Author Archive

Two UM Chemistry Professors Take Both Covers in Same JPCA Issue

Posted on: October 26th, 2020 by nhammer
The Journal of Physical Chemistry A (JPCA) publishes two cover articles in each issue. The October 22, 2020 issue is no different. Both covers of the most recent issue are from the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at The University of Mississippi – Ole Miss. Greg Tschumper, chair and professor of #chemistry and #biochemistry, and his (former undergraduate) student have the front cover, while Ryan C. Fortenberry, assistant professor of physical chemistry, (along with collaborators) have the supplemental cover. A fascinating coincidence! https://pubs.acs.org/toc/jpcafh/124/42a
 
 
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Danny Bailey Receives University of Mississippi Staff Service Award!

Posted on: October 9th, 2020 by nhammer
Danny_s

Daniel Bailey, Operations Coordinator for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Congratulations to Operations Coordinator Danny Bailey for receiving the University of Mississippi Staff Service Award!  Daniel joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry 2014. Danny is originally from Memphis, TN and attended Millsaps College in Jackson, MS where he completed his Business of Administration degree.  Prof Nathan Hammer was quoted as saying, “We are lucky to have Danny.  He is a true asset to the department.”

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Biochemistry Freshmen Receive Honors College Scholarships

Posted on: October 2nd, 2020 by nhammer

2020 freshman class defined by COVID-19 embodies passion, determination

October 1, 2020 by
 

UM freshman receiving scholarships through the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College are: (top, from left) Alexandria Childers, Andie Udziela, Angeline Morgan and Davis Bunn; (second row) Elsi Muños Ramos, Ethan Hebert, Grace Patterson and Jada Kelly; (third row) Jeremy Wright, Kasia Hosey, Molly O’Connor and Porter May; and (bottom) Sarah Caroline Crall, Will Lamb and Yalanis Isabel Wences.

 

OXFORD, Miss. – The Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College at the University of Mississippi has awarded more than $500,000 in scholarship money to an incoming freshman class that its leaders said have been more prepared to face adversity in their lifetimes than any other previous class.

This sense of challenge is primarily due to challenges brought on by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“One thing I saw was a real sense of urgency, amongst our scholarship students especially,” said William Teer, coordinator of enrollment and engagement for the Honors College. “Sometimes people can assume that because you’re 17 or 18 years old, that means you don’t understand real life yet, and I don’t think that’s the case with our student body, especially these scholarship recipients.

“Some have faced significant challenges and overcome significant adversity. Others are very determined to see how they can solve problems they’re passionate about.”

The scholarships range from $6,250 to $8,000 per year over four years as long as the students remain in good standing with the award requirements.

The 2020 freshman receiving scholarships through the Honors College are:

  • Kasia Dione Hosey, a biochemistry major from Laurel, received the McDonnell-Barksdale scholarship.
  • Lorne Turner, an international studies major from Rienzi, received the McDonnell-Barksdale scholarship.
  • Yalanis Isabel Wences, a pharmaceutical sciences major from Forest, received the McDonnell-Barksdale scholarship.
  • Jeremy Wright, a computer science major from Gulfport, received the McDonnell-Barksdale scholarship.
  • Alexandra Nicole Childers, a biological science major from Hurricane, West Virginia, received the Doris Raymond scholarship.
  • Sarah Caroline Crall, an integrated marketing communications major from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, received the Doris Raymond scholarship.
  • George William Lamb, an international studies major from Memphis, Tennessee, received the Doris Raymond scholarship.
  • Porter Bolton May, an accountancy major from Shreveport, Louisiana, received the Doris Raymond scholarship.
  • Molly Christine O’Connor, an accountancy major from Collierville, Tennessee, received the Doris Raymond scholarship.
  • Jacquelyn Fae Stewart-Kuhn, an international studies major from Mobile, Alabama, received the Doris Raymond scholarship.
  • Davis William Bunn, a public policy leadership major from Birmingham, Alabama, received the Harold Parker Memorial scholarship.
  • Andrea Lee Udziela, a biochemistry major from La Grange, Illinois, received the Harold Parker Memorial scholarship.
  • Ethan Hebert, a pharmaceutical sciences major from Jayess, received the Annexstad Family Foundation Leaders for Tomorrow scholarship.
  • Jada C. Kelly, a pharmaceutical sciences major from Jackson, received the Annexstad Family Foundation Leaders for Tomorrow scholarship.
  • Angeline Marie Morgan, an art major from Southaven, received the Annexstad Family Foundation Leaders for Tomorrow scholarship.
  • Elsi Gabriela Munoz Ramos, an international studies major from Pelahatchie, received the Annexstad Family Foundation Leaders for Tomorrow scholarship.
  • Grace Caroline Patterson, a nursing major from Gulfport, received the Everett-Williams scholarship.

