educate and mentor area teachers and students is also critically important in building a sustainable entrepreneurial eco-system.”

n Materials and Chemistry Laboratory Inc., Community Spirit Award. Barry Stephenson serves as president and CEO of the company that supports technology-based educational programs at Oak Ridge schools and Roane State Community College.

n Sam Hart, Knoxville Chamber’s technology and manufacturing consultant, Member of the Year. “Sam is one of those unique individuals that goes above and beyond the call of duty to help out with any request, problem or task,” Hopkins said.