Author Archive

James Cizdziel

Posted on: July 18th, 2019 by nhammer

Interim Coordinator of Forensic Chemistry
Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry

380 Coulter Hall
662-915-1814  |  cizdziel@olemiss.edu

James Cizdziel, Associate Professor of Chemistry

James Cizdziel, Associate Professor of Chemistry

EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
B.S., State University of New York at Buffalo, 1991
Ph.D., University of Nevada Reno, 1998
National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow, US EPA, National Exposure Research Laboratory, 1998-2000
Senior Chemist, Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 2000-2005
Associate Research Professor, UNLV, 2005-2008
Assistant Professor, University of Mississippi, 2008-2015
Associate Professor, University of Mississippi, 2015-present

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Analytical chemistry, environmental chemistry, forensic chemistry, biogeochemical cycling of mercury, environmental radioactivity, environmental monitoring and fingerprinting, analytical method development

RESEARCH SUMMARY
My research interests are in the area of analytical, environmental, and forensic chemistry. I am particularly interested in environmental monitoring and fingerprinting using isotope based methods. What counts in science is novelty. To that end, we enjoy developing new measurement techniques or applying standard techniques in novel ways. Listed below are some examples of the type of research that you may pursue if you were to join my group. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss these and other research possibilities with you as you decide whether to pursue graduate education in chemistry at Ole Miss.

Trace Elemental Analysis. I am interested in studying the behavior of trace elements (both stable and radioactive) in the environment. This sometimes involves developing novel analytical methods for measurement of the element or forms of the element (speciation). One of the methods we employ involves direct elemental and isotopic analyses of environmental or biological samples using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). This allows us to map the elemental distribution in, for example, tree rings, thin sections of brain tissue, glass shards, paint chips, fish otiliths, leaves, etc. Current research projects in this area include in-situ elemental analysis of leaves, herbal supplements, and biological shells, and the analysis of human hair and animal fur for metals. Future work may include environmental fate and transformation of nanoparticles, and evaluating metal redistribution in soils and biological uptake resulting from invertebrate burrowing, among others.

Mercury. Mercury (Hg) has probably the most complex biogeochemical cycle among the elements. Because of its tendency to bioconcentrate in food chains in the form of methyl-Hg and cause detrimental human health and ecological effects, it continues to be a hot button issue and a priority pollutant. Indeed, Hg is responsible for the most fish consumption advisories in the nation due to elevated Hg levels in fish flesh. This includes reservoirs in northern Mississippi nearby our campus. Current research projects in this area include the distribution and cycling of Hg in the Yocona River Watershed and development of a combustion-CVAFS system for Hg analyses. Future research projects may include, addressing spatial and dry deposition data gaps in Hg cycling chemistry models, evaluating Hg release characteristics from compact fluorescent lamps, environmental forensic investigations of Hg using high precision isotope measurements, and using mosquitoes as bio-indicators methyl-Hg accumulation in food webs, among others.

From the above examples and the select publications listed below you can get a sense of the type of research my group conducts. The studies often include a combination of method development and field experiments that serve to provide much needed quality data to address current hype on an issue or to increase understanding of natural phenomena. My experience and expertise in environmental and analytical chemistry offers opportunities for students to apply chemical principles to understand environmental problems, the first crucial step in solving them.

Instrumentation. Our research laboratory is well-equipped for trace elemental and isotopic analysis. It includes a high resolution ICP-MS (Element-XR), a quadrupole-ICP-MS (X-Series 2), a laser ablation system (UP-213 New Wave), an ICP-OES (Perkin Elmer Optima 2100), a microwave digestion system (Milestone Ethos EZ), a cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometer (Tekran 2600), a direct mercury analyzer (DMA-80 Milestone), an automated MeHg analysis system, airborne mercury speciation equipment, and clean-room facilities. We also have access to a variety of other instruments commonly found in Chemistry Departments such as GC/MS, NMR, XRF, FT-IR, and IRMS.

ICP-MS Facility. We are fortunate to have a new state-of-the-art ICP-MS facility housed in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. ICP-MS is a sensitive multi-element technique which provides a powerful analytical tool for trace elemental and isotope analysis. It is used in a wide-variety of environmental, biological, medical, forensic, geological and archaelogical studies. For more information, see the instrumentation section below and visit our website at: https://www.olemiss.edu/depts/chemistry/icp-ms/index.html

COURSES. Quantitative Analysis (CHEM 314); Introduction to Instrumental Analysis (CHEM 469); Advanced Instrumental Analysis (CHEM 512); Applied Spectroscopy (CHEM 563); Environmental Forensics (CHEM 615); Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (CHEM 615)

RECENT GRANTS

“Assessing Microplastic Pollution in the Mississippi River System and at Oyster Reefs in the Mississippi Sound Estuary” National Water Resources Institute (2018-2021).

“Physical and Chemical Trace Evidence from 3D-Printed Firearms”; National Institute of Justice (2018-2021).

“Microplastics in the Mississippi River and Mississippi Sound: concentrations, sources, sizes, types, and loadings to the northern Gulf of Mexico”; Water Resource Research Institute and the USGS (2018-2019). 

