Chemistry

Poster Presentation at the Capitol Symposium

Undergraduates Peter Nelson and Ali Azam from Dr. Kwiatkowski's lab presented their research project to Pennsylvania State Senator Carolyn Comitta at the 2024 Undergraduate Research at the Capitol Symposium.

Research Probing Atmospheric Chemistry above Alaska Published

Science on Tap

Dr. Kwiatkowski presented a public research talk on Muscular Dystrophy at the monthly 'Science on Tap' event at Root Down Brewing Co.

WCU Award Dreyfus Lectureship

Congratulations to Drs. Danielle Chirdon and Kimberly Mullane on being awarded the 2023 Jean Dreyfus Lectureship for Undergraduate Institutions!

The Jean Dreyfus Lectureship awards provide a grant to bring Professor Suzanne Bart of Purdue University to give  two lectures in the chemical sciences. One of the lectures should be accessible and promoted to a wide audience that includes the general public. The second lecture will be more technical. A portion of the award is to support two undergraduates in summer research. You can register for the poster session and technical talk on Saturday, April 20th here.

Chemistry Living and Learning Community

This program is geared towards promoting an inclusive community and academic support for students within the WCU Chemistry Department. Find out more here.

Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Leadership and Academic Enhancement Program

The NSF-funded, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Leadership and Academic Enhancement Program, named in honor of former congressman Louis Stokes, is to support historically underrepresented students pursuing a major in science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics. Keystone LSAMP Scholars will conduct research, participate in academic and professional development (including summer camps and field trips), collaborate with an Alliance-wide community of LSAMP Scholars, and receive financial stipends and travel support. If you have any questions, please contact: Professor Azam. Please go to this website for more details and to access the application link.

Collaboration with Stanford Reveals Unexpected Reactivity of Silica

Considering the widespread use of mesoporous silica particles in our daily life as well as in medicine, the significant extent of oxidation facilitated by such previously considered chemically inert materials deserves much attention. Oxidation by such particles was studied in detail using nanoelectrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Data showed that more oxidation was measured when molecules have easier access to particle surfaces. The unexpected reactivity found for L-cysteine, glutathione, and D-penicillamine were reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Dr. Yangjie Li and Professor Richard N. Zare, both in the Chemistry Department at Stanford University, working together with WCU's Kurt W. Kolasinski. More about this work is available in this news article published in Chemical and Engineering News.

Congratulations to SURI Awardees

A number of students will be in the labs this summer with research funded by the Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI). These researchers include

• • Kacey Durkin and Tyler Czeiner working with Dr. Chirdon
  • Robbie Witikko working with Dr. Ganas on Sustainable Synthesis of Nanocrystalline Cellulose Aerogels
  • Simret Asefa working with Dr. Ganas on Microwave Assisted Synthesis of Carbon Quantum Dots derived from Nanocrystalline Cellulose
  • Peter Nelson and Ali Azam working with Dr. Kwiatkowski
  • Sadie Patterson working with Dr. Voras on Analysis of WCU Andean Headwear Collection

Study on Muscle Membrane Repair Pathways Sheds Light on Origins of Muscular Dystrophy

Dr. Tom Kwiatkowski is part of an international team that has published the results of a study to assess the role of murine Dysf exon 40a in membrane repair and development of dysferlinopathy in mice. Their paper titled "Minimal expression of dysferlin prevents development of dysferlinopathy in dysferlin exon 40a knockout mice" has been published in Acta Neuropathologica Communications.

Dr. Constantinos Pistos invited talk at Chromatography Forum of Delaware Valley

Dr. Pistos gave a talk at the Chromatography Forum of Delaware Valley's (CFDV) 2023 annual Symposium in Claymont, DE on April 20th. His speech was entitled “Green Analytical Toxicology: What is the future in Forensic Toxicology?”.

The Chromatography Forum is an active and engaging organization and fosters a spirit of fraternity among those engaged in chromatography. It promotes practical use and theoretical knowledge for educational benefit and professional development of its members.

Winterthur Conservation Scientists Visit Chemistry Department

We had some visitors from the Winterthur Museum Scientific Research and Analysis Laboratory (SRAL) in the Chemistry Department. Conservation Scientist Catherine Matsen, along with Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC) graduate student Tammy Hong visited the research lab of Dr. Zachary Voras to investigate the composition of Chinese export miniature paintings.

Dr. Kimberly Mullane spoke at Philadelphia Inorganic Colloquium

Dr. Mullane delivered an Invited talk at the Philadelphia Inorganic Colloquium to be held on 22 April at the College of New Jersey. Her talk is titled "Early (Zr, Hf) and Late (Cu) Transition Metals in Energy Applications." If you would like to attend, registration is now open. Free for all attendees.

The Philadelphia Inorganic Colloquium is a forum for chemists in the Delaware Valley. Each Colloquium features lectures from local researchers and a poster session for undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral scholars. Learn more.

Professor Kurt Kolasinski Named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Kurt Kolasinski, WCU professor of chemistry, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. This honor recognizes his lifetime work, specifically “his outstanding contributions to surface science and his efforts to educate others about this field.”

Study on sensor that detects mercury published

Dr. Jingqiu Hu along with WCU undergraduate researchers Matthew Graves, Erica S. Knorr , and John B. Griffith, along with Dr. Michael S. Elioff of Millersville University have published a study in Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy titled "A fluorescent turn-on sensor for mercury (II) ions in near neutral poly(metharylic acid) solution."