“Looking at these applications, we’re really excited to be able to support the students in fulfilling their dreams,” said John Samonds, Honors College associate dean. “Every year, looking at Honors College applications gives you hope for the future. These are great students, and we’re proud of them.”

The college’s scholarship selection process includes all students who submit the special programs portion of the UM application, with scholarship finalists identified by a selection committee composed of faculty and staff. About 700 students a year are accepted to the Honors College.

“I would say these students’ records demonstrate their ability to adjust to the challenges of the day, and we choose high-performers, students who have a demonstrable resume as both citizen and scholar,” said Douglas Sullivan-González, Honors College dean. “They are more prepared to handle the adversity they are facing than many of us old-timers.”

The college is able to offer such invaluable opportunities to these students thanks to the generous support of the individuals and foundations who fund these scholarships, Sullivan-González said.

Chemical Physics Major Research Featured

Posted on: September 24th, 2020 by nhammer

UM junior Nicholas Kruse, a chemistry and physics major from St. Louis, is a B. S. Chemistry major concentrating in Chemical Physics.

 

OXFORD, Miss. – What’s actually in the electronic cigarettes you’ve been smoking as a “safe” alternative to tobacco?

With much speculation surrounding the safety of e-cigarettes over the past few years, University of Mississippi junior Nicholas Kruse wanted to determine whether top e-cigarette manufacturers are accurately listing ingredients in the e-cigarette fluid that becomes the vapor in “vape.”

“We can’t actually know what the health effects of e-cigarettes are if we don’t know what’s in them,” said Kruse, who is double-majoring in chemistry and physics with minors in German and mathematics.  So, he created a research project to answer that question.

“It’s important for people to understand what they’re putting in their bodies in order for them to make good decisions about their health,” Kruse said.

Step one was identifying the chemical makeup of the brands. Because the information he sought wasn’t always on company websites, Kruse did some research to compile information about e-cigarette fluids.

He then created a research plan that starts with replicating those fluids in lab.

In the next phase of this ongoing study, the compounds will be broken apart into particles, using a laser in a type of chemical analysis called Raman spectroscopy, which is based upon the interaction of light with the chemical bonds within a material.

This cutting-edge instrument analyzes chemical structures in detail, down to the molecular level.  It lets scientists know exactly what is in a chemical compound.

Using these resources, Kruse hopes to identify what is in e-cigarette fluids that isn’t being disclosed by manufacturers.

According to Kruse’s research plan, experiments will be conducted at the Hammer Research Group, founded by his mentor, Nathan I. Hammer, the university’s Margaret McLean Coulter Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

The Hammer Lab is known for cutting-edge research in developing a molecular-level understanding of the effects of noncovalent interactions – the basic chemical bonds found in biological systems – on the properties of new materials and important biological and synthetic building blocks. The lab’s research has been published in leading academic journals, including The Journal of Physical Chemistry.

“I came to the University of Mississippi from my home in St. Louis, Missouri, in order to work in Dr. Hammer’s lab,” Kruse said. “I hope to one day become a research professor at a university, like Dr. Hammer. He’s a pioneer in his field, and I’ve been really lucky to be able to work on his team as an undergraduate.”

For his next project, Kruse will mimic the environment of outer space to study complex chemical compounds. Known as dipole bound-anions, these compounds are found mostly in outer space but also can appear in the human body. Studying them will yield greater insights into multiple scientific disciplines, including pharmacology and the development of drugs.

When he’s not in the lab, Kruse can be found studying German, working on his collection of Star Wars memorabilia or fueling his passion for sharpening Ole Miss students’ academic insights and abilities through tutoring.

“I love teaching,” Kruse said. “There’s nothing like seeing someone’s face light up with joy when they finally understand something.”

