Professor Musfeldt Led Telluride Workshop

July 22, 2015 by chemweb

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 chemweb

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 chemweb

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 chemweb

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 chemweb

Graduate Students Presented at Lester Andrew’s Symposium

June 5, 2015 by chemweb

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.”

Department Hosted Retirement Party for Gurley, Hazari and Malmgren

May 29, 2015 by chemweb

The Department of Chemistry held a retirement party on Friday, May 29 to celebrate the retirement of Bill Gurley, Dr. Al Hazari and Tom Malmgren. Combined, they worked for the Department and the University for almost 70 years. Read on to enjoy some blurbs about their experiences here at UT, learn how they witnessed the changes and helped transformation of the Department over the past 10, 20 and 30 years.

Bill Gurley, Technical Director of the Electronic Shop, joined the Department in 1984

What’s your educational background?

This will sound a bit odd, because I made a major career change in my early 30s.  I have BS and MS degrees in sociology, the Master’s being from UTK in 1974.  I worked for seven years for a regional planning agency, before deciding that I had taken a “wrong turn”.  I went back to school to learn electronics, something I had been interested in since a young age.  I got an Associates degree in Electrical Engineering Technology in Spring 1984, at Pellissippi State.

When did you start to work for UT and the Chem Department? What led you here?

After getting the A.S. degree in electronics, I was looking for an opportunity as an entry-level electronics technician. It just so happened that UT Chemistry had an opening, and I got a call from John Taylor, who was my predecessor in the position I now hold. When he called me about the job, I politely and naively asked “Can you tell me why a chemistry department needs electronics technicians?”

What’s your day to day job like? Has it changed over the years?

My job is very diverse.  It involves electronics repairs and consulting; support for computers, departmental servers, networking; assisting faculty and staff with building issues, laboratory upgrades, etc.; purchasing of computers and other technology; and supervision of a great team of technicians.  In the first few years, it was almost totally electronics support.  After about 4-5 years (late 80s, early 90s), the computer stuff really grew exponentially.  A lot of the computer support has been in research labs, interfacing computers with instrumentation.

Do you still remember the first day at work? Can you describe the day for me?

I’m not sure if I can remember the first day. But I do remember that my supervisor showed me an NMR spectrometer the first week I was here. This was an early NMR spectrometer with a permanent magnet, unlike the superconducting magnets we have today.  In order to obtain reasonable spectra, it was very important to optimally “shim” the magnet. Today such things are handled by computers, but back then it was done by humans, carefully turning dials for different electromagnetic coils in order to shape the field.  It was as much art as science, and it could take hours to do it correctly. I think that my supervisor was either trying to test my patience, or just trying get me out of his way for half a day.  It was very tedious and boring. But that was pretty much the only time here that I have been bored!

What was the most interesting thing happened during your career here at UT?

I can’t think of a specific event to mention.  For me, there is more of a broad overall feeling of how interesting it has been to learn so much technology at this place, and to be a part of it.  It has been so interesting and rewarding to work with so many people from so many countries around the world, with so many ethnic backgrounds. There have been so many graduate students, post-doctoral associates, faculty and staff that have come to this department and spent a few years, then moved on.  Many of them I got to know really well, and felt that we learned from each other.  I feel blessed to have had that diversity in my workplace all these years.

What were some of the challenges you met during your career at UT?

Around 1985-86, a short time after I began here, I was asked to fix our 200MHz FT-NMR spectrometer. At that time, that was the only NMR instrument that we had which used a superconducting magnet. It was the best NMR instrument that we had. But something was wrong with the electronics, and so it has been down for weeks. There was no warranty, and no service contract, and there was no one on the staff who knew anything about how to approach the troubleshooting of this instrument. The faculty involved knew that it would take time for me to learn about the instrument, and they were prepared to wait, but the faculty wanted someone to “take ownership” of the support of that instrument and try to get it operational again. I recall that a sympathetic grad student brought me several old papers that described the physics and the electronics of pulsed, FT-NMR spectrometers. That helped immensely in my understanding of how the instrument worked. Then a very nice service engineer with the manufacturer of the instrument gave me a quick tutorial over the telephone on how to track down RF pulses using the minimal equipment that we had. In a few weeks it was running again, and I had become “the NMR guy”. This was years before our department had a Ph.D.-level NMR Director.

Another big challenge was in the early days of networking, around 1992. My associate Johnny Jones and I had been learning about networking and were anxious to see it move forward in the department. But we had trouble convincing faculty members that becoming part of this computer network would be a good thing for them.  Eventually, with support from Dr. Bill Bull, our Associate Head at the time, we came up with a way to get everyone connected at minimal cost. That was when we set up interdepartmental email and folks began to appreciate the benefits of this new way to communicate.

Have you noticed any changes during your years at the Department? What are they?

So many changes!

The physical size of research instruments has shrunk dramatically. A typical UV-VIS spectrophotometer, for example, is about 1/4 the size now that it was when I came in 1984. We had about four water-cooled electromagnets in the building back then for NMR and ESR spectroscopy. Those have all been superseded by superconducting magnets. There were still a few research instruments in the department that used vacuum tubes when I first came. We used an Air Force surplus vacuum tube tester to troubleshoot them.

