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DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY
Forty-Sixth Annual Report
2007-08 Academic Year
and
Summer of 2008
Table of Contents
Greetings From the Chairperson…..……… 5
Activities of the Faculty ………..………... 6
Career Choices of Chemistry Major Graduates ………... 9
Research Leave Program …………..……….. 13
Retirement of Paul L. Gaus ………. 14
Introducing Sibrina Collins ……….……….. 15
Activities of the Staff ………..……… 15
Publications ………..………. 16
Invited Lectures and Papers/Posters Presented at Professional Meetings ………..………. 17
Career Choices of Biochemistry and BCMB Major Graduates ……….. 18
Discoveries by Paul Edmiston Could Have Major Global Implications ………. 19
235th American Chemical Society National Meeting ………...………. 20
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Conference ……… 21
Grants, Awards, and Gifts for 2007-08 ……… 22
The College Receives $1M Grant from Howard Hughes Medical Institute …. 23 Chemistry Club ……….. 24
Departmental Seminars ………... 24
Helen Murray Free Endowment Lecture ……… 25
Class of 1998 ………. 26
Department of Chemistry Summer 2008 Research Program ………. 28
Other Summer 2008 Research Activities ……….. 29
Herrick L. Scholarship ……….. 31
Recognition of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-Year Students in Chemistry During 2007-08 ……….. 31
What Can I do with a Chemistry Degree from Wooster? ……….……….. 31
Class of 2008 ……….. 32
Recognition of Seniors in 2007-08 ……….. 34
Prizes, Awards, and Scholarships Awarded to Seniors ……….. 34
Senior Independent Study Projects ………. 35
James T. McFarland Senior Independent Study Poster Session ……… 36
Independent Study Exposition ………. 37
Neuroscience Added as a Major ……..……….. 37
The photo on the cover was taken by Allyson Buytendyk ('09) featuring Nicholas Amato ('08). Allyson won First Place with this photo in the Chemistry Club Photo Contest during National Chemistry Week.
www.wooster.edu/chemistry Editor: Mark J. Snider Producer: Diane M. Rossey
Greetings from the Chairperson
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Dear Friends,The time has come for me to write my first Chair’s Greetings (especially since it has been over three months since Diane first asked me to do it). As you will see in this year’s report, the department continues to change and grow. For many of you, the only familiar faces in the faculty photo are Paul Gaus and Virginia Pett. As of May 13, 2008, Paul retired, and he called me within 30 minutes of graduation to confirm that his office was vacant, and I was
“unofficially” Chair. Paul certainly left his mark on the culture of the department and on numerous students with his steadfast attention to what it truly means to be a Professor. Some of the “Gaus Alumni” are planning a reunion in March 2009 to visit with Paul and with each other.
Following Paul’s retirement, Virginia is now the senior faculty member of the department, and she plans to retire May 2009. As part of her move towards retirement, Virginia creatively orchestrated an opportunity to bring in Hannah Tims as a
teaching/research postdoctoral fellow. The two have had great fun working with each other and a group of talented students. Hannah brings an endearing Minnesotan sense of humor along with her commitment to student learning in the class and lab.
Another of our three Pauls, Paul Edmiston, had his typical full agenda of lots of research with lots of students, with some exciting cutting edge advances that have opened some very interesting doors for Wooster. Paul also helped out with the logistics of Melissa Schultz’s maternity leave. Melissa is pioneering the dual role of Wooster Chemistry Faculty and Mother of an infant—Lila. Our third Paul, Paul Bonvallet, has been fully engaged with our never-ending quest for the ultimate organic chemistry program along with loads of other
opportunities in research and service. Sarah Schmidtke took on the yeomen’s load in our departmental work of assessment in conjunction with our curricular discussions. All of us, especially Melissa, gave good attention to revising our introductory chemistry courses and labs. Our curricular revisions and changes in departmental pedagogy are in part responding to the feedback we received from the surveys of alumni as well as current juniors and seniors. Our self evaluation spans nearly 5 years, but we are working collaboratively with new
pedagogical approaches and intend to “unveil” the new curriculum to the Educational Policy Committee in the fall 2008, with implementation to begin fall 2009. Stay tuned.
Finishing out the faculty, Mark Snider was on research leave at Cornell 2007-2008 with his family, so we were fortunate to have Jeff Myers join us as our biochemist. In his brief time here, Jeff made a lasting impression with his contributions to discussions (something about a “Grecian palace”) and the creation of a departmental brochure illustrating what students can do with a chemistry degree.
The department continues to be supported by a group of outstanding staff. Diane Rossey now holds status as the senior member of the department. Jerry Patterson works to balance demands of harried faculty and students with the ever-growing tennis competitions of his son Kyle. Mary Kilpatrick continues coordinating the introductory labs as we prepare for our upcoming curricular changes. Ron Tebbe and Lee Hothem both work creatively to figure out how to keep instruments and equipment in good working order despite the many novice users— faculty and students alike.
Lat but not least, we share lots of news about our current students who have conducted research on and off campus, presented their work locally and nationally, and continue to work independently and interdependently. We have an active Chem Club group with students who are enthusiastic about outreach, hosting seminar speakers, and just having fun.
As you can tell, the Chemistry family is as active as ever! It’s nice to share some of our excitement in words, but we look forward to a time when you all can visit. Keep in mind that Alumni weekend happens in early June every year, and we will do our best to warmly welcome you. The faculty faces may have changed, but we still share a passionate commitment to an environment where we can all learn and grow professionally and personally. I definitely see us as “Wooster Connected”, and I am known for saying, “If you’re not having fun, then there’s probably a better way to do it.” I hope you all can find ways to stay connected to this
marvelous Family.
Sincerely,
Judith C. Amburgey-Peters Associate Professor of Chemistry Chair
Department of Chemistry Faculty
Spring 2008
Back Row: Paul Bonvallet, Hannah Tims
Middle Row: Sarah Schmidtke, Paul Edmiston, Jeff Myers
Front Row: Virginia Pett, Paul Gaus, Judy Amburgey-Peters, Mary Kilpatrick Not Pictured: Melissa Schultz (Maternity Leave) and Mark Snider (Research Leave)
Activities of the Faculty
Judith C. Amburgey-Peters
, in collaboration with Paul Bonvallet, made significant revisions to both semesters of the organic chemistry lab. The organic lab experiments in the fall were organized in multi-week units to better emulate the scientific process as practiced by an organic chemist. Special attention was given to the basic writing skills necessary for experimental plans/designs and notebook keeping. Group work for gathering and sharing information with regards to safety, lab techniques, experimental design and implementation was stressed. The outcome was very positive. The students had a better command of the fundamental techniques and improved their abilities to plan and design experiments. In the spring, organic "cookbook" experiments were replaced with research-based projects related to on-going projects in the Amburgey-Peters and Bonvallet research labs. The students' responses were very positive with intellectual engagement, creativity, and much enthusiasm. Support was received from HHMI Curriculum, Equipment, and Laboratory Development for these research-based projects.In the fall, Judy also taught a section of First-Year Seminar. In the spring, she taught a lecture section of Introductory College Chemistry for the first time. During the academic year she advised three students in Independent Study: Nicholas Amato (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major), Benjamin Franks and Paul Hamilton (both Chemistry majors).