PUBLICATIONS

  1. Scircle A., Cizdziel J.* (in review) “Occurrence of microplastic pollution at oyster reefs impacted by freshwater inflows in the Mississippi Sound, USA.” Toxics

 

  1. Jeon B., Cizdziel J.* (in review) “Determination of metals in tree rings by ICP-MS using ash from a direct mercury analyzer” Molecules

 

  1. Scircle A., Missling K., Cizdziel J.* (2020) “Single-Pot Method for Collection and Preparation of Natural Water for Microplastic Analyses: Microplastics in the Mississippi River System During and After Historic Flooding in 2019” Environ Toxicol Chem. https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.4698

 

  1. Li R., Liu Y., Sheng Y., Xiang Q., Zhou Y., Cizdziel J. (2020) “Effect of prothioconazole on the degradation of microplastics derived from mulching plastic film: apparent change and interaction with heavy metals in soil”, Environ Poll. 260:113988. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.113988

 

  1. Jeon B., Scircle A., Cizdziel J.*, Chen J., Black O., Wallace D., Zhou Y., Lepak R., Hurley J. (2020) “Historical deposition of trace metals in a marine sapropel from Mangrove Lake, Bermuda with emphasis on mercury, lead, and their isotopic composition”, J. Soils Sediments 20(4), 2266-2276. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-020-02567-6

 

  1. Gao Z., Cai L., Liu M., Zhang Z., Gao B., Zhao W., Cizdziel J., Chen L. (2019) “Total mercury and methylmercury migration and transformation in an A2/O Wastewater Treatment Plant” Sci. Tot. Environ. 710: 136384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136384

 

  1. Albakain R., Al-Degs Y., Cizdziel J., Elshohly M. (2019) “Comprehensive classification of USA cannabis samples based on chemical profiles of major cannabinoids and terpenoids”, (18 Dec. 2019) J. Liq. Chrom. & Related Technol. 43: (5-6) 172-184. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826076.2019.1701015

 

  1. Scircle A. and Cizdziel J.* “Detecting and Quantifying Microplastics in Bottled Water using Fluorescence Microscopy: A New Experiment for Instrumental Analysis and Environmental Chemistry Courses”, J. Chem. Ed. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00593

 

  1. Jeon B. and Cizdziel J.* (2019) “Can the MerPAS Passive Air Sampler Discriminate Landscape, Seasonal, and Elevation Effects on Atmospheric Mercury? A Feasibility Study in Mississippi, USA”, Atmosphere 10: 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10100617.

 

  1. Yu J., Wang P., Ni F., Cizdziel J., Wu D., Zhao Q., Zhou Y. (2019) Characterization of microplastics in environmental samples by thermal gravimetric analysis coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy” Mar. Poll. Bull. 145: 153-160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.05.037

 

  1. Cizdziel J.*, Jiang Y., Nallamothu D. Brewer J.S., Gao Z. (2019) “Air/surface exchange of gaseous elemental mercury at different landscapes in Mississippi, USA”, Atmosphere 10(9): 53 https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos10090538.

 

  1. Black O., Cizdziel J.*, The advent of 3D-printed firearms and its implications for forensic analyses. In Forensic Analysis of Gunshot Residue, 3D-Printed Firearms, and Gunshot Injuries, 2019, Cizdziel J. & Black O. (Eds), Nova Science Publishers Inc., NY, pp. 55-74.

 

  1. Spencer C., Robert A.E., Black O., Roy S., Cizdziel J., Godfrey M., “Evaluation of fingerprint development techniques on 3D-printed firearms”, In Forensic Analysis of Gunshot Residue, 3D-Printed Firearms, and Gunshot Injuries, 2019, Cizdziel J. & Black O. (Eds), Nova Science Publishers Inc., NY, pp. 75-92.

 

  1. Orr S, Barnes M, George H, Joshee L, Jeon B, Black O, Cizdziel J, Smith B, Bridges C (2018) Exposure to mixtures of mercury, cadmium, lead, and arsenic alters the disposition of single metals in tissues of Wistar rats. J. of Toxic. and Environ. Health, Part A. 81 (24) 1246-1256. https://doi.org/10.1080/15287394.2018.1551164

 

  1. Reddy K., Cizdziel J., Williams M., Maul J., Rimando A., Duke S. (2018) “Glyphosate Resistance Technology Has Minimal or No Effect on Maize Mineral Content and Yield” J. Agric. Food Chem., 66 (39) 10139-10146. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.8b01655

 

  1. Chen J., Scircle A., Black O., Cizdziel J.*, Watson N., Wevill D., Zhou Y. (2018) “On the use of multicopters for sampling and analysis of volatile organic compounds in the air by adsorption / thermal desorption GC-MS” Air Qual., Atmosphere & Health, 11:835-842. DOI: 10.1007/s11869-018-1588-y.

 

  1. Black O., Chen J., Scircle A., Zhou Y., Cizdziel J.* (2018) “Adaption and use a quadcopter for targeted sampling of gaseous mercury in the atmosphere” Environ Sci and Poll Res, 25:13195-13202. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-1775-7.

 

  1. Bu K., Freile D., Cizdziel J. Sidhu V., Duzgoren-Aydin N. (2018) “Geochemical Characteristics of Soils on Ellis Island, New York-New Jersey: Sixty Years After the Abandonment of the Hospital Complex” Geosciences, 8(1):13 https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8010013

 

 

  1. Black O., Cody R., Edwards D., Cizdziel J.* (2017) “Identification of Polymers and Organic Gunshot Residue in Evidence from 3D-Printed Firearms using DART-Mass Spectrometry: A Feasibility Study”, J. Forensic Chem., 5:26-32.

