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Chemistry PEER Scholar Presented at NOBCChE

October 7, 2015 by Kayla Lang

Leondra Lawson, a second year graduate student in the Dadmun’s Group, and a Scholar of Program for Excellence & Equity in Research, attended 2015 Conference of National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers held in Orlando Florida from Sept. 21 to 25.

Lawson gave an oral presentation on her recent research, titled “Enhancing the Cyanoacrylate Fuming Method for Optimal Retrieval of Latent Prints.” The project assesses the impact of temperature and humidity on the cyanoacrylate fuming method, a technique used by forensic scientists to visualize fingerprints. “The purpose of my research is to identify the mechanism of the chemical reactions that occur at a molecular level. This method is governed by the anionic polymerization of ethyl cyanoacrylate (ECA).” Lawson said, “We have begun the research to focus on the coupling effects of humidity and temperature, and subsequently, we will observe the effects of various surfaces on the polymerization of ethyl cyanoacrylate.”

Although only a second year Ph.D. student, Lawson is an experienced presenter and has presented at the Organization’s previous conference as well as the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students. Lawson also enjoyed the different sessions offered during this conference. “I had a great time at NOBCChE!” Lawson said, “One of the special sessions, ‘STEM’s Impact on 21st Century Forensic Science,’ was of particular interest to me because of my decade long desire to work in forensics.  The session presented a variety of careers that are available to chemists with a desire to work in the forensics field. ”

Also attended conference was Dr. Sekeenia Haynes, administrator for Program for Excellence & Equity in Research. Haynes was impressed with Lawson’s presentation. “She (Leondra) began speaking at a rapid pace but slowed down at a comfortable rate once prompt by someone in the audience. She then took a breath and with clarity presented a quality presentation. Leondra was professional, poised and addressed the questions from the audience with confidence.” Haynes commented.

Program for Excellence & Equity in Research housed in the Department of Biochemistry & Cellular & Molecular Biology is an initiative to increase the number of exceptional underrepresented students graduating with doctoral degrees in STEM disciplines at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The Program seeks to advance a doctoral student’s competitiveness and interest in their chosen career field by offering professional development, ambitious research and dynamic mentoring opportunities.

The Program encourages its scholars to present at national conferences by providing funding support and preparation workshops. Multiple chemistry graduates student including Lawson and Tanei Ricks, both the Program scholars, have benefited from it. “Presenting at national conferences allows an opportunity for PEER scholars to present themselves and their research to the academic community.” Haynes said, “The feedback from Scientists with similar interests could prove to be most valuable… National conferences is also a great place for Scholars to meet new colleagues and expand their mentoring network.  Establishing and nurturing relationships with a diverse set of mentors can lead to opportunities (I.e., post-doctoral position) and resources that facilitate in advancing the Scholars career.”

With funding on the Dadmun Group’s latent prints project renewed, Lawson is expected to continue her work. Earlier this year, Lawson published her first-authored paper, titled “Binding, fractionation, and distribution of Cs, Co, and Sr in a US coastal soil under saturated and field capacity moisture regimes,” on Journal of Soils and Sediments.

Leondra Lawson Featured in Memphis Daily News

August 11, 2015 by Kayla Lang

Leondra Lawson, second year Ph.D. student in the Dadmun’s group was featured in Memphis Daily News article titled “Convincing Girls, Women to Pursue Science and Math Careers.“

Long Group Research Featured by Science Alliance

July 23, 2015 by Kayla Lang

Separating greenhouse gases such as CO2 from other non-harmful gases is one of the many projects the Long’s Group is trying to tackle. Learn more about this ongoing JDRD research featured on Science Alliance web site.

Professor Musfeldt Led Telluride Workshop

July 22, 2015 by Kayla Lang

Dr. Janice Musfeldt, Professor of Chemistry, led Telluride workshop from June 14th to 18th in Telluride, Colorado.The workshop, titled “Enhanced Functionalities in 4 and 5d Containing Material from Large Spin-Orbit Coupling”, focused on understanding how spin-orbit coupling enhances functionality in compounds containing 5d ions.

