Author Archive

Prof. Tanner’s research could improve treatment options for cancer, arthritis

Posted on: March 25th, 2022 by nhammer

University of Mississippi chemistry professor Eden Tanner (front left) and her team of researchers are a diverse group, including one postdoctoral scholar, six graduate students and 18 undergraduates, who have majors ranging from chemistry and pharmacy to engineering.

A University of Mississippi Chemistry professor and her team of researchers are working on new ways to use red blood cells and platelets to transport chemotherapies and other medicines to specific areas of the body, which could greatly reduce patients’ side effects.

Eden Tanner, UM assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, has been awarded a Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America’s Research Starter Grant in Drug Delivery for $100,000 to help fund the work. The grant, which is given to one winner annually, is designed for tenure-track faculty who are in the earliest stages of their careers to advance their research in drug delivery.

Tanner’s research interests focus on solving biomedical and bioengineering problems using physical chemistry and, particularly, ionic liquids and nanomaterials. She is working to figure out ways to use ionic liquids and nanomaterials to bond to the blood components and send medicines to specific areas.

“We are really excited about the potential that this technology offers,” Tanner said. “Currently, if you get lung cancer and surgery is not an option, basically you just get bathed in chemotherapy.

“It makes people very ill. It is not a very positive experience.”

The lab in Coulter Hall where she works contains vials of ionic liquids in varying viscosities, some of them looking like honey or maple syrup. Researchers are using different ones to determine which work best for different types of drugs.

She explains the concept of cellular hitchhiking using the example of someone being treated for lung cancer.

“If we could instead just target the lung, for instance, and not have it go everywhere, this means the side effect profile is much less severe and people aren’t as sick,” Tanner said. “Our technology could be used to hitch a ride on red blood cells, which then deliver our cargo to the lungs, as opposed to everywhere else in the body.”

Student researchers work in Eden Tanner’s lab in Coulter Hall. Tanner and her team are studying new ways to use red blood cells and platelets to transport chemotherapies and other medicines to specific areas of the body.

Tanner holds a bachelor’s degree in advanced science from the University of South Wales in Australia and a doctorate in physical and theoretical chemistry from the University of Oxford in England, where she was a postdoctoral fellow. She also served as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University.

Tanner said she will use the award to continue training the next generation of drug delivery scientists. The funding will help procure technologies for the experiments and to hire assistants for the work.

She is pleased with not only the strength of the group assembled, but also that they come from many different backgrounds. All bring different experiences, perspectives and special skills to the table, she said. Among them are one postdoctoral scholar, six Ole Miss graduate students and 18 undergraduates, who have majors ranging from chemistry and pharmacy to engineering.

Some 65% of the group are women or nonbinary people, and 40% are people of color, Tanner said.

“I have a large team of excellent students,” Tanner said. “It is a very collaborative group effort. This is not a ‘lone genius’ situation.

“We bring people together from chemistry and pharmacy and other areas because we need their expertise to help us advance this along.”

Karen Wong, a senior biochemistry and Chinese major from Gulfport, said her work focuses on targeting platelets within the blood. Working on the project has taught her the importance of such research.

It’s an exciting process, too, she said.

“Engaging in research has allowed me to gain an understanding of how important it is to the medical world because there are so many limitations and risks associated with medical procedures as well as drugs,” Wong said.

“In addition, it is a very meticulous and slow process to work toward advancing science, but one must be patient and never give up on it because you never know when you’ll have a scientific breakthrough!”

She’s also learning the value of teamwork in the lab.

“Each experiment requires a lot of preparation, and I learned the importance of teamwork because it makes carrying out large experiments more efficient because each one of us was responsible for synthesizing specific nanoparticles, splitting the tasks, and putting our work together, in the end, made everything go much smoother,” Wong said.

Joh’nis Randall, a junior pharmaceutical sciences major from Jackson, said the experience has been “nothing short of amazing.” The work has taught her much more than just the necessary parts she needed to learn.

Randall said she has grown during the process and appreciates Tanner and the rest of the team for pushing her to be her best.