 

  1. Duke S., Rimando A., Reddy K., Cizdziel J., Bellaloui N., Williams M., Maulf J. (2017) “Lack of transgene and glyphosate effects on mineral nutrition and amino acid content of glyphosate-resistant soybean” Pest Management Sci. DOI: 10.1002/ps.4625

 

  1. Bussan D., Ochs C., Jackson C., Anumol T., Snyder S., Cizdziel J.* (2017) “Concentrations of select dissolved trace elements and anthropogenic organic compounds in the Mississippi River and major tributaries during the summer of 2012 and 2013” Environ. Monitor. & Assess., 189:73-90.

 

  1. Wolff S., Brown G., Chen J., Meals K., Thornton C., Brewer S., Cizdziel J.,* Willett K. (2016) “Mercury Concentrations in Fish from Three Major Lakes in North Mississippi: Spatial and Temporal Differences and Human Health Risk Assessment”, Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A. 79(20):894-904. https://doi.org/10.1080/15287394.2016.1194792

 

  1. Plukiene R., Plukis A., Puzas A., Gvozdzite R., Barkauskas G., Cizdziel J. Bussan D., Remeikis V (2016) Actinides input to the dose in the irradiated graphite of RBMK-1500 reactor”, Nuclear Engineering and Design, 300:530-53.

 

  1. Bussan D., Sessums R., Cizdziel J.* (2016) “Activated carbon and biochar reduce mercury methylation potentials in aquatic sediments”, Bull. Environ Contam Toxicol. 96(4): 536-539.

 

  1. Bussan D., Sessums R., Cizdziel J.* (2015) “Direct mercury analysis in environmental solids by ICP-MS with on-line sample ashing and mercury preconcentration using a direct mercury analyzer”, J. Anal. Atom. Spec., 30:1668-1672 https://doi.org/10.1039/C8JA00009C

 

  1. Chen J., Chakravarty P., Davidson G., Wren D., Locke M., Zhou Y., Cizdziel J.* (2015) “Simultaneous Determination of Mercury and Organic Carbon using a Direct Mercury Analyzer based on Thermal Decomposition – Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry” Anal. Chim. Acta., 871:9-17 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2015.03.011

 

  1. Hawkins A.D., Thornton C., Kennedy A.J., Bu K., Cizdziel J., Jones B.W., Steevens J.A., Willett K.L. (2015) “Gill Histopathologies following exposure to nanosilver or silver nitrate” J. Toxicol & Environ. Health Part A, 78:301-315.

 

  1. Reidy L., Williams, R., Bussan D., Brewer S., Cizdziel J.* (2014) “Elemental fingerprinting of gypsum drywall using sector field ICP-MS and multivariate statistics” Int. J. Environ. Anal. Chem., 94:1273-1287.

 

  1. Hawkins A., Bednar A., Cizdziel J., Bu K., Steevens J., Willett K. (2014) “Identification of silver nanoparticles in Pimephales promelas gastrointestinal tract and gill tissues using flow field flow ICP-MS”, RSC Advances, 4:41277-41280.

 

  1. Lu D., Cizdziel J.*, Yi J., White L., Reddy R. (2014) “Numerical Simulation of Atmospheric Mercury in the Mid-South USA”, Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health, 7:525-540.

 

  1. Brown G., Sleeper K., Johnson M., Blum J., Cizdziel J.* (2013) Mercury concentrations, speciation, and isotopic composition in sediment from a cold seep in the northern Gulf of Mexico, Marine Pollution Bulletin 77:308-314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.09.030

 

  1. Reidy L., Bu K., Godfrey M., Cizdziel J.* (2013) “Elemental fingerprinting of soils using ICPMS and multivariate statistics: A study for and by forensic chemistry majors”, Forensic Science International 233:37-44.

 

  1. Yi J., Cizdziel J.*, Lu D. (2013) “Temporal patterns of atmospheric mercury species in northern Mississippi during 2011-2012: influence of sudden population swings”, Chemosphere 93(9): 1694-1700.

 

  1. Gremillion P., Hermosillo E., Sweat K., Cizdziel J. (2013) “Variations in mercury concentration within and across Xanthoparmelia spp individuals: Implications for evaluating histories of contaminant loading and data interpretation”, Environmental Chem. 10(5): 395-402. https://doi.org/10.1071/EN13053

 

  1. Cizdziel J.*, Dempsey S., Halbrook R. (2013) “Preliminary evaluation of the use of homing pigeons as biomonitors of mercury in urban areas of the USA and China”, Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 90:302-307. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-012-0918-y

 

  1. Nowinski P., Hodge V., Gerstenberger S., and Cizdziel J. (2013) “Analysis of mercury in rock varnish samples in areas impacted by coal-fired power plants”, Environmental Pollution 179:132-137.

 

  1. Bu K., Dasher D., Cizdziel J.* (2013) “Plutonium concentration and 240Pu/239Pu atom ratio in biota collected from Amchitka Island, Alaska: Recent measurements using ICP-SFMS”, Environ. Radioactivity 124:29-36.

 

  1. Bu K., Russ J., Cizdziel J. (2013) “The source of iron-oxide pigments used in Pecos River style rock paints”, Archeometry (16 Jan. 2013). https://doi/10.1111/arcm.12011

 

  1. Davidson G.R., Rigby J.R., Pennington D., Cizdziel J. (2013) “Aqueous chemistry of sand-boil discharge used to trace variable pathways of seepage beneath levees during the 2011 Mississippi River flood” Applied Geochemistry 28: 62-68.