In January 2008, Judy attended the American Chemical Society Leadership Institute in Dallas, TX. She served as a reviewer for NSF CAREER Awards. On campus, Judy served on the Pre-Health Advising Committee and the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Program Committee. As the Pre-Health Admissions Liaison, she had contact with prospective students who were interested in pre-health as well as chemistry and BCMB.
Judy served on two search committees. She was the Chair of the department's search committee for an inorganic chemist and she served as a member of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology committee that hired a biochemist. Judy sent much time during the fall reading applicant materials and interviewing candidates.
Departmental duties included NMR system co-administrator and department safety liaison. As in the past, Judy was active in the American Chemical Society Local Section serving during the 2007-08 academic year as Chair of the section and as a councilor.
The synthesis of biologically interesting molecules continues to be a research focus for Judy. She is also exploring areas involving molecules of metabolism and other areas related to food. ✦
Fall 2007
First-Year Seminar Organic Chemistry I (1 lecture; 1 lab) Independent Study Thesis Spring 2008
Introductory College Chemistry II (1 lecture)
Organic Chemistry II (1 lecture; 1 lab) Independent Study Thesis
Activities of the Faculty
Fall 2007
Organic Chemistry I (1 lecture; 2 labs) Independent Study Thesis Spring 2008
Organic Chemistry II (1 lecture; 2 labs) Advanced Organic Chemistry Independent Study Thesis
Paul A. Bonvallet
was busy redesigning the Advanced Organic Chemistry course to incorporate topics in modern synthesis, polymer chemistry, and materials science. Most classes consisted of student teams presenting their findings from the primary literature. Paul also worked with Judy to shift the focus of the Organic Chemistry sequence away from the professor transmitting information and towards the acquisition of problem-solving skills. Three chemistry majors; Paul Evans, Erin Fortin and Joel Keelor; and one Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major, Lauren Rackoff, worked with Paul on their Independent Study projects.Paul accompanied three summer research students and four other Wooster undergraduates to the 235th Meeting of the American Chemical Society in New Orleans in
April 2008 where they presented research results and attended technical talks. He presented a poster, Synthesis and Supramolecular Activity of a Monomer Containing a Crown Ether Unit, at the meeting.
In his spare time, Paul reviewed manuscripts for the Journal of Organic Chemistry and Organic Letters. Proposals were also sent his way; one for Research Corporation and 14 for the National Science Foundation.
On campus, Paul was the Chair of the Pre-Health Advising Committee managing a series of internal and external speakers who presented workshops preparing students for careers in health care. He was also a member of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Curriculum Committee. He was active in Admissions-related activities: panels, breakfasts, and classroom visits by prospective students. Paul was the Secretary of the Wooster Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, Chemistry Club faculty advisor, and active in the American Chemical Society local section. He participated in a three-day workshop, Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) Academic Leadership and Innovation Institute, in February 2008. Paul joined a team of high school and college chemistry teachers to grade 93,000 advance placement exams for The College Board. ✦
I
NDEPENDENTS
TUDYThe College of Wooster is nationally recognized for its program of Independent Study, and for more than fifty years the College has required that every graduate complete a significant Independent Study project. The capacity for individual inquiry and expression marks the liberally educated person, and the Independent Study program at Wooster provides an opportunity through which this capacity may be nurtured. Describing the challenge of the program, President Lowry, out of whose vision the program was established, said, "…it invites all students to come to their best in term as of their own talents."
Independent Study provides all students the opportunity to engage in an activity both personally meaningful and appropriate to their individual fields and interests. It is not reserved for the few. Independent Study is the culmination of a Wooster education and provides the basis for a lifetime of independent learning. Students begin in their first year to develop their abilities in writing, reading, and critical thinking required for the project and explore various areas of intellectual interest. ideas for Independent Study are stimulated not only by course work in the major but also by courses in other areas, informal exchanges with faculty and students, visiting lectures and arts events, off-campus study, volunteer work, and internship experiences.
Activities of the Faculty
Fall 2007
First-Year Seminar Instrumental Analysis
(lecture and lab)
Techniques in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology*
Independent Study Thesis Spring 2008
Chemistry and the World in Which We Live: Forensic Science
Analytical Chemistry (1 lab)
Independent Study Thesis * Team-taught with Dean Fraga
(Biology) and Jeff Myers
Photo of the Week January 28, 2008
Paul Edmiston and Virginia Kincaid ('10) in the lab.
The 2007-08 academic year constituted a slate of courses that
Paul L. Edmiston
typically teaches. Instrumental Analysis included a new four-week problem-based learning section where students played various roles in mock industrial and medical situations where they developed strategies to solve chemical problems. Analytical Chemistry continued to feature a forensic science laboratory. This year the students solved a car bombing case. The title of Paul's First-Year Seminar section was The Edge of Knowledge.In addition to his three Independent Study students — Kamesha Barton and Laura Underwood, chemistry majors; and Warren Swegal, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major — Paul employed eight underclass students on various research projects.
Paul attended the Pittsburgh Conference & Exposition on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy in New Orleans in February 2008. He gave an oral presentation, Red-Shirt Freshmen to Senior All-Americans: How Undergraduate Research is like Coaching. He also presented a poster, Selective Detection of Gas Phase TNT at the Parts-Per-Trillion Level Using Optical Waveguide Interferometry. In April 2008 he traveled to San Diego, CA where three of his students presented their research (see page 21).
Paul was active in the American Chemical Society. He served on the Analytical Chemistry Graduate Fellowship Committee and was Chair of the Pfizer Graduate Travel Awards in Analytical Chemistry. He also reviewed articles for eight journals and one NSF proposal. On campus, he served on the Educational Policy Committee, the Howard Hughes Grant Writing/Advisory Committee, the Azimuth Grant (Lilly Project) selections Committee, and the OICM Advisory Board. He continues as a core member of the BMB Curriculum Committee. Paul met informally with many visiting students, participated in Science and Math Day, and was a panelist for both a Fall and Spring Visit Day. He helped coaches recruit students interested in the physical science through phone calls and meetings. In the department he was responsible for instrument maintenance and the Johnston Scholarship.
In April 2008 students from Ashland High School visited the department. During the visit students had an opportunity to utilize all of our most advanced instrumentation to solve a chemical problem. The students were guided in the experiments by our chemistry students who along the way answered questions about succeeding in college.
For exciting news about Paul's research, see page 19, Discoveries by Paul Edmiston Could Have Major Global Implications.