“From the early mornings and late nights in the lab, preparing for the day of the bloodwork was always a tedious task,” she said. “Doing this project has gotten me out of my shell and has expanded my knowledge on different aspects of physical chemistry.

Randall wants to make a difference.

“I hope that we all make a breakthrough in scientific discovery that would one day change how medicine works,” Randall said.

The way the lab is structured creates many chances for collaboration, a skill important in any career, said Meghan Gorniak, a senior chemistry major from Glen Carbon, Illinois.

“This lab has pushed me to think critically and to understand the application of so many scientific topics,” Gorniak said. “I hope that my work on white blood cells can help further medical science discoveries.

“I cannot thank Dr. Tanner enough for being my mentor and teaching me how cool research can be.”

UM professor’s research could improve treatment options for cancer, arthritis

Abby Boyd

Posted on: February 28th, 2022 by nhammer

Abby Boyd, Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry

eaboyd@olemiss.edu

EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

B.S., Mercer University, 2017
M.S., Clemson University, 2021
Ph.D., Clemson University, 2023
Teaching Assistant Professor, Colorado School of Mines, 2023-2024
Assistant Professor, University of Mississippi, July 2024-present

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION
NARST Early Career Scholar 2024

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Recruitment and Retention in Science disciplines, Accessibility of Science, Environmental Chemistry

RESEARCH OVERVIEW
My research interests include student recruitment and retention in science disciplines and improving the accessibility of science for all students. Many of my current and past projects surround engaged learning experiences such as undergraduate research and incorporating new technologies into chemical education. Additionally, I explore environmental chemistry research topics such as trace metal and microplastic analysis in estuarine environments.

Google Scholar Page

Daniell Mattern Named Inaugural Stefani-Miller Chair

Posted on: February 24th, 2022 by nhammer

Daniell Mattern (standing), UM professor of chemistry and biochemistry, works with his students during a class in Coulter Hall. Mattern has been named the inaugural holder of the university’s Doctors Andrew Stefani and Eldon Miller Memorial Chair for STEM Teaching and Research. Photo by Logan Kirkland/ Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

 

Daniell Mattern, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Mississippi, has been named to a new endowed chair established to bolster teaching and research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

With a gift of $1.5 million, Dr. Rhett Atkinson and his wife, Elaine, established the Doctors Andrew Stefani and Eldon Miller Memorial Chair for STEM Teaching and Research in 2019 to honor Stefani, former professor and chair in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Miller, former professor and chair in the Department of Mathematics. Mattern is the inaugural holder of the position.

The Atkinsons’ gift provides income to the College of Liberal Arts to support the recruitment and retention of a top-tier scholar who demonstrates outstanding teaching in STEM and is also a productive researcher in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, mathematics, physics or astronomy.

“My wife and I strongly believe in education and academics, and we want to give back to the institution that gave me the background and the tools I needed to be successful,” said Atkinson, of Sedona, Arizona. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from Ole Miss in 1970 and ’72 and graduated from the UM School of Medicine in 1979.

Mattern said he is delighted to be selected as the inaugural chair.

“I knew Andy Stefani, who was also an organic chemist and the department chair when the department hired me,” Mattern said. “I always admired his passion for teaching chemistry.

“I didn’t know Eldon Miller, although I did often see him around Oxford. He was also highly regarded as a teacher.”

Mattern is a great choice for the position, said Greg Tschumper, chair and professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

Daniell Mattern

 

“I cannot think of a more deserving candidate for the inaugural appointment to the Stefani-Miller Chair because Dr. Mattern’s pedagogical activities epitomize the very essence of the position,” Tschumper said. “He has received numerous awards for his teaching excellence.

“Over the years, he has had an incredibly positive impact on the education and lives of many, many Ole Miss students who have been fortunate enough to have him as a teacher and a mentor.”

Mattern said he already has plans for the stipend from his new position.

“I can certainly use it to help fund my undergraduate research students, but I am also looking for ways it might enhance my classroom teaching,” he said. “I’m several years into drafting an organic chemistry textbook, and it could be helpful in developing that project.”