 

  1. Bu K., Reidy L. and Cizdziel J.* (2013) “Analysis of Herbal Supplements for Selected Dietary Minerals and Trace Elements by Laser Ablation- and Solution-Based ICPMS”, Microchemical Journal 106: 244-249.

 

  1. Duke S., Reddy K, Bu K., and Cizdziel J. (2012) “Effects of Glyphosate on the Mineral Content of Glyphosate-Resistant Soybeans (Glycine max)”, J. Agric. Food Chem., 60 (27), pp 6764–6771.

 

  1. K. Drace, A. Kiefer, M. Veiga, M. Williams, B. Ascari, K. Knapper, K. Logan, V. Breslin, A. Skidmore, D. Bolt, G. Geist, Lorlyn Reidy, Cizdziel, J, “Mercury-free, small-scale artisanal gold mining in Mozambique: Utilization of magnets to isolate gold at clean tech mine”, J. of Cleaner Production, 29 March 2012 (10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.03.022).

 

  1. Russ J., Bu K., Hamrick J., Cizdziel J. (2012) “Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Lower Pecos Rock Paints and Possible Pigment Sources” in Collaborative Endeavors in the Chemical Analysis of Art and Cultural Heritage Materials, ACS Symposium Series, Vol. 1103, Ch 5, pp 91–121 (DOI: 10.1021/bk-2012-1103.ch005).

 

  1. Cizdziel J.*, Bu X., Nowinski P. (2011) “Determination of elements in situ in green leaves by laser ablation ICP-MS using pressed reference materials for calibration”, Analytical Methods 4: 564-569.

 

  1. Cizdziel J.*, Jiang Y. (2011) “Concentrations of Gaseous Elemental Mercury in Ambient Air within an Academic Chemistry Building”, Bull. Environ Contam Toxicol 86:419–422.

 

  1. Cizdziel, J.* (2011) “Mercury in Environmental and Biological Samples Using Online Combustion with Sequential Atomic Absorption and Fluorescence Measurements: A Direct Comparison of Two Fundamental Techniques in Spectrometry”, Journal of Chemical Education Vol. 88, 2:209-215.

 

  1. Nowinski P., Hodge V., Cizdziel J., Lindley K. (2011) “Rock varnish: a passive forensic tool for monitoring recent air pollution and source identification”, Nuclear Technology, 175:351-359. https://doi.org/10.1021/ed100054j

 

  1. Nowinski P., Hodge V., Lindley K., Cizdziel J. (2010) “Elemental Analysis of Desert Varnish Samples in the Vicinity of Coal- Fired Power Plants and the Nevada Test Site Using Laser Ablation ICPMS”, The Open Chemical and Biomedical Methods Journal, 3: 153-168.

 

  1. Gamage S.V., Hodge V.F., Cizdziel J., Lindley K. (2010) “Determination of Vanadium (IV) and (V) in Southern Nevada Groundwater by Ion Chromatography-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry”, The Open Chemical and Biomedical Methods Journal, 3, 10-17.

 

  1. Cizdziel, J.* and Chen, W.-Y. (2010) Chapter 2, GC/MS for Combustion and Pyrolysis Research in Handbook of Combustion Vol 2: Combustion, Diagnostics and Pollutants (Eds M. Lackner, F. Winter and A.K. Agarwal) Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, pp. 51 – 74.

 

  1. Cizdziel J.*, Brown G., Tolbert C. (2010) “Direct analysis of environmental and biological samples for total Hg with comparison of sequential atomic absorption and fluorescence measurements from a single combustion event”, Spectrochemica Acta Part B,65:176-180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sab.2009.12.002

 

  1. Panta Y., Qian S., Cizdziel J.*, Cross C. (2008) “Mercury content of whole cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco packets by pyrolysis atomic absorption spectrometry with gold amalgamation”, Journal of Analytical and Applied Pyrolysis, 83:7-11.

 

  1. Cizdziel J.*, Wei Y., Stetzenbach K., Hodge V., Cline J., Howley R., Phillips F. (2008) “Recent Measurements of Chlorine-36 in Yucca Mountain Rock, Soil, and Seepage” Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 275: 133-144.

 

  1. Cizdziel J.*, Ketterer M.E, Farmer D., Faller S., Hodge V., (2008) “239Pu-240Pu-241Pu fingerprinting of plutonium in western US soils using ICPMS: solution and laser ablation measurements”, Special Issue: Stable Isotopes in Analytical Chemistry, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 390:521-530.

 

  1. Cizdziel J*., Guo C., Yu Z., Steinberg S., Johannesson, K. (2008) “Chemical and Colloidal Analyses of Natural Seep Water Collected from the Exploratory Studies Facility inside Yucca Mountain, USA”, Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 30:31-44.

 

  1. Cizdziel J.* (2007) “Determination of lead in blood by laser ablation ICP-TOF-MS analysis of blood spotted and dried on filter paper: a feasibility study”, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 388:603-611

 

  1. Pollard J., Cizdziel J*, Stave K., Reid M. (2007) “Selenium Concentrations in Water and Plant Tissues of a Newly Formed Arid Wetland in Las Vegas, Nevada”. Journal of Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 135:447-457.

 

  1. Gremillion P., Cizdziel J.*, (2005) “Caudal fin mercury as a predictor of fish-muscle mercury”, Environ Chem. 2:96-99.