A total of 30 scientists from all over the world attended the workshop. Musfeldt commented, “in addition to allowing our NSF-DMREF team to get together in beautiful Colorado, this series of workshops has really raised the level of interest in spin-orbit coupling and encouraged strategies to incorporate these interactions in the design of novel materials.”

Chemistry Graduate Students Attended Magnet Lab Summer School

June 18, 2015 by Kayla Lang

Two chemistry graduate students in Professor Musfeldt’s Group, Laura Casto and Amanda Clune, attended National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) User Summer School in May. The weeklong summer school features tutorials on measurement techniques, practical exercises and plenary talks from experts in the field of condensed matter physics. This experience is designed to provide a “technique toolkit” to early career scientists.*

Musfeldt’s Group frequently obtains measurements at the NHMFL, so understanding the equipment they are working with is an important step in their research. “Through lectures and several lab practical exercises, we were able to gain knowledge from the experts and have a hands-on experience with many lab techniques that will be useful at both the NHMFL user facilities, as well as many other user facilities around the world.” Casto said, “These techniques included noise + noise suppression at the magnet lab, cryogenic measurements, lock-in techniques, finding and correcting ground loops, PPMS techniques, Sample preparation techniques (crystal growth, polishing, XRD measurements), optical spectroscopy techniques, and measurements using resistive magnets. We also learned about Electron Magnetic Resonance, Ion Cyclotron Resonance and Condensed Matter NMR.”

“Additionally, we were able to network and make various connections with people currently working at the Magnet Lab as well as students from all over the world,” Clune said. “Since we are users of the NHMFL, this summer school also helped me understand what other sciences are going on at the facility.”

Casto and Clune are both excited about the new opportunities these newly acquired techniques may bring them. “It was very useful in providing me with an understanding of the variety of science that is going on at the Magnet Lab.” Casto said, “It definitely will benefit my future research now that I have several techniques in mind, as well as a better understanding of the different kinds of physics and chemistry that can arise in a single crystal.” Clune added, “… this will allow me to have connects to people working within the same area as me to collaborate as well as to have a greater understanding of the User Facility when we are completing experiments in Tallahassee. ”

*Introduction from MagLab website. 

Professor John Larese Named AAAS Fellow

June 18, 2015 by Kayla Lang

Professor J. Z. Larese has been named by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to its 2014 class of fellows. The AAAS has named Larese a fellow for, “Outstanding neutron-scattering and thermodynamic studies of the structure and dynamics of molecular adsorption on surfaces and development of related instrumentation.” Larese (right) travelled to San Jose, CA in February to accept this prestigious award from AAAS President, Gerald Fink (left).

Larese led the project to design and build the vibrational spectrometer, VISION the world’s first high-resolution inelastic neutron scattering instrument with simultaneous diffraction capabilities at the Spallation Neutron Source at ORNL. He has spent much of his career devoted to the understanding of adsorption processes in two-dimensions used widely in energy conversion studies, catalysis, optoelectronics, and more. During his time at Brookhaven National Laboratory as a tenured Senior Scientist he headed a neutron/x-ray scattering-materials chemistry group. There he developed an automated, high-resolution adsorption isotherm apparatus frequently used for studying the thermodynamics of adsorbed systems. Larese has been instrumental in the development of cryostat inserts for low temperature and pressure neutron experiments which are now used internationally at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (Harwell, U.K.) and Institut Laue-Langevin (Grenoble, France). He also is the co-owner of a patent (US Patent 6179897) with Walter Kunmann to synthesize high-purity, monodisperse metal oxide nanostructures.

Larese, now a professor in the UTK Department of Chemistry runs a materials chemistry research group with an emphasis on neutron and x-ray scattering. He is a research affiliate of both the Joint Institute of Neutron Science (JINS) and Joint Institute of Advanced Materials (JIAM). Larese’s group will be expanded into the new JIAM building on UTK’s Cherokee Farm campus in the coming years.