A UM faculty member since 1991, Mattern is a previous recipient of the Elsie M. Hood Outstanding Teacher Award, College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Teacher of the Year, Alpha Epsilon Delta Outstanding Teacher of the Year and the Margaret Coulter Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and the university’s 25-Year Service Award.

“I’ve had the good fortune to teach the organic chemistry class, which means that I get a lot of great students,” Mattern said. “Most want to be doctors, or pharmacists, or engineers or even chemists, which means they arrive both capable and motivated.

“A surprising number of Taylor Medalists on Honors Day – the university’s highest academic honor for undergraduates – have taken my organic chemistry class.”

During the pandemic year of 2020-21, Mattern “flipped” his classroom.

“I made videos of all my lectures and put them online,” he said. “In class, instead of listening to me lecture, the students do problem-solving activities in groups of four.

“Now my most enjoyable class time is when I observe a group express a misconception, then watch them work through a problem and figure out the correct view by the end.”

After completing his bachelor’s degree at Kalamazoo College, Mattern earned master’s and doctoral degrees from Stanford University. He has been a postdoctoral fellow at Tufts University School of Medicine and the University of California at San Diego.

Mattern’s research interests includes organic donor-sigma-acceptor molecules, fatty acyl analogs of acarnidine and aromatic iodination.

The Doctors Andrew Stefani and Eldon Miller Memorial Chair for Stem Teaching and Research Endowment is open to gifts from individuals and organizations. Send a check, with the endowment noted in the memo line, to the University of Mississippi Foundation, 406 University Ave., Oxford, MS 38655, or give online at http://give.olemiss.edu.

For more information on supporting STEM teaching and research at the university, contact Charlotte Parks, vice chancellor for development, at cpparks@olemiss.edu or 662-915-3120.

 

Chemistry Grad Student Wins 2021 Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition

Posted on: December 21st, 2021 by nhammer

WontorAnd the winner is … Kendall Wontor! This year’s Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) overall winner is Kendall Wontor, a doctoral student in chemistry. Wontor’s research focuses on microplastics in oysters, with several different aspects to her overall research project.

Wontor spent most of her childhood in Texas, but most recently lived in Hawaii before relocating to Mississippi. Her time in Hawaii sparked her interest in microplastics.

“My favorite things to do were going to the beach and sailing,” said Wontor. “Whenever I would do either, it was pretty common to see small pieces of plastic in the sand and out in the ocean being tossed around in the waves. As a chemist, that really got me interested in the breakdown process of plastics and the problem of microplastic pollution.”

“Microplastics are a diverse suite of contaminants with different polymers, additives, sizes and morphologies,” explained Wontor’s advisor Dr. James Cizdziel, professor of chemistry and biochemistry and coordinator of forensic chemistry. “Microplastics can also attract other pollutants, such as heavy metals, potentially introducing them into the food chain as the plastic is caught on gills or mistaken for prey,” he added.

The first aspect of Wontor’s research is focused on developing new methods to extract microplastics from oyster tissue, and this was the main point of her 3MT presentation. An example of an extraction method is sonication. “By developing and validating this extraction method, I hope to increase the analysis speed and sustainability of microplastics research,” said Wontor.

In the second aspect of her research, Wontor uses chemical digestion to analyze oysters from ten sites across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Here, Wontor is looking for any differences in the numbers, sizes, shapes, and polymer types of microplastics present in the oysters from the different sites. Wontor is also dissecting the larger oysters found to see if the microplastics are localizing in specific tissues, such as the gills, mantle, digestive system, or abductor muscle/heart.

“Microplastics are abundant in the Mississippi River and Mississippi Sound. Oysters are exposed to these small plastic particles. This is a concern because oysters are filter-feeders and the microplastics may interfere with oyster biology. Oysters are a foundational species in the Gulf and an economic resource to the region,” explained Dr. Cizdziel.

Wontor is no stranger to presenting her research. She presented “Microplastics in Oysters from the Mississippi Sound” at the National Environmental Monitoring Conference in a special session on “Analyzing Microplastics in the Environment: Striving to Better Assess Occurrence, Fate and Effects.”

