Chemistry Undergraduate Joins Teach for America

May 17, 2011 by chemweb

It’s again the time of year when the army of undergraduates join the workforce or pursue a higher degree at various graduate schools. When being asked about what you would do after graduation, many answered “travel”, “take some time off” or “enjoy myself”. The answer is different for chemistry undergraduate student Katherine Sharp. “I will Teach for America!” Katherine said proudly.

Graduated Summa Cum Laude as the top science graduate in the College of Arts and Sciences with an Honors Chemistry degree, this smart and beautiful girl was meant to do something great.

“I joined Teach for America to help solve the problem of educational inequity in this country.” Katherine said. “I believe every child deserves to receive a high quality education regardless of their race or socioeconomic status.”

Katherine was born in Lexington, KY and is the daughter of Paula Coyle Sharp. She has an older sister, Nancy Sharp Edwards, and a brother, Benjamin Sharp, who also attends the University of Tennessee. After moving to Knoxville, TN in 2006 she graduated from Bearden High School in 2007.

In 2008 Katherine became involved with the Navigator Campus Ministry at UT and has served as part of the leadership group for this organization. She plans to continue to contribute to college ministries in the future.

During her career at the University of Tennessee Katherine has performed research in the laboratories of Professor Robert Hinde (January 2008-August 2009) and Professor Craig Barnes (August 2009-May 2011). Her current research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of zirconium (IV) centers in a silicate matrix.

Katherine is assigned to teach high school science at a school in the inner city of Dallas, TX for the next two years. After that, she plans to either go back to school to pursue a higher degree or continue teaching.

Professor Larese Invited to Talk at Materials Research Society Meeting

May 4, 2011 by chemweb

Dr. John Larese, Professor of the Chemistry Department, was invited to give a talk at a symposium entitled “Surfaces and Nanomaterials for Catalysis through In-situ and Ex-situ Studies” for the Materials Research Society (MRS) 2011 Spring meeting held between April 25 and 29 in San Francisco.

During his talk Neutron Spectroscopy and Nanoscience: Opportunities for Investigating Surface Science and Catalysis, Larese presented examples of studies that show how VISION, the neutron analogue of an IR-Raman spectrometer is made possible.

The symposium was hosted by Professor Miquel Salmeron, Director of Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory Materials Science Division and Dr. Jose Rodriguze, Senior Chemist from Brookhaven National Laboratory as part of the 2011 Spring MRS activities. Larese also charied the session Synthesis and Characterization of Nanomaterials I.

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.

Chemistry Department Held 2011 Honors Day

April 29, 2011 by chemweb

The Department of Chemistry held 2011 Honors Day Awards Ceremony on Thursday, April 28. Dr. Dub Shults, retired Associate Director of ORNL Analytical Sciences Division and member of Chemistry Board of Visitors attended the event as guest speaker.

First introduced in 1979, Honors Day Awards Ceremony is held annually to recognize outstanding academics, service and teaching in the Chemistry Department. Awards were given to outstanding undergraduates along with general awards and recognitions for achievement and scholarship. Graduate awards were given in specific areas of chemistry as well as overall service, teaching, research and merit awards. Exceptional staff members were recognized for their service to the department. Members of the faculty also enjoyed awards given for their achievements in the way of service, appointments, and prestigious awards.

Guests also attended the event are: Dr. John Sanders, Senior Research Associate at Eastman Chemical Company and member of Chemistry Board of Visitors; Dr.Lee Reidinger, member of the physics faculty and director of Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education (CIRE); Cathy Dodge, Senior Director of Development for College of Arts & Sciences and Randy Atkins, Assistant Director of Development for College of Arts & Sciences.

Undergraduate Student Awards

CRC Press General Chemistry Award – Tyler J. Sprouse

C.W. Keenan Outstanding General Chemistry Student Award – Xin Huang

Dr. Lucy E. Scroggie Scholarship – Burton K. Mandrell

C.A. Buehler Chemistry Scholarship – Hailey R. Bureau

East Tennesseve Section, ACS, Award – Katherine P. Sharp

Hach Foundation Scholarships – Miranda A. Morelan, Maria C. Owens

Melaven-Rhenium Scholarship – James R. Humble, Rose E. Johnson, Karson N. Lurie

Honors Chemistry Recognition – Thomas M. Beazley, Eric M. Farell, Samuel Goddard, Burton K. Mandrell, Anna K. Manneschmidt, Rachel L. Naramore, Donald B. Pickel, Kelsey P. Tanner, Kyle S. White.

