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Chemistry Doctoral Graduate Named Finalist for Prestigious Award

Posted on: January 23rd, 2023 by nhammer

Dr. Leigh Anna Hunt honored at national graduate student awards symposium

Leigh Anna Hunt, who completed a doctorate in chemistry in May from UM, is a finalist for awards presented by the American Chemical Society and the Journal of Physical Chemistry. Submitted photo

A University of Mississippi doctoral student’s research that may help harness solar power earned her a spot as a finalist for awards presented by the American Chemical Society and the Journal of Physical Chemistry.

Leigh Anna Hunt, of Grenada, was honored at the recent ACS Physical Chemistry Experimental and Theory Graduate Student Award Symposium. Hunt, who earned her doctorate in chemistry in May, was selected based on her dissertation on photo-induced electron transfer dynamics in dye-sensitized solar cells.

Hunt describes her research as focusing on the electronic characterization of complex systems using laser-based and time-resolved molecular spectroscopy.

“More specifically, the spectroscopic characterization of photo-induced charge separation and electron transfer processes in heterogeneous environments that are of critical importance for efficient chemical and solar-to-electric energy conversion,” she said. “That’s a complex way of saying that I use light to study chemical systems that are designed to generate and/or store energy from sunlight.”

Nathan Hammer, UM professor of chemistry and biochemistry and Hunt’s adviser, nominated her for the award.

“Dr. Hunt thrived in my research group for over five years, having not only the passion for learning the advanced mathematics and physics necessary for our research, but also the aptitude, enthusiasm and patience to learn how to use new advanced instrumentation,” Hammer said.

Hunt served as Hammer’s lead graduate student, moving the group in new directions. Hunt introduced transient absorption spectroscopy into the research group, resulting in almost 20 publications in top journals, many of which contributed to her dissertation, he said.

Jared Delcamp, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a frequent collaborator with Hunt, found her input to be invaluable in his work with solar cell and solar-to-fuel devices.

“Her research was incredibly helpful in pinpointing problems inside of devices,” Delcamp said. “She is relentless in her pursuit of knowledge, which is very important in chemistry; you have to be able to press on in spite of setbacks.

“And she is fearless, able to take on very challenging work. Dr. Hunt is a good representative of what Ole Miss is capable of doing.”

Hunt’s recognition by the ACS is significant in showing that Ole Miss research and graduate students compete with top students across the country, Hammer said. The other finalists in this year’s ACS competition were from MIT; Harvard, Texas A&M and Yale universities, the universities of Illinois and Texas.

“When people see names like MIT or Yale or Harvard, they generally associate them with both academic excellence and top-class scientific research,” Hunt said. “I think it’s important for people to be able to see Mississippi and think the same.

“I put a lot of time and effort into my Ph.D. research and it’s really gratifying to see this finally recognized. It’s certainly a proud moment to be considered for something among such an elite group of early career scientists.”

Hunt is continuing her work on a prestigious postdoctoral appointment at Uppsala University in Sweden with professor Leif Hammarström, one of the world’s leading spectroscopists.

“Dr. Hunt’s selection as a finalist highlights the important role graduate students play in advancing science at the University of Mississippi and other research institutions across nation,” said Annette Kluck, dean of the UM Graduate School.

This work was supported by National Science Foundation awards CHE-1954922 and OIA-1757220.

Chemistry Major Among New Stamps Scholars for 2022

Posted on: November 9th, 2022 by nhammer

Stamps Scholars are selected based on academic excellence, leadership experience and exceptional character. UM freshmen in the Class of 2026 cohort are (front, from left) Mary-del Jansen, Amber Amis and Ryleigh Johnson; (second row) Yasmine Ware, Olivia Bacon and Dymond Mitchell; (third row) Jasmine Sanders, Layla Ashley, Carolena Graham and McKenzie Cox; and (fourth row) Ethan Roberts, Hayden Walker and Andrew Nichols. Photo by Bill Dabney/UM Foundation

The Stamps Scholars Program awards scholarships based on academic excellence, leadership experience and exceptional character. The program awarded 247 scholarships this year to students at 31 partner institutions across the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Jasmine Sanders, a biochemistry major from Prosper, Texas, is one of the 13 new scholars.