Wontor will represent the UM Grad School at the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools’ 3MT competition in North Carolina in February 2022.

Prof. Nathan Hammer Receives Faculty Achievement Award

Posted on: October 18th, 2021 by nhammer

Award recognizes classroom instruction, student involvement, research and service

Chancellor Glenn Boyce (left) presents Nathan Hammer, the Margaret McLean Coulter Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, with his plaque for the university’s 2021 Faculty Achievement Award during the fall faculty meeting. Photo by Kevin Bain/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

 

OXFORD, Miss. – Nathan Hammer’s life changed forever with a simple question.

Hammer, the Margaret McLean Coulter Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Mississippi, was in an honors freshman chemistry class at the University of Tennessee when his professor asked about his major.

Hammer said he didn’t have one.

The professor asked, “Why not chemistry?”

That was the spark. Hammer went on to earn both his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in chemistry from Tennessee. After two years as a postdoctoral researcher at Yale University and a couple years spent as an Intelligence Community Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Massachusetts, Hammer joined the UM faculty in 2007. In 2019, he was named a full professor.

“I have loved science for as long as I can remember and always knew that I would one day serve society as a science teacher in some capacity,” Hammer said. “Chemistry is known as the ‘central science’ because it touches many areas, such as biology, materials science, etc.

“I came to UM primarily because I saw the opportunity to make significant impacts in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. When I arrived, there was no other experimental physical chemist or spectroscopist, and since arriving I have worked hard to not only build our research reputation but also serve our majors and department as a whole.”

That work has included teaching undergraduate and graduate physical chemistry courses, from first-year general chemistry to graduate courses about laser spectroscopy; mentoring more than 100 student researchers; serving as a principal investigator on five National Science Foundation grants totaling more than $7 million; and co-authoring more than 100 publications, including eight journal covers.

For those efforts and more, Hammer was selected for the 2021 Faculty Achievement Award, one of the university’s highest awards and one that recognizes remarkable effort in the classroom, involvement with students, active scholarship and service to the university.

“Being recognized for excellence in research, teaching and especially service means a great deal to me and validates my ongoing goal of becoming a teacher and scholar serving the University of Mississippi,” Hammer said.

Outside the classroom, his service to students includes coordinating such programs as the Ole Miss Chemistry Summer Research Program; Bachelor of Science in Chemistry Program, where he also is an adviser; and UM Chemistry Undergraduate Research.

Nathan Hammer, Margaret McLean Coulter Professor of Chemistry

 

“Dr. Hammer demonstrates the highest measure of excellence in teaching, scholarship and service,” Provost Noel Wilkin said. “He has passionately served his department and our university for more than 10 years, as demonstrated by his impressive publication record, tremendous success at grantsmanship, excellent teaching evaluations and extraordinary service record.

“Dr. Hammer has established a scientific career of the highest caliber at the University of Mississippi that we can all be proud to recognize. His scholarly, instructional and service activities epitomize the teacher-scholar model that is the very essence of this award.”

Hammer assists faculty by working as the faculty research fellow in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, where he provides valuable expertise and assistance in proposal development across the university, particularly for the NSF CAREER program.

He also serves as chair of the Ole Miss Local Section of the American Chemical Society.

“I am happy to help others and share my experiences to help not only other researchers but also the University of Mississippi as a whole,” Hammer said. “During my time here, the department has become much more competitive in research and the university has grown to achieve R1 status.

“Maintaining this status and helping other faculty reach their full potential in scholarship helps improve the lives of everyone involved.”

Born in Johnson City, Tennessee, Hammer was valedictorian of Franklin High School in Franklin, Tennessee, before entering college. While at UT, he was a graduate adviser under Robert Compton, professor emeritus in the Department of Chemistry, whom Hammer thanks for his ongoing support.

As a structural spectroscopist, Hammer is interested in the structures of molecules and nanoscale assemblies and how these systems are affected when they interact with each other. He and the Hammer Research Group lab study the properties of molecules that collaborators create in synthetic labs – such as how well they absorb and emit light – so that they can design better systems for light harvesting for energy storage and creating new sources of fuels.