Computers!  There were only about 2 or 3 PCs in the building when I arrived. Now they are everywhere on every desk and practically in every pocket. The changes in data storage technologies has really been amazing to watch. No more 35mm slide projectors in the lecture halls!

What’’s your plan after retirement?

Read, exercise, cook, play music and travel. I will probably also do a bit of computer consulting, and I intend to continue learning new things!

Al Hazari, Lecturer, Director of Undergraduate Laboratories, joined the Department in 1991

What’s your educational background?

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from The American University in Cairo; Master of Science in Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry from Youngstown State University in Ohio; Doctorate in Science Education from The University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

When did you start to work for UT and the Chem Department? What led you here?

Prior to coming here, I taught chemistry lectures and coordinated undergraduate chemistry labs at the University of Mississippi in Oxford for 15 years. I came to UT’s Chemistry Department in July 1991. The move to UT gave me a chance to share my knowledge and experience with more students at a larger university and chemistry department. The East Tennessee area was very attractive for the opportunities for my wife and three children.

What’s your day to day job like? Has it changed over the years?

Over the past 24 years, my job has varied and I have had the opportunity to do many things that I love. When I arrived as Director of Undergraduate Chemistry Labs (a newly created position for the department), I worked with all the undergraduate chemistry labs in the department. As more students chose to study chemistry, the focus narrowed to labs for the first-year chemistry courses. Today, these usually involve about 2,000 students, 65 graduate students and several stockroom personnel.

I also had the opportunity to lecture and to engage in community service. From 1995 to 2005, I taught senior and graduate courses in science education. In 1999, I started teaching two chemistry courses for non-science majors: Chemistry and Society (in the fall) and Chemistry in the Home (in the spring). These were discontinued in 2009. My final three-year stint teaching nursing-track chemistry courses closed out my classroom contact. In collaboration with others and with the support of many outstanding graduate students, I have been fortunate to interact with East Tennessee area’s K-12 students and teachers the majority of the last 24 years. I have enjoyed working with a large number of students, faculty and staff at all levels of the educational pipeline.

Do you still remember the first day at work? Can you describe the day for me?

I remember that on my first day here, I stopped by the General Chemistry labs and met a wonderful group of dedicated staff. From my prior experience, I looked around with a focus on making sure that the lab safety equipment was highly visible. With the assistance of the stockroom supervisor, I got a can of red paint and some brushes and went to work painting the big exhaust pipes above the fume hoods on the benches where the eye washes are located. I am proud to say that, during my 24-year UT tenure, no serious accidents happened in our teaching labs.

What was the most interesting thing happened during your career here at UT?

There were many interesting things, and I will only mention a few. First, in addition to teaching lecture courses and directing undergraduate chemistry labs, I was fortunate to interact with faculty from the UT Science Education Department in the College of Education. The excellent faculty led me to the pursuit of my terminal degree, which makes me a true Tennessee Vol! Those connections have allowed me to become a resource for many K-16 chemistry and science teachers and instructors.

Second, attending annual chemical education conferences provided a chance for me to share UT chemistry information and stories with faculty and students for all over the world. It was at one of these meetings that I met a German chemistry professor with whom I later co-authored the book, “Misconceptions in Chemistry,” published by Springer.

Third, getting to know and work with the members of the East Tennessee Section of ACS, energized me to be active not only locally but also on the national level. I am currently the Councilor for the East Tennessee Section, and nationally, I have chaired the ACS Committee on Chemical Safety. I was very humbled and honored to have received the ACS Helen M. Free Award for Public Outreach in 2000 and to be named a Fellow of the American Chemical Society in 2011.

Lastly, working with the outreach programs of both the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Engineering allowed me to make a contribution to UT’s efforts for engagement with our local and extended communities.

What were some of the challenges you met during your career at UT?

The one thing I regret through my career was the trend to reduced state support. That trend led to a number of times when chemistry lab program improvements had very slow progress. Through creative work by the leadership in the department, the college and the university, and a lot of patience and persistence, new and innovative equipment is now in place and the students have the opportunity to use updated lab experiments and procedures.

Have you noticed any changes during your years at the Department? What are they?

There have been so many changes in the department that I don’t know where to start: Retiring and new faculty and staff, remodeling of individual labs as well as the entire building, and different directions in the department. All these have added to making my UT experience more productive, interesting, exciting and enjoyable.

What’’s your plan after retirement?

There is more to come! I will continue with activities to assist with the preparation for the move of the teaching labs to Strong Hall. Also, I will be maintaining my chemistry and science outreach and staying involved with the American Chemical Society. I am also excited to have more time to spend with family and visit my adult children – who are now living in Tennessee, New York and California!

Tom Malmgren, Manager of Polymer Characterization Lab, joined the Department in 2003

What’s your educational background?

Lake Forest College, 1967, B.A. with major in chemistry; Purdue University, 1969, M.S. in chemistry; Purdue University, 1969, semester of education courses to obtain teaching license

When did you start to work for UT and the Chem Department? What led you here?