Chancellor’s Honors,Top Collegiate Scholar – Katherine P. Sharp

Staff Award

Outstanding Service Award – Traymon Allen, Gary L. Wynn

Graduate Student Awards

Carol Moulton ACGS Service Award – Traymon Allen, Jue (Rachel) Rui

First Year Acheivement Awards – John D. Auxier, Chunhui Bao, Yundi Gan, Andrew N. Mabe, Yilin Wang

Second Year Candidacy Awards – Steven A. Cramer, Vighter O. Iberi, William M. Kochemba

Outstanding Teaching Awards – Teresa B. Kirchner, Adam B. Pippin

C.W. Kennan Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award – Heather M. Bass

Judson Hall Robertson Graduate Award in Analytical Chemistry – Rebecca B. Horton

Jerome Eastham Graduate Fellowship in Organic Chemistry – Amanda L. May

Burchfield Burridge Warner Graduate Fellowship in Polymer Chemistry – Jeremiah W. Woodcock

Eugene John Barber Fellowship in Physical Chemistry – Qi (Charles) Sun

East Tennessee Section, ACS, Graduate Fellow – Sabrina M. Wells

Gleb Mamantov Graduate Chemistry Scholar – Jessica R. Gooding

Buehler Fellowships – Jessica R. Gooding, Andrew S. Hicks, Belinda S. Lady

SAACS Outstanding T.A. Chemistry Award – Kim M. Nelson

Faculty Awards

SAACS Outstanding Chemistry Professor Award – Dr. George W. Kabalka

Ziegler Professor of Chemistry – Dr. Robert N. Compton

Chancellor’s Honors

Research and Creative Achievement – Dr. Ben Xue

Excellence in Academic Outreach- Dr. Jeffrey D. Kovac

View More Pictures of 2011 Honors Day

Dr.Hazari Presented at 2nd Kuwaiti CHEMTEA Meeting

April 28, 2011 by chemweb

Dr. Al Hazari (right) was recently invited to present lectures, demonstrations and workshops at the 2nd Kuwaiti CHEMTEA Meeting sponsored by the Kuwait Chemical Society in celebration of the 2011 International Year of Chemistry.

The Kuwaiti CHEMTEA Meeting is an annual gathering of about 200 high school chemistry teachers in Kuwait. This year’s meeting was held on April 17-18 in Kuwait City. Two other presenters, Dr. Lida Schoen (Netherlands) and Dr. Roy Tasker (Australia) were also invited by the conference organizer, Dr. Abdulaziz

Sepaniak Group Research Manuscript Published in JACS

April 28, 2011 by chemweb

Professor Sepaniak group research manuscript was accepted in Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) and published online today.

The paper Nanotransfer printing using plasma etched silicon stamps and mediated by in situ deposited fluoropolymer was a collaboration between Sepaniak group and scientists at Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

In the paper, the researchers developed a new protocol of creating silicon stamps for highly efficient nanotransfer printing (nTP) that relies on in situ formation of a fluoropolymer release layer immediately following anisotropic plasma etching of silicon. The potential of a current nTP approach has been demonstrated by imprinting various functional test structures of low nanometer scale.( abstract from the authors).

Deepak Bhandari, graduate student in Sepaniak’s group and first author of the paper, described the findings as setting “a new record of nTP feature resolution down to sub-100 nm”.

JACS, founded in 1879, is the flagship journal of the American Chemical Society and the preeminent journal in the field. Being most cited journal in chemistry, this weekly periodical is devoted to the publication of fundamental research papers in all areas of chemistry and publishes approximately 16,000 pages of Articles, Communications, Book Reviews, and Computer Software Reviews a year.

Excited about the paper, Deepak wants to recognize Prof. Sepaniak as an outstanding research mentor. “Credit not only goes to the group but also to ORNL facility”, he added, “Having DOE facilities nearby Knoxville area is a great advantage to UT students. This work would be hardly possible without users’ facility out there at Oak Ridge National Laboratory”.

A native of Nepal, Deepak obtained both his bachelor and master degree in chemistry in Tribhuvan University, Nepal. After joining in UT in Fall 2006, Deepak focused his research on “development of surface-enhanced Raman Scattering substrates using both conventional and nanolithographic approaches and their implementation in analytical detections”. Graduating this May, Deepak joined ORNL as a postdoctoral research associate and plans to pursue a career in academia in the future.

SAACS Hosts 2011 Mentoring Day

April 26, 2011 by chemweb

The Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society (SAACS) group is going to host 2011 “Chemistry Mentoring Day” on Wednesday, April 27th, 2011 in Buehler Hall.

This year, 28 students from 7 local high schools and their teachers will participate. Students will have the opportunity to take tours of research laboratories, enjoy talks with chemistry faculty, facilities demonstrations, a one-on-one question and answer session with current students during lunch, and a visit to an actual introductory chemistry lecture.

“On Mentoring Day, we invite high school students who are interested in chemistry at the post-secondary level to visit our department and get a feel for what “college chemistry” is really like. ” Professor Michael Best, faculty advisor of SAACS said.

Not only a good opportunity for high school students to get a taste of college, Mentoring Day also serves as a valuable form of outreach for the Chemistry Department.

James Humble, SAACS event coordinator, has been part of Mentoring Day for four years. “It is always interesting to see the look of awe that these students usually have upon entering a real research lab for the first time. It always makes me smile.” Humble said.