 

  1. Cizdziel J.*, Zhou, X. (2005) “Sources and concentrations of Hg and Se in compartments within the Las Vegas Wash during a period of rapid change” Environ Monitoring & Assess 107:81-99.

 

  1. Cizdziel J., Farmer D., Hodge V., Lindley K., Stetzenbach K. (2005) “234U/238U isotope ratios in springs and groundwater from southern Nevada: a comparison of alpha counting and magnetic sector ICP-MS”, Science of the Total Environment 350:248-260.

       

  1. Kimura H, Azmy K, Yamamuro M, Zhi-Wen J, Cizdziel J. (2005) “Integrated stratigraphy of the upper Neoproterozoic succession in Yunnan Province of South China: re-evaluation of global correlation and carbon cycle”, Precambrian Research 138:1-36.

       

  1. Cizdziel J.*, Gerstenberger S. (2004) “Determination of total mercury in human hair and animal fur by combustion atomic absorption spectrometry” Talanta 64: 918-921.

       

  1. Cizdziel J.* (2004) “Mercury concentrations in groundwater collected from wells on and near the Nevada Test Site”, Bulletin of Environ. Contamination and Toxicology 72:202-210.

       

  1. 7. Cizdziel*, Pollard J., Hinners T., Cross C. (2003) “Distribution of mercury in the tissues of five species of freshwater fish from Lake Mead, U.S.A.”, Journal of Environ. Monitor. 5:1-8.

       

  1. Turner M., Rudin M., Cizdziel J., Hodge V. (2003) “Excess plutonium in soils near the Nevada Test Site, U.S.A.” Environ. Pollut. 125: 193-203.

       

  1. Cizdziel J.*, Pollard J., Hinners T., Heithmar E., Cross C. (2002) “Mercury concentrations in fish from Lake Mead related to fish size, condition, trophic level, location and consumption risk”, Archives of Environ.Contamination and Toxicol. 43: 309-317.

       

  1. Cizdziel J.*, Hinners T. Heithmar E. (2002) “Determination of total Hg in fish tissues using combustion atomic absorption spectrometry with gold amalgamation”, Water Air Soil Pollut. 135: 357-372.

       

  1. Cizdziel J.*, Hodge V. (2000) “Attics as archives for house infiltrating pollutants: trace elements and pesticides in attic dust and soil from southern Nevada and Utah,” Microchemical J., 64, 85-92.

       

  1. Cizdziel J.*, Hodge V., Faller S. (1999). “Resolving Nevada Test Site and global fallout plutonium using 137Cs/239+240Pu activity ratios,” Health Physics, Vol. 77, No. 1, 67-75.

       

  1. Cizdziel J.*, Hodge V., Faller S. (1998). “Plutonium anomalies in attic dust and soil at locations surrounding the Nevada Test Site,” Chemosphere, Vol. 37, No. 6, 1157-1168.

 

Sujay Ray

Posted on: July 8th, 2019 by nhammer
Sujay Ray, Assistant Professor

Sujay Ray, Assistant Professor

Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry

office: 452 Coulter Hall
phone: 662-915-1939
email: sray1@olemiss.edu

EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

B.S., Calcutta University, India, 2005-2007
M.S., Indian Institute of Technology, India, 2007-2009
Ph.D., Kent State University, 2009-2015
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Michigan, 2015-2020
Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University, 2020-2022
Sen. Research Assistant, University of Michigan, 2022-2024
Assistant Professor, University of Mississippi, 2024-present

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Nucleic acid-protein interaction in context of cellular stress response, DNA/RNA- nano structures, Molecular robotics, Single molecule biophysics/biochemistry, Fluorescence microscopy, Force spectroscopy.

Group Website

RESEARCH OVERVIEW
Our research group at the University of Mississippi studies how biological systems work at the nanoscale, focusing on cellular stress response. We look at how certain structures made of DNA/RNA help cells manage resources and adapt to challenging stress conditions by prioritizing essential functions. We aim to understand how these complex DNA/RNA structures interact with different proteins to manage the demands of the cell. Our goal is to clearly link between structural attributes and functional response and ultimately harness these insights for biotechnological innovations and clinical intervention. To accomplish this, we develop and apply novel single-molecule manipulation and detection techniques, and nanoscale engineering. Our research projects combine approaches from a variety of disciplines including chemistry, physics, molecular biology, and engineering we collaborate with researchers from these various disciplines.

Ray Lab

Jinchao Lou

Posted on: July 8th, 2019 by nhammer
Jinchao Lou

Jinchao Lou, Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Office: 407 Coulter Hall
Phone: 662-915-1938
Email: jlou@olemiss.edu

EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
B.S., Northwest Normal University, China, 2016
Ph.D., University of Tennessee at Knoxville, 2022
Post-Doc, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, 2022-2024
Assistant Professor, University of Mississippi, 2024-Present

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Bio-organic chemistry, chemical biology, nanomaterials, drug delivery, synthetic organic chemistry

RESEARCH OVERVIEW
The emerging fields of nanomedicine and biomaterials have the potential to significantly impact human health by improving the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases. However, despite significant attention and investment, the clinical adoption of nanoparticle-based therapeutic and imaging agents faces substantial biological, immunological, and translational challenges. Our research group aims to address these critical challenges in nanomedicine and biomaterials by developing responsive materials that can effectively navigate complex biological environments through organic chemistry approaches. We strive to contribute significantly to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, ultimately improving human health and well-being.

