Chain Reaction the Annual Ursinus College Chemistry Department Newsletter
Chain Reaction The Annual Ursinus College Chemistry Department Newsletter
Fall 2019 www.ursinus.edu
Catch up on Welcome to Matt April 2019 Career Student research Summer Fellows Alumni News & what’s happening Zrada (Page 5) Day (Page 7) presentations at research, Intern- Homecoming/ with the faculty conferences ships, and REUs Family Weekend and staff in the (Pages 9-10) (Pages 11-12) events (Page 14) department In Memorium: NSF scholarship Dr. Ronald Hess and Photo Phun (Pages 2-4) (Page 6) (Page 8) Send us your news to share (Page 15)
Greetings, alumni and friends of Ursinus chemistry!
Much has happened this past year in the Ursinus chemistry department, and we want to share the news with you. We also want to continue to use this newsletter as a way of building stronger ties with our alumni.
Message From The Chair
Welcome to another edition welcomed new laboratory letter. If you are interested in of our annual newsletter! manager Matt Zrada (profile participating in an alumni ca- on Page 5), and hosted another reer panel (Page 7) or giving a The 2018-2019 year gave us great group of students for chemistry seminar in the de- much to celebrate. Julia summer fellows (Pages 11-12). partment, please contact us! Dorsheimer ‘19 was awarded an NSF graduate research fel- Unfortunately, we also learned As the college celebrates its lowship to support her gradu- of the passing of Prof. Emeri- 150th anniversary this year, I ate education at Columbia tus Ron Hess in early July. His invite everyone to join us dur- University (Page 8) and Prof. legacy lives on in the thou- ing Homecoming and Family Mark Ellison was awarded a sands of students he taught and Weekend for the dedication of three-year NSF grant to sup- mentored over his 50-year ca- the Periodic Table installation port his nanotube studies in reer at Ursinus. We celebrate outside the IDC at 5 pm on Fri- collaboration with researchers his memory and achievements day, September 20th. If you at MIT. In alumni news, Au- on Page 6. He will certainly be arrive early, we would love to brey Paris ‘15 was recognized missed by family, friends, and have you join us for Chemistry as one of 118 outstanding the Ursinus community. Tea beginning at 3:30 pm that younger chemists from afternoon in Pfahler 202. around the world as part of As we look forward to another the IUPAC Periodic Table of year, I encourage you to update Sincerely, Younger Chemists. us on where life after Ursinus has taken you. A link to submit In addition to these notable your information can be found achievements, the department on the last page of this news-
11 www.ursinus.edu Ursinus College — Department of Chemistry
Faculty and Staff Updates
Dr. Mark Ellison had an eventful While he was less mobile, he analyzed break in Arizona to see the desert year. Just before the start of the data students had collected and started wildflower bloom and a family vaca- school year, he and three students to write a paper about research using tion in Hawaii in May. He has also (Jordan Carver, Noel McCampbell, nanomaterials to combat antibiotic purchased a conversion van named and Audrey Simpson) went to the resistance that he and Dr. Tony Lobo Vanna White the Camper Van and ACS National Meeting in Boston. (see (Biology) and their students have per- took a week-long trip to North Caroli- page 9). There, his students presented formed. He also worked on ways to na through Shenandoah and Great a poster and he presented a talk. Then, incorporate more active learning exer- Smoky Mountain National Parks and he taught general chemistry and physi- cises into his courses. Although he did spent twenty-four days in July travel- cal chemistry in the fall semester. In not plan to be confined to his home for ing across the country with her. Vanna the spring semester, he had a sabbati- much of his sabbatical, he was able to has now been to nine national parks cal leave. The plan was to collect data get some meaningful work done. and seventeen different states in two at Ursinus and also visit his collabora- months of ownership. Dr P is looking During Summer of 2019, he mentored tor, Dr. Michael Strano, at MIT and forward to more of the #vanlife when one Summer Fellows and three high perform some experiments there. In he retires early in a few more years. school students. He also learned that early March, he traveled to MIT to You can follow him on the Gram at he was awarded a grant from the Na- attend a conference. Unfortunately, chemdude. tional Science Foundation to study the while riding his bike from the hotel to motion of ions and molecules through Dr. Amanda Reig kept herself busy MIT, he slipped on some ice, fell, and carbon nanotubes. This is a continua- this year teaching General Chemistry I tion of his collaboration with Dr. Mi- and II while mentoring 8 research stu- chael Strano of MIT, and he is excited dents. Three students accompanied her to carry on this research. to the National ACS meeting in Orlan- do, FL, where they enjoyed sunshine In his personal life, Dr. Ellison contin- and great science (but did not have ues to coach his daughter’s youth soc- time to visit Mickey Mouse or Harry cer and basketball teams. His family is Potter). She also had the privilege of planning a camping trip and white- serving on a Ph.D. thesis committee at water rafting trip on the Lehigh River Temple University in the spring, and before summer ends. has spent the summer crafting killer Dr. Brian Pfennig finds it hard to multiple choice questions as part of a believe that he has already taught for team creating the next version of the Selfie taken during ambulance ride fifteen years at Ursinus. He continues standardized ACS exam in Inorganic to teach his favorite class CHEM-151 Chemistry. every fall. This past fall he had a Her girls, Cora (7) and Lena (3), are broke his leg. Teaching & Learning Intern (a former full of energy and keep her busy with After surgery to insert four screws and 151 student) videotape and sit in on ballet and swim lessons. Dr. Reig was a plate into his femur, he spent five every class so that he could learn fortunate to take several trips through- days in Massachusetts General Hospi- about how to adapt his teaching style out the year to visit extended family tal. He then returned home to Col- to the changing ways that students and friends in Florida, California, legeville to begin the long recovery. learn. This was a very informative and Missouri, Arkansas, and Oregon. He was on crutches for about eight enlightening experience. He continues weeks. In mid-May, he was able to research in the areas of mixed-valence Dr. Victor Tortorelli continued walk without crutches and with con- compounds and CO2 reduction cataly- teaching the organic chemistry course tinued physical therapy is now about sis. sequence and coordinated the organic 90% of where he was before the acci- In personal news, Dr P has done a lot chemistry laboratories this past year dent. of traveling in 2019, spending spring and coordinated the Chemistry De- partment’s Seminar Program. Dr. T.