 

Jeffrey Kovac Appointed National Judge for Phi Beta Kappa Book Awards in Science

April 25, 2011 by chemweb

Dr. Jeffrey Kovac, Professor in the Department of Chemistry and President of the UT Knoxville Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, has been appointed to the national Committee of Judges for the Phi Beta Kappa Book Awards in Science. One of a committee of five, Kovac will serve from 2011-2013. The committee judges book entries that advance a scholarly interpretation of the natural sciences and mathematics. The winner of the annual award receives a $10,000 prize.

Professor Musfeldt Attended NUFO Capitol Hill Display

April 18, 2011 by chemweb

Professor Janice Musfeldt (center) attended the National User Facility Organization (NUFO)‘s display on April 7 at U.S. House of Representatives Rayburn Office Building in DC.

Along with Roy Goodrich (left) from George Washington University and David Graf (right) from National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL), Musfeldt and the team represented NHMFL, one of the NUFO facilities during this Science Exhibition.

NUFO was invited by several Members of Congress to hold this exhibition on Capitol Hill to educate members and staff about the research being conducted at national user facilities, as well as the ultimate benefit of this research to the United States.

Last September, Musfeldt was elected as the Chair of NHMFL Users Committee, effective January 2011. Her article Magneto-elastic Coupling in Magnetically Frustrated Co₃V₂O₈ was recently selected for inclusion in the annual Mag Lab Reports Research Highlights Issue. Only 40 reports were chosen out of the 417 submitted. The selected reports will also be featured in chapter two of the lab’s Annual Report to the National Science Foundation.

Chemistry Faculty and Student receive Chancellor’s Honors Awards

April 18, 2011 by chemweb

The Chancellor’s Honors Banquet is held each spring to recognize students, faculty, staff and friends of the University of Tennessee for their extraordinary achievements.

The 2011 banquet was held April 11th at the University Center.

Professor Jeff Kovac, Professor Ben Xue and senior student in Chemistry Katherine Sharp received awards during the banquet.

2011 Excellence in Academic Outreach

This year’s award goes to Jeffrey Kovac, a tenured faculty member of the Department of Chemistry since 1976. Kovac directs the department’s undergraduate instructional program, carries a regular teaching load, and maintains an active program of scholarship and research.
His talents as an educator reach well beyond the UT campus. As director of the Governor’s School for Science and Engineering, Kovac designs curriculum and activities for 150 of Tennessee’s brightest high school students every year, recruiting appropriate faculty members and teaching at least one seminar himself.
In 2009, he was invited to direct the Tennessee Science Olympiad State Tournament. This program introduces middle and high school students to science and engineering concepts through competitive events. He has improved the state Science Olympiad website and has developed and staffed a coaches’ workshop for Tennessee teachers.

2011 Research and Creative Achievement

Ben Xue, professor of chemistry, joined the faculty in 1992. Since then, he has been recognized for his contributions in chemistry, especially inorganic compounds and their novel analysis. His work has led to the understanding of the formation of advanced materials and new catalysts, as well as the development of novel analytical methods. His research has been constantly supported by the National Science Foundation, and he has been honored with awards from foundations and associations around the world.

Research and Creative Achievement honors are awarded to tenured faculty who have received national or international recognition in their field.

Also awarded is chemistry senior student Katherine Sharp as one of the 2011 Top Collegiate Scholars.

Click to view more award recipients of 2011 Chancellor’s Honors

Tatiana Brinzari Receives ISMMM Poster Prize

March 31, 2011 by chemweb

Chemistry Graduate Student Tatiana Brinzari (picture left) from Dr. Musfeldt’s group received a poster award during International School & Symposium on Multifunctional Molecule-based Materials (ISMMM) held in Argonne National Laboratory from March 13 to 18, 2011.

Brinzari’s winning poster “Magneto-elastic coupling in molecular-based materials: M[N(CN)₂]₂ (M = Mn, Co) and [Ru₂(O₂CMe)₄]₃[Cr(CN)₆]” discussed evidence of a strong relationship between crystal structure and magnetic properties in molecular frameworks, where a flexible metal local environment is ready to accommodate a new magnetic state. Jia Liu (picture right) from North Carolina State University is a coauthor on this project and performed electronic structure calculations.

Tatiana valued the opportunity of attending the symposium. “It provided me with unique opportunity to listen to tutorials and research talks and to communicate and discuss science with leading researchers from over the world in the field of molecule-based materials”, she said.

Tatiana also felt hornored winning this prize and would like to thank her advisor, “I was pleased to present our research and receive recognition of its importance and originality…Jan (Dr. Musfeldt) supports me and helps me in everything I do”.

Born and grown up in Chisinau, Moldova, Tatiana 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-infrared and magneto-optical spectroscopy of multifunctional molecule-based materials and novel oxides.

Originally held in Europe and Japan, the ISMMM is designed to  teach, train, and encourage young researchers and students with interest in crystalline electronic materials. The symposium consists of conference-style talks highlighting research in contemporary scientific disciplines including chemistry, physics, theory and materials science. It also provides about ten tutorial talks by experts in the field.