Chemistry Graduate Students Raced for the Cure

October 21, 2014 by chemweb

Chemistry graduate students participated in the Knoxville Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on October 18th in the World’s Fair Park. The team of 7 finished the 5k run and raised over a thousand dollars.

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® Series is the largest series of 5k run/fitness walks in the world. Komen Knoxville has raised millions of dolllars. 75% of revenue from this race stays in east Tennessee for breast cancer treatment and support, the other 25% funds research nationally. *

Students participated in this year’s race include Laura Casto, Maggie Lookadoo, Amanda Clune, Alex Fisch, Adam Carr, Michael Merrill and Sam Mattern-Schain. The team was formed “in honor of family and friends afflicted by breast cancer,” Mattern-Schain said. “I love Race For The Cure and believe it does a tremendous amount of good for our community. It’s a wonderful awareness event and brings a lot of joy to the community of breast cancer survivors/victims and their families. ”

*Information from KomenKnoxville website and e-newsletter.

Professor Musfeldt Chaired Gordon Research Conference

October 1, 2014 by chemweb

Janice Musfeldt, professor of chemistry, chaired the first Gordon Research Conference in multiferroics and magnetoelectrics held from August 10 to 15  in University of New England in Biddeford, Maine.

The conference featured a wide range of scientifically and technologically important topics such as the origins of various microscopic coupling mechanisms, the behavior of domain structures, the role of spin-orbit coupling, and the consequences of nanoscale confinement. Due to the highly interdisciplinary nature of the conference, invited speakers represented various scientific disciplines including chemistry, physics, materials science, and engineering. One of the attendees commented that this conference was simply “top end.”

“The scientific level and the open nature of the exchange at the talks and beyond was remarkable,” Dr. Ashot Melikyan, an editor of Physical Review B, commented. “I will certainly be applying to 2016 Gordon Conference on multiferroics. The editors of APS usually attend 2 – 4 conferences every year, and this one was one of the most informative and useful conferences i attended.”

This conference attracted more than one hundred attendees from 18 different countries. Besides scientific diversity, many attendees were also pleasantly surprised by the gender and geographic diversity. “I was very impressed with the diversity of the speakers and the participants at this meeting,” one of the attendees wrote in her feedback form. “It was wonderful to meet so many other women in the field, and also I was impressed by the number of countries represented.”

Ken O’Neal and Michael Yokosuk, graduate students in the Musfeldt’s group attended the conference. O’Neal presented a poster titled “Size- and Shape-Dependent Magnetoelectric Coupling in alpha-Fe₂O₃ Nanoparticles.” Yokosuk’s poster talk was on magnetoelectric properties of a material Ni₃TeO₆ titled “Magnetoelectric Coupling in Ni₃TeO₆​.” They both enjoyed presentations from “leading scientists in the field”, and described their experiences as “awesome.”

“I love bringing people together to discuss new science,” Musfeldt said. “In fact, I am already at work on the 2015 Tellunide workshop on spin-orbit coupling in 4- and 5d-containng materials!”

Professor Sepaniak’s Research Highlighted by NSF

September 8, 2014 by chemweb

Professor Sepaniak‘s research entitled “Pillar arrays assist with lab-on-a-chip chemistry” has been published as one of NSF highlights on NSF’s SEE Innovation website. Highlights describe outcomes of NSF-funded research. They are archival in nature and cover research results and impacts of both expired and active grants. Click to view highlight here.

Chemistry Graduate Student Chaired Seminar at GRC

August 26, 2014 by chemweb

Deborah Penchoff, a recent graduate of the chemistry Ph. D. program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, chaired the 2014 Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) on computational chemistry held at Mount Snow Resort in West Dover, Vermont, on July 19th and 20th, 2014.

Penchoff was selected during the 2012 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) to chair the inaugural GRS in her field. She worked with the GRC Chair and GRS co-chair to determine a theme for the conference, created a program, and eventually exceeded the funding target for the meeting.