Paul will be on Research Leave at Georgia Tech Research Institute during the 2008-09 academic year. He and his family headed south at the beginning of the summer. ✦
Activities of the Faculty
Jeffrey Myers
was the Jillian Wilson Thompson Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry during the 2007-08 academic year, teaching mainly biochemistry courses. During the spring semester, two sophomore researchers, Seth Maurer and David Flannely, and one first-year student, Tyler Croxall, worked with Jeff to complete a research project on peripheral neuropathy. One protein was chosen as the subject of a biophysical study to investigate the link between amino acid sequence changes and dysfunction.Jeff served on the Building Stewards Committee and prepared a brochure for the Department of Chemistry describing the various career paths followed by our alumni. He joined Biochemistry and Molecular Biology majors in an outreach program at Lincoln Way Elementary School presenting The Edible Cell.
Jeff has accepted a tenure-track position in the Chemistry Department at Davidson College in North Carolina starting August 2008. We wish him well. ✦
Fall 2007
Introductory College Chemistry I (1 lecture; 1 lab)
Techniques in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology*
Biochemistry I Spring 2008
Chemistry and the World in Which We Live: Ten Wonderful Things Biochemistry II
Introduction to Independent Study (BCMB)**
* Team-taught with Dean Fraga (Biology) and Paul Edmiston ** Team-taught with Bill Morgan
(Biology) 66 graduates (39%) attended graduate schools. They entered: 15 graduates (9%) attended professional schools. They entered:
50 graduates (30%) entered the workforce.
They are employed in chemistry related positions at:
What do
Chemistry Majors
do after Wooster?
Number of Graduates Year (Male/Female) 1998 19 (10/9) 1999 16 (8/8) 2000 17 (7/10) 2001 13 (5/8) 2002 17 (7/10) 2003 16 (11/5) 2004 11 (10/1) 2005 18 (9/9) 2006 13 (2/11) 2007 16 (6/10) 2008 12 (8/4) TOTALS 168 (83/85) Boston University Bowling Green State UniversityCarnegie Mellon University Case Western Reserve University
Cornell University Duke University Duquesne University
Emory University Florida State University
Indiana University Kent State University Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Michigan State University Northwestern University Ohio State University
Ohio University Pennsylvania State University
Purdue University Slippery Rock University State University of New York, Syracuse
University of Akron University of Arizona University of California, Berkeley University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, San Diego University of Colorado University of Delaware University of Illinois University of Kentucky University of Michigan University of North Carolina University of Southern California University of Tennessee, Memphis
University of Toledo University of Wisconsin, Madison
Vanderbilt University
Medical School
Medical College of Ohio at Toledo Northeast Ohio Universities College
of Medicine Ohio State University Ohio University College of Medicine
University of Connecticut
Dental School
The Ohio State University
Law School University of Toledo M.D./Ph.D. Program Northwestern University University of Cincinnati Veterinary Medicine
Ohio State University
Abbott Laboratories Ashland Chemical Battelle Memorial Institute
Bayer Corporation Case Western Reserve University
Chemical Abstracts Service Cleveland Clinic Columbia University Medical Center
Flow Polymers Fluorolast
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
J. M. Smucker Co. Lucent Technologies Luna Innovations, Inc.
Martel Laboratories Merck & Co., Inc. Metal Coatings International
Nanofilm Ltd. PPG Pharmacia Corp. Procter & Gamble Promerus Electronic Materials
Research Triangle Ross Labs Sherwin Williams
Soprema Vanderbilt University
WIL Research, Inc. Several graduates are teaching
K-12.
Career Choices of
Chemistry Major
Graduates from
the Past Eleven
Activities of the Faculty
Virginia B. Pett
taught half time during the 2007-08 academic year. To replace the other half of her teaching load, Hannah Tims was hired as a Visiting Assistant Professor and Postdoctoral Researcher.Virginia's First-Year Seminar students investigated the harmful effects of global warming and researched options for the College to decrease its carbon footprint. They took field trips to OARDC and to the College power plant. Invited guests described the costs/benefits of solar panels and obtaining fuel from municipal waste. Virginia also taught Physical Chemistry I laboratory, and Topics in Physical Chemistry.
Elise Meyers, Christopher Nau, and Virginia Kincaid worked with Virginia funded by the Sophomore Research Program. Elise attempted to crystallize a large heat shock protein from maize (corn); Chris tested methods to purify small heat shock proteins (sHsps) from maize; Virginia Kincaid developed methods for using waste cooking oil from Lowry Center to produce biodiesel. Virginia had three Independent Study students: Tamu Chidawanyika (Chemistry), Sarah Haserodt
and Julie Williamson (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology). Small heat shock proteins assemble into larger particles, and Tamu measured the size of the assembly using native PAGE. Julie developed methods to measure the ability of these proteins to protect other cellular proteins from heat denaturation. Sarah studied the effect of glutamine on up regulation of a large heat shock protein. Chris, Tamu, and Sarah presented posters at national meetings describing the research carried out at Wooster.
Virginia and LeRoy Haynes (Professor Emeritus of Chemistry) continued their collaboration on a ring opening/ring closing reaction and published a paper. They also published a paper on the conformation and
hydrogen bonding of a bicyclic compound as revealed by X-ray diffraction. Research efforts with Hannah Tims focused on cross-linking experiments with small heat shock proteins. Virginia analyzed the possible interactions depending upon distance in a crystal structure of a similar protein; Hannah performed laboratory experiments. Their work was reported at the 40th Central Regional Meeting of the American Chemical
Society in Columbus, OH in June 2008.
During the academic year, Virginia was chairperson on the Grievance Committee, served on the Upper-class Programs Committee, and was a representative for the Oak Ridge Science Semester. Departmental duties included organizing the Helen Murray Free Endowment Lectures and departmental awards. Virginia's admissions efforts involved meeting individually with prospective students throughout the year. ✦
Fall 2007
First-Year Seminar Physical Chemistry I
(1 lab)
Independent Study Thesis Spring 2008
Topics in Physical Chemistry Introduction to Independent Study * Independent Study Thesis
Activities of the Faculty
Fall 2007 Introductory College Chemistry I (1 lecture) Physical Chemistry I (1 lecture; 1 lab) Independent Study Thesis Spring 2008Physical Chemistry II (1 lecture; 1 lab) Introduction to Independent
Study*
Independent Study Thesis * Team-taught with Virginia Pett
Sarah J. Schmidtke
taught a lecture section of Introductory College Chemistry I in the fall for the first time. In the spring, she also had a new experience of teaching Introduction to Independent Study with Virginia Pett. In addition, she taught the Physical Chemistry sequence and advised two students in Independent Study: Neal Kline and Marnie Novak. Time was also spent advising Elana Stennett, a Sophomore Research Assistant, in both the fall and spring semesters.Sarah was able to attend three professional meetings: the Gordon Research Conference on Photochemistry, the Inter-American Photochemistry Society Winter Conference, and the 235th
American Chemical Society National Meeting. She presented her research at all three meetings (see page 17). At the ACS meeting, two of her students presented posters of their projects.
Sarah continued to serve as the secretary of the Wooster Local Section of the American Chemical Society. She also reviewed articles for Analytical Chemistry, an American Chemical Society journal, and participated in the review of the ACS Physical Chemistry standardized exam.