Kruse also loves being taught. For his bachelor’s degree in chemistry, he is pursuing a new emphasis in chemical physics offered by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Designed for students who enjoy both physics and chemistry, this emphasis is good for students who wish to attend graduate school in physical chemistry or chemical physics

“Nick is a great B.S. chemistry major,” Hammer said. “We are excited that he is doing so well in our program and enjoying research.”

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Chemistry Professors Receive NSF Award to Explore Lower-Energy Light

Posted on: August 25th, 2020 by nhammer

Research could lead to better-performing electronic devices, new applications

UM graduate students Austin Dorris (left) and Leigh Anna Hunt operate a spectrometer in Nathan Hammer’s laboratory in Coulter Hall. Photo by Nathan Hammer/UM Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

 

Two University of Mississippi Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry professors have received a more-than-$500,000 National Science Foundation award to further explore using lower-energy light to drive systems that will improve daily life.

With hundreds of devices working by absorbing light and then using that energy, instruments that could be improved by the professors’ research include solar cells, solar-charging batteries, night vision technologies, infrared cameras and optical telecommunications.

The two professors are Jared Delcamp, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Nathan Hammer, Margaret McLean Coulter Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

“It is an honor to be entrusted with federal funding,” said Delcamp, who joined the faculty in 2013. “We’re well-suited to take on this project, and it could have very important outcomes that benefit a wide range of fields and society as a whole.

“It is exciting to think about starting the project. This is something we have been building toward since my arrival at Ole Miss seven years ago, and it is really at the heart of what we knew we wanted to study then. Incredibly, that time is finally now.”

The $550,000 award will fund interdisciplinary research at UM that will use a diverse range of chemistry fields that university faculty explore, including organic, inorganic, materials and physical chemistry.

Nathan Hammer, the Margaret McLean Coulter Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry

 

“This work builds upon our recent strong collaboration the past few years and should shed much light on fundamental charge transfer processes important to developing batteries, other energy storage media and energy harvesting devices,” Hammer said.

In nature, green plants and other organisms use photosynthesis to convert lower-energy light into other energy forms. The professors hope their research will lead to a better understanding of this process to help enhance artificial systems to improve a range of devices.

“Currently, our understanding in science is limited to higher-energy light, where a lot of the energy can be wasted while achieving a functioning system,” Delcamp said.

“Our primary objective is to design organic molecules that can split charges after absorbing light at an inorganic surface. These systems are incredibly robust in many cases, and the use of organic molecules lets the system be broadly tunable with respect to the light energy used.

“We have an array of technical strategies we have proposed to accomplish this, but really it is all about using the currently unusable energies to drive important processes.”

While transforming lower-energy light into fuel is fundamental in nature, a better-designed artificial photosynthetic system could change the way we interact with the world, Delcamp said.

Jared Delcamp, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry

 

“It is not outlandish to imagine a world where your car’s exhaust is as valuable as the gasoline you currently put in it,” he said. “Or, a pair of glasses could be used to make the world around us appear as visually vibrant at night as it does during the day.

“Electric bills could be dramatically lowered. Energy could become more easily stored. This work is at the center of all of these areas and could unlock much better versions of all of these things.”

Beyond the research, the team will use the award to conduct outreach activities with the general public and several student groups representing a broad population of campus. The goal of the outreach programs will be to encourage science, technology, engineering and mathematics involvement from a diverse student body.

The professors also plan to hold a yearly summer research program that will bring STEM students onto the Ole Miss campus to conduct independent research related to the award.

Delcamp and Hammer, who joined the UM faculty in 2007, have been working in this line of research together for seven years, and each professor’s exploration goes back years before they met. Both professors have received prestigious National Science Foundation Career Awards (Hammer in 2010; Delcamp in 2015), along with other funding from additional sources, including the Department of Energy and NASA.

“The National Science Foundation has made a considerable investment in their research because it recognizes the importance and significance of this work,” said Greg Tschumper, professor and chair of chemistry and biochemistry. “This science has the potential to make a positive impact on our daily lives.

“The funding from NSF also provides opportunities for students from Mississippi and the region to gain valuable research experience in the labs of Dr. Delcamp and Dr. Hammer.”

Titled “Photoinduced Interfacial Charge Transfers with Organic Sensitizers Using Low Energy Photons and Fundamental Physical Organic Design Concepts,” the NSF award, No. 1954922, is for three years.

Click Here for the original story on August 24, 2020 by .