The new class brings the number of Stamps Scholars at Ole Miss to 58, making the university the second-largest in the program.

At UM, each scholarship covers the full cost of attendance, along with a $12,000 stipend for enrichment activities such as study abroad, academic conferences and leadership training.

The complete roster of freshmen UM Stamps Scholars is:

Amber Amis, an economics major from Clinton
Layla Ashley, a public policy leadership major from Chicago
Olivia Bacon, an English major from Atlanta
McKenzie Cox, a journalism major from Concord, North Carolina
Carolena Graham, a civil engineering major from Columbus
Mary Jansen, a mechanical engineering major from Brandon
Ryleigh Johnson, an international studies major from Olive Branch
Dymond Mitchell, a sociology major from Prosper, Texas
Andrew Nichols, a public policy leadership major from Monroe, North Carolina
Ethan Roberts, an engineering major from Paducah, Kentucky
Jasmine Sanders, a biochemistry major from Prosper, Texas
Hayden Walker, a public policy leadership and engineering major from Oxford
Yasmine Ware, an international studies major from Madison

Ashleen Williams, a fellow in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, serves as an academic mentor for the scholars. She said that this year’s class is poised to do great things.

“I hope that they will learn to ask big questions and seek answers to them, and to extend their ideas of what is possible,” Williams said.

Georgia native Roe Stamps and his late wife, Penny, launched the Stamps Scholarship in 2006. Though Penny Stamps died in 2018, her legacy continues through the Stamps Scholars community, which has grown into an international network of more than 2,600 scholars and alumni.

“The Stamps family and organization are true partners in helping identify students that want to think creatively and solve big problems,” said Katie Morrison, director of foundation relations and strategic partnerships at UM. “What we have been able to grow together – a supportive scholar community that enriches our whole campus culture – is a testament to what higher education should deliver.

“We appreciate their investment that has made the Ole Miss program the second-largest Stamps Scholars collective. Our students live out their dreams because of Roe and Penny Stamps’ vision and generosity.”

For more about this class of Stamps Scholars, visit https://www.stampsscholars.org/. To learn more about supporting scholarship programs at UM, contact Morrison at katie@olemiss.edu.

STEM Facility Construction Nears Halfway Point

Posted on: November 1st, 2022 by nhammer

Largest academic building in university history to feature innovative lab spaces, TEAL classrooms

The Jim and Thomas Duff Center for Science and Technology Innovation, in the university’s Science District, is on track to open in fall 2024. Construction began a year ago and is approaching the halfway point.

Imagine standing in the atrium of the largest academic building in the history of the University of Mississippi‘s main campus. Looking up, four floors of laboratories and lecture halls are all dedicated to increasing STEM student success and teaching.

This vision is quickly becoming a reality as the Jim and Thomas Duff Center for Science and Technology Innovation is approaching 50% complete, and on track to open in fall 2024.

“This space will be a fantastic space,” said Chad Hunter, associate university architect. “It’s an incredible building because of its function, but also simply because of its size.”

The 202,000 square-foot facility will support science, technology, engineering and math-related endeavors at the university. It will include classrooms with low student-instructor ratios, as well as state-of-the-art undergraduate lab spaces. The building is anticipated to be one of the nation’s top facilities for STEM education.

Kurt Shettles, president and CEO of McCarty Architects, is the project’s architect of record. He said the center stands out among other buildings at Ole Miss because of its interdisciplinary nature and the broad audience that it will serve.

It is unique in many ways, one of which is the teaching style that it supports.

The Duff Center will include more than 50 TEAL classrooms, traditional labs and classrooms to accommodate some 2,000 students at a time. The building will be equipped with technology to support a range of teaching methods and support interactive learning.

“We’ve used the term ‘Swiss watch’ when referencing the science labs in the building,” Shettles said. “They are extremely intricate and designed for flexible teaching pedagogy.