2 www.ursinus.edu Ursinus College — Department of Chemistry
Faculty and Staff Updates (continued) continues to direct the Science in Mo- cient and plausible synthesis of a re- the biochemistry and molecular biolo- tion Program, a science outreach pro- cently discovered (and unsynthesized) gy (BCMB) co-coordinators, a mem- gram, with funding from the Com- natural product, and the students pro- ber of Academic Council where he monwealth of Pennsylvania Depart- duced many creative and interesting served as the main conduit between ment of Education. The program pro- proposals. He looks forward to incor- Academic Council and the Registrar vides science experiments to sur- porating additional material at the in- and catalog, the Cub and Key faculty rounding secondary and middle tersection of science authorship, publi- advisor, a member of the pre-health schools. cation, and ethics in future courses. committee, a member of the Library and Information Technology subcom- Although Dr. T. officially retired after The Walvoord research team had a mittee, and one of the people helping the Spring 2019 semester, he will be very busy but productive year. Two the new Ursinus Quest core curricu- back this Fall teaching a section of students gave oral presentations on lum through its first year. For fun, he organic chemistry lecture and coordi- their work on synthetic fluorophore traveled to western Virginia several nating the organic chemistry laborato- modification at this year’s ISCC at times for wine, food, history, and the- ry. He will also continue directing the Gettysburg College. In April, four ater; the Finger Lakes in New York Science in Motion program for as long seniors accompanied Dr. Walvoord for food, wine, and to see our gradua- as he can get external funding. and did an exceptional job presenting tion speaker Rhiannon Giddens in their research at the National ACS When not in the office, Dr. T. contin- concert; Columbus, Indiana to tour meeting in Orlando, Florida. He was ues to travel to baseball parks, Nation- several public and private buildings pleased to have two excellent students al Parks, and historic sites. This sum- that have some signifi- continue their research over the sum- mer included travelling to Colorado to cant architecture; Wisconsin to visit mer though the Summer Fellows Pro- visit Great Sand Dunes National Park the family; and Huntington, WV and gram, and he looks forward to another and Preserve, the Black Canyon of Louisville, KY to see what’s there. He busy year of research in the Pfahler The Gunnison National Park, and the highly recommends any of these plac- fume hoods. Colorado National Monument. Addi- es. In food, he continues to experiment tionally, several historic steam loco- Outside of teaching, research, and ad- and this year primarily using Koji rice motive trips were completed including vising, Dr. Walvoord can likely be to enhance the flavor of many dishes. the Cass Railroad in West Virginia found either caring for his beloved In Wisconsin, he was recently exposed and the Durango & Silverton Narrow 300 MHz NMR or at the local rock to using sous vide technique to brew Gauge Railroad in Colorado. climbing gym. He was recently able coffee. He thinks it’s time to enhance to visit Bar Harbor, ME with his fami- Dr. Ryan Walvoord continued to his analytical chemistry knowledge of ly and highly recommends any of the share his enthusiasm for all things extraction to obtain some new coffee summit trails at Acadia National Park. carbon in the Organic Chemistry se- experiences! quence this past year. In addition to Dr. Eric Williamsen taught both Dr. Samantha Wilner completed pushing arrows and making bonds, he semesters of general chemistry lec- her first year at Ursinus, teaching two also taught CIE-100 for the first time. ture, instrumental analysis lecture and biochemistry courses, biophysical This course provided a thoroughly laboratory, spectroscopy, and CIE II. chemistry, and a section of organic enjoyable opportunity to engage stu- In the spring, Eric and his research chemistry lab. Through these courses, dents with questions perhaps even students started a new collaboration she had the opportunity to meet won- bigger than how to efficiently and se- with Biology Professor Lobo to inves- derful Ursinus students majoring in lectively form a desired C-C bond! He tigate how effective thermophiles may chemistry, biology, neuroscience, and looks forward to teaching CIE-100 be in decomposing plastics. His group biochemistry. She greatly enjoyed her again this coming fall. Dr. Wal- will grow in the fall and continue first year at Ursinus and is excited voord’s second iteration of an Ad- work on this collaboration as well as about revisiting these courses and vanced Organic Chemistry class ran adding to some projects on character- teaching many of the same students in this spring. The course included a se- izing HPLC stationary phases and the upcoming academic year. Saman- mester-long project designing an effi- analyzing food. Eric served as one of tha also began building her research