AAAS is the world’s largest and most prestigious general scientific society, with 126,995 individual and institutional members at the end of 2008. It is also the publisher of the well-known scientific journal Science, which was founded in 1880 on seed money from the American inventor Thomas Edison. It now has grown into the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general-science journal with a weekly circulation of 138,549.

Larese’s Group Presented at MRS

June 18, 2015 by Kayla Lang

Three members of Professor John Larese’s Group, Christopher Crain, Daniele Paradiso and Nick Strange presented their work at the Spring Meeting of the Materials Research Society (MRS) in San Francisco on April 8. They highlighted the combination of neutron scattering, thermodynamic and computational modeling expertise of the group. Starting with just four symposia in 1983, the MRS Spring Meeting and Exhibit has grown to over 50 symposia and over 5,000 attendees. Held annually in San Francisco’s Moscone West convention hall, MRS Spring Meetings are essential events for discovering and presenting the very latest developments in materials research.

Crain’s, Paradiso’s and Strange’s presentations were part of the Symposium: Foundations of Bio/Nano Interfaces─Synthesis, Modeling, Design Principles and Applications which included a several sessions of talks and posters by world experts in bioinspired materials. Crain who enters UT graduate program officially this fall noted, “I was especially excited by my opportunity to listen to and meet Tufts University Professor David Kaplan and Chris Holland originally from Oxford University, two natural silk experts.” Naturally Chris’ contribution Inelastic Neutron Scattering Studies of Natural Silkworm Proteins was a perfect match for the symposium. The numerous attendees that questioned him about his neutron results used to record vibrational spectra and follow protein hydration in-situ validated this. The spectra were recorded using the SNS’s VISION spectrometer, the neutron analogue of a Raman spectrometer that was conceived and designed by Larese and an international team he led.

Paradiso’s paper Characterization of Dipeptide-based Sorbent Materials Using Combined Thermodynamic and Inelastic Neutron Scattering Techniques followed the bio-inspired symposium theme and gave Paradiso, a native of Milan, his first taste of a large scale international meeting in the city by the Bay shortly before finishing his first full year in the US and the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Paradiso had several people express interest in his results and neutron scattering findings related to the rotational dynamics within the channels of the dipeptide materials.

Strange’s presentation Adsorption Properties of Linear and Cyclic Alkanes for Selective Separations: Neutron Scattering, Thermodynamics, and Modeling Studies in the Symposium: Metal Oxides-From Advanced Fabrication and Interfaces to Energy and Sensing Applications described his ongoing efforts to understand the interaction of longer chain alkanes with solid surfaces using thermodynamics, scattering and modeling methods. Strange noted his new found appreciation for the large number of international visitors from Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and Australia interested in the groups neutron scattering in the type of research he was involve in. Larese noted, “The guys got a first hand taste of how their research results fit on the world stage and I think they came away with a confidence level that was energizing. I am happy they are getting their Ready for the World experience!”

R.J. Hinde Appointed Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

June 11, 2015 by Kayla Lang

Graduate Students Presented at Lester Andrew’s Symposium

June 5, 2015 by Kayla Lang

Two graduate students in Professor Hinde‘s group, Ashleigh Barnes and Matthew Dutra, traveled to Mississippi State Univeresity and presented at the 5^th Annual Andrews Graduate Research Symposium on May 19th. Both Barnes and Dutra also received Andrews Graduate Travel Award which supported their trip there.

Barnes’ talk was focused on developing a model for hexagonal close packed (hcp) solid helium, a quantum solid, which includes a description of three-body interactions. She admitted that being the first presenter on the first day was “nerve wracking but fun.” Barnes said, “I received a lot of great questions and interest in my project, which is always encouraging.”

Dutra’s talk, titled“A density functional approach to understanding superfluid He-4 systems”, described using both a “mixing” and an imaginary time propagation method within density functional theory to evaluate the properties of free surfaces of He-4 as well as He-4 against attractive surfaces. “I thought the presentations went really well, and I got a few questions afterward too, which is always rewarding.” Dutra commented, “A lot of the other presentations were geared towards natural synthesis and biochemistry applications, but they were all good talks as well.”