“We have ‘TEAL’ classrooms, which are technology-enabled active learning classrooms. They support a different method of instruction with less lecture and more demonstration and participation. The students learn through the technology and the process of interacting and collaborating with each other, while the professor is more of a participant in that process, as opposed to just standing in front of the classroom lecturing.”

The Center for Science and Technology Innovation will include more than 50 TEAL classrooms, traditional labs and classrooms to accommodate some 2,000 students at any given hour throughout the day, Hunter said. It will also have a dedicated center for success and supplemental instruction, study rooms, a food service venue, more than 60 faculty offices and a 3D visualization lab, which is like a small IMAX theater.

The building is in the heart of the UM Science District. Construction is presently focused on the exterior – tasks such as installing windows, weatherproofing, waterproofing and laying brick. Once the exterior walls and roof are completed in the next couple of months, construction will begin on interior walls and finishes.

Cristiane Surbeck, chair and professor of civil engineering, can see the construction from her office window. She is eagerly anticipating the opening, which will have a major impact on her department.

“I’ve been taking a photo of it almost every day,” Surbeck said. “It’s going to provide a big upgrade to the teaching spaces that we have now. There’s going to be a specific room for civil engineering students to work on their senior design projects. It’s laid out for them to be able to work together in a space that is dedicated just for them.

“We are also going to have a water resources engineering and environmental engineering teaching lab that our students are really going to be able to take advantage of. It can even be shared among different departments if they have students who are doing experiments with water and environmental pollutants.”

The center will be an asset to the university community – especially its students, Surbeck said.

Among the many features of the Duff Center is an environmental engineering teaching lab that will provide a major resource for civil engineering students and anyone conducting experiments with water and environmental pollutants.

“I’m proud that we will have such a modern building that we are going to use to educate our engineering students,” she said. “I believe our engineering students are going to feel the same way. They are going to feel confident to go out and practice as engineers, having been educated in a such a high-quality facility.”

A new animated walk-through of the building’s interior gives viewers a better sense of the layout.

“You can see all four floors from the atrium; you can orient yourself by standing in it,” Hunter said. “The laboratories also have large windows, so you can observe what’s going on inside.

“It was designed this way on purpose to promote collaborative and interdisciplinary teaching and learning.”

Shettles said he hopes that once the center opens, students will find a home there.

“As designers, the best compliment we could receive would be to see students using this building even if they don’t have a class there,” he said. “We would love it to be a hangout destination for students simply because of the quality of the interior and exterior spaces, and because it promotes engagement and collaboration.”

Brothers Jim and Thomas Duff, of Hattiesburg, have committed $26 million to the construction of the building. The total project cost is $175 million, with $135 million in construction expenses.

Hunter has been part of the project since it was first imagined some 10 years ago.

“It’s a major honor to be part of this project,” he said. “To work so long on something and then seeing it actually being built is amazing.”

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Chemistry Major Named 2022 Mentee for the Toxicology Mentoring Skills Development and Training Program

Posted on: October 4th, 2022 by nhammer

First-generation student Ember Suh, a senior chemistry major at the University of Mississippi, has been named a 2022 mentee for Toxicology Mentoring Skills Development and Training, a program that bolsters underrepresented populations in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. The program will allow the Southaven native to discover different applications of toxicology – the study of diagnosing and treating exposure to toxins – and find the niche she is most passionate about, Suh said. A member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honor College majoring in forensic chemistry, Suh said she hopes to use the skills she picks up to help make a real-world impact on communities around her.

Ember Suh, a senior forensic chemistry major, has been named a 2022 mentee for the Toxicology Mentoring Skills Development and Training program. The Southaven native hopes to use the skills she picks up to make a real-world impact on communities around her and to encourage other minorities to consider STEM career fields. Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

“I actually was interested in lead being found in drinking water and other chemicals in water supplies in the past,” Suh said. “I became interested in that because I wanted to do something about the Jackson and Flint water crises.”