3 www.ursinus.edu Ursinus College — Department of Chemistry Faculty and Staff Updates (continued) laboratory which currently focuses on and traveled to Italy for their honey- heavily involved in learning the ‘ins using DNA as a tool to control assem- moon. and outs’ of his job. In this role, he bly of drug delivery vehicles. Saman- Monica Giancarlo continued provid- experienced the usual challenges of tha welcomed two students into her lab ing administrative support for the de- starting a new job in a new location— in the spring and worked with two ex- partment faculty, staff and students this that is, meeting new people, learning cellent students in the Summer Fellows year. their names, and trying his best to re- research program this past summer. member them! During the school year, One of her Summer Fellows nicely Monica and her husband celebrated he spent most of his time preparing for described their research in a short vid- with their son, Dominic, as he graduat- the weekly chemistry lab courses, eo that was highlighted on the college’s ed with a B.S. in engineering from which included General Chem. 1 and 2, website. Her students also presented Elizabethtown College in May. Advanced Gen. Chem., Organic Chem. their preliminary work in poster format Taking a vacation in June, she and her 1 and 2, Physical Chem., Inorganic, at the Celebration of Student Achieve- husband spent a few days in the Blue Instrumental, Environmental, and Fo- ment (CoSA) in the spring and at the Ridge mountains in Virginia and hope rensics. This involved not only setting Summer Fellows Symposium. Saman- to schedule more visits to other beauti- up equipment and solutions for each tha is looking forward to growing her ful vistas. weekly experiment but also learning lab in the fall and attending external the locations and hideaways of all the conferences with her students in the Matthew Zrada (Mr. Z), having tak- departmental goodies. He has also de- upcoming year. Outside of the class- en over the role of Chemistry Labora- voted some of his time to working with room and lab, Samantha recently mar- tory Manager from Mr. Brian Phillips, Carol McMillan on health and safety ried her husband Eric in Philadelphia who retired in December of 2018, was issues within the department. The summer brought an opportunity to do some cleanup around the depart- ment in addition to acting as liaison between the college and outside groups using the departmental labs for science based summer camps. On a personal note, Mr. Z took a week- long cruise in the western Mediterrane- an with his wife, Cathy, his son Mat- thew, his daughter Laureana, and his daughter-in-law, Samantha. Together they visited Naples, Rome, Florence, Cannes, Palma in Majorca, and Barce- lona. While they enjoyed a busy eight days, coming back to the US was a big relief from the 103-106°F days spent walking through parts of Italy. He was also able to enjoy a fantastic fishing trip earlier in the summer out of Indian River Marina, DE, where he success- Chemistry Department Yearbook Photo, Fall 2018 fully landed a 30lb. yellowfin tuna! Bottom/First Row Left to Right: Mark Ellison , Monica Giancarlo, Mor- gan Cousins In his leisure time, Mr. Z enjoys vaca- Row Two: Brian Phillips, Amanda Reig tioning at the beach, deep-sea fishing, Row Three: Ryan Walvoord, Mike Sturgess, Samantha Wilner activities with his family, cooking, and Top/Row Four: Eric Williamsen, Matt Zrada, Victor Tortorelli hiking.
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Chemistry Dept. Welcomes Matt Zrada, Laboratory Manager
he Chemistry Department Matt was born and raised in served as an assistant science T welcomes our new laboratory Northeast Philadelphia, PA and director for a Boy Scout summer manager who joined the depart- received his B.S. degree in camp program, and worked as a ment in August 2018, where he Chemistry from the Philadelph- substitute teacher for the worked and trained along side ia College of Pharmacy and Souderton Area School district. Brian Phillips before Brian’s re- Science, now the University of When he is not preparing for tirement in December 2018. the Sciences. weekly laboratory experiments While working as a bio- or helping with safety aware- analytical medicinal chemist ness, Matt enjoys cooking, deep for 32 years at Merck & Co., sea fishing, vacationing at the Inc., Matt earned his M.S. in beach and hiking. He can also be chemistry in 1990 from St. Jo- found volunteering as an adult seph’s University and then his and youth trainer for the Wash- J.D. degree in 1995 from Tem- ington Crossing Council, BSA. ple University as an evening division student. Following his career at Merck, Matt has tutored students in chemistry and mathematics,
Chemistry Students Earn Honors
or the 2018-19 academic year, the chemistry department had two students complete honors projects, F both under the mentorship of Dr. Ryan Walvoord. Julia Dorsheimer ’19 - Chemistry Major & Mathematics minor: “Toward the Rational Design of Photo-induced Electron Transfer (PET)-Based Fluorescent Probes” Omar Elghawy ’19 - BCMB Major & Chemistry minor: “Facile Conversion of Hydrofluorophores to Aminofluorophores via Smiles Rearrangement.” Congratulations to Julia and Omar on this achievement!