On campus she served on the Copeland Funds Committee, Faculty Scholarships, Graduate Fellowship Committee (NSF Graduate Fellowship representative), and was an organizer for Science Round Table during Fall 2007. In the department she was our Admissions Liaison, Computer/IT liaison, and student seminar coordinator. As an assessment coordinator, Sarah participated in meetings with the Higher Learning Commission during their focus visit in October 2007. She was involved in curriculum development for the introductory chemistry and biophysical courses.
Throughout the year, Sarah served as the department's liaison with Admissions and coordinated the faculty's meetings with prospective students. At times the students were visitors to her class, at other times she had breakfast with them and their parents on visit days.
Sarah was a presenter for the Expanding Your Horizons workshop in April 2008 and was the faculty coordinator for the State Science Fair judging team in May 2008.
In the summer of 2008, Sarah continued her involvement in B-Wiser, the summer science camp for middle-school girls. She also attended a Council on Undergraduate Research grant writing workshop as part of a team from the College. She learned about grant writing and took advantage of this opportunity to polish a grant in progress. ✦
Dr. Schmidtke (center) teaching Chemistry 112, Spring 2007.
Activities of the Faculty
Fall 2007
Chemistry and the World in Which We Live: Ten Wonderful Things Introductory College Chemistry I
(1 lecture; 1 lab) Independent Study Thesis Spring 2008
Analytical Chemistry (1 lecture; 2 labs) Independent Study Thesis Reduced load Spring 2008 due to Maternity Leave.
Melissa M. Schultz
taught the non-science majors course 10 Wonderful Things About Chemistry. The ten "wonderful" things included air/ozone, global warming, energy use, water, acid rain, smoke detectors, hybrid vehicles, Teflon®, birth control pill, and DNA. In Analytical Chemistry, Melissa introduced three new labs. She advised two chemistry majors in Independent Study: David Hopps (first semester only) and Andrew Storey. Two sophomore research students, Chantal Koechli and Dustin Klein, worked in Melissa's lab.In August 2007 Melissa traveled to Portland, ME to attended the Northeast Science Forum, Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products: State of the Science. She was also able to attend the 28th Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry North
American Meeting in November 2007 in Milwaukee, WI and the 55th American Society of
Mass Spectrometry's Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, IN in June 2007. While at these meeting, she presented papers on her research. Melissa was a panelist on two forums on campus: the forum to discuss Riverkeepers and the forum to discuss the proposed Coca Cola Boycott. She found time to continue as the treasurer for the Wooster Local Section of the American Chemical Society and to review manuscripts for Environmental Science & Technology as well as attend a workshop in Colorado Springs, CO on chemistry and art in July 2007.
On campus, Melissa was a council member of the Center for Creativity and Innovation; a member of the College Scholar Committee, the Campus Council Committee, and the Environmental Task Force Recycling Committee. She was a member of the group that worked to develop the Environmental Studies minor. Department duties included coordinator of the Departmental Seminars, the Summer Research Program, the McFarland Senior I.S. Poster Session, and Building Monitors. She met with prospective students and their parents throughout the academic year and participated on the College Scholars Committee. Melissa was a presenter at Expand Your Horizons in April 2008, a workshop designed to excite 6th grade girls about science, and B-Wiser, the summer science camp for middle-school girls held at Wooster in June 2008.
On Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008, Lila Rosemary was born. Melissa was on maternity leave from Spring Break through the summer.
Melissa and Lila both traveled to Sydney, Australia in August 2008 so that Melissa could present her research at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry World Congress. ✦
Activities of the Faculty
Hannah S. Tims
completed the first year of her two-year teaching/research postdoctoral position. She taught in the introductory sequence and was introduced to Independent Study by Virginia Pett and her two seniors. Hannah participated in the summer research program, advising Katherine Stencel ('11).Hannah organized the students who participated in the inorganic faculty search conducted by the department. She attended Family Weekend events including the Summer Research Symposium. In the fall she guided a tour of Severance Hall during a campus visit weekend and throughout the academic year hosted class visits for prospective students. Hannah was the Library and Communication liaisons for the department.
Hannah is working to finish and submit two papers from her graduate research at Northwestern University on exchange of eukaryotic histones within nucleosomes and the rate of unwrapping nucleosomal DNA to reveal buried protein binding sites. ✦
Fall 2007
Introductory College Chemistry I (1 lecture)
Spring 2008
Introductory College Chemistry I (1 lecture; 2 labs)
Research Leave Program
Mark Snider took a research leave during the 2007-2008 academic year and moved his family to Ithaca, NY. He joined the laboratory of Professor Tadhg Begley in the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology at Cornell University and developed three new projects.
One project involved stopped-flow kinetics to determine the kinetic mechanism and HPLC analyses to determine the potential physiological substrates of uncharacterized thiaminase I homologues. Thiaminase I is known to degrade thiamin (a B vitamin) but the observation that its gene is clustered with thiamin biosynthesis genes in the genomes of Clostridium and Burkholderia species suggested that it may be involved in a novel thiamin salvage pathway in those organisms.
A second project enabled Snider to learn some high-field NMR experiments in attempt to determine the chemical identity of ligands observed to be bound by proteins of unknown function. As structural genomics efforts become more successful, databases of structures of proteins of unknown function are becoming more significant; the goal of this project was to make better predictions of the protein’s function by determining the identity of the small molecule it binds. Snider will advise a senior Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BCMB) major in Independent Study this next year on this project.
Third, Snider learned modern bioinformatics techniques to predict the identity of genes involved in the catabolism of NAD (a B vitamin). He cloned one of the genes and intends to engage Wooster
undergraduates in these investigations to identify the genes and probe the mechanisms of the resulting enzymes involved in this oxidative pathway.
Overall, Snider thoroughly enjoyed the ability to focus on chemical biology research during the year.
In addition to the exciting new research, the Sniders welcomed a new addition to their family in January, Katherine Grace – pictured with sister Ellie (Elizabeth) and brother Eric. The Snider family thoroughly enjoyed the Finger Lakes region of New York, with its many gorges, lakes, waterfalls and vineyards, but were happy to return to their home in Wooster this summer. ✦
Fall 2007
Introductory College Chemistry I (1 lecture)
Inorganic Chemistry (1 lecture; 2 labs) Independent Study Thesis Spring 2008
Introductory College Chemistry II (1 lecture)
Independent Study Thesis
Research Leave Program
Paul L. Edmiston
will be on leave during the 2008-09 academic year. He will be working at Georgia Tech Research Institute in the Electro-Optical Systems Laboratory developing optical sensors for gas-phase explosives (i.e. bomb detectors). The approach combines waveguide interferometry with a sampling system based on acoustic agitation. He is also going to be working on developing applications for swellable organically modified silica that was discovered in 2004. This material absorbs organics from the air and water and appears to be an ideal material for remediation of water. ✦Retirement of Paul L. Gaus
Paul L. Gaus retired at the end of the 2007-08 academic year after 31 years at Wooster.