“Nathan’s teaching, research and service activities have had a major positive impact on the chemistry department and our students,” said Greg Tschumper, UM professor and chair of chemistry and biochemistry. “I am thrilled to see all of his efforts on and off campus recognized in such a significant way.

“By striving for excellence in all three of those areas, he has really provided an excellent model for other faculty and students who aspire to be professors one day.”

At UM, Hammer said he’s been mentored by colleagues Steven Davis, Randy Wadkins and Kwang Yun in the art of teaching chemistry and also in grant writing. He’s had the support of former department chair Charles Hussey and now Tschumper – both former recipients of the Faculty Achievement Award – to develop his research program and provide opportunities to serve students, the department and the community in new and unconventional ways.

“I could not have been as successful without the support of my close collaborators both at UM and nationally,” he said. “Lastly, I could never have been successful without the effort of my close to 100 undergraduate and graduate student researchers throughout the years.”

Since the U.S. suffers from a shortage of science, technology, engineering and mathematics professionals, recruiting more students into STEM fields helps both society and the students who have a passion for science that they want to explore, Hammer said.

“The ability to offer research opportunities to high school students and freshmen their first day of college has enabled us to recruit top chemistry majors from across the country,” he said. “Choosing a major is really a lifestyle choice. Students should pursue a major that they love and want to immerse themselves into fully.

“The chemistry bachelor’s degree is for students who love math and physics and want to take every chemistry class offered so that they understand it at the most fundamental levels. It isn’t for everyone, and helping students discover their true calling, I believe, is an important job for faculty.”

Beyond the more than 100 student researchers Hammer has mentored, 14 undergraduate students and one high school student have served as co-authors on publications, and three of Hammer’s student researchers have received coveted Barry Goldwater Scholarships.

His lab’s membership includes a postdoctoral fellow, three graduate students and seven undergraduate students.

“I don’t think that someone should become a professor if they don’t have a passion for teaching and helping students reach their full potential,” Hammer said. “What gets me most excited each day is helping our chemistry majors achieve their personal and career goals.”

UM SMACS Chapter Receives Award Again!

Posted on: October 12th, 2021 by nhammer

The University of Mississippi Student Members of the American Chemical Society (SMACS) chapter has been recognized again by the ACS.  They recently received an Honorable Mention award from the ACS for the 2020-2021 school year.   This adds to the previous awards of Outstanding Chapter (2016-2017), Commendable Chapter (2017-2018), and Honorable Mention (2018-2019, 2019-2020).

Click here to return to the main Chemistry News page.

 

Chemistry Majors Inducted into Phi Kappa Phi

Posted on: October 11th, 2021 by nhammer

Six University of Mississippi chemistry majors have recently been welcomed into one of the oldest and most prestigious honor societies in the world.

The Phi Kapa Phi honor society’s mission is “to recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others.”

On a campus of about 19,000 students, it can be hard to stand out, but the newest members of the University of Mississippi chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi (PKP) national honor society are certainly able to do it.

“Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective honor society for all academic disciplines,” UM PKP President Jeremy Loenneke said. “Membership into Phi Kappa Phi is by invitation only and is open to those who have a consistent record of academic excellence.”

Approximately 560 students were invited to join the chapter for the fall of 2021. The chapter hosted its initiation ceremony in the Ford Center, Sunday, October 10, with Dr. Dave Puleo, dean of the UM engineering school, delivering the keynote address.

The UM chapter of Phi Kappa Phi has been a part of campus for more than 60 years, which Loenneke said speaks to the caliber of students and faculty at the university.

“The overall environment is also one that promotes and values academic excellence. All of this together fits right in with the mission and motto of Phi Kappa Phi, which is to ‘let the love of learning rule humanity,’” Loenneke said.

Phi Kappa Phi membership also comes with recognition on your college transcript and a chance to apply for a number of prestigious local and national scholarships. This fall’s new class of initiates includes student representatives from every school and college on the UM campus.