Chemistry Graduate Wins National Portz Scholarship for the Second Year in a Row

Posted on: August 20th, 2020 by nhammer

Genevieve Verville

A 2020 graduate of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College at the University of Mississippi has been awarded a prestigious scholarship from the National Collegiate Honors Council.

Genevieve Verville, a May 2020 B.S. Chemistry graduate with minors in mathematics, biological sciences and psychology, has been named a 2020 NCHC Portz Scholar. The Montgomery, Alabama, native is one of four recipients nationwide and will present her honors thesis during the NCHC virtual conference, set for Nov. 4-8.

“I was thrilled to learn that other people outside of the University of Mississippi are interested in my research and I am excited to learn about the other Portz scholars’ research,” Verville said. “The general public would be interested in my research because the phenomenon known as the hydrophobic effect has many implications in developing new treatments for disease and in drug design and effectiveness.”

Dean Douglass Sullivan-Gonzalez said Verville’s achievement reflects well on the college.

“We nominated Genevieve’s thesis over those of her 343 peers in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College given its depth and breadth,” he said. “The National Collegiate Honors Council chose three top theses, including Genevieve’s, over all the nominations submitted by the nation’s honors colleges and programs.

“Once again, our SMBHC scholars distinguish themselves not only on campus but in the nation with their scholastic commitment and pursuit of knowledge and understanding.”

The focus of Verville’s thesis was three organic molecules – called osmolytes – that are important to proteins. These molecules are trimethylamine N-oxide, known as TMAO; guanidinium; and urea.

Osmolytes play crucial roles in protecting cells against environmental stressors that can negatively affect them.

“The exact mechanisms by which TMAO stabilizes and both guanidinium and urea destabilize folded proteins and interact with each is still a mystery,” Verville said. “We used a technique called Raman spectroscopy to explore the interactions between the molecules of interest in water to better understand how they interact with each other and affect the adjacent networks of water.”

Beginning this fall, Verville plans to spend the next two years working as a post-baccalaureate research fellow at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Following completion of her fellowship, she hopes to apply to doctoral programs to continue her education and research.

Nathan Hammer, the university’s Margaret McLean Coulter Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, served as adviser for Verville’s honors thesis.

“Genevieve is one of the finest honors students I have known in my 13-year tenure at Ole Miss,” said Hammer, who first met Verville when she enrolled in his lab as a freshman. “She first appeared as second author on a published paper that was featured on a journal cover in the Journal of Physical Chemistry B.”

Verville’s co-authorship on that first publication with Hammer stemmed from her taking over a project that involved studying TMAO’s interactions with urea and her making critical contributions that ensured its completion and success, Hammer said.

“At an early age, she (Verville) was operating on the level of a graduate student,” he said.

Verville’s thesis research is the basis of an upcoming article in the Journal of Raman Spectrometry on which she is first author. Hammer noted in his nomination letter for the Portz that “She developed her research plan on her own and I had complete confidence that she would succeed in seeing it through to a successful end.”

Verville said she thinks her thesis, titled “Raman Spectroscopic and Quantum Chemical Investigation of the Effects of Tri-Methylamine N-Oxide (TMAO) on Hydrated Urea, Hydrated Guanidinium, and Hydrogen Bonded Networks,” will be of interest to the other researchers because the nature of the interactions between the osmolytes continue to be debated.

The 55th annual NCHC conference was scheduled to be held in Dallas but was switched to a virtual format because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is the second year in a row that a graduate from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has won this national award.  Kennedy Dickson, a 2019 Forensic Chemistry graduate, won the 2019 contest.

For more about the 2020 NHCH Portz Scholars, visit https://www.nchchonors.org/students/awards-scholarships/portz-scholars.

