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Dr. Chirdon awarded PRF Grant
Dr. Danielle Chirdon has been awarded an Undergraduate New Investigator grant from the American Chemical Society's Petroleum Research Fund. This grant will support her work in valorizing CO2 petroleum byproduct.
Presentation at Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists
Student Tobias Dugger presented their research from Dr. Tom Kwiatkowski’s lab at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS) in Pittsburgh.
Colorful research yields publication for Dr. Chirdon
Dr. Danielle Chirdon published a research article in Synlett with collaborators at Mount St. Mary's University and former student Zach Morrow. The title of the article is "Synthesis of Triarylpyrylium Salts Using a Mild, Eco-friendly Route". As shown in the photo on the right, pyrylium salts are vibrantly colored organic dyes which have increasingly been considered as cheap, metal-free photocatalysts. Methods for synthesizing these compounds generally involve harsh acids or other hazardous conditions. This paper details a new, milder method of synthesis and optimized purification scheme that works in water so that environmentally unfriendly solvents can be avoided and the production of pyrylium dyes can be more sustainable and cost effective.
Dr. Pistos’s research students present at NEAFS meeting
Research students Tyler Vidal, Madelyn Salgado and Ashley Tinervia from Dr. Pistos's forensic toxicology lab, presented their research project to the 2024 Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists (NEAFS) annual meeting in Atlantic City, NJ.
Dr. Hu publishes results on a new fluorescence sensor
Dr. Jingqiu Hu along with WCU undergraduates Bryce Volker and Maima Bogar published their work titled "Selective fluorescence sensors for Cu2+ and Hg2+ ions using acridinium-polymer complex" in Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 2025, 326,125220-12523. The develop protocols that can detect sub-micromolar Cu2+ ions in acidic aqueous solutions or nanomolar Hg2+ ion in near neutral aqueous solutions.
Professor Cichowicz elected to regional and national ACS positions
Congratulations to Professor Melissa Cichowicz on her re-election to the Philadelphia ACS Local Section Board of Directors and to the National Council as a Philadelphia Section representative. This continues Professor Cichowicz years of service in the American Chemical Society representing the interests of WCU and chemistry within the region.Professor Catherine Grimes on research at the interface of Chemistry and Biology
Professor Grimes is the Director of the Chemistry Biology Interface Program at the University of Delaware. Professor Grimes discussed her research in carbohydrate synthesis, biochemistry, molecular biology and bacterial engineering to investigate activation of the human innate immune system as well as discussing graduate school opportunities at UDel.
2024 Chemistry Career and Innovation Seminar
Dr. Laura Scheuer and Dr. Alex Balzer delivered talks on aspects of their research at the University of Delaware. Dr. Scheuer spoke about her research into hybrid quantum materials with applications to biomedical devices. Dr. Balzer's focus is directed toward developing more sustainable production and lifecyles for plastics.
WCU Collaboration between Chemistry, Psychology and Biology funded by NIH
Dr. Tom Kwiatkowski (Chemistry), along with Drs. Kristen Breit (Psychology) and Eric Sweet (Biology), were awarded an NIH R15 grant of $375,000. This multidisciplinary group will explore the "Effects of Developmental Alcohol and Nicotine E-Cigarette Co-Exposure on Physiological Measures and Behavioral Development.”
Dr. Daniel Kim spoke about "From Aldehydes to Acetals: My Chemical Journey," Wednesday 2 Oct at noon in SCS 107
Dr. Kim joined us for a Seminar in Chemistry presentation presenting work from his lab in the Department of Chemistry of Temple University.
Dr. Keith Hornberger spoke about PROTACs, Wednesday 2 October at 10 AM in SCL 151
The Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD) program will be hosting a guest speaker for a College wide presentation. The speaker is Dr. Keith Hornberger, Vice President of Chemistry at Arvinas, and he will be giving a talk titled “PROTAC Protein Degraders: Past, Present, and Future”. Arvinas is a leading company in the area of PROTAC research and has multiple compounds in clinical development for a variety of indications.
Dr. Kwiatkowski studies pathways to gene therapy
To perform gene therapy on muscle tissue, the gene must be packaged in a vector, typically an adeno-associated virus (AAV). In this project, we studied truncated forms of the dysferlin gene that can fit within the AAV and still restore the membrane repair function of the full-length gene. This is not only significant for the treatment of muscular dystrophy but also reveals the functional components of the dysferlin protein. Dr. Tom Kwiatkowski and co-workers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Ohio State University and Texas Tech University published their results in Molecular Therapy: Methods and Clinical Development.
How big is a drop of water?
WCU undergraduate Alexa Salkowski and Dr. Kurt W. Kolasinski teamed up to study one of water's most fundamental reactions: it's dissociation into H+ and OH-. They used density function theory (DFT) quantum chemical calculations to model this reaction, called autoionization of water, using clusters with various numbers of water. They found that the thermodynamics of autoionization is poorly described when the water clusters contain only a few molecules. But clusters containing 21 water molecules deliver accurate results. To obtain the correct answer it is important to include contributions not only from the water molecules that interact directly with the H+ and OH- ions (the first solvation shell) but also the water molecules that interact with the first solvation shell. The results were published in The Journal of Chemical Physics.
Assistant or Associate Professor, Organic or Medicinal Chemist position
Join a vibrant equity-minded campus community whose excellence is reflected in its community, cultural engagement, and student success. The Department of Chemistry invites applicants for a Full-time, 9-month, Tenure-Track, Assistant or Associate Professor, Organic Chemist or Medicinal Chemist position. Faculty rank will be determined based on the successful finalist’s experience, expertise, and training. The position begins in August 2025. Complete is available at the WCU Career Opportunities pages under 25-18 Tenure-Track Assistant/Associate Professor, Organic/Medicinal Chemist.
Dr. Ganas's research makes the cover of The Journal of Physical Chemistry
Dr. Abbie Ganas and co-workers have published their research titled "Chemically Driven Multistep Crystallization in the Synthesis of Sodium Yttrium Fluoride Via a Porous, Electrochemically Active Intermediate" in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C. The editors of JPC were so impressed the put it on the cover of the journal! In this work they probe the mechanism of crystallization in the synthesis of sodium yttrium fluoride.
Seminar held for the Chemistry-Biology Interface Program at the Univeristy of Delaware
Professor Kurt W Kolasinski held a seminar for the CBI program at the University of Delaware. The title of his talk was "Radical Surface Chemistry: Oxidation and Spontaneous H2O2 Formation at Nanostructured Silicon Oxide Surfaces." Dr. Kolasinski also held discussions with members of the CBI about building connections between WCU undergraduates and researchers at U Del to increase research opportunities and explore pathways for graduate education.
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.
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.
Chemistry Living and Learning Community FlyerLouis 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.