He began his career in the summer of 1977 by advising a student in summer research. He taught a wide array of courses: First-Year Seminar, the non-science majors course Chemistry and the World in Which We Live: Ten Wonderful Things, Introductory College Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (developed, first offered Spring 1991), Introduction to Independent Study, and lastly, Independent Study.Paul introduced the department and independent study students to the use of Lockheed DIALOG system to search Chemical Abstracts in 1978. He later introduced the CAS ONLINE capabilities as a compliment to DIALOG. Because of his expertise in this area, he was a consultant to several area businesses.
Paul was the Chemistry Library supervisor/coordinator for many years and formulated a plan
in 1979 to modernize the departmental library in conjunction with the creation of the W. F. Kieffer Room (honoring Dr. Kieffer after his retirement). He was Chairperson of the department during four academic years. He was Editor of eight Annual Reports. He served on many campus committees during his years at Wooster. Paul was instrumental in bringing to the department five nationally recognized scientists to speak in the Premier Lecture Series from 2002-05.
He was awarded a total of three Research Leaves at Texas A&M University in College Station, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and The Ohio State University. In addition, he received one Study Leave. Grant support for his research came from the National Science Foundation, DuPont Company, Research Corporation, Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, and the Petroleum Research Fund. On campus he received Faculty Development Funds and William H. Wilson Funds. Paul worked with 91 senior Independent Study students.
Paul was active in the American Chemical Society. In 1978-79, he chaired a session of the Regional Meeting in Columbus, OH. He served on various committees at the national level. He helped to define the ACS-approved undergraduate inorganic curriculum. He held offices in the Wooster Section. He attended national meetings and presented his research at many of these meetings.
Paul reviewed articles for publication in professional journals and reviewed proposals for the National Science Foundation, Research Corporation, Petroleum Research Fund, and various others. He reviewed a general chemistry text for John Wiley and Sons.
If you pick up a copy of the text Basic Inorganic Chemistry, Second Edition (1987) and Third Edition (1995), you will find P. L. Gaus as a co-author with F. A. Cotton and G. Wilkinson. Paul is the author of the solutions manual to accompany both editions the book. In 1997 the book was translated into its fifth language, Korean.
Paul has a special interest in the Amish. He first introduced the culture to his First-Year Seminar students in 1995. He is the proud author of An Ohio Amish Mystery series. To date, the series consists of six books: Blood of the Prodigal (1999), Broken English (2000), Clouds Without Rain (2001), Cast a Blue Shadow (2003), A Prayer for the Night (2006), and Separate from the World (2008).
We wish Paul the very best in his retirement. ✦
Sam Gerritz ('88) is coordinating an alumni organized event in the Spring of 2009 to celebrate Paul's 31 years at Wooster. For more information contact Sam at gerritz@alum.mit.edu. As plans are confirmed, information will be posted on the department's web site: www.wooster.edu/chemistry.
Introducing Sibrina N. Collins
Activities of the Staff
Sibrina N. Collins
joins the department as a tenure-track assistant professor of inorganic chemistry beginning in the fall of 2008. Sibrina received her B.A. in chemistry from Wayne State University in 1994. She went on to The Ohio State University and received a M.S. in 1996 and a Ph.D. in 2000, both in inorganic chemistry.Her professional experiences include a postdoctoral research position in the Department of Chemistry at Louisiana State University; editor of the Minority Scientists Network (MiSciNet), a publication of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, DC; NSF ROA Fellow at Furman University; visiting researcher in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Cincinnati; Assistant Professor at Claflin University in Orangeburg, SC; visiting assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio and most recently, Director of Graduate Diversity Recruiting (STEM) at the University of Washington in Seattle. In her free time, Sibrina enjoys watching Law and Order: SVU and cheering on the Detroit Pistons.
Sibrina's research interests include crystal engineering of metal-organic frameworks, nanoporous materials; inorganic photochemistry; inorganic synthesis; and the history of chemical sciences. ✦
Rebecca Davis
, part-time secretary in the department, has been in the department for four years assisting faculty, students, and other staff as needed. She is responsible for processing student employee time cards and solving any problems students may encounter relating to their employment.Rebecca processed the materials of the applicants for the inorganic chemist position putting to good use her organizational skills. She also participated in the interview process. ♦
Mary Kilpatrick
completed her 16th year with thechemistry department. As the General Chemistry Laboratory Coordinator, she prepared the equipment and reagents for the general chemistry laboratories, taught two sessions of lab and assisted in the rest of them, and also organized and supervised lab report grading.
In her spare time she volunteered over 100 hours with the Greater Wayne County Hospice and Palliative Care and delivered Meals on Wheels. She was project director of the B-Wiser camp, a summer science camp for middle-school girls sponsored by The College of Wooster. ♦
Gerald (Jerry) Patterson
, has completed nine years as the Chemistry Stockroom Manager. This year we reorganized the layout of the stockroom to provide a more efficient arrangement for the student workers. A complete updating of the chemical inventory system was also finished.Jerry attended his fifth National Association of Scientific Material Mangers Conference. This year the conference was held in “hot” San Antonio, Texas. Jerry has completed his second year as chairman of the Membership Data Base and Dues Committee. The committee has grown to five members as additional responsibilities have been added, especially corporate members/vendors. Another summer activity was assisting with the summer research projects under the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) program.
Tennis still keeps the Pattersons fit and trim. Kyle has been playing in tennis tournaments for several years. He had a great tennis season as a high school freshman. Kyle almost made it to the State tournament. He also played in a tournament in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. The temperature was about 102-104°, but he didn’t seem to mind the heat.
Activities of the Staff
The family trip in the summer of 2008 was the third of a series with Jerry’s family and his sister and brother-in-law. They visited colonial Virginia (Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown). Then they toured Jefferson’s Monticello (Charlottesville) and finally they had a four-day visit to Washington, D.C. ♦
Diane Rossey
had an uneventful year. With the retirement of Dr. Gaus, Diane moves to the position of most senior member in the Department.Diane assisted Chemistry Club in their celebration of National Chemistry Week with the suggestion of a photo contest. The theme, to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the program, was The Many Faces of Chemistry.
Diane spent a great amount of time in the spring working on the Helen Murray Free Lecture series and the McFarland Poster Session, both held during the same week in April.
For the third time, Diane presented a holiday workshop for the Student Affairs Staff. She informed them that this was the last workshop she would present.
Diane entered two items in the Wayne County Fair in September 2007. She received a First Place on a counted stitch picture and a Second Place on a counted cross-stitch Christmas stocking she made for one of her grandchildren. For the first time, Diane entered two floral arrangements in the 18th Annual Wayne County Home and Garden Show Flower Arranging Competition in April 2008. She placed second with both of them. ✦
Publications
Bonvallet, P. A.; Breitkreuz, C. J.; Kim, Y. S.; Todd, E. M.;
Traynor, K.; Fry, C. G.; Ediger, M. D.; McMahon, R. J. Organic Glass-Forming Materials: 1,3,5-Tris(naphthyl)benzene Deriva-tives. J. Org. Chem. 2007, 72, 10051-10075.