Loenneke said there are hundreds of UM students who should be feeling particularly proud of their accomplishments right now.

“To be selected for initiation is a great honor and means that you represent the very best of your class.”

Phi Kappa Phi has a long and impressive history. In 1897 at the University of Maine, 10 senior students, two faculty members and the school president created an honor society that was different from the few others then in existence- one that recognized and honored excellence in all academic disciplines. Under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann, the group formed the Lambda Sigma Eta Society, which was later renamed Phi Kappa Phi from the initial letters of the Greek words forming its adopted motto: Philosophìa Krateìto Photôn, “Let the love of learning rule humanity.”

At the University of Mississippi, notable inductees include former chancellor Robert Khayat, the late Senator Thad Cochran and bestselling author John Grisham. Presidents, senators, Supreme Court Justices, governors, Pulitzer Prize winners, even astronauts count themselves as members of Phi Kappa Phi. 

Please join the department in welcoming these 2021-2022 chemistry majors to the Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society:

Susan Gurley, M.D., Ph.D., to serve as interim chair of medicine

Posted on: October 4th, 2021 by nhammer

OHSU School of Medicine Dean Sharon Anderson has appointed Susan Gurley, M.D., Ph.D., (B.A., 1990, University of Mississippi; Ph.D., 1994, University of Mississippi) associate professor and division head of nephrology and hypertension, Department of Medicine, to serve as interim chair of medicine. Dr. Gurley succeeds David Jacoby, M.D., professor and chair of medicine and interim director of the Knight Cardiovascular Institute, whom President Jacobs has named interim dean, effective. Oct. 1. Dr. Gurley will retain her role as division head.

“It is with great pride and appreciation that I am appointing Dr. Gurley interim chair of medicine,” Dr. Anderson said. “I recruited Dr. Gurley from Duke, where she had distinguished herself across missions. She has only continued to excel since arriving at OHSU in 2017, and I am thrilled that she will step up to lead the school’s largest department at this critical time.”  

Dr. Gurley earned her Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi in 1994 and her M.D. from Washington University School of Medicine in 1998. She did a research fellowship and a clinical fellowship in the Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center.  

Dr. Gurley has a secondary appointment in the Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry, OHSU School of Medicine.  She also serves as a staff physician at the Portland VA Health Care System, is a member of the Graduate Studies faculty in the school, and was recently named associate director of the OHSU MD/PhD Training Program.  She is an active member of the American Heart Association (KCVD Leadership) and the American Society of Nephrology. 

Dr. Gurley studies the pathogenesis of hypertension and diabetic kidney disease.  Her laboratory studies rely on mouse models of human diseases to dissect relevant pathways contributing to hypertension and kidney disease.   

Dr. Jacoby, a celebrated researcher, educator and clinician, was recruited to OHSU from Johns Hopkins in 2003 as chief of pulmonary and critical care. He led the expansion of that division across missions and became interim and then chair of medicine in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

“I have been grateful for Dr. Jacoby’s outstanding leadership as chair of medicine,” Dr. Anderson said. “Drs. Jacoby and Gurley and I will work closely together to ensure a smooth transition. Please join me in congratulating them both. It has been my great honor to serve as chair of medicine and dean of the school of medicine at OHSU, and I am confident that both are in good hands going forward.” 

Department Receives NSF MRI Award for New FTIR Microscope

Posted on: July 29th, 2021 by nhammer

Congratulations to Dr. Cizdziel for a $217,163 NSF MRI grant award to acquire an advanced FTIR microscope for research and education.  This powerful analytical tool provides useful information on molecular structure, surface characteristics, and the spatial distribution of chemicals in samples. Dr. Cizdziel (PI) will use it to identify microplastics in environmental and biological samples to better understand their sources and fate in the environment.  Faculty from five different departments will use the equipment to advance their research and to integrate it their undergraduate and graduate courses.  The instrument will be available sometime this fall.   Co-PIs include Drs. Freiwald, Roper, Raman, and D’Alessio.