5 www.ursinus.edu Ursinus College — Department of Chemistry
In Memorium: Dr. Ronald Hess
t is with great Outside the classroom, Ron Hess enjoyed baseball, I sadness that we trains, photography, and Bermese mountain dogs. write of the July He was a coach for the Collegeville American Le- 1st passing of gion baseball team and an avid Phillies fan. Ron Ronald Hess, Pro- collected railway art and was a member of the Na- fessor Emeritus of tional Railway Historical Society. He was also a chemistry. member of the Augustus Lutheran Church, where he served on the church council and cemetery According to his committee. obituary, Dr. Hess was born on No- Ron is survived by his beloved wife, Susan; his vember 22, 1938, sons, Stephen and David; his daughter-in-law, in Flemington, Co., PA. He earned a bachelor of Christine; and his grandsons, Caleb and Elijah. science degree in chemistry from Lock Haven State College and a doctorate in organic chemistry A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on from Cornell University. Prior to his arrival to Saturday, August 24th at the Augustus Lutheran Ursinus College in 1966, Ron taught at Chelten- Church, 717 W. Main Street, Trappe, PA. His obi- ham High School. And after fifty years of teaching tuary states that friends may call from 10:00 to at Ursinus College, Dr. Hess had retired in 2016. 10:45 a.m. Saturday at the church.
While at Ursinus he chaired the chemistry depart- Memorial contributions may be made to Augustus ment and served as adviser to the pre-med society, Lutheran Church, 717 W. Main St., Trappe, PA Brownback-Anders Premedical Society, served as 19426; or Ursinus College, Advancement Office, an adviser to the Cub & Key Society, and was al- 601 E. Main St., Collegeville, PA 19426, https:// so a pre-legal adviser. www.ursinus.edu/support-uc/.
Dr. Hess touched the lives of countless Ursinus students through his many organic and general chemistry courses as well as advising first-year students and students in honors research and di- rected research.
In 2003, Dr. Hess was honored with the title of David Laucks Hain Professor of Chemistry. Acco- lades continued in 2005 when he was awarded the Freshman Advising Award and then in 2008, when he received the American Chemical Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in the Chemical Sciences from the ACS Philadelphia section.
6 www.ursinus.edu Ursinus College — Department of Chemistry
Chemistry Department Hosts Sixth Alumni Career Day
n Friday, March 1st, the is working in the Baum Group’s re- process side of customer service. chemistry department search lab investigating the interac- When talking about their valuable once again welcomed tions between α-syn and various na- O experiences at Ursinus, our alumni back a few of our alumni for the noparticles with the goal of one day highlighted problem solving and criti- annual Alumni Career Panel. The designing a nanotherapeutic program cal thinking skills gained in independ- afternoon began with chemistry tea for Parkinson’s disease. ent research, becoming adaptable so where our alumni, Melonie Phil- Chuck Blackledge is currently a one can reinvent one’s self which puts lips ’14, Jonathan Stoeber ’17, Chemistry Operations Manager at you in a position to win, and becom- Paige Fronheiser ’14, and Chuck GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) running ing an independent learner. Most not- Blackledge ’96 mingled with fac- labs in London, Spain, Germany and ed that it was an internship experience ulty, staff and students before the U.S. for the last two years. Chuck that helped to decide their future ca- afternoon program. completed an internship in both his reer path and provided an opportunity Melonie Phillips, a 4th-year medi- junior and senior years at Ursinus. to meet and network with people. cal student at Drexel University After Ursinus, Chuck worked in me- Our alumni were also asked about College of Medicine spoke about dicinal chemistry, oncology research their extracurricular experiences while her path to medical school from a and led a chemistry program with co- at Ursinus College. For Jonathan, the sophomore-year hospice experi- op and internship programs before football team helped him to gain valu- ence that lead to her journey on the heading global operations at GSK. able communications skills in talking pre-med track. From there, Mel- Paige Fronheiser is a Business Pro- to others outside of the science arena. onie exercised a one-year deferral cess/Customer Service Specialist at For Melonie, her hospice work helped on admission to medical school Chemours Company. After Ursinus, direct her career path. Chuck’s experi- while gaining employment at John- Paige was first employed by Johnson ence playing trumpet in the band and son Matthey to work on solutions Matthey in process development taking a public speaking course to coat catalytic converters. In working with catalyst technologies. helped him to feel more comfortable May, she graduated from Drexel At the Chemours Company, she speaking to a group. Paige spoke University College of Medicine. worked in the coatings R&D group about gaining her leadership skills Jonathan Stoeber completed his for fluoroproducts making and test- through her resident assistant position second year of graduate school ing Teflon polymers for textile be- at Ursinus and learning to have those attending Rutgers University. He fore making the move to the business difficult conversations. When it came to the question of what would they have done differently all the alumni spoke about classes they wish they took outside of the science courses – introduction to program- ming, Spanish, and business courses as well as study abroad experience. Current Ursinus students enjoyed the discussion with our alumni panelist and walked away with some ideas on how to amplify their own Ursinus quest. Left to right: Jonathan Stoeber, Melonie Phillips, Paige Fronheiser, Chuck Blackledge
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NSF Scholarship Winner—Julia Dorsheimer
ulia Dorsheimer ‘19 was awarded the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and will be pursuing a Ph.D. degree in J organic chemistry from Columbia University. The fellowship includes a $34,000 stipend and $12,000 cost-of- education allowance. She credits her internship with GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals and her four years of chemistry research with Dr. Ryan Walvoord and Dr. Amanda Reig for her interest in studying organic chemistry in her graduate studies. Julia had also participated in the FUTURE Summer Research Program prior to her first year at Ursinus.
