Research + Education + Public Policy = Change Economic Development, the Environment, Public Policy
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ChemNews Department of Chemistry Newsletter Winter 2011 Research + Education + Public Policy = Change Economic development, the environment, public policy, Associate Professor David Blank is one of the cre- education, and scientific discovery form the foundation of ators of Energy and U, a Department of Chemistry outreach program. the Center for Sustainable Polymers’ mission. he Center for Sustainable Poly- Today’s mers (CSP) is a unique integra- Ttion of science, technology, and public policy initiatives aimed at reducing scientists the use of finite fossil fuel reserves for the creation of polymers (plastics). reach out In addition to advancing cutting-edge polymer research at the University of Minnesota, the center’s mission encom- to the next passes forming partnerships with indus- tries, teaching students about sustainable generation materials, and educating and engaging the public. Science is fun, interesting, and Sustainable Polymers: To Page 8 important—and something that you, too, can do! hose are the central themes of the n n n what’s inside Department of Chemistry’s out- T Our alumni: Where are they now? Page 3 reach programs, which reach thousands of young people and their parents and Online chemistry course Page 4 teachers each year. Faculty honors and awards Page 10 Outreach: To Page 6 n n n message from the chair Reflecting on our roles, our past, our future As the newly named College of Science & Engineering celebrates its 75th anniversary, it is a good time to reflect on the central role that the Department of Chemistry has played in the history of the college and the university. hroughout that rich and long history, our faculty, nesota State Fair, which was Tstaff, and students have pushed the forefront of seen by tens of thousands of scientific research, provided in-depth and comprehensive visitors. instruction to literally hundreds of thousands of students, • New outreach efforts further and have had an impact on the lives of countless citizens. our commitment to public We are proud of what we have accomplished, and excited education, as illustrated by the about continuing our work as a flagship department in the successful “Energy and U” College of Science & Engineering and the University of show seen by thousands of Minnesota. K-12 students. As we begin the new year, it’s the perfect time to contem- • A number of recent awards plate how we can change and improve. You can read about to our faculty recognize their Chair William Tolman some of those changes in the articles featured in this newly excellence in research and designed newsletter. Highlights include the following: teaching. • A new online course for introductory chemistry was suc- Other changes in the department include the retirements cessfully implemented last year, and is now undergoing of two longtime staff members, Joan Beed and Sheryl refinement. Such educational initiatives play an important Frankel, whose contributions over the years are greatly role in college-wide efforts to assess the pros and cons appreciated. Two new staff positions have been created of online learning. and filled. Lori-Anne Williams is our new grants coordina- • We introduced the new Center for Sustainable Poly- tor, and is streamlining and overseeing the submission of mers, which was established with seed funding from the grant proposals in support of cutting-edge research. Eileen Institute for Renewable Energy and the Environment. Harvala has joined us as communications coordinator and In addition to carrying out exciting research aimed at has taken on the task of rejuvenating our web presence developing new renewable polymers from plants, center and this newsletter. Do let us know what you think, and participants designed a major display for this year’s Min- keep in touch! The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity Stay in Touch ChemNews and employer. Winter 2011 Visit our website at Department of Chemistry Chair William Tolman The University’s mission, carried out on multiple cam- http://www.chem.umn.edu ChemNews Writer/Editor/Designer Eileen Harvala puses and throughout the state, is threefold: research Department of Chemistry and discovery, teaching and learning, and outreach College of Science & Engineering and public service. Join our Facebook group University of Minnesota Smith Hall © 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All 207 Pleasant Street, S.E. Follow us at Twitter rights reserved. Minneapolis, MN 55455 This publication/material is available in alternative for- Join the Chemistry mats upon request. Direct requests to Eileen Harvala, Department group Department of Chemistry, 612-624-0831, [email protected]. on LinkedIn Page 2 ChemNews Winter 2011 www.chem.umn.edu n n n our alumni—where are they now? Welcome to “Where are They Now?”, which features alumni reflections on their current work and their experiences in the Department of Chemistry. Read more alumni Where are They Now? stories on our website at http://www.chem.umn.edu. Ed Huttlin, Ph D medical