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Strong Hall Impacts Chemistry Education

September 8, 2017 by chemweb

The newly completed Strong Hall is a 268,000-square-foot academic science structure that houses Anthropology and Earth & Planetary Sciences departments, General Biology and Chemistry teaching labs, as well as state-of-the-art teaching spaces and lecture halls.

Construction at Strong Hall started in Spring 2014 and finished in Summer 2017. A dedication ceremony was held on Friday, September 8th.  The building maintained historic details from the 1926 Sophronia Strong Residence Hall and included a total restoration of the 19th-Century Queen Ann Style Cowan Cottage at the corner of the site.

Faculty and staff at the Department of Chemistry are quite excited about the impacts of this new building and the 14,000-square-foot new lab space could bring to chemistry education.

“I think that the new building enhances the student and faculty experience at UT.  The building looks great and has tons of natural light.” David Jenkins, Associate Professor of Chemistry, said. “All of the labs have much more space per student and are designed with technology in mind. In particular, the organic labs are excellent with a top-notch facility for instruction. Having an NMR in every lab is fantastic.”

Bhavya Sharma, Assistant Professor of Chemistry agrees. “I think the new labs are amazing. They’ve got so many new features. The set-up lets an instructor put instructions up on a screen instead of having to write them out on a board. They have new instruments, and the new design of the lab spaces let the Teaching Assistants be able to see all of the students at one time. It’s really exciting.”

Sharma is particularly interested in seeing how this could impact recruitment. “I taught the Governor’s Schools for Science and Engineering in Chemistry at Strong Hall this summer. They were high school students who had never had a college level chemistry class. They were impressed with the facilities at UT, so hopefully that will encourage them to come here in the future.”

UTRF Inventor Spotlight: Dr. Namgoo Kang

September 6, 2017 by chemweb

Dr. Nam-Goo Kang served as a Research Assistant Professor and Facilities Director of the Polymer Characterization Lab in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Tennessee (UT). Dr. Kang joined UT after completing a post-doctoral appointment at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, bringing with him a rich background in polymer science research and experience in academia and industry. Specifically, his research focused on the synthesis of functional polymers via living anionic polymerization, and his knowledge in this area was an asset for his work on superelastomers at UT.

Read more on UTRF website.

Faculty and Students give talks at 2017 ACS meeting in DC

August 20, 2017 by chemweb

Chemistry BOV Member Buchanan named Deputy for Science and Technology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

July 25, 2017 by chemweb

Press Release from ORNL

Media Contact

David Keim, Communications
keimdm@ornl.gov, 865.576.9122

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 20, 2017—Michelle Buchanan, an accomplished scientific leader and researcher, has been appointed Deputy for Science and Technology at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory by new Lab Director Thomas Zacharia. Her appointment is effective Oct. 1, 2017.

“Dr. Buchanan’s research accomplishments, programmatic expertise, and reputation for achievement support ORNL’s role as a premier research institution that provides scientific expertise and breakthroughs that are critical to national priorities in energy, industry, and national security,” said Zacharia, who served in the deputy’s position until becoming lab director on July 1.

Buchanan has been Associate Laboratory Director for Physical Sciences since 2004, with responsibilities including the lab’s Chemical Sciences, Physics, and Materials Science and Technology divisions, as well as its Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, a DOE Office of Science user facility. The lab will conduct an international search for her replacement.

As Deputy for S&T, Buchanan’s responsibilities will cover the range of ORNL research—computing and computational sciences, neutron science, nuclear science and engineering, the physical sciences, energy and environmental science, and national security—as well as the lab’s leadership role in U.S. ITER, the Exascale Computing Project, and ORNL research centers and institutes.

“The scientific challenges and impact of Oak Ridge’s research has compelled me for many years,” said Buchanan, who came to the lab as a chemist in 1978. “It is a great privilege to be entrusted with shaping our future as a laboratory. My focus will be on strengthening collaborations across our diverse disciplines and promoting scientific achievement among ORNL staff, as well as the world-leading scientists who use ORNL facilities and benefit from our expertise.”

Buchanan is a fellow of the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has written or contributed to more than 100 scientific publications and reports, holds two patents, edited a book on Fourier transform mass spectrometry, and worked extensively at the national level helping shape research directions for DOE as well as the National Science Foundation. She has held multiple positions in the American Chemical Society and the American Society for Mass Spectrometry. She is currently a member of the Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology, National Academy of Sciences, and serves on advisory boards for the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Chemistry, the University of Tennessee Department of Chemistry, the National Science Foundation Advisory Committee for Environmental Research and Education, and the Georgia Institute of Technology Southeastern Nanotechnology Infrastructure Corridor (SENIC). Her stature in the research community has made her an effective advocate for increased opportunities for women, girls, and other underrepresented groups in STEM-based careers.