Julia joins several other Ursinus graduates in receiving the NSF Scholarship—Aubrey Paris ‘15 (chemistry), Jacob Hol- lingsworth ‘16 (physics) and Jenna Pellegrino ‘17 (BCMB). “I feel as if I made my professors proud and that all my hard work had paid off,” Dorsheimer says of the fellowship. Read more on Julia’s achievement. Photo Phun
Farewell luncheon for Brian Phillips December 2018
Dr. Walvoord (left) and Dr. Reig (right) with the students who at- tended the ACS National Meeting in Orlando, FL
Q: What did the scientist say when he found 2 isotopes of helium?
A: HeHe
Dr. E. treats the hard-working Summer Fellows researchers to some home-made chocolate lasagna, July 2019
8 www.ursinus.edu Ursinus College — Department of Chemistry
Chemistry, BCMB and Biology Majors Present Research at Conferences
tudent researchers working in functionalized carbon nanotubes the poster session New Reactions S the laboratories of professors with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.” & Methodology in the division of Ellison, Reig and Walvoord had As their poster abstract stated, this organic chemistry featured a poster the opportunity to present their re- is research using single-walled co-presentation by Yusef Ahmed search at both national and local carbon nanotubes to deliver tetra- ’19 and Omar Elghawy ’19. Men- meetings. cycline to antibiotic-resistant and tored by Ryan Walvoord, their th non-resistant Escherichia coli. presentation title was “Facile con- The 256 ACS (American Chemi- version of hydroxyfluorophores to cal Society) National Meeting and Chemistry professors, Amanda aminofluorophores via Smiles re- Exposition convened at the Boston Reig and Ryan Walvoord, trav- arrangement.” Convention and Exhibition Center eled with their research students in Boston, MA, August 19th to Orlando for the Spring 2019 On Monday evening, another set of through 23rd. The theme for the American Chemical Society Dr. Walvoord ’s research students, second bi-annual national meeting (ACS) National Meeting. Julia Dorsheimer ’19 and Reid of 2018 was Nanoscience, Nano- Luksic ’19 co-presented their re- On Sunday, March 31st, Sophie technology and Beyond. Dr. Mark Worthington-Kirsch presented her Ellison accompanied his student poster titled “Systematic evalua- researchers since he was also pre- tion of copper binding and activa- senting at the annual meeting. tion by de novo Due Ferri Single chain proteins” at the poster session of Undergrad- uate Research at the Fron- tiers in the division of inor- ganic chemistry. Brian van Dyke ’18 was listed as co- Sophia Worthington-Kirsch ‘19 presented research author along with faculty at the Orlando ACS National Meeting. mentor, Amanda Reig. At the same inorganic session, Stephanie Haw- Nöel McCampbell ’20, Audrey Simpson ‘19 and Jordan kins and Alana Huynh co- Carver ‘19 presented research at the Boston ACS Nation- presented their research al Meeting titled “Hydrolytic activity of Due Ferri single chain pro- During Monday afternoon’s under- teins” which is collaborative graduate research poster session in research conducted with Get- the Division of Chemical Educa- tysburg College. Stephanie and tion, Jordan Carver (Biology ’19), Alana also conducted their re- Audrey Simpson (BCMB ’19), search in the lab of Amanda Nöel McCampbell (Biology ’20) Alana Huynh and Stephanie Hawkins presented their Reig. co-presented their research poster research poster at th Orlando ACS National Meeting. entitled “Interaction of antibiotic- Concurrently in the same hall,
9 www.ursinus.edu Ursinus College — Department of Chemistry
Chemistry and BCMB Majors Present Research at Conferences (continued)
presenters from other area colleg- “Synthesis of Aminofluorophores es, two Ursinus College student via the Smiles Rearrangement.” researchers, Julia Dorsheimer and Like Julia, Daniel also used the Daniel Lippe, presented their re- new NMR that is housed in the search at this year’s convention. lower level of Pfahler Hall while conducting his research. Julia Dorsheimer (CHEM ’19) presented her research “Toward Several faculty members from the the Rational Design of Photoin- chemistry department and fellow duced Electron Transfer-Based chemistry majors accompanied the Fluorescent Probes.” Under Dr. pair presenting at the ISCC in Get- Ryan Walvoord ’s mentorship, tysburg to lend support and