Colleen M. Burkett*, Laura A. Underwood*, Rebecca S. Volzer*, Jessi A. Baughman*, Paul L. Edmiston. Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials that Rapidly Swell in Non-Polar Liquids: Nanoscale Morphology and Swelling Mechanism. Chemistry of Materials
2008, 20, 1312-1321.
Natalie R. Walker*, Matthew J. Linman*, Margaret M. Timmers*, Stacey L. Dean*, Colleen M. Burkett*, Julie A. Lloyd*, Joel D. Keelor*, Brandi M. Baughman*, Paul L. Edmiston. Selective Detection of Gas-Phase TNT by Integrated Optical Waveguide Spectrometry Using Molecularly Imprinted Sol-Gel Sensing Films. Analytica Chimica. Acta 2007, 593, 82-91.
Charles K. Mobley, Jeffrey K. Myers, Arina Hadziselimovic, Charles D. Ellis, and Charles R. Saunders; Purification and Initiation of Structural characterization of Human Peripheral Myelin Protein 22, an Integral Membrane Protein Linked to Peripheral Neuropathies; Biochemistry 2007, 46, 11185.
Zeller, Matthias; Pett, Virginia B.; Haynes, LeRoy W.** Ring Opening of Pyridines: The Pseudo-cis and Pseudo-trans isomers of tetra-n-butylammonium 4-nitor-5-oxo-2-pentenenitrilate. Acta Crystallographica 2007, C63, 0343-0346.
Pett, Virginia B. and Haynes, LeRoy W.** Conformation and
Hydrogen Bonding for the Bicyclic Compound 3-Thiabicyclo-[3.2.0]heptane-6,7-dicarboxylic Acid, 3,3-Dioxide. Acta Cryst.
2008, C64, o485-o488.
Schultz, Melissa M. and Furlong, Edward T. Trace Analysis of
Antidepressant Pharmaceuticals and Their Select Degradates in Environmental Aquatic Matrices by LC/ESI/MS/MS; Analytical Chemistry 2008, 80, 1756-1762.
L. D. Andrews*, J. Graham*, M. J. Snider, D. Fraga. Characteri-zation of a novel bacterial arginine kinase from Desulfotelea psychrophilia – Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry; Part B: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology 150 2008: 312-319.
Michael J. Jourden*, Callisia N. Clarke*, Allyson K. Palmer*, Emily J. Barth*, Rebecca C. Prada*, Robyn N. Hale*, Dean Fraga, Mark
J. Snider, Paul L. Edmiston. Changing the Substrate Specificity
of Creatine Kinase from Creatine to Glycocyamine: Evidence for a Highly Evolved Active Site. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 2007, 1774, 1519-1527.
* Wooster undergraduate.
Invited Lectures and Papers/Posters Presented
at Professional Meetings
P. A. Bonvallet; A Bit of "Light" Entertainment: Design and Applications of Luminescent Polymers; Alumni Weekend, The College of Wooster, June 2007.
P. A. Bonvallet; How Many Chemists Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb? Design and Applications of Organic Light Emitting Diodes; Family Weekend, The College of Wooster, October 2007.
P. A. Bonvallet; A Supramolecular Approach to Light-Emitting Polymers; Wabash College, Crawfordsville, IN, October 2007.
P. A. Bonvallet; A "Light" Lunch: Design and Applications of Luminescent Polymers; Faculty Research Luncheon, The College of Wooster, April 2008.
P. A. Bonvallet, E. Fortin*, and R. Giles*; Synthesis and Supramolecular Activity of a Monomer Containing a Crown Ether Unit; 235th Meeting of the American Chemical Society,
New Orleans, LA, April 2008.
P. L. Edmiston; Red-Shirt Freshmen to Senior
All-Americans: How Undergraduate Research is Like Coaching; Pittsburgh Conference & Exposition on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, New Orleans, LA, February 2008.
P. L. Edmiston; Selective Detection of Gas Phase TNT at the Parts-Per-Trillion Level Using Optical Waveguide
Interferometry; poster presentation, Pittsburgh Conference & Exposition on Analytical Chemistry and Applied
Spectroscopy, New Orleans, LA, February 2008. S. K. Haserodt*, V. B. Pett, N. E. Zachara; Dynamic Intracellular Glycosylation: O-GlcNAc is a Key Modulator of Glutamine-Mediated Cellular Protection and Heat Shock Protein 72 Induction, FASEBJ. 2008, 22, 648.3.
H. S. Tims, V. B. Pett, T. C. Chidawanyika*, R. A. Bouchard; Behavior of a Class II Small Heat Shock Oligomeric Complex from Maize, 40th Central Regional
Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Columbus, OH, June 2008.
S. J. Schmidtke; Spectral and Structural Properties of a Class of UV-Absorbers; Gordon Research Conference on Photochemistry, Smithfield, RI, July 2007.
S. J. Schmidtke; Solvent Impact on the Photophysical Properties of Benzophenone Derivatives; Kimberly Clark Corporation, Neenah, WI, August 2007.
S. J. Schmidtke; Sunscreen: It's All About Chemistry; Science Round Table, The College of Wooster, September 2007.
S. J. Schmidtke; Solvent Impact on the Photophysical Properties of Benzophenone Derivatives; Inter-American Photochemistry Society Winter Conference, St. Petersburg, FL, January 2008.
S. J. Schmidtke; Solvent Impact on the Photophysical Properties of Benzophenone Derivatives; Department of Chemistry, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, February 2008.
S. J. Schmidtke; Solvent Impact on the Photophysical Properties of Benzophenone Derivatives; Department of Chemistry, University of Akron, Akron, OH, February 2008. S. J. Schmidtke; Experimental and Theoretical Evaluation of the Photophysical Properties of Benzophenone
Derivatives; 235th American Chemical Society National
Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 2008.
S. J. Schmidtke; Impact of Solvent-Solute Interactions upon the Photophysical Properties of Sunscreen Active
Ingredients; 40th Central Regional Meeting of the American
Chemical Society, Columbus, OH, June 2008. M. M. Schultz; Trace Analysis of Antidepressant
Pharmaceuticals and Selected Degradates in Environmental Matrices by LC/ESI/MS/MS; 55th American Society of Mass
Spectrometry Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, IN, June 2007.
* Wooster undergraduate.
Hannah S. Tims and Jeffrey K. Myers also gave Departmental Seminars (see page 24).
Invited Lectures and Papers/Posters Presented
at Professional Meetings
M. M. Schultz; Transport and Fate of Antidepressant Pharmaceuticals in Municipal Wastewater and Receiving Waters including the Northeastern United States; Northeast Science forum, Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products: State of the Science, Portland, ME, August 2007. M. M. Schultz, S. E. Schostarez*, S. P. Gollwitzer*, D. R. Klein*, C. N. Koechli*, K. L. Long*; Plant Uptake of Antimicrobials Triclosan and Triclocarban by Food Crops; 28th Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
North American Meeting, Milwaukkee, WI, November 2007. M. M. Schultz, E. T. Furlong, D. W. Kolpin, H. L.