Our current research interests include: 1) developing multi-stimuli-responsive peptide-based programmable materials to enhance the responsiveness and target specificity of nanomedicine; 2) creating short and ultrashort peptide small molecule materials that have the unique property of self-assembling in situ upon exposure to specific stimuli, thereby amplifying nanomedicine tissue penetration ability; 3) developing chemical biology tools to better understand peptidoglycan synthesis in various bacteria cells, ultimately aiming to improve the efficacy of bacteria-targeted therapeutics.

Amy Lynn Rosen

Posted on: July 2nd, 2019 by nhammer
Amy Lynn Rosen, Instructor

Amy Lynn Rosen, Instructor

Instructor
Associate Coordinator of Undergraduate Labs

322 Coulter Hall
662-915-5422|  alrosen@olemiss.edu

EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
B.S. Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, 2001
M.S. Chemistry, Indiana University, 2003
M.A. Science Education, Columbia University Teachers College, 2004

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION
National Board Certified Teacher
Outstanding Teacher of the Year, Lafayette County Soil & Water Conservation District, 2023
Mississippi Star Teacher Award, 2023
US Presidential Scholar Distinguished Teacher, 2021
Stanford University Teacher Tribute, 2017
UC Santa Barbara Student Impact Award, 2011
MIT Influential Teaching Award, 2010
Fund for Teachers Fellowship, 2007
Member Phi Beta Kappa

PROFESSIONAL INTERESTS
Chemistry education, development of curricular materials, inclusive practices in undergraduate education, training secondary science educators, community outreach

Tackling the Forensic Unknowns of 3D-printed Firearms

Posted on: June 14th, 2019 by nhammer

James Cizdziel (right), UM associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and recent doctoral graduate Oscar ‘Beau’ Black have spent two years researching 3D-printed firearms through a grant from the National Institute of Justice, part of the U.S. Department of Justice. Photo by Megan Wolfe/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

OXFORD, Miss. – In the summer of 2016, Transportation Security Administration screeners at Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Nevada confiscated an oddity: a 3D-printed handgun in a man’s carry-on baggage.

The plastic gun was inoperable but accompanied by five .22-caliber bullets. The passenger said he had forgotten about the gun and willingly left it at the airport and boarded his flight without being arrested.

The TSA later said the plastic gun was believed to be the first of its kind seized at a U.S. airport.

Since the world’s first functional 3D-printed firearm was designed in 2013, such guns have increasingly been in the news. Proponents of the firearms – 3D-printed with polymers from digital files – maintain that sharing blueprints and printing the guns are protected activities under the First and Second Amendments. Opponents argue the guns are concerning because they are undetectable and also untraceable since they have no serial numbers.

Tackling some of those forensic unknowns are a University of Mississippi chemistry professor and a graduate student. Their research is developing analytical methods to explore how the firearms might be traced using chemical fingerprints rather than relying on physical evidence, with the goal of offering tools for law enforcement to track the guns as they become more widespread.

“We can positively identify the type of polymer used in the construction of the gun from flecks or smears of plastic on bullets, cartridge cases and in gunshot residue collected on clothing,” said James Cizdziel, an associate professor in the UM Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Cizdziel, who joined the Ole Miss faculty in 2008, and Oscar “Beau” Black, who recently earned his doctorate in chemistry, have spent two years researching 3D-printed firearms through a grant from the National Institute of Justice, part of the U.S. Department of Justice.

The three-year, $150,000 grant, “Physical and Chemical Trace Evidence from 3D-Printed Firearms,” has resulted in a 2017 peer-reviewed paper in Forensic Chemistry, a growing reference library of mass spectra from 3D-printed firearms for use by law enforcement and a book, “Forensic Analysis of Gunshot Residue, 3D-Printed Firearms, and Gunshot Injuries: Current Research and Future Perspectives.”

The world’s first functional 3D-printed firearm was designed in 2013. The guns are 3D-printed with polymers from digital files and are untraceable since they have no serial numbers. Photo by Megan Wolfe/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

The research involved Cizdziel and Black being the first to use Direct Analysis in Real Time, or DART, Mass Spectrometry to identify polymers and organic gunshot residue in evidence from 3D-printed guns. The idea is forensic experts could trace the polymer that might show up in chemical evidence from the discharge of a 3D-printed firearm back to the type of plastic used in the gun.

“Our growing database provides a second means of identification or grouping of samples, alleviating the need for subjective interpretation of the mass spectral peaks,” said Cizdziel, a Buffalo native. “We also published fingerprinting protocols on surfaces of 3D-printed guns. 

“Overall, we demonstrated that our methods are particularly useful for investigating crimes involving 3D-printed guns.”

The pair’s research arises from an undergraduate chemistry class Cizdziel taught in 2014, Introduction to Instrumental Analysis. Before earning his bachelor’s degree in forensic chemistry in 2015, Black, who also was an undergraduate researcher in Cizdziel’s laboratory, took the class, where talk soon turned to 3D-printed firearms.

“We discussed how developing new reliable analytical methods for forensic practitioners dealing with trace evidence from 3D-printed guns would make a good doctoral research project,” Cizdziel said. “Apparently this sparked a fire in (Black), and he not only joined my research group as a graduate student but was awarded a research fellowship from the Department of Justice to do that very project.”

Black, from Weatherford, Texas, began the project in 2016, before funding was secured in 2017, and quickly realized he was in unexplored territory.