to hear Julia used the new Bruker 300 about research being conducted on Reid Luksic, Ryan Walvoord, Omar Elghawy, Julia Dorsheimer and Ysef Ahmed at the ACS MHz NMR in her research other college campuses. This was National Meeting, Orlando FL, April 2019 work. an exciting day of chemistry for all the attendees particularly for our search titled “Systematic investiga- Also mentored by Dr. Walvoord, student chemists looking forward to tion of photinduced electron trans- Daniel Lippe (CHEM ’20) pre- next year’s convention. fer in coumarins: Applications in sented his research work triazine detection” in the meeting- wide Sci-Mix poster event repre- senting the division of organic chemistry. The Sci-Mix poster presentations represent the best of what each division has to offer in terms of science and presentation. The duo also presented their poster at the Tuesday Materials, Devices & Switches poster session. Chemistry research students fin- ished the academic year with presentations at the local ISC Con- vention on Saturday, April 6th. Ursinus College faculty and stu- dents attended the 83rd Intercolle- giate Student Chemists Convention (ISCC). This year’s convention was hosted by Gettysburg College on their campus. Amid the field of
Sitting, left to right: Reid Luksic, Julia Dorsheimer, Omar Elghawy, Matthew Balestriere Standing, left to right: Kailyn Cohen, Ryan Walvoord, Yusef Ahmed, Eric Williamsen, Daniel Lippe
10 www.ursinus.edu Ursinus College — Department of Chemistry
Summer Fellows 2019
nce again the summer research program known as Sum- O mer Fellows wrapped up their eight weeks of research with a Friday morning symposium on July 19th. The follow- ing students working with chemistry faculty participated in a Summer Fellows research project.
Poster Presentations:
Matthew Balestriere, Towards the Rational Design of Photoinduced electron transfer (PET)-based Fluorescent Probes, Mentor: Dr. Ryan Walvoord Emily Bender and Emily Franz, Using Nucleic Acids to Improve Micelle Stability, Mentor: Dr. Samantha Wilner Brendan Cherrey, Nuclease Activity of Zinc DFsc Pro- Matthew Balestriere PET-based Fluorescent probe teins, Mentor: Dr. Amanda Reig research at the Summer Fellows Symposium. Daniel Lippe, Facile Conversion of Hydroxyfluorophores to Aminoflurophores via Smiles Rearrangement, Mentor: Dr. Ryan Walvoord Miriam Thomas, The Effect of Antibiotic-Conjugated Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes on Enterococcus Re- sistant to Erythromycin and Clarithromycin, Mentors: Drs. Anthony Lobo and Mark Ellison
Oral Presentations: Broderick Johnson, Using Cysteine to Reversibly Attach Clarithromycin to Carbon Nanotubes, Mentor: Dr. Mark Ellison Joseph Pantel, Characterization of Hydrolytic Activity in Zinc Bound DFsc Proteins, Mentor: Dr. Amanda Reig
Follow this link to watch a video of Emily Bender discussing her Summer Fellows research project.
Brody Johnson with Agnes Irwin high school stu- More Summer Fellows photos on next page! dent working in lab during Summer Fellows.
Internships and Summer REU
Three Ursinus chemistry majors spent their summer gaining valuable experience off-campus. Kailyn Cohen ‘20 worked in the Powers Lab at Texas A&M University as part of a Research Experience for Undergraduates focused on green chemistry. Alyson Manley ‘20 and Christina Wentz ‘21 spent their summers learning more about the pharma- ceutical industry through internships at Merck and Teva Pharmaceuticals, respectively.
11 www.ursinus.edu Ursinus College — Department of Chemistry
Summer Fellows 2019 (continued)
Emily Bender and Emily Franz explain their mi- celles Summer Fellows research. Joseph Pantel with FUTURE student Sandra Phan working on Summer Fellows project.
Brendan Cherrey with his Summer Fellows poster on Daniel Lippe discusses his research on Smiles Rearrangement Zinc DFsc proteins. with another Summer Fellows researcher.
Brody Johnson’s oral presentation on carbon nanotubes Miriam Thomas worked on a collaborative carbon nanotubes during the Summer Fellows Symposium. project with Dr. Ellison in chemistry and Dr. Lobo in biology.
12 www.ursinus.edu Ursinus College — Department of Chemistry
In Appreciation In this newsletter, we would like to extend a very gracious note of thanks to all of our chemistry and biochemistry alumni who gave to the college in the 2018-19 fiscal year.