Suh took a toxicology class in 2021 under Kristine Willett, professor of pharmacology and environmental toxicology and chair of the Department of Biomolecular Sciences, in 2021. It was Willett who encouraged Suh to apply for the mentorship program.

“She stuck out among her classmates because she got a 100% on everything – nobody gets a 100 on everything,” Willett said.

As a part of the program, Suh will attend a workshop at the University of California at Davis, meet monthly with her mentor and, if successful, be awarded a certificate of completion at Tuskegee University.

Each participant in the 2022 class of 25 mentees is assigned a mentor in their field of study. Suh will shadow Mike Peterson in his role as a principal at Gradient, an environmental and risk sciences consulting firm.

Having an assigned mentor helps to bridge cultural gaps in education while alleviating some of the burden on underrepresented groups, Willett said.

“If you’re a first-generation or underrepresented student, you may not know all of the options,” Willett said. “If you happen to have one good mentor, they can do that for you. But that’s more of a luck, positional and potentially privileged thing.

“This will build community and help participants see the diversity of career pathways and options.”

Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Toxicology MSDT program provides career development opportunities for students of underserved backgrounds in the field, where there is a “critical lack” of diversity, the program’s description cites.

Eden Tanner, an Ole Miss assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, said she has noted a lack of diversity in STEM fields, and that the lack of different voices in research can have real-world effects, particularly on underserved populations.

“Diverse teams are more creative, better at their jobs, and they’re better at science,” Tanner said. “A lot of what we do stems from that diversity. A lot of the great ideas that our teams have happened because team members bring different life experiences to the table.

“… The critical lack of diversity in many fields, including toxicology, has hugely deleterious effects on people, and it goes some way to explaining health disparities.”

Suh’s parents emigrated from South Korea in the 1990s. Growing up as a second-generation American and first-generation student, Suh said her South Korean background has influenced how she communicates with professors and peers.

“I’m still having problems talking with mentors and professors,” she said. “I think it’s a part of South Korean culture. If there’s someone older than us or in a higher position than us, we’re supposed to respect them.

“I think because of that mindset, I’ve been nervous talking to people older than me and in a higher position than me, especially professors. I think I’m still trying to find a way to relate to them and talk comfortably with them.”

This problem is rampant among many underserved populations, Tanner said. Not having generational knowledge about higher education – how to apply for scholarships and graduate schools, different fields of study available, even not knowing about office hours – means some students never take advantage of university resources.

Finding a good mentor, someone who can open doors for students and nurture their passions, is at best a matter of luck, and at worst a matter of privilege, Tanner said. Programs such as Toxicology MSDT take luck out of the equation by partnering students with mentors directly.

As a toxicologist, Suh hopes to continue advocating for minority and underprivileged populations.

During her graduate research, Suh said she wants to analyze airborne pollutants in the Memphis area. This interest arose after she heard of a recent finding of an EPA-classified carcinogen in the air there, she said.

“They may not know all of the resources they might have,” Suh said. “Having someone they can look to is one of the reasons I wanted to go into toxicology.”

Join Prof. Tanner on Tuesday September 20th at 6pm at Heartbreak Coffee for her free Science Cafe!

Posted on: September 12th, 2022 by nhammer

Join Prof. Tanner on Tuesday September 20th at 6pm at Heartbreak Coffee for her free Science Cafe!

Prof. Pedigo Selected as 2022 Isom Fellow

Posted on: July 1st, 2022 by nhammer

The Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies has awarded fellowships to six University of Mississippi faculty members for their academic research related to gender and sexuality. Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry Susan Pedigo is one of these.

“The fellows this year had such interesting and diverse research projects,” said Jaime Harker, director of the Isom Center and professor of English. “All the applicants were so strong that we requested the provost support all the projects submitted this year, and he graciously agreed.”

Susan Pedigo, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry

During the two-year program, fellows receive $4,500 a year in support of the research project they submitted in their fellowship application. The funds may be used as summer salary, for travel and/or for graduate student support. Fellows may also coordinate with the Isom Center to plan lectures, campus events and develop new cross-listed courses.