“Being Chair of the Gordon Research Seminar on Computational Chemistry was an invaluable experience.” Penchoff said. “It allowed me to work closely with experts in the field, and to interact with scientists working at the frontier of the computational chemistry field. Organizing this conference gave me the opportunity to increase my knowledge in the many areas that computational chemistry currently encompasses, from development, to applications in materials, energy, and biological systems, amongst others, and furthermore provide a forum for others to network and learn.”

The Gordon Conferences have been recognized as the world’s premier scientific conferences, where leading investigators from around the globe discuss their latest work and future challenges.* The Gordon Research Seminars are a series of highly successful and unique meetings that enable young researchers to share in the Gordon Research Conferences experience.*

Penchoff grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After working for several years at IBM as a financial analyst, Penchoff joined UT chemistry department in 2008 pursuing a Ph.D. degree in physical chemistry, and graduated in 2013 with a minor in computational sciences. The research focus of her dissertation was “computational studies for optimization and design of separation agents for separation of lanthanides and actinides.” The body of research that Penchoff accomplished during her studies at UTK has lead to over a dozen presentations at ACS conferences, and Gordon Conferences, amongst others.

While a student at UTK, Penchoff received an Outstanding Teaching Award from the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society for her work as a teaching assistant in physical chemistry, and a teaching award from the department of chemistry for her work as a teaching assistant in general chemistry.

Penchoff considered this organizing experience, especially the mentoring session, as much rewarding to herself as to the other participants. “I enjoyed designing a conference program customized to early career computational chemists.” Penchoff said. “At this early stage in our careers in which we are focused on a specific area, I consider expanding our knowledge and being exposed to other areas in the field to be of particular importance. In addition, I paid particular attention to selecting experts in computational chemistry to participate in a career panel whom would represent industry, academia, and national laboratories. The Q&A session during the mentoring session of the conference was exceptional, in particular due to the career advice we received from the panelists. It was very gratifying to observe the high level of engagement and interest between the early career attendees and the senior panelists.

*Quoted from GRC website.

Professor Jenkins to Speak at Pregame Showcase

August 20, 2014 by chemweb

Football fans and the public are invited to attend the College of Arts and Sciences’ 25^th annual Pregame Showcase lecture series, held two hours before all home game kickoffs in the Carolyn P. Brown Memorial University Center, Room 213. Featuring award-winning teachers of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Pregame Showcase offers fans the unique experience to learn from some of UT’s most exceptional faculty members through timely and informative lectures guaranteed to stretch the mind.

This year chemistry professor David Jenkins, recent NSF CAREER award winner, will be featured at the November 15 pregame showcase before UT’s game with Kentucky (Kickoff Time: 4:00pm). Jenkins will be talking about “Expanding the Synthetic Toolbox for Pharmaceuticals”.

[pdf-embedder url=”https://chem.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Jenkins.pdf”]

Chemistry Alumnus Carver Named 2014 ACS Fellow

August 13, 2014 by chemweb

James C. Carver, an alumnus and member of Board of Visitors at the Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee Knoxville, was named 2014 American Chemical Society Fellow in recognition of his achievements in science, his service to the community and his service to ACS.

Carver received a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Centenary College of Louisiana in 1963, a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Tennessee in 1972, and a JD degree from the Louisiana State University Law Center in 1989. He is now principal of the Carver Law Firm, LLC, founded in 2011.

After graduating from UTK, he conducted post-doctoral research at the University of Georgia under the direction of Professor David M. Hercules.  Carver remained at UGA as an instructor in the chemistry department for a year, after which he accepted a position as assistant professor of chemistry at Texas A&M University.  After three years at TAUM, Carver was recruited to EXXON Research and Development Laboratories in Baton Rouge, LA to build a surface science lab at the EXXON Labs in Baton Rouge. In 1986, Carver ‘retired’ from EXXON and entered law school at Louisiana State University Law Center. He graduated with a J.D. degree in 1989.  He spent about 20 years with the law firm of Taylor Porter Brooks and Phillips in Baton Rouge, and in 2011 he opened his own firm, The Carver Law Firm.

Carver, one of the early researchers in electron spectroscopy (ESCA) and surface analysis, published some of the pioneering work on understanding the relationship between ESCA ‘chemical shifts’ and chemical bonding. He also successfully applied electron spectroscopy and other surface science tools to the study of corrosion and catalysis.  As a lawyer, Carver has specialized in science-base law, including environmental law, toxic tort litigation, patent law, and regulatory law. He is a registered patent attorney.

Carver has been an active member of ACS for over 40 years.  He is past-chair of the Division of Chemistry and Law, a counselor for ACS, and will be chair of the ACS standing committee on Constitution and Bylaws beginning in 2015. Over the years, Carver has organized a number of symposia at the National ACS meeting, including a number of “mock trials” involving the interface of science and law.  In addition, Carver serves on the Board of Visitors for the Department of Chemistry of the University of Tennessee, the Alumni Board of Trustees of LSU Law Center, and coaches several LSU law school mock trial extramural competition teams.

The 2014 ACS Fellows were inducted at the 248th ACS National Meeting held from August 10 to 14 in San Francisco, CA. Above picture shows Carver (first from right) with Diane Schmidt (center, UT chemistry alumna, ACS president, UT chemistry Board of  Visitors member), and Arlene Garrison (first from left, UT chemistry alumna, Vice President of ORAU, UT chemistry Board of Visitors member).

Related news: Arlene Garrison Named 2014 ACS Fellow

Larese Organizes Neutron Molecular Spectroscopy Symposium for 2014 SERMACS

August 5, 2014 by chemweb

John Larese, professor of chemistry, has organized a symposium “Neutron Spectroscopy And Scattering At The Spallation Neutron Source: Opportunities For Chemists In The Southeast And Beyond” for 2014 Southeast Regional Meeting of American Chemical Society (SERMACS) that will be held  from October 16 to 19 in Nashville, Tennessee.

This symposium will bring together identified experts in the field of neutron molecular spectroscopy, including Larese who spearheaded the effort to bring such spectroscopy to the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS).

“It will not only increase the University’s visibility as a leader in performing cutting edge science with neutrons but also extends our professional relationships beyond the borders of Tennessee.” Larese said. “Furthermore, it allows us to introduce the Universities intellectual and professional expertise to a diverse group of students, faculty and scientific professionals not typically assembled in a concentrated forum within the Tennessee borders.”

The SNS is located on Chestnut Ridge within the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) complex, about 30-minutes drive from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT) campus. It represents the most intense source of pulsed neutrons world-wide. Neutron scattering techniques are unrivaled in their ability to characterize the structure and dynamics of condensed matter.

The aim of this symposium is to illustrate the opportunities for chemists to use neutrons to address both fundamental and applied problems in molecular spectroscopy, geochemistry, biochemistry, energy and nanomaterials, catalysis, etc.

Larese joined the chemistry faculty at UT as a Professor with a joint appointment at ORNL in 2001. In addition to his work in surface science and condensed matter he is also the principal investigator for the recently completed VISION neutron vibrational spectrometer at the SNS.

“One particular focus of the session will be to illustrate the capabilities of VISION a newly commissioned instrument at the SNS.” Larese wrote in the symposium abstract. “This spectrometer is the neutron analogue of a Raman-IR spectrometer with simultaneous diffraction capabilities. This next generation spectrometer conservatively offers 500 times higher throughput than the best comparable instrument in the world. VISION has been characterized by experts around the globe as a game changer.”

To date, confirmed speakers and their talk titles are listed below:

Yongqiang Cheng- Spallation Neutron Source
Interpreting INS Spectra via Computer Simulation: The Integrated Approach At VISION

Mike Crawford – Dupont Central Research Station
Neutron Scattering Studies Of Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes, Polymer Nanocomposites And Other Industrial Materials

Luke Daemen – Los Alamos National Laboratory
Neutron Vibrational Spectroscopy Applied To Energy-Related Materials

Juergen Eckert – University of South Florida
Neutrons As Microscopic Probes Of Catalytic Reactions

Bruce Hudson – Syracuse University
Inelastic Neutron Scattering (INS) Vibrational Spectroscopy As A Molecular Spectroscopic Method

J. Z. Larese – University of Tennessre
Inelastic Neutron Scattering (INS) Studies of Hydrogen Spillover on Metal Oxide Surfaces

Nancy Ross – Virgina Tech
Energetics of Nanomaterials: Insights from Inelastic Neutron Scattering (INS)

Christoph Wildgruber – Spallation Neutron Source
The VISION Spectrometer at the Spallation Neutron Source

Picture credit: Spallation Neutron Source at ORNL. Picture from SNS web site. 

UT Chemistry Faculty and Students to Give Talks at 248th ACS

August 4, 2014 by chemweb

Department of chemistry faculty and students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville will be giving multiple talks at the 248^th American Chemical Society national meeting and exposition held in San Francisco, California from August 10 to 14. View a complete list of presentations below.

The UTK chemistry department will also attend the ACS graduate school fair held from 2:30pm to 5:30pm, on Sunday, August 10, in the Moscone Convention Center, Room 134. Recruiting coordinator Rachel Rui would like to invite everyone to visit the booth.

[pdf-embedder url=”https://chem.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2014ACS_Pre_UTK_SF.pdf”]

Arlene Garrison Named 2014 ACS Fellow

July 15, 2014 by chemweb

Dr. Arlene Garrison, an alumna and a member of Board of Visitors of the department of Chemistry at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, was named 2014 American Chemical Society Fellow along with other 98 members.

Garrison received her Bachelor’s degree in college scholars in 1975 and earned her Ph.D. in chemistry in 1981 both from UTK. In her 40 years of experiences as a scientist and educator, Garrison served as the associate vice president of research at UT, a program director for the National Science Foundation assigned through an interagency agreement with UT, and was appointed as the vice president of university partnerships at Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) in May, 2010.

View full press release on ORAU web site

Cameron Lee Received TN-SCORE Best Poster Award

July 3, 2014 by chemweb

Cameron Lee, a fourth year graduate student in Dadmun’s group, received one of three best poster awards from the annual TN-SCORE conference for his titled work “Conditions for the Formation of P3HT Organogel During Spin-Coating: Tuning Electrical Properties of Thin Films.” Lee was presented the award along with a $1000 travel stipend.

Lee’s poster highlighted research and results from a novel static light scattering instrument used to monitor the in situ onset and morphological evolution of a low bandgap, conjugated polymer used in organic photovoltaics and organic electronics, poly(3-hexylthiophene), during spin coating. Using this novel apparatus, specific processing conditions, such as solvent choice and composition, were correlated to the formation of organogel aggregates, aggregate size, and resultant electronic properties of the final film.

Lee’s research funding comes from TN-SCORE (Tennessee Solar Conversion and Storage using Outreach, Research and Education), a National Science Foundation EPSCoR RII Track I Research Infrastructure award. The program goal is to provide competitive research initiative to smaller undergraduate institutions in the state of Tennessee, but more importantly to provide a culture of collaboration among smaller schools and flagship schools like Vanderbilt University and the University of Tennessee Knoxville. The research is themed around three main thrusts: Advanced Solar Conversion, Devices for Energy Storage and Conversion, and Nanostructures for enhancing Energy Efficiency.

Lee was raised in the rural Appalachian town of Romney, West Virginia, a region known for its apple orchards and rolling hills. He earned his B.S. in chemistry at Wheeling Jesuit University, also receiving scholarship money to compete as a NCAA Division II multi-events athlete on the track and field team. Lee continued his interest in the sport after he joined UT chemistry department in 2010. He is now volunteering on the Vol and Lady Vol track and field team in his spare time. Enjoying all Knoxville has to offer, he has moved out of traditional housing, deciding instead to reside on a houseboat on the Tennessee River. After joining the Dadmun’s Group in 2011, Lee’s research has focused on the structure-property relationships of conjugated polymers for use in organic photovoltaics and electronic devices.