I taught high school chemistry and physics for 33 years, chemistry at a junior college for 1 year, and started working in the chemistry department at UT in August of 2003. After retiring from teaching, I wanted to work in a chemistry lab for a few years before I retired completely. I found the position at UT through an Internet search.

What’s your day to day job like? Has it changed over the years?

My position at UT is being the manager of the Polymer Characterization Lab.  When I first started at UT, I was a lab tech under a person with a PhD who was the director. Over the years as my knowledge and skills increased, I became the full-time manager after the previous director left UT.  My level of responsibility has greatly changed over the 12 years at UT.

Do you still remember the first day at work? Can you describe the day for me?

I can remember the first day walking into the lab with all of the instruments and not knowing a single thing about any of them. It was very intimidating.

What was the most interesting thing happened during your career here at UT?

There have been so many interesting facets of my position that I cannot think of just one.  The challenge of learning and understanding the operation of instruments, working daily with international people rather than just Americans, and performing so many interesting and challenging experiments are a few.

What were some of the challenges you met during your career at UT?

The two biggest challenges were the huge learning curve and dealing with so many different languages and the accents involved.

Have you noticed any changes during your years at the Department? What are they?

The biggest change for me is that the motivation level of the students that I deal with now does not seem to be as high as it was when I first started. I have also seen lots of changes in staff and faculty over the 12 years.

What’s your plan after retirement?

I am sure this is a result of age but I don’t have the energy, mentally and physically, to do things outside of work like I used to do. After retiring, I will hopefully have the energy (and time) to do some of those things such as photography, volunteer work through church, taking a class, woodworking, and taking day trips with my wife just to mention a few.

Ashleigh Barnes Awarded at Sigma Xi Research Competition

May 27, 2015 by chemweb

Ashleigh Barnes, a third year Ph.D. candidate in Hinde’s Group, received Second Place, Blue Award during Sigma Xi Graduate Research Presentation Competition held on April 13, 2015. A total of 19 graduate students from 10 departments participated.

Barnes gave a 15 minutes presentation entitle “Toward Understanding Three-Body Interactions in HCP 4He.” “…it was a great experience because there were people from all different departments presenting and judging, so it was an opportunity to present my research to a very diverse audience, rather than the audience of chemists I have been used to,”said Barnes. “I enjoyed getting to hear about the research projects taking place in other departments throughout the school as well.”

The goal of the competition is to “give science/engineering graduate students the opportunity to share their research while promoting Sigma Xi,” said Professor Angel Palomino, President of UT Sigma Xi. “I only observed a few of the presentations (we had 3 simultaneous sessions). Overall, they were impressive, especially Ashleigh’s.”

Sigma Xi is an international honor society of science and engineering established in 1886 “to honor excellence in scientific investigation and encourage a sense of companionship and cooperation among researchers in all fields of science and engineering.”* The society’s mission is to “enhance the health of the research enterprise, foster integrity in science and engineering, and promote the public’s understanding of science for the purpose of improving the human condition.”* The UT Sigma Xi Chapter was reactivated in 2014 and has held two annual research competitions so far.

*Quoted from Sigma Xi web site.

Roberto Federico-Perez Received Eastman Travel Award

May 12, 2015 by chemweb

Roberto Federico-Perez, a second year Ph.D. student in Prof. Xue’s group, received 2014 Eastman Chemical Company Travel Award. 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.

“Roberto stood out to the award committee because of the high level of contribution he has been able to make in such a short period of time.” Dr. Peter Chapman, Eastman Principal Chemist commented, “The committee tries to identify students with high potential and we felt that Roberto fit that mold.”

“I feel happy and humbled that Eastman considered me as one of the recipients for this grant,” Federico-Perez said. “It will be a great contribution for my professional development. By granting this award, Eastman will support me to attend a scientific conference or meeting, and I will have the opportunity to showcase my work and obtain feedback for it.”

Originally from Caborca, Mexico, Federico-Perez attended the University of Sonora in Hermosillo, Mexico. During his undergraduate studies, he had the opportunity to study abroad at the University of Wisconsin River Falls. After defending his capstone project, which focused on the risk assessment for chemical substances used in medical facilities, he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Food Science in December 2011. Federico-Perez’s interest in green chemistry and sustainability motivated him to pursue a Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Development at the same institution, by working on the characterization of mercury emissions from a clinical laboratory used as a case study in Hermosillo, Mexico. Federico-Perez entered the UT chemistry Ph.D. program in August, 2013 and joined Prof. Xue’s group in December. His current project focuses on the analysis of polar species in aviation fuels by means of optical sensors.

“I plan to graduate in 2018,” Federico-Perez said. “I intend to work in industry on research and development after my graduation. I’m particularly interested in green chemistry and cleaner production, and I believe these areas have currently built a lot of momentum in industry and are great career opportunities for the near future.”

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)
• 2014 – Hobbie Turley       Full Fellowship  (Dr. Jon Camden)
• 2015 – Roberto Federico-Perez Travel Grant (Dr. Ben Xue)