“We feature their work in a poster session every fall,” Harker said. “I am always inspired by the work of Isom fellows, and our fall reception is one of my favorite events every year.”

The poster session will take place this year at 3 p.m. Sept. 21 in the Ford Ballroom at The Inn at Ole Miss.

Pedigo, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, said she will use her fellowship to examine the attitudes of women and Black faculty in chemistry departments in Mississippi universities about the issue of merit and reward. She will use the funds to recruit and pay student workers for the development of qualitative assessments, interviews and interview analysis addressing this subject.

The gender gap in STEM faculty is well documented; however, the cause of the gender gap is not well understood, Pedigo said. She believes a problem exists with the rigidity and nature of the structure around the merit and reward system in academics.

“There is heavy demand on faculty to be competitive individualists who enter into a binding work contract upon hire; thus, faculty members are tracked into a path from which they cannot deviate,” she said. “I hope that my research prompts conversation and reflection around topics that are generally not discussed. Tenure and promotion guidelines are steeped in tradition and do not allow for alternative pathways to excellence and institutional transformation.

“Faculty is tasked with training students to tackle the problems of the 21st century, and only a diverse workforce trained by a diverse professoriate can accomplish this task.”

Chemistry Faculty Receive 2021-2022 Awards from the College of Liberal Arts

Posted on: June 28th, 2022 by nhammer

Jared Delcamp, Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Several Faculty in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry were Honored at Graduation from the College of Liberal Arts. These include Jared Delcamp, Saumen Chakraborty, and Emily Rowland.

College of Liberal Arts Award for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Achievement:

The Melinda and Ben Yarbrough, M.D., Senior Professor Research Award is presented annually to an outstanding tenured faculty member in the natural sciences and mathematics. Jared Delcamp, Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry, is this year’s recipient. The award is given in recognition of sustained exemplary performance in research, scholarship, and/or creative achievement at the national/international level while serving as a faculty member at the University of Mississippi. The recipient each year will have achieved scholarly recognition and influence well beyond the University of Mississippi community and made a positive contribution to the success of their department. Recipients of the award are not eligible to receive the award again. Each recipient is recognized with a $2,000 cash prize and a medal, which will be presented at the College of Liberal Arts graduation ceremony in May.

Saumen Chakraborty, Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Dr. Mike L. Edmonds New Scholar Award in The College Of Liberal Arts:

The Dr. Mike L. Edmonds New Scholar Award in the College of Liberal Arts is presented annually to untenured, tenure-track professorial rank faculty members in the College of Liberal Arts who are within 6 years of their initial tenure-track academic appointment and who have demonstrated exemplary performance in research, scholarship, and/or creative achievement. Candidates must be untenured when nominated. Depending on the quality of the pool of nominees, up to four awards will be available, with one each chosen from the areas of (1) Natural Sciences and Mathematics, (2) Social Sciences, (3) Humanities, and (4) Fine and Performing Arts. Jared Delcamp, Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry, is this year’s recipient. Saumen Chakraborty, Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry, is this year’s recipient. The ideal recipients each year must have significantly enhanced the scholarly reputation of the College and University through exceptional contributions to their disciplines and demonstrated a positive impact on the success of their department. Individuals may only receive this award one time, but recipients will retain their eligibility for the College of Liberal Arts Award for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Achievement (Humanities), Sanford and Susan Thomas Senior Professor Research Award in the Social Sciences, Hensley Family Senior Professor Research Award in the Fine and Performing Arts, and Melinda and Ben Yarbrough, M.D., Senior Professor Research Award for the Natural Sciences. These awards are only given to post-tenure, senior faculty. Each recipient will receive a $1,000 cash prize and medal to be presented at the College of Liberal Arts graduation ceremony in May. Awardees will be invited to be members of the platform party during these ceremonies.

