A recent paper from the Dass group in The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters (JPCL), “X-ray Crystal Structure and Theoretical Analysis of Au25-xAgx(SCH2CH2Ph)18– Alloy” has been identified by Thomson Reuters as a “Highly Cited Paper,” meaning that it is in the top 1%.
Based on data from the UM Office of Institutional Research & Assessment. From HottyToddy.com
Chemistry was recently cited as the best Ole Miss major to finish in four years.
Graduating from college in four years with a degree in hand is something that many parents want their children to accomplish. So, what big programs at Ole Miss do the best job of getting students to finish in four? According to HottyToddy.com, the top three majors are chemistry, social work, and exercise science.
“It is a team effort. Graduation rates are rising for a number of reasons. For example, our successful students rise to the challenge of the major and do not accept setbacks easily as a reason to give up or change to another major. They network with each other to create a strong support system,” said Associate Director of Forensic Chemistry Kerri Scott.
Social work is also one of the Top 3 and has been for the last three years. Remy Dargin is a senior, majