Chemistry New Space: Strong Hall

December 1, 2013 by chemweb

The University of Tennessee and the Department of Chemistry currently have an optimism and excitement for the future, the likes of which I have never seen. Capital improvements are in progress in nearly every area of campus. The Department of Chemistry is directly involved in two of these, Strong Hall and the Joint Institute for Advanced Materials (JIAM).  As you may recall from the Fall 2012 newsletter, Strong Hall will include new instructional laboratories for general, organic, honors and analytical chemistry.  We have been meeting regularly with the design team and plans for these laboratories are evolving. The Strong Hall building site is off of Cumberland Avenue and 16th Street. The presentation of the building along Cumberland Avenue, which is shown left, is striking. The campus along Cumberland Avenue will be transformed in the next few years by three new buildings including Strong Hall, the new Student Center and Science Lab I on Cumberland and 13th. JIAM is the first building on the new Cherokee campus off Alcoa Highway near the UT hospital. I would encourage you to drive by this site sometime and see the progress for yourself. I think you will find that the view of the bend in the river from the JIAM site is stunning. While facilities are critical to the function of the University, education of students is our core mission and our faculty and staff strive for excellence in meeting that goal. I continue to be impressed with how our faculty, students, and their achievements continue to improve.

Charles Feigerle
Professor and Department Head

Rosolina Won MILSET Science Photo Contest

November 16, 2013 by chemweb

Sam Rosolina, a graduate student at Professor Xue Group won Broze at the 2013 MILSET Science Photo Contest. The winning photo (left) is one of the iridescence photos of his electrode produced in August.

The International Movement for Leisure Activities in Science and Technology (MILSET – MouvementInternational pour le Loisir Scientifique et Technique) is a non-governmental, non-profit and politically independent youth organization. It aims at developing scientific culture among young people through the organization of science-and-technology programs, including science fairs, science camps, congresses and competitions. View this year’s winning photos here.

The Method: Spirits and Graves

October 31, 2013 by chemweb

Professor Emeritus Dr. Jamie Adcock is featured on this edition of The Method, a radio series produced and broadcast by WUOT.

Listen to the story here. Or use your phone to scan the QR code.

On this edition of The Method, we examine how two researchers are putting technology to work to find and identify mass graves. Then, Christine Jessel goes in search of spirits — the potable kind. The science behind moonshine is her story, so prepare to be jarred.

Hazari Magic Show featured on WBIR and WATE

October 23, 2013 by chemweb

Click the links below to watch the magic show performed by Dr. Al Hazari, Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Laboratories in the Department of Chemistry.

Magic Show on Knoxville WBIR-TV 10

Magic Show on Knoxville WATE-TV 6

Iberi Gave Talk at Rose-Hulman

October 15, 2013 by chemweb

Vighter Iberi, a fifth year graduate students in Professor Camden’s group, gave a talk at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on September 25th. Iberi was invited by his undergraduate chemistry professor Peter Adcock, currently a Visiting Professor of Chemistry at Rose-Hulman.

Both faculty and students from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Rose-Hulman attended Iberi’s talk on Plasmonics. Plasmonics is the study of the response of the free electrons in metallic nanostructures to the electric fields from light or fast-moving electrons. Part of the research done in the Camden group focuses on correlating plasmons excited by planewaves with plasmons excited by swift electrons, from the exact same nanostructure. The talk was well-received by faculty members and generated interests among students.

“It was a good experience; the students and faculty members were very welcoming.” Iberi said, “I learned the importance of being able to adjust a very technical talk to an audience with limited knowledge of one’s area of expertise; a fact that was highlighted by one of the professors after the talk. The experience would be beneficial in future presentations for job interviews.”

Originally from Nigeria, Iberi earned his Bachelor Degree of Science from the Campbellsville University in 2008. His current research area is based on the correlated study of plasmonic nanostructures with optical and electron microscopy.

Xue Group Paper Featured in Biodiesel Magazine and C&EN

September 2, 2013 by chemweb

Jonathan Fong, a graduate student in the Chemistry Department and his mentor Professor Xue published a paper A dye-doped optical sensor for the detection of biodiesel in diesel in Chemical Communications. Findings in this paper are well-received and the significance of the study is highlighted in Biodiesel Magazine.

Read the full article: Tenn. researchers develop 5 ppm FAME detector for jet fuel.

Findings from the same research are also featured in the most recent American Chemical Society Chemical & Engineering News.

Recent Grad Publishes Two Papers in PRL

August 27, 2013 by chemweb

Tatiana Brinzari, a recent Ph. D. graduate from Professor Musfeldt’s group, published two papers Quantum critical transition amplifies magnetoelastic coupling in Mn[N(CN)₂]₂ and Electron-phonon and magnetoelastic interactions in ferromagnetic Co[N(CN)₂]₂ in Phys. Rev. Lett (PRL) that emanate from her thesis work.

Brinzari grew up in Chisinau, Moldova and 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-optical spectroscopy of multifunctional molecule-based materials and novel oxides. Brinzari published a dozen papers in journals such as PRL, Inorg. Chem, and Phys. Rev. B during her time at UT.

Professor Musfeldt, Brinzari’s mentor, enjoyed working with her. “Tanea is a very gifted young lady, and it has been my pleasure to work with her during her PhD. These publications in PRL are very much deserved.” said Musfeldt.

Graduated with a Ph.D. degree last December, Brinzari is now a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Physics and Chemistry at the University of Florida, Gainesville.

Summer of science: Harrison, Tenn., teen one of 8 selected for prestigious program at UT

August 21, 2013 by chemweb

By Dylan Platz (2013 REU participant)

Humming hymns and talking himself, Brandon Hambrick lets his photographic memory take him step by step through a process known as polymerization.

In the science experiment, the 18-year-old from the Harrison area is creating a chain of large molecules by combining smaller ones — kind of like linking many small Legos to create a big one.

Unlike most students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Hambrick is still on campus for the summer, one of eight students selected by the school for this year’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program in chemistry, which is funded by the National Science Foundation. Having just finished his freshman year at UT, he’s the youngest student selected for this year’s program, at least 3 years younger than almost every other participant.

Read full article here

Professors Long and Best Received eVOL10 Service Awards

August 15, 2013 by chemweb

Chemistry Professors Brian Long and Michael Best recently received Service Awards from the College of Engineering for their participation in the Engineering Volunteers for Tenth Graders (eVOL10) Program 2013, a program designed to introduce tenth graders to applied sciences and raise their awareness of careers in STEM disciplines including chemistry and engineering.

A total of 32 students participated in this year’s program. Long and Best provided the participating students Chemistry 101 session, graduate student support, instruction, and walked them through Chemical Car Design Projects. For the project, students designed and built their own vehicles that were propelled through the combination of sodium bicarbonate and acetic acid. A competition was held at the end of the program, and impressive distances of travel above 35 feet were attained  by student groups. In the program feedback survey, all of the students considered the experience was “fun” and “rewarding”.

Evolved from a previous program: Introduction of Sophomores To Engineering Principles (INSTEP), eVOL10 is a one-week summer program started in 2013. It introduces participants to applied sciences and ACT math preparation, and provides opportunities for them to compete in challenges involving the interplay between chemistry and engineering, and tour an engineering industrial plant. The program was provided to students at no major cost and is projected to continue in future years.

Chemistry BoV Chair is Official Candidate for ACS President-Elect

August 5, 2013 by chemweb

Dr. Diane Grob Schmidt, an UT Chemistry alumna and the Chair of the Chemistry Department Board of Visitors, is offically entered as a Candidate for the American Chemical Society President-Elect, 2014.

With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society, and a non-profit organization, whose members represent professional at all degree levels and in all fields of chemistry and sciences that involve chemistry. Since 1876, over 120 individuals have been identified with the title of President of the ACS.

Currently a Section Head in R&D at The Procter & Gamble Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, Schmidt received the prestigious ACS Henry Hill Award in 2012, and has been serving an active leadership role in ACS for over twenty years. She has chaired or served on more than 20 ACS task forces and working groups that have helped advance the profession. In addition she was elected to the ACS Board of Directors [2002-2010] and the ACS Board Executive Committee.Schmidt currently serves as a Director-at-Large of the Board of Directors at the Oak Ridge Associated Universities.

Schmidt’s name will appear on the fall ballot. You can look for her Candidate statement in the Sept. 16 issue of C&EN. The ballots will be mailed to ACS members on Oct. 4. Please vote for a “Vol Chemist”!