Schoenfuss, L. B. Barber; Occurrence of Antidepressant Pharmaceuticals in Two U.S. Streams and in Fish Brain Tissue Exposed to Wastewater Effluent; 28th Society of
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry North American Meeting, Milwaukkee, WI, November 2007.
M. J. Snider; Thermodynamics of enzyme action; Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences; Wells College, Aurora, NY; February 2008.
M. J. Snider; Thermodynamics and cooperativity of transition state binding by creatine kinase; Department of Chemistry; Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY; March 2008. M. J. Snider, Negative cooperativity in transition state binding enhances rate of product release in phosphagen kinases; 40th Central Regional Meeting of the American
Chemical Society – Symposium in Honor of Professor Ming-Daw Tsai; Columbus, OH; June 2008.
33 graduates (24%) attended graduate schools. They entered: 37 graduates (26%) attended professional schools. They entered:
35 graduates (25%) entered the workforce in positions related
to their major. They are employed at:
What do Biochemistry and
Biochemistry & Molecular
Biology (BCMB) Majors
do after Wooster?
Biochemistry BCMB
Year Majors Majors
1997 8 1998 12 1999 8 2000 9 2001 12 2002 10 2003 10 2004 2 16 2005 12 2006 15 2007 15 2008 11 TOTALS 71 69 Brandeis University Case Western Reserve University
George Washington University Johns Hopkins School of Public
Health Northwestern University
Stanford University Texas A&M University The Ohio State University
University of Akron University of Arizona University of Cincinnati University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign University of Minnesota University of North Carolina-Chapel
Hill University of Pittsburgh University of Toledo University of Wisconsin-Madison Vanderbilt University Yale University Medical School
Case Western Reserve University Medical College of Ohio at Toledo Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy
Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine Ohio University College of
Osteopathic Medicine Pennsylvania State University
Rush Medical College The Ohio State University
University of Cincinnati University of Iowa University of Toledo Ohio University College of
Osteopathic Medicine
Dental School
The Ohio State University University of Iowa
Veterinary Medicine
The Ohio State University
M.D./Ph.D. Program
University of Pittsburgh
Nursing
University of Cincinnati Case Western Reserve University
ArQuel, Inc. Astra Pharmaceuticals
Bath and Body Works Case Western Reserve University Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, CA
Chiron, Inc. Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Kimball Genetics Merck & Co., Inc. Mt. Sinai Medical Center, Cleveland,
OH Myogen Inc. National Institutes of Health The Ohio State University, OARDC
Promerus Roche Pharmaceuticals Smuckers University of Chicago University of Maryland University of Rochester Wake Forest University Weill Medical College
WIL Research, Inc.
In the spring of 1994 a formal Biochemistry major was approved. The Class of 1997 was the first class to graduate with this major. The Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BCMB) major was introduced in 2001-02 when members of the Chemistry Department, in collaboration with members of the Biology Department, revised what was formally known as the Biochemistry major. The first class of 16 BCMB majors graduated in 2004.
Career Choices of Biochemistry
and BCMB Major Graduates
Discoveries by Paul Edmiston Could Have Major Global Implications
Explosive Sensor
Could Have Major
Impact on America's
War on Terror
September 25, 2007
WOOSTER, Ohio — A new explosive sensor could have a major impact on America's War on Terror. Paul Edmiston, associate professor of chemistry at The College of Wooster, has developed a sensor that can detect miniscule traces of TNT and other explo-sives. The significance of the sensor is that it can identify these explosive materials with perfect selectivity, meaning that its reli-ability is virtually flawless, even in environments where other chemi-cals are present.
Edmiston, who has been working on the project for almost four years, is now collaborating with several chemists and one engineer at Georgia Tech to harness the technology and develop a unit that could be used in airports, subways, sports arenas, convention centers, and other public venues. An $800,000 grant from the National Science Foun-dation made the collaboration possible and enabled Edmiston to expand the project.
"The group from Georgia Tech had a similar approach to
measuring non-explosive materi-als," says Edmiston. "When we combined our sensor with their device, our results were 100 times better, so we decided to form a partnership."
The objective is to redesign the sensor platform so that it can be used to detect other substances, such as liquid-based explosives. The engineer in the group special-izes in acoustics, and his role has been to agitate the molecules in, for example, a suspicious back-pack so that the substances can be identified without being detonated.
The appeal of Edmiston's sensor is its reliability as well as its sensitivity. Current screening devices in airports, for instance, are not nearly as precise as the unit Edmiston has developed. "We have a very sensitive platform that uses a light source to produce wave guides," he says. "It is sophisticated but surprisingly inexpensive to construct."
Now that the technology is in place, Edmiston envisions future applications, including the precarious detection of landmines. "We are building 'noses' for other types of ex-plosives," he says.
When complete, the sensor will likely resemble a house-hold smoke detector with an even greater potential to save thousands upon thousands of lives.
Edmiston Develops
Substance to Clean Up
Toxic Liquid Spills
December 14, 2007
WOOSTER, Ohio — A collision between a supertanker and a barge off the coast of South Korea sent 65,000 barrels of thick, pungent crude oil gushing into the ocean last week in that country's largest-ever environmental calamity. Nearly 2,200 troops, police, and volunteers converged on the area to assist with the clean-up, which is expected to cost millions, but one day soon such disasters could be much easier to control and clean up, thanks to a discovery by Paul Edmiston, associate professor of chemistry at The College of Wooster.
Edmiston, who is also in the process of refining an explosive sensor he created that will aid in the war on terror, is currently testing a new substance that could restore the environment after cata-strophic spills like the one in South Korea.
The substance, an absorbent material that is capable of neutral-izing the effects of toxic liquid spills, whether in bodies of water or on dry land, resembles shavings of ground glass that swells to more than five times its size as it sur-rounds and "swallows up" various liquids. What makes the substance especially attractive is its resis-tance to water. Because it will not dissolve or swell in water, the sub-stance is able to immobilize the
contaminant and separate it from the water, which makes for easy extraction of what becomes a semi-solid material. Once the material is removed, the water left behind is fresh and clean. And if that's not enough, the substance can even release the eradicated liquid and return to its original form so that it can be used again for another clean-up effort — a feature that further benefits the environment.
The applications for Edmis-ton's swellable glass are numerous. Not only will it work against the type of spill in South Korea, but it will also work on dry land when, for example, a tanker breaks apart and floods a railway or roadway with toxic liquid. Once again, the substance can be used to prevent it from dispersing any further and then remove it so that it does not seep into the earth's surface. The material is so absorbent it can even be used to remove noxious vapors from the air.
Edmiston's substance is so remarkable, in fact, it is almost too good to be true, but the ultimate irony is that it was discovered quite by accident. One of Edmis-ton's former students, Colleen Burkett, was experimenting with different materials to absorb TNT while working with his explosive sensor when she discovered the absorption properties of the new substance.
Like all good scientists, Edmiston said, "What if we try this?" The answer may be one of the most significant environmental remediation technologies to date.
Paul Edmiston's sensor device can detect trace amounts of TNT.