Mohannad Abdo '05 Raine (MacKinstry) Fussner J. Robert Lovett '53 Jacquelyn (Hickey) Rothera '99 Benjamin T. Allwein '18 '85 Sandra (Miller) Lovett '55 Stephen H. Rovno '54 C. Clement Anderson '60 J. Lawrence Geist '73 Leonard A. Lubking '58 Susan K. Ruoff '82 Arthur A. Arena '57 Sara S. Goetze '14 Patricia (Kasinger) Lumma '64 Scott C. Savett '94 Seth A. Bakes '07 Abigail L. Goldstein '19 George F. Lundell '67 Brittani L. Schnable '19 John T. Balas '70 Amelia C. Goldstein '19 Richard J. MacFeeters '79 Ciara (Rodgers) Seal '02 Don G. Bartell '69 Erin K. Golembewski-George Cheri (Faust) Maciolek '02 Sharyn (Sands) Seasholtz '61 Randall T. Bashore '78 '00 Thomas J. Malia '99 Kenneth D. Sell '50 Isobel (Helffrich) Beaston '54 Mark W. Gordon '64 Gerald P. Malick '59 Edward C. Shane '65 Cyrus E. Beekey Jr. '64 Elizabeth (AuWerter) Graff '50 Craig H. Mally '78 Audrey L. Simpson '19 Joan (Bauerle) Beekey '64 MaryAnn (Haas) Gregory '64 Brian C. Marks '03 David G. Smart '74 Robert Y. Beesburg Jr. '84 Benjamin F. Griswold '07 Helene (Bigo) Marshall '82 Sarah E. Snider Leonhauser '19 Harold L. Beyer '75 Carol K. Haas '70 David J. Martella '74 Robert W. Soeder '57 Andrey F. Bilko '10 Caitlin D. Hanlon '07 Andrea E. Martin '75 Michael C. Sokol '88 Christine (Kenny) Block '99 Kimberly (Miller) Hatfield '96 Anita (Mann) Masters '48 Thomas G. Steele '92 Donald C. Boop '69 Donna (Luciw) Heren '83 Marlene (Price) Mauer '64 Margaret (Heller) Stirton '44 William N Bothwell Sr. '84 Patricia (Dehoff) Holtzapple Andrea (Schiela) McCoy '82 Janean (Gamble) Tiggett '04 Donald Bretzger '58 '54 Thomas C. McGinley Jr. '88 Carol (Schreiner) Toewe '59 Donna (Loeffler) Brosbe '76 Paul R. Hope '85 Patricia (Messina) McLaughlin Brian J. Toleno '92 Robert J. Brosbe '76 Barry J. Hostetter '78 '88 John W. Tomlinson '58 Caroline E. Buckley '19 Douglas C. Hovey '95 Carol (Parker) McMillin '85 Samuel C. Totaro Jr. '69 John H. Buzby '76 Edward T. Hovick '84 Kelsey M. McNeely '05 Robert E. Trout '95 Bithiah (Wu) Chin '79 Scott W. Hoyer '71 Lilly M. McQueen '19 Robert R. Tucci '78 Walter R. Christ '59 Joel D. Ignatin '61 Mehran Mehrabi '96 Carmelina (Staino) Tyler '09 Monica (Jushchyshyn) Chu '98 Thomas A. Inglin '79 Ingrid K. Meier '84 Nathan C. Uber '04 Jeanne (Johnston) Cias '68 V. Michael Injaian '75 William J. Miller III* '65 Mary Ann (Findeisen) Upton Janet (Stewart) Claman '57 John E. Innes* '60 Ralph S. Milner '68 '63 Elizabeth (Williams) Clemens Thomas J. Isban '79 Eugene T. Morita '58 Nancy (Kiefer) Van Saun* '68 ‘78 Sonya Jacobsen '19 Louis G. Mueller Jr. '15 William A. Van Saun '68 Robert J. Clemens '77 Elsa M. Janle '63 Mary Kate (McCrea) Nolan '14 Virginia (Rossnagel) Vukas '79 Reed A. Coats '91 Jessica (Sarver) Johnson '09 William A. Norcross '70 Charles G. Wade '60 David J. Conn '63 Jean (Caton) Johnston '47 Charles J. Odgers IV '88 Jacqueline (Priester) Wall '53 Kenneth B. Conner '64 Benjamin L. Jumper '15 Kurt G. Olson '76 Wendy J. Wallace '83 Judith A. Crawford '78 John C. Kapeghian '74 Phillip M. Palmer '94 Michael J. Weisner '78 John Dao '13 Brendan D. Kelly '04 Phyllis L. Panzeter '82 C. Ross Westley '58 Joseph M. DeSimone '86 Tatiana (Kononov) Kelly '94 Donald E. Parlee '55 John L. Wieczorek '14 Donald G. Devonshire '53 Keith S. Kemper '79 Joan (Bradley) Parlee '57 Gerald R. Williams Jr. '80 Elizabeth Aurora DeWitt '19 Jeffrey P. Kenton '85 Priya P. Patel '08 David G. Wilson '86 David M. Dickson Jr. '57 Zachary D. Klock '13 Wayne E. Pearson '50 Barbara (Gattiker) Wood '61 Martin L. Dresner '61 Georgia (Brenner) Koenig '66 Robert Poole '49 Mark B. Woodland '80 Katie (Shearer) Druckenmiller Sarah (Mills) Koenig '55 Jerold H. Price '58 Sophia E. Worthington-Kirsch '02 Norman R. Kolb '78 Joseph M. Prospero '56 '19 Carolyn (Forry) Eckert '60 Karl M. Kraus '78 Jeffrey R. Quay '81 Julian J. Wright '08 Lucyann (Metcalf) Ennis '63 Ronald W. Kreis '64 Charles W. Reid Jr. '58 Ryan M. Zeitzer '16 Judith (Adams) Feig '59 Martha (Bean) Kriebel '56 Susan (Esterly) Reidy '72 Karen (Wanner) Zelley '67 Rodger A. Ferguson Jr. '83 Jacqueline Kroschwitz '64 Janel (Reppert) Rice '00 Lee S. Zelley '65 Michael L. Fetterolf '79 Carl J. Kuebler '85 Michelle Richards-Babb '86 Robert G. Fisher '53 Jake C. Lachowicz '19 Henry Richmond '60 William A. Foss '18 Eric S. Lambright '91 Warren L. Robinson Jr. '74 Alexander J. Frey '07 Jeffrey E. Landau '12 Donald J. Romanik '65 Willis G. Frick '69 William T. Lavell '77 Joseph H. Rosen '55 Adam W. Friend '19 Robert B. Leman '69 Helen (Derewianka) Ross '48 Nathan S. Fritzinger '18 Christina M. Lippe '10 Yolanda F. Roth Moyer '71 * Denotes deceased