“There was such a dearth of information out there,” Black said. “There was only one, I think, report of an actual test fire (of a 3D-printed firearm) from a forensic agency.”

The pair began creating functional 3D-printed firearms – either .22-caliber or .38-caliber handguns – that used certain metal parts to comply with a federal ban on weapons that aren’t picked up by metal detectors. They test-fired them under controlled and safe conditions at the Mississippi Crime Laboratory in Pearl and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Hoover, Alabama.

“When you discharge them, they do exactly what they are designed to do,” Black said. “You can shoot them multiple times. There was one we shot dozens of times with no visible wear and tear on it.”

The discharges generated samples to analyze. The duo also evaluated the differences in evidence between 3D-printed guns and conventional guns, and used the analytical technique mass spectrometry to identify and characterize the various polymer types in 3D-printed gun evidence.

Research by University of Mississippi professor James Cizdziel and doctoral graduate Oscar ‘Beau’ Black has led to a growing reference library of polymers from 3D-printed firearms for use by law enforcement. Photo by Megan Wolfe/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

This work was the beginning of creating a reference library of various polymer samples to provide the basis of categorizing an unknown sample. The reference library holds about 50 polymer samples.

Cizdziel and Black were assisted in their research by undergraduate students and Murrell Godfrey, director of the UM forensic chemistry program and associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

Black graduated Saturday (May 11), but the pair’s research is ongoing, including expanding and improving the 3D-print polymer reference library.

“The ultimate goal would have the reference library in a format that’s similar to the other reference libraries that are out there for fingerprints, etc.,” Black said. “Every different arena has a reference library that goes along with that discipline.”

Beyond work on the reference library, the twosome is examining DNA methods on 3D-printed firearms and studying the longevity of polymer evidence under weathering conditions. Cizdziel and Black also are working on a paper that presents all their scientific discoveries when it comes to 3D-printed firearms.

Not knowing what they might find in their investigations has led to some exciting findings and groundbreaking work, Cizdziel said.

“That’s when things get interesting,” he said. “When you don’t quite know what to expect.”

 

 

Click Here to see the original May 13, 2019 article by Shea Stewart.

Gerald Rowland Wins Teaching Award

Posted on: May 21st, 2019 by nhammer

Gerald Rowland, instructional assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, has been named Outstanding Instructor of the Year.

OXFORD, Miss. – Chemistry faculty member Gerald Rowland was honored Friday (May 10, 2019) by the College of Liberal Arts for his excellence in teaching.  Gerald Rowland, instructional assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, received the Outstanding Instructor of the Year Award.  “The College of Liberal Arts is extremely proud of Dr. Rowland,” said Donald L. Dyer, associate dean of faculty and academic affairs. “He represents everything that is good about teaching at the university.  His skills for teaching and compassion for students are evident not in only the classroom, but also in the letters of support received from students and colleagues this year in support of his nomination. The college is pleased to add this exceptional educator to a long list of distinguished and influential teachers on our campus.”  

Prof. Rowland was recognized during Commencement exercises Saturday (May 11, 2019) in the Grove.  The awards are fuel for encouragement, appreciation and gratitude, said Rowland, who received the Lambda Sigma Excellence in Teaching Award earlier this year and the Student Members of the American Chemical Society Faculty Award in 2016.

“To learn that the students were the driving force behind the award nomination is a bit overwhelming,” he said. “It has been a privilege of mine to be able to have the opportunity to teach some of the brightest minds at the university during their formative years in college.” 

One of Rowland’s nomination letters said, ” … (his) attitude to help students is unparalleled within the chemistry department and across campus.”

“(Dr. Rowland) has gone above and beyond to make sure that each of his students is successful in his class,” wrote an anonymous student. “I love how his class focuses on how to think rather than what to think.”

 

Click Here to see the original May 10, 2019 article by .

Charles L. Hussey Named Distinguished Professor

Posted on: May 21st, 2019 by nhammer

UM Provost Noel Wilkin (left) congratulates Charles Hussey, associate dean for research and graduate education in the College of Liberal Arts and professor of chemistry and biochemistry, on being named a Distinguished Professor during the end-of-the-semester faculty meeting Friday (May 10) in Fulton Chapel. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services.

 

OXFORD, Miss. – Chemistry faculty member Charles L. Hussey was appointed a Distinguished Professor during the end-of-the-semester faculty meeting Friday (May 10, 2019) in Fulton Chapel.

Charles Hussey is associate dean for research and graduate education in the College of Liberal Arts and professor of chemistry and biochemistry.  The Distinguished Professor appointment is an honorific title started by UM in 2018 that recognizes the best faculty with sustained excellence at Ole Miss. The award was created in response to the university’s strategic initiative to develop a post-professorial recognition.  No more than 5 percent of eligible faculty can be appointed as a Distinguished Professor.

“The accomplishments of the university are really the accomplishments of its people,” Provost Noel Wilkin said. “This award allows us to acknowledge the outstanding contributions that our most accomplished faculty have made to their fields.

“The ways in which [these professors] have shaped their disciplines and influenced the world is amazing, and they are very deserving of this award.”

Hussey joined the faculty in 1978 after receiving a bachelor’s in chemistry in 1971 and his doctorate in analytical chemistry in 1974, both from UM. Before joining the Ole Miss faculty, Hussey served a four-year active duty term as a chemical research officer at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Frank J. Seiler Research Laboratory and as a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Biological Sciences at the academy. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve in 1994.