Penghao Li

Posted on: August 3rd, 2020 by nhammer

Penghao Li, Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Office: 480 Coulter Hall
662-915-5337| penghao@olemiss.edu

EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
B.S., Nankai University, China, 2011
M.A., Boston University, 2014
Ph.D., University of Oregon, 2017
Postdoctoral Fellow, Northwestern University, 2017-2023
Assistant Professor, University of Mississippi, 2023-present

RESEARCH INTERESTS
Synthesis of carbon nanoarchitectures, organic electronics, molecular recognition, self-assembly, organic synthesis, and physical organic chemistry

RESEARCH OVERVIEW
My research group aims to gain precise control over the spatial arrangement of π-conjugated molecules by means of covalent and non-covalent linkages to create functional entities with tailored physical properties. We rely on physical organic and supramolecular principles to guide the design of novel molecular, supramolecular, and macromolecular materials with unique optoelectronic, magnetic, and recognition behaviors for the development of enabling technologies related to energy, sustainability, and human health. Additionally, we seek to implement high-throughput and automated synthetic methods based on sustainable and green protocols. Major thrusts of our research group include (1) precise synthesis of graphene-based carbon nanoarchitectures, (2) molecular recognition of curved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and (3) discovery of porous materials though hierarchical self-assembly.

GROUP WEBSITE

Chemistry Faculty Connect Students and Industry Leaders through virtual StudyUSA program

Posted on: July 29th, 2020 by nhammer
Zoom Meeting with Delbert Hosemann
By Pam Starling News 7/23/20 (Click Here for the original story)

PHOTO: Last month, UM students (above) participated in a round-table discussion with Mississippi Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann (center photo) concerning the state’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The students were taking part in numerous online forums with local, state, national, and international leaders and researchers as part of the UM StudyUSA course Chemistry 393: Science and Public Policy. 

OXFORD, Miss. – When Washington, D.C., became a COVID-19 hotspot late this spring, University of Mississippi chemistry professor Randy Wadkins decided to reimagine how he could safely facilitate engaging conversations among students, government leaders and scientists around the world during one of the most significant time periods for both science and public policy – a worldwide pandemic.

Wadkins’ Chem 393: Science and Public Policy class was originally planned as a StudyUSA course for the university’s first summer session. Students were to spend the first few weeks in class in Oxford diving into the issues and then the next week-and-a-half in Washington and Baltimore, hearing from government and health care leaders.

“The goal of the class was to help students learn more about how society and science are intertwined, but little did I know when I proposed the class last fall how even more critical this discussion would become in just a few short months,” Wadkins said.

The class was scheduled to fly to D.C. to visit congressmen and leaders at the White House, and also visit Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Due to the outbreak, travel and on-campus classes were cancelled.

“At first, I wasn’t sure if the Zoom class would work with all of our speakers and if we could still have the same quality of discussions that we were planning in our original site visits, but it worked out better than I could have imagined,” he said.

“We would never have had the opportunity to speak with leaders from Vietnam, Australia, Mississippi and D.C. all within two weeks. Since most of the speakers were at home and social distancing, they were available and willing to speak with the students.”

During these exclusive Zoom conferences, Ole Miss students were able to hear from a variety of speakers about their institution’s or government branch’s responses to the COVID-19 crisis.

Speakers included Michael Schmoyer, from the Office of Science and Technology at the White House; Paul Roepe, co-director for infectious disease at Georgetown University Center; U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn.; Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hoseman; and Lynn Spruill, Jason Shelton and Robyn Tannehill, mayors of Starkville, Tupelo and Oxford, respectively.

International speakers included Dr. Nguyen Thanh Hung, director of Children’s Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Frances Separovic, president-elect of the Biophysical Society, from Melbourne, Australia.

Faculty members who want to find out more about how to offer similar opportunities to students in an upcoming term are invited to an online information session offered by the Ole Miss StudyUSA program at 2 p.m. Thursday (July 30).

Interested parties can email studyusa@olemiss.edu to get a Zoom link.

During the session, participants will learn more about the numerous services offered by the StudyUSA office for faculty members who are interested including resources for marketing courses, Blackboard and technical support, scholarships to offset costs for students, course development support, flexible course enrollments and more.

Brittany Ferguson, a senior forensic chemistry major from Augusta, Georgia, said she originally signed up for Wadkins’ StudyUSA course because she thought the subject material was a great fit for her major, as well as for her minor in legal studies.

“I wanted to learn more about how to apply what I’m learning in the classroom into my future profession,” Ferguson said.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but when I saw the speaker lineup, I was excited to hear from these great leaders and experts from all over the world. It was a great way to compare COVID-19 stabilization and eradication tactics taken from a variety of viewpoints and regions.”

Ferguson said a speaker who particularly stood out for her was Ashani Weeraratna, chair of biochemistry and molecular biology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“She talked about what problems might arise at the end of the coronavirus surge,” Ferguson said. “She also talked about her experiences as a female in a STEM career and some of the challenges she had to overcome.”