Buchanan earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Kansas and her doctorate in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focused on the development of mass spectrometry for trace detection of materials related to energy, health, and the environment for multiple DOE offices and other federal agencies.

Professor Xue Named 2017 ACS Fellow

June 24, 2017 by chemweb

Ziling (Ben) Xue, Professor of Chemistry, has been named one of the 65 American Chemical Society Fellows in 2017, announced in the June 19 issue of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) and was honored at the fall ACS National Meeting in Washington, DC. ACS Fellows Program recognizes members for their “outstanding achievements in and contributions to science, the profession, and the Society.”

Xue was honored for his “significant contributions to synthetic and physical inorganic chemistry. He discovered the pathway to the archetypical carbene that led a Nobel Prize and is cited in textbooks in the field, ” stated on the ACS website.

Also mentioned was Xue’s contribution to the ACS community. “As the Division of Inorganic Chemistry Membership Chair for eight years, Xue led successful recruitment activities, resulting in 300%, 20%, and 31% increases in undergraduate, student, and total new memberships, respectively, in 2015.”

Xue came to UT in 1992 after receiving his bachelor’s degree from Nanjing University-Nanjing University College of Pharmacy, completing his doctorate from the University of California, Los Angeles, and doing postdoctoral research at Indiana University. He was previously named an National Science Foundation (NSF) Young Investigator. Xue is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has served as UT’s College of Arts and Sciences representative on university-wide committees. Xue has also been an associate editor of Science China Chemistry, a flagship publication of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Picture credit: American Chemical Society

Professor Kovac Selected Panelist of 67 Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

June 8, 2017 by chemweb

Jeff Kovac, professor of chemistry at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville was invited to be a panelist, leading a discussion of “Ethics in Science,” at the closing panel of 67^th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. The meeting will be held from June 25^th to 30^th, the panel discussion will take place on June 30^th on Mainau Island, Germany.

“In preparation of this panel discussion, our scientific chairpersons Professor Astrid Gräslund and Professor Wolfgang Lubitz suggested Professor Kovac as a panelist, based on his large experience in the field and his publications and presentations.” said Wolfgang Huang, Director Executive Secretariat of Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings.

Kovac joined the chemistry department at UT. He has a bachelor’s degree from Reed College, a doctorate from Yale University, and two years of postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In recent years, Kovac has frequently spoke about ethics in chemistry. He gave a talk titled “Ethics of chemical weapon research” during 2016 American Chemical Society’s meeting in Denver, CO in March. His talk was highlighted on C&EN website as part of “Denver National Meeting Mania.” Then in fall 2016, Kovac was invited by the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) to speak in SCNAT Ethics Lecture Tour, where he visited six universities and academic institutions in Switzerland at the end of October and beginning of November.

The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting started in 1951. Each year, “the most promising young students come to the small island of Lindau to meet with Nobel Laureates for a week full of inspiration,” said Huang. For this year’s meeting, 420 young scientists from 78 countries have been selected to participate after passing a multi-stage international selection process.

Professor Schweitzer to Receive Central Methodist University Alumni Award

May 2, 2017 by chemweb

The significant achievements and exemplary careers of six graduates from Central Methodist University will be celebrated at Central Methodist University’s 71st annual Alumni Awards banquet on Saturday, May 6. Among them is George K. Schweitzer, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Schweitzer came to UT in 1948 to initiate the inorganic division of the newly-established Ph.D. program in chemistry and to participate in the early UT-Oak Ridge graduate instructional and research program. He has mentored over 130 graduate students, has been elected UT Phi Kappa Phi lecturer, served as UT’s first Mace Bearer, gave the 1996 UT commencement address, has been named a Distinguished Service Professor by the UT Alumni Association and received the Joe Johnson Lifetime Service Award in 2014 in recognition of his 65 years of dedicated service to UT.

Dr. George K. Schweitzer, Class of 1945

Knoxville, Tenn./Hometown: Poplar Bluff, Mo.

The lifetime achievements of CMU Distinguished Alumni Award recipient Dr. George K. Schweitzer of Knoxville, Tenn. abound, and continue to this day. A native of Poplar Bluff, Mo., he earned the first of his six degrees, a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry, from then-Central College in 1945.  His degrees include: MS in Geochemistry, MA in Theology, PhD in Chemistry, PhD in History and Philosophy of Religion, ScD for work in the History of Science.