After receiving tenure in 1983, Hussey was promoted to professor in 1987 and served as chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry from 1997 until 2017. He received the UM Faculty Achievement Award in 1996, was named the university’s 2015 recipient of the Southeastern Conference’s Faculty Achievement Award and earned the University of Mississippi Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement Award in 2015.

For four decades, his research has focused on the electrochemistry and transport properties of ionic liquids and molten salts. He has authored or co-authored more than 175 refereed journal articles, book chapters, patents and technical reports, and his research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the U.S. Department of Energy and more.

He was elected as a fellow of the Electrochemical Society in 2003 and selected as an emeritus member in 2017.

He also has directed 25 dissertations and theses during his UM career and taught courses ranging from General Chemistry to Fundamentals of Electrochemistry.

“Professor Hussey has been passionately serving the University of Mississippi for four decades,” wrote Greg Tschumper, chair and professor of chemistry and biochemistry, in his letter of support to Hussey’s appointment. “His research has brought national and international recognition to our institution. He has continually fostered the growth of everyone around him through extraordinary service and leadership.

“His scholarly activity, leadership and service epitomize the very essence of the title of Distinguished Professor.”

Each school and college has its own guidelines for nominations, but the university requires that nominated faculty have at least six years of service at the highest rank of professor, along with exemplary accomplishments in research and creative achievement, teaching and service. Also, it is expected that awardees will have achieved a significant degree of national or international recognition.

The recommended appointment nominees are made by a committee chosen by the Faculty Senate and the provost, and the committee has representatives from across campus.

See the original May 10, 2019 article by here.

Congratulations to our Chemistry Graduates!

Posted on: May 8th, 2019 by nhammer

 

 

 

 

Alumni Profile: Stephen Emerson

Posted on: May 8th, 2019 by nhammer

Alumni Profile: Stephen Emerson

By Bethany Fitts

Stephen Emerson (BA 05), an environmental inspection and biological monitoring expert, has worked as an environmental scientist for over 10 years, providing environmental inspection for companies working on linear or renewable energy projects. Over the course of each project, he gives training courses to help construction teams safely follow environmental protocol such as noxious weed prevention and removal and hazardous waste disposal.

Despite this extensive experience, Emerson didn’t really know what to expect when he was first asked to work on the Dakota Access Pipeline–an underground oil pipeline that runs through North and South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois.

“They told me right before I came that there might be some minor protests but nothing to be concerned about,” Emerson said.

However, it didn’t take long before Emerson realized that “minor” was a significant understatement.

“I was hiking solo with all of my tools, and I saw 200 cars on the road,” he said. “And, soon enough, 200 became 2,000.”

Thousands of people from across the country and the world had gathered to protest construction of the pipeline with concerns about environmental threats and damage to sacred Native American sites.

“I get it,” Emerson said of the protestors. “There are some very strong opinions on both sides. My job is to make sure construction is completed according to protocol and that regulations are abided by. Our goal is to leave the smallest footprint on the environment. When I’m flying over in a helicopter, I want to be able to look down and not see where that pipeline went in.”

Emerson believes he and his team succeeded in minimizing the pipeline’s environmental footprint and is proud of his work on the project.

“A lot of projects don’t involve that level of protest,” he said. “But to know that I’ve done my best and getting to be a part of American history are the reasons I love this job.”

The history Emerson referred to actually began, he said, in 1973 when President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act.

“At the time these laws were written, it was needed because you had a lot of corporations shooting for the almighty dollar,” Emerson said. “You know… you don’t want your water contaminated just because this big corporation makes profits.”

Even though Emerson loves his job, he did not initially want to specialize in environmental inspection. In fact, he earned his degree in biochemistry from Ole Miss with the intention of going to medical school. After graduating, though, Emerson began working in Oman’s Wahiba Sands desert as an environmental scientist, and his path began to change.

“I fell in love with the environmental component of biochemistry,” he said. “I’d always loved nature as a child.”

Emerson’s work requires a thorough knowledge of acts like the National Environmental Policy Act, California Environmental Quality Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and the Coastal Zone Management Act. His past clients range from Google and the Department of Homeland Security to Pacific Gas and Electric and Genesis Solar, LLC.

Of his work with the Genesis Solar Energy Project, a new solar power plant located in the Colorado Desert, Emerson said, “It was amazing to have been there before anybody else was. And now you have one of the largest solar facilities in the world.”

As we move further into the 21st century, Emerson believes environmental inspection and biological monitoring will only become increasingly vital.

“There’s more people on the planet and less natural resources,” he said. “The protection of these natural resources is going to be a critical component as we move forward.”

 

Stephen Emerson is an active member of the Ole Miss Alumni Association.
Stephen, Ole Miss thanks you.
 

Ready for Takeoff: Navy ROTC graduate Garrett Booth spends spring semester on staff

Posted on: May 7th, 2019 by nhammer

The Austin, Texas, native graduated from Ole Miss in December with a degree in biochemistry and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy in January through the university’s Naval ROTC program.

He was assigned to flight training and ordered to report to Pensacola, Florida, in late May. While many recently commissioned midshipmen use the break between commissioning and reporting to relax or establish themselves in the town to which they will be moving, Booth decided to remain at his alma mater as a staff member, assisting midshipmen in their journey toward becoming officers themselves.

Click the image below to read Booth’s story, which is part of the “Journey to Commencement” series that highlights University of Mississippi students and their academic and personal journeys from college student to college graduate.