Emily Bretherick Rowland, Instructional Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Liberal Arts Outstanding Instructor of The Year:

In 2011, the College of Liberal Arts began recognizing the Liberal Arts Outstanding Instructor of the Year. Criteria for the annual award include, but are not limited to, excellence of class instruction, intellectual stimulation of students, and concern for students’ welfare. The recipient is recognized during the College’s commencement ceremony, has his or her name added to an award plaque in the Dean’s office, and receives $1,000. Eligibility is limited to instructors, lecturers, senior lecturers, and instructional professors who taught full time during the academic year they are nominated. Visiting instructors and previous recipients are not eligible. Emily Bretherick Rowland, Instructional Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry, is the 2022 Liberal Arts Outstanding Instructor of the Year.

Department Welcomes Prof. Vignesh Sundaresan

Posted on: May 31st, 2022 by nhammer

Vignesh Sundaresan, Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Dr. Vignesh Sundaresan will join the University of Mississippi Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry on July 1^st. Dr. Sundaresan received his Bachelor of Technology from Central Electrochemical Research Institute in Karaikudi, India in 2014 and a Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA in 2018 under the direction of Prof. Katherine A. Willets. He then joined as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Notre Dame under the mentorship of Prof. Paul W. Bohn before joining the faculty at UM. His group will use and develop coupled electrochemical and optical techniques for studying the behavior of single entitles such as nanoparticles, molecules, and enzymes to not only answer fundamental questions but also to develop ultra-sensitive chemical and biosensors.

Imaging electrochemical reactions and biological phenomena at the nanoscale and single entity level can provide rich details on 1) heterogeneity in the system and 2) enhanced mechanistic insights that are not possible with traditional electro- and bio-analytical tools. The Sundaresan Lab vision is to use and develop high-throughput multimodal imaging techniques such as optical, electrochemical, and electron imaging to understand electrochemical and biological phenomena at the single entity level and utilize the obtained insights to design better performing catalytic and biological systems at the ensemble level. Accordingly, the group will focus on interfacing novel high-resolution optical imaging techniques, including super-resolution imaging, with electrochemical techniques that can address fundamental scientific questions in the fields of electrocatalysis, materials science, and biology. Additionally, the developed methodology can be used to design ultra-sensitive chemical and biosensors.

University Hosts Regional Conference for Chemists, Chemical Engineers

Posted on: May 28th, 2022 by nhammer

Tomayo Berida, a UM pharmacognosy research assistant, won first place in the poster presentation competition during the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers Conference. His study of ‘Novel 1,2,4-Triazolyl Pyridine Agent’s Potent Against Mycobacterium tuberculosis’ focuses on ongoing efforts to develop of a new class of agents that are potent against the organism that causes tuberculosis. Submitted photo

OXFORD, Miss. – Chemistry and chemical engineering students from across the Southeast and Southwest gathered recently at the University of Mississippi for a two-day conference designed to promote STEM careers for people of color.

Some 120 students and researchers, including 95 in-person participants, attended the joint Southeast and Southwest regional conference of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, or NOBCChE on the Ole Miss campus. Students represented 70% of the total participants for the hybrid event.

“The conference showcased the research excellence of Black chemists and engineers regarded as top experts in their respective fields,” said Murrell Godfrey, professor of chemistry and NOBCChE immediate past president. “It also provided young researchers with a platform to present original research and receive valuable feedback.”

More than 75 students from underrepresented backgrounds in chemistry, chemical engineering and related STEM fields took part in networking and professional development opportunities. Milcah Jackson and Joerg Schlatterer, both of the American Chemical Society, presented professional development workshops on creating effective resumes and curriculum vitae and on making personal connection that matter.

Former NOBCChE presidents Emanual Waddell and Marquita “Dr. Q” Qualls presented on “Opportunities with the National Science Foundation” and “Establishing Your Brand,” respectively.

Students also participated in oral and poster presentation competitions, with prize money at stake. First-, second and third-place winners in each category split $1,650 in prize money.

Tomayo Berida, a pharmacognosy research assistant at UM, won first place in the poster presentation competition. The native Nigerian’s poster, “Novel 1,2,4-Triazolyl Pyridine Agent’s Potent Against Mycobacterium tuberculosis,” deals with ongoing efforts to develop a new class of agents that are potent against the organism that causes tuberculosis.