Greg Tschumper Wins Top Research Award

Posted on: April 30th, 2021 by nhammer

Greg Tschumper, professor and chair of chemistry and biochemistry, has been awarded the university’s Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement Award for 2021. Photo by Kevin Bain/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

 

The University of Mississippi chair and professor of chemistry and biochemistry was named the winner of the university’s Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement Award on Friday (April 30, 2021) during the spring faculty meeting.

Created in 2008, the award is the university’s highest honor for faculty success and outstanding accomplishment in research, scholarship and creative activity.

“I am deeply honored to have been selected for this award,” said Tschumper, who joined the UM faculty in 2001. “We have so many stellar faculty at the University of Mississippi engaged in world-class research and scholarship.

“First and foremost, I need to thank my incredible family. I would not have been able to achieve anything like this without the support and inspiration that my wife, Emily Tschumper, and daughters, Anne and Kate, provide every day. I must also thank all of the amazing undergraduate and graduate students who have worked in my lab over the years. Their bright minds and hard work have been the foundation of my research program at Ole Miss.”

The award follows several recent honors for Tschumper. In 2020, he was elected a full member of Sigma Xi, the scientific research honor society.

Later last year, he was elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society that seeks to advance science, engineering and innovation around the globe.

And earlier this year, he was named the university’s winner of the 2021 SEC Faculty Achievement Award.

“The Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement Award is the highest honor at the university which recognizes excellence and impact in scholarship,” said Josh Gladden, UM vice chancellor for research and sponsored programs. “The work of the committee is always difficult with many nominees deserving recognition.

“Dr. Tschumper has been a leading researcher on our campus for many years and in his role as chair of chemistry has fostered a culture of excellence and impact. We are thrilled to be able to honor his work with this year’s award.”

Greg Tschumper

 

Tschumper’s research group explores the subtle interactions between molecules, especially those involving water because of its vital role in many physical and chemical processes, either in our bodies or in nature.

His laboratory is devoted to obtaining answers and insight to important chemical problems in essentially every area of chemistry through theory and computation rather than experimentation.

“I usually describe my research as ‘chemistry without chemicals’ because our work utilizes physics, mathematics and high-performance computing rather than laboratory experiments to gain insight into chemistry,” said Tschumper, who also is a member of the American Chemical Society, the World Association of Theoretical and Computational Chemists, and the Mississippi Academy of Sciences.

“Although very fundamental, this research has been quite impactful because of deliberate efforts to draw direct connections to experimental results.”

His research has led to nearly $30 million in external funding for his research lab and research in Mississippi through his leadership roles on grants from the National Science Foundation and other funding agencies.

The results from Tschumper’s lab are being used to better understand and predict the behavior of water under different conditions. Some of the lab’s recent work has been highlighted in ScienceDaily and by the NSF.

“This insight could help improve existing theoretical models for simulating aqueous chemistry, some of which are currently being used on supercomputers around the world to accelerate the discovery of molecules that could lead to therapeutics for COVID-19 or vaccines for new variants of SARS-CoV-2,” Tschumper said.

Outside the Lab

As a teacher, Tschumper also is a leader, guiding students to success either in the classroom or his lab, where he has mentored 65 undergraduate research assistants. For his classroom successes, he was awarded the Cora Lee Graham Award for Outstanding Teacher of Freshmen in 2009 and the Faculty Achievement Award in 2015.

“In the chemistry department at Ole Miss, research with undergraduate and graduate students is intrinsically tied to our teaching mission,” said Tschumper, who is author of 108 peer-reviewed journal publications, including 66 with undergraduate co-authors. “Just as much learning takes place in the research lab as in the classroom.”

The teaching successes of the department are echoed by just a few national accolades that chemistry students have earned in the last year.

In 2020, Jax Dallas, a physical chemistry and mathematics major from Caledonia, and William Meador, a chemistry major from Carbondale, Illinois, were awarded Barry Goldwater Scholarships. The pair were the university’s 15th and 16th winners of Goldwater scholarships, which is one of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics.