13 www.ursinus.edu Ursinus College — Department of Chemistry
Alumni News Nicholas A. Abidi, M.D. ‘86 is a sports medicine physician and orthopedic surgeon and total joint replace- ment specialist with OrthoNorCal in California. Dr. Abidi is also a consulting team physician for the Univer- sity of California, Santa Cruz ,Cabrillo College, Aptos High School and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Matthew Muscara ‘09 is now living in Las Vegas, NV, where he is a medical doctor practicing pathology for the US Air Force at Nellis Air Force Base and was recently promoted to major. Jacquelyn Rothera ‘99 (née Hickey) began her 19th year in education in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District, serving as an assistant principal at Valley Forge Middle School in Wayne, PA. She received her EdD in education administration from Temple University in 2015. Jacquelyn is involved in her communi- ty by serving with the Chester County Women’s Commission, Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region, the Junior League of Philadelphia, and the Rose Tree Pops Orchestra. Use the link in the last page of this newsletter to send us your updates and news to share.
Homecoming and Family Weekend Events Ursinus College will celebrate Homecoming and Family Weekend from September 20-21, 2019. Join faculty, staff, and students from the Chemistry Department as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of both Ursinus and the Periodic Table of the Elements with our very own Periodic Table of Elements Celebration and Reception at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 20th in the lobby of the Innovation and Discovery Center. We will formally dedicate our very own Period- ic Table, which is now installed in the south courtyard of the Innova- tion and Discover Center. Arrive early and stop by Chemistry Tea in Pfahler Hall 202 beginning at 3:30 p.m. For more information and a full schedule of events, click here.
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Facebook: Search for Ursinus College Chemistry Department and join the group. LinkedIn: Search for the group Ursinus College Chemistry Department and ask to join. Get connected and stay in touch with the department!
o you know of an internship or job opportunity at your company? Can you offer a medical shadowing opportunity D to a student? Would you like to host a student in your workplace for 3-5 days of job shadowing during winter break? Are you willing to read a current student’s resume and give some pointers? Reach out to Career and Post- Graduate Development if you would like to discuss ways through which you can share your experience and advice with current students! Alumni looking to “Hire a Bear” can access Handshake HERE. Alumni job seekers are encouraged to use Handshake to search for opportunities related to their interests. There are a number of positions in Handshake which are suitable for recent graduates and alumni with experience/advanced degrees”.
14 www.ursinus.edu Ursinus College — Department of Chemistry
2019 Chemistry Graduates Department of Chemistry This year talented seniors graduated and Pfahler Hall began the next phase of their lives. Faculty Yusef Ahmed will be attending the Mark Ellison, Professor graduate program at UC Davis. Brian Pfennig, Assistant Professor
Julia Dorsheimer was awarded an NSF Amanda Reig, Associate Professor & Chair Graduate Research Fellowship and will Victor Tortorelli, Professor be attending Columbia University’s Ph.D. program in organic chemistry. Ryan Walvoord, Assistant Professor
Sarah Snider-Leonhauser will be attend- Eric Williamsen, Associate Professor ing Acadia University. Samantha Wilner, Assistant Professor Sophia Worthington-Kirsch is returning Staff for a post-baccalaureate semester to stu- Monica Giancarlo, Admin. Assistant dent teach. Matthew Zrada, Stockroom Manager
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Ursinus College, P.O. Box 1000, 601 E. Main Street, Collegeville, PA 19426
15 www.ursinus.edu