Some of Ferguson’s friends have since tested positive for coronavirus, and she feels that her participation in the class helped her to make more informed decisions about her own health.

“This was one of my more impactful classes during my time at UM, even though it was different than what I anticipated,” she said. “I feel like I now know more about the science behind this epidemic, and I can use my voice to help others.”

Jody Holland, assistant professor of public policy leadership, planned a course for May intersession that would introduce students to the emerging field of social entrepreneurship and innovation while providing an opportunity for them to learn more from leaders in this field.

His PPL 491: Leadership and Social Innovation class was slated to head to Portland, Oregon, to attend the annual Momentum Summit, a conference for mission-driven CEOs and leaders from around the country. The conference moved to an online format after the pandemic reached the U.S.

“Because the conference moved online, the access that our students had to these major leaders was unprecedented,” Holland said.

“It can be very difficult to have a one-on-one conversation with busy CEOs from national foundations and centers during a large conference, but our students had the opportunity to participate in small online break-out sessions. Leaders from were more than willing to answer their questions and participate in powerful discussions with our students.”

Students were able to build relationships and hear more in-depth discussion of problems and solutions these different organizations were experiencing, Holland said.

“When these CEOs learned that students were a part of the discussions, they really took on mentoring roles,” he said. “They shared with students more about how they working through the process at the beginning of COVID-19.

“Having face-to-face access to speakers at a large conference was a big win for this class.”

This new morphing of the StudyUSA program will bring numerous opportunities for students and faculty members in the coming months, said Laura Antonow, director of college programs in the Division of Outreach and Continuing Education.

“I’m really optimistic about this model,” she said. “I think virtual StudyUSA can be an important component of the program regardless of the COVID situation.”

By Pam Starling

Department Welcomes Prof. Eden Tanner

Posted on: July 27th, 2020 by nhammer

Dr. Eden Tanner will join the Department in July, 2020

Dr. Eden Tanner joined the University of Mississippi Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry on July 1st.  Dr. Tanner received her Bachelor of Advanced Science from The University of New South Wales, Australia in 2012 and he Doctor of Philosophy in Physical and Theoretical Chemistry from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom in 2016 under the direction of Prof. Richard G. Compton.  She then served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Harvard University working with Prof. Samir Mitragotri in the School of Engineering and Applied Science before joining the faculty at UM.  Her group will use a physical chemistry toolkit to solve biomedical and bioengineering problems, particularly using ionic liquids and nanomaterials.

The Tanner lab will seek to solve outstanding bioengineering research questions using a chemistry framework, where an understanding of the molecular interactions within the delivery system allows the development of predictive frameworks and task-specific solvent design.  Ionic liquids, consisting of a bulky, asymmetric cation and an anion, have attracted significant interest in a broad range of applications, including catalysis and energy applications, due to their favorable properties, including non-volatility, recyclability, and their inherent tuneability whereby the anion and cation can be altered to change the physicochemical properties of the material.  By synthesizing the ionic liquids with biocompatible or bioinspired starting materials, they can be employed in biological contexts. Because changing the structure of the ionic components results in changes to their their biologically relevant properties, including interactions with bio-interfaces, biomolecules and pharmaceutical ingredients, they can be tuned to solve a variety of problems.  Nanoparticles have been touted as ideal drug delivery systems due to their ability to deliver drugs in a more effective, safe, and specific way compared to traditional therapeutics, particularly in the context of administering chemotherapy, such as doxorubicin, to treat cancer. However, the vast majority of nanoparticle technologies do not progress clinically as they face a number of currently insurmountable challenges, which result in <5 % arriving to the intended destination.

RESEARCH GROUP WEBSITE

http://edentanner.com

 

BS Chemistry Graduate Named Intern of the Year at UMMC

Posted on: July 8th, 2020 by nhammer

Dr. Peyton Reeves Treutel (B.S. Chemistry, 2015)

Dr. Peyton Reeves Treutel (B.S. Chemistry 2015) was recently recognized at the University of Mississippi Medical Center as the Intern of the Year.  Peyton was an Honors student in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry.  Her research involved the Raman Spectroscopic and Computational Study of the Effects of Halogen Bonding on Pyrimidine Containing Systems with Profs. Hammer, Watkins, and Tschumper.

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