In January 2008 Paul was invited to Washington, DC to meet with the Deputy Head of the Department of Homeland Security and members of the Armed Forces.
235
thAmerican Chemical Society National Meeting
New Orleans, LA
April 6-10, 2008
The 235th American Chemical Society National Meeting and
Exposition was one of the year’s largest and most important scientific events — the annual spring meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). With more than 160,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society.
The meeting was held in New Orleans at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. More than 12,000 scientists attended, presenting more than 9,000 reports on new discoveries in chemistry. Those reports span science’s horizons from astronomy to zoology and include special focus on health, energy, food, and alternative fuels. For the first time, the meeting included sessions cosponsored with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). Bruce Bursten, Ph.D., the 2008 ACS President, selected “Energy and the Environment” as his theme and hosted a keynote symposium, featuring a panel of top scientists in this area. ✦
Posters Presented by Students
Tamu Chidawanyika ('08), Virginia Pett, and Hannah Tims Investigation of the biologically active forms of ZmHsp17.0-CII Christopher Nau ('09), Virginia Pett, and Hannah Tims
Expression and purification of class two small heat shock proteins from maize
Erin Fortin ('08) and Paul Bonvallet
Synthesis and functionalization of a dibenzo-30-crown-10 derivative for incorporation into a light-emitting polymer
Joel Keelor ('08) and Paul Bonvallet
Progress in the fabrication of stable and efficient polymer light-emitting diodes
Andrew Marley ('10) and Paul Bonvallet
Spectroscopic characterization of light-emitting organic polymers Rachel Lipner ('09) and Sarah Schmidtke
Investigations of the photophysical properties of sunscreen active ingredients
Andrew Rudawsky ('09) and Sarah Schmidtke
Investigating the photophysical properties of sunscreen active ingredients
Posters Presented by Faculty
Paul A. Bonvallet
Synthesis and supramolecular activity of a monomer containing a crown ether unit
Sarah Schmidtke gave a talk titled
Experimental and theoretical evaluation of the photophysical properties of benzophenone derivatives.
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Conference
San Diego, CA
April 5-10, 2008
Dean Fraga, associate professor of biology, and Paul Edmiston, associate professor of chemistry, joined nine science majors from The College of Wooster in sharing their research with thousands of fellow faculty members and students from across the country when they travel to San Diego for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) Annual Conference in April 2008.
Presenting at a national conference such as ASBMB not only gives the students a chance to practice their skills at communicating their scientific findings, but it also gives them the opportunity to see the broader world of biochemistry/molecular biology by attending talks given by some of the thousands of other scientists attending the conference, who, like them, are on the forefront of their disciplines.
Nicholas Amato, a senior biochemistry and molecular biology major from Norwalk, OH, discussed his work on
the synthesis and purification methods used in obtaining a 94% pure proposed analog of phosphatidylserine, which is known to participate in the mechanism leading to unwanted cell death. His research will allow for further experiments to be pursued, potentially opening new doors in understanding and preventing unwanted cell death, as seen in individuals with Alzheimer's Disease.
Valerie Andrus, a junior biochemistry and molecular biology major from Richmond Heights, OH, shared her
work in localizing one isoform of the C. elegans' arginine kinase. This is the first study to specifically examine the tissue distribution of this family in an invertebrate, and her results suggest the tissue specialization evolved early in this family of proteins.
Jocelyn Barker, a senior biochemistry and molecular biology, and mathematics double major from San Jose,
CA, talked about methods she has developed for examining the details of evolution between closely related organisms using data from sequencing the organisms' genomes.
Emily Barth, a sophomore biochemistry and molecular biology major from Houston, TX, shared her efforts to
change the substrate specificity of an enzyme important in energy homeostasis.
Ray Gaines, a senior self-designed neuroscience major from Burghill, OH, presented his study of the function of
the Calcineurin family of proteins in the single-celled organism Paramecium tetraurelia.
Jim Graham, a senior biochemistry and molecular biology major from Olmsted Township, OH, explained his
investigation of an uncharacterized domain of a structurally unique protein tyrosine kinase found in bacteria in order to determine its possible role in the function of the protein. His results indicate that the domain is essential for activity.
Marissa McGinley, a senior biochemistry and molecular biology major from Maumee, OH, discussed her study
of a group of proteins that are needed for organisms to store and release energy. Specifically, she looked at the evolution of their structure.
Allyson Palmer, a sophomore biochemistry and molecular biology major from Burghill, OH, related her
experience in conducting structure/function studies of an enzyme involved in regulation of energy levels in the body, and exploring a newly discovered way in which it is regulated.
Warren Swegal, a senior biochemistry and molecular biology major from Sewickley, PA, described a new
method to do directed molecular evolution. Specifically, he has developed a means to use selective pressure in a bacterial host system to "evolve" a protein into performing new functions. His project has implications for protein engineering.
Chemistry is Fun
featuring Mary Kate Lockhart. Photo by Laszlo Marcze ('11)
Grants, Awards, and Gifts for 2007-08
New Grants, Awards, and Gifts
Paul Bonvallet and Judy Amburgey-Peters received $4,300 from HHMI Curriculum, Equipment, and Laboratory Development to support course-embedded research in organic chemistry; 2007-08. Virginia Pett wrote a letter of support for Gregory M. Ferrence (Illinois State University) for his proposed NSF Discovery Corps Fellowship project, Cambridge Structural Database Access to Enhance PUI Chemistry Programs. This proposal was funded. As part of this grant, the College receives a two-year site license for the Cambridge Structural Database and a faculty-training workshop. MRI: Acquisition of an LC/MS/MS to Enhance Undergraduate Research and Teaching; National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation; $226,115; Melissa Schultz, PI; Paul Edmiston, Mark Snider, co-PIs; Paul Bonvallet and Catherine Fenster, Senior Personnel.
❧
During the 2007-08 academic year, The College of Wooster William H. Wilson Fund supported the research efforts of Paul Bonvallet, Virginia Pett, Sarah Schmidtke, and Melissa Schultz.
Continuing Grants, Awards, and Gifts
✴ The Synthesis, Characterization, and
Supramolecular Properties of a Light-Emitting Polymer; Research Corporation, Cottrell College Science Award; $36,232; May 2006 - April 2008; Paul A. Bonvallet.
✴ Acquisition of an Isothermal Titration Calorimeter; National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation; $91,090; August 2006 - July 2009; Paul A. Bonvallet, PI; Mark Snider and Donald Jacobs, co-PIs. ✴ Optical Sensors for the Detection of Vapor
Phase Explosives Using Molecularly Imprinted Sol-Gel Materials: Integration of Research and Learning Using Forensic Science; National Science Foundation CAREER Award; $400,000; 2003-2008; Paul Edmiston. ✴ Active Sampling and Reactive Chemistry for
Enhanced Detection of Explosives; National Science Foundation; awarded to Georgia Tech Applied Research Corporation; $800,000; November 2007 - October 2010; David S. Gottfried, Daniel P. Campbell, Jayme Caspall, and Paul L. Edmiston.