school to graduate school and have pursued a career in biomedi- Current position: Postdoctoral fellow, cal research. The experience and confidence I gained as an undergradu- Harvard Medical School Department of ate researcher provided a strong foundation for my subsequent research Cell Biology endeavors. Education: bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 2003; Simon K Shannon, Ph D doctorate in biochemistry from the Univer- Current position: Supervisor for Coat- sity of Wisconsin, Madison, in 2008 ings Research, Corning Inc., organic University of Minnesota research: Un- and biochemical technologies research dergraduate research under the tutelage of group Professor Michael Bowser Education: doctorate from the Univer- Work highlights: My research has focused on characterizing the sity of Minnesota (organic chemistry thousands of proteins present in biological systems and understand- major) in 2003 ing the roles that those proteins play in health and disease. University of Minnesota research: Simon with his wife, Bridgette, What from your experiences in the Department of Chemistry As a graduate research assistant (1998- Ph.D., who is also a chemist at Corn- ing, and their son, D’Engelo “DJ”. prepared you for what you currently are doing?: 2003), I worked on the development They live in Horseheads, NY. Many courses, from Pro- of solid-phase backbone amide linker fessor William Tolman’s “Most importantly, I strategies for the synthesis of lidocaine and procainamide combinato- honors introductory rial libraries (antiarrhythmic and local anesthetic drugs). I developed chemistry to Professor discovered, firsthand, that new quantitative and colorimetric methods for monitoring aldehydes on George Barany’s organic scientific research is a solid-phase, and designed alternative linker strategies for mild solid-phase chemistry lectures and synthesis of C-terminal modified peptides, cyclic peptides, and other creative endeavor and Professor Gianluigi Veg- amide-containing small molecules. lia’s graduate-level course that I, personally, enjoyed Work highlights: I am responsible for leading a group of scientists and on enzyme mechanisms, the daily challenges it technicians involved in the development of surface chemistry and coat- prepared me well for a ings for life sciences, environmental, and display technologies. research career. Without provides.” What from your experiences in the Department of Chemistry pre- a doubt, the single most pared you for what you currently are doing?: important experience was Through the McNair Scholars participating in undergraduate research and completing an honors Program, I had my first intro- “I have used the same thesis in the lab of Professor Michael Bowser. ductions to the chemistry de- Early in my undergraduate career, I was interested in the medi- partment working in the lab training and skills in my cal applications of biology and chemistry, but was otherwise unsure of Professor George Barany. previous and current of my career aspirations. Eventually, I started working in Profes- I gained experience with tech- roles.” sor Bowser’s lab on a project that blended analytical chemistry with nical writing and presenting. I biomedical science. Our goal was to study a nitric oxide molecule, got initial exposure to teach- which is produced in the brain and acts as a chemical messenger that ing. I learned how to build a participates in key aspects of memory and cognition. Because nitric network that eventually led to acceptance in the University of Minnesota oxide is a highly reactive gas, it is challenging to measure directly. graduate program. As a graduate student in Dr. Barany’s group, I was So, we set out to test a new method for detecting and quantifying groomed to be an organic chemist. During my time in graduate school, I nitric oxide using fluorescence. I was fortunate to pursue this as an became a leader; I was exposed to international travel and research confer- independent research project, working closely with Professor Bowser, ences; and I built a professional network of research scientists with similar and learning, in the process, how to conduct scientific research from goals and ideals as mine. initial planning through writing and defending my work before my Send your Where are They Now? submissions to Eileen Harvala at thesis committee. Based on this experience, I shifted my sights from [email protected]. Read more stories at http://www.chem.umn.edu. www.chem.umn.edu Winter 2011 ChemNews Page 3 Creation of successful online course not an easy task Time, energy, creativity, and personal commitment are keys to the success of the Department of Chemistry’s only online course. ransforming a course from the traditional classroom to online is Ta difficult task; however, General Chemistry Director Michelle Driessen has succeeded in delivering a rigorous, rewarding course to students. Transformation The challenges of translating a lec- ture course to an online version forced Driessen to think creatively about course design, to be intentional about what she wanted to convey in online lectures, and to create or enhance instructional support systems for students.