This year, two more chemistry majors, Qing Ivy Li, of Oxford, and Austin Wallace, of Southaven, became the university’s 17th and 18th Goldwater scholars.

Greg Tschumper and his research group explore the subtle interactions between molecules, especially those involving water, through theory and computation rather than experimentation. Tschumper, named the winner of the university’s 2021 Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement Award, describes the work as ‘chemistry without chemicals.’ Photo by Robert Jordan/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

 

And earlier this month, Dallas and Meador were selected for NSF fellowships that recognize and support the research-based pursuit of master’s and doctoral degrees in STEM fields. The duo, along with biomedical engineering major Larry Stokes, of Clarksdale, was selected for the foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

“I am very happy to see growing recognition at the local, regional and national level for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Mississippi,” said Tschumper, who became chair of the department in January 2017. “Spectacular things can be accomplished when talented students have an opportunity to work with top-notch faculty in both the classroom and the research lab.”

Tschumper knows the importance of students gaining encouragement from mentors. Tschumper grew up on a farm outside of Hokah, Minnesota, where his mother worked in K-12 education as a teacher and administrator for more than 40 years.

“That has certainly been a big influence on my approach to and passion for teaching,” he said. “I also draw a lot of inspiration from some of the amazing professors I’ve had over the years, especially those who challenged their students.”

As a student at Aquinas High School in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Tschumper was inspired by two chemistry teachers: the late Ray Heath and Rodney White.

“I really enjoyed physics and chemistry in high school,” he said. “Neither came to me naturally, but I could eventually understand the material if I just kept working at it, whereas many of my smarter classmates would often give up.

“Growing up on a farm, I learned that you don’t give up just because something is hard, and those lessons about hard work and perseverance are still guiding me today.”

At Winona State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and mathematics in 1995, Tschumper said he “was influenced by Dr. Bill Ng in chemistry and Dr. Jeff Anderson in mathematics.”

“My first real introduction to theoretical chemistry research came during an NSF-sponsored Research Experiences for Undergraduates program at the University of North Dakota with Dr. Mark Hoffmann,” Tschumper said. “By the end of that summer, I was hooked and knew exactly what I wanted to pursue in graduate school.

“My Ph.D. adviser at the University of Georgia, Dr. Fritz Schaefer, also had a profound impact on my professional trajectory, along with my postdoctoral advisers Dr. Martin Quack at ETH Zürich in Switzerland and the late Dr. Keiji Morokuma at Emory University.”

At Home

Following his postdoctoral fellowships in Switzerland and Emory, Tschumper applied for an assistant professor position at Ole Miss. He had heard positive news about the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and when he came to campus for his interview, he felt at home.

Oxford also has become home for him and his wife, Emily, a clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice in the School of Pharmacy. The Tschumpers have two daughters: Anne, who finished at Oxford High School in December and will be entering Ole Miss in the fall, and Kate, who is starting at Oxford High in the fall.

Anne is a talented artist with a strong interest in and gift for Asian languages, and Kate is interested in physics, he said.

Tschumper’s fascination with science extends into the family’s household, as one of his joys outside of work is coffee roasting.

“I am a coffee fanatic and have been roasting my own beans for many years,” he said. “There is actually a lot of fascinating chemistry behind the roasting and brewing processes.”

But it’s not all science all the time. Intense music and working out helps Tschumper recharge, and he unwinds by socializing with friends and family.

“I am just lucky to have a fantastic job at a great university,” Tschumper said. “Working hard doesn’t feel like hard work when you love what you do.”

With his selection as the university’s 2021 Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement Award winner, Tschumper joins a growing list of acclaimed faculty recognized for their research, scholarship and creative activity.

Previous winners of the Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement Award are Sam Wang, Larry Walker, Charles Reagan Wilson, Dale Flesher, Atef Elsherbeni, Mahmoud ElSohly, Robert Van Ness, Charles Hussey (who also was chair of chemistry when he received the award), Ikhlas Khan, Alice Clark, Marc Slattery, Ron Rychlak and Michael Repka.

The award recipient is selected from a competitive pool of nominees by the most recent 10 award winners.