“I was more than excited (about winning),” Berida said. “It was gratifying to note that my poster presentation was well received by students, faculty and judges at the conference.”

Attendees at the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers regional conference at the university include (from left) Montray Leavy, the first African American to earn his doctorate in chemistry from UM, in 1999; Margo Montgomery-Richardson, who received her doctorate in 2012; and Murrell Godfrey, who earned his doctorate in 2003. Formerly director of the Ole Miss forensic chemistry program, Godfrey is assistant graduate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion. Submitted photo

Davita Watkins, UM associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, was among the keynote speakers. She recently won a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award for her work on elucidating the role of sigma-hole interactions in advanced functional materials that she develops in her labs on campus.

Others who delivered keynote addresses included LSU professor Isaiah Warner, and Philip W. West, emeritus professor of analytical and environmental chemistry at LSU; Montray Leavy, deputy chief technology officer at Entegris in Singapore; and LaRico Treadwell, R&D chemist and material scientist at Sandia National Laboratories.

Students also participated in a graduate exposition that allowed the undergraduate students to learn about top academic graduate programs and job opportunities. Schools and organizations represented included:

Auburn University
Texas A&M University
LS-PAC MODELS Center
Jackson State University
Entegris
the UM departments of BioMolecular Sciences and Chemistry and Biochemistry and School of Engineering
Emory University Department of Chemistry
Louisiana State University
the American Chemical Society

The Ole Miss academic units provided undergraduate students with information on various doctoral programs and tours of their departments. Both professionals and students had an opportunity to visit the School of Pharmacy’s marijuana and medicinal plant gardens.

“The conference provided a space for discussion to foster partnerships and collaborations that can lead to new research, innovations and solutions to global challenges,” Godfrey said. “It also allowed members of the NOBCChE student chapters to give back to the community by performing a chemistry magic show for approximately 30 9th-to-12th-grade Coffeeville, Mississippi, Upward Bound students during the conference-ending cookout.”

The National Science Board recently bestowed its 2022 Public Service Award to NOBCChE. The award honors exemplary public service in promoting public understanding of science and engineering.

Department Welcomes Prof. Kensha Clark

Posted on: May 18th, 2022 by nhammer

Kensha Clark, Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Dr. Kensha Clark will join the University of Mississippi Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry in Summer 2022. Her research interests include ligand design, development of transition metal-based electronic materials, synthetic organometallic chemistry, and catalysis. Dr. Clark received her Ph.D. in 2010 under the direction of Prof. Alan Heyduk at the University of California Irvine, which was followed by an NIH Post-doctoral Fellowship under the mentorship of Prof. Amir H. Hoveyda at Boston College (2010-2011). After completing her postdoctoral studies, she began work as a Research Chemist in the Polyolefins Catalyst and Product Development Group at Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, LP (2011-2017). From 2017-2022 Dr. Clark was an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Memphis. She was awarded a Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) starting July 1, 2022. Clark’s award for $700,000, entitled “Exocyclic Imine Ligands for Electron Transfer,” capitalizes on redox noninnocence in transition metal complexes for the purpose of: (1) predicting electronic and magnetic behavior, (2) exploring ligand facilitated intermetallic interactions, and (3) the design of new functional molecules. This research will develop new synthetic strategies for metal ions with tailored electronic and magnetic properties to produce rationally designed multimetallic complexes that are engineered to manifest desired behavior. Development of these novel synthetic strategies will have an impact on a variety of applications, including sustainable chemical processes via artificial photosynthesis, computing, medical devices, and grid energy storage. In addition to the proposed research, her Career award will provide increased opportunities for undergraduates in the STEM fields through a STEM major “boot camp” program. By introducing incoming students to exercises to help strengthen their critical thinking skills, support resources (e.g. learning centers and campus tutoring), STEM based clubs/activities on campus, and opportunities for undergraduate research in Clark’s laboratory, this program will facilitate a smooth transition into intensive, university level STEM coursework.

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