He began teaching chemistry at the University of Tennessee in 1948 and remains active in the department. Schweitzer also served a faculty fellowship at Columbia University (New York, N.Y.). The author of over

200 scholarly articles and publications, mainly scientific, but including some on the topic of genealogy, he has lectured to over 200 scientific, historical, and genealogical societies and universities in Europe and North America.

While his professional preparation has been in science, Schweitzer also taught university-level course on the Civil War, the History of Religion, the History of Technology, and more. A man of many interests, he has done research in radiochemistry, nanoparticles, PET body scanner detectors, and solvent extraction, and his memberships range from the American Chemical Society to the American Philosophic Association.

Department of Chemistry Held 2017 Honors Day

April 28, 2017 by chemweb

Department of Chemistry held 2017 Honors Day on Thursday, April 27 to recognize the achievements among students, faculty and staff members of the department. Below, you will find a complete list of awardees this year. Click to view this year’s pictures.

UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS

CRC Press General Chemistry Award – Seth S. Street

C. W. Keenan Outstanding General Chemistry Student Award –  Andrew C. Dixson

Halbert and Anne Carmichael Scholarship – Anna C. Fraser

Dr. Lucy E. Scroggie Scholarship – Taylor D. Payne

C. A. Buehler Chemistry Scholarship –  Carolyn E. Barnes

East Tennessee Section, ACS, Award – Peymon C. Baghernejad

ACS-Hach Land Grant Scholarships – Tyler H. Mann and Grace C. Wilson

Melaven-Rhenium Scholarship – Wesley N. Cox and Frederick A. Crawford

Honors Chemistry Recognition – Jacob C. Carpenter, Molly E. Landon, Trell F. Stroud, Jonathan C. Thomas

GRADUATE AWARDS

Outstanding Teaching Awards – Justin K. Kirkland and Brandon J. Kennedy

Keenan Teaching Awards – Amanda J. Clune

Second Year Candidacy Award – Ethan W. Kent and Terence J. Moore

Judson Hall Robertson Fellowship in Analytical Chemistry – Zachary L. Ogburn

Graduate Fellowship for Achievement in Inorganic Chemistry – William C. Anderson

Jerome Eastham Fellowship in Organic Chemistry – Adam J. Carr

Eugene John Barber Fellowship in Physical Chemistry – Brian S. Holinsworth

Burchfield Burridge Warner Fellowship in Polymer Chemistry – Bethany M. Aden

East Tennessee Section, ACS, Graduate Fellow – Kevin R. Gmernicki

Gleb Mamantov Graduate Chemistry Scholar – Lauren A. Brown

STUDENT RECOGNITIONS

Chancellor’s 2017 Top Collegiate Scholar Award – Allison S. Poget

Chancellor’s 2017 Extraordinary Academic Achievement – Allison S. Poget

2017 Faculty Senate Research Council Summer Graduate Research – Assistantship Committee – Peter Pham

J. Wallace & Katie Dean Graduate Fellowship (Access & Diversity) – Peymon C. Baghernejag

UTK PEER Graduate Fellowship Award – Brian S. Holinsworth

Winners of the Board of Visitor’s Poster Competition – William C. Anderson and Wei Lu

STAFF AWARDS

Outstanding Service Award – Kristina M. Robinette and Jessica VanBrunt

Carol Moulton ACGS Service Award – Dr. Rachel Rui

James F. Green ACGS Service Award – Jessica L. VanBrunt

FACULTY AWARDS

New Faculty – Dr. Konstantinos Vogiatzis

Alexander Van Hook Faculty Awards – Dr. Tessa R. Calhoun and Dr. Craig E. Barnes

Professor Jenkins Awarded at Chancellor’s Honors Banquet

April 26, 2017 by chemweb

Associate Professor of Chemistry David Jenkins received Research and Creative Achievement—Professional Promise Award at the 2017 Chancellor’s Honors Banquet on April 19.

David Jenkins

Associate Professor of Chemistry David Jenkins has been called one of the most promising synthetic inorganic chemists of his generation. Colleagues describe him as a dynamic teacher and a leader in undergraduate chemistry education who is, as one put it, “a shining example of the kind of teacher-scholar that is the foundation of excellence in top 25 academic institutions.” Jenkins’s work involves creating new synthetic “tools” that may help chemists more effectively produce pharmaceuticals such as chemotherapy medicines. Jenkins received a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER award for his research in 2013 and just completed a successful proposal for the National Institutes of Health. He has published more than 30 papers in some of the top journals in chemistry, 18 of them written in the past five years. In that same span of time, he also completed two books and filed for a patent. He received the Department of Chemistry’s 2014 Mamantov Professorship Award for an outstanding junior faculty member in chemistry and the Chemical Communications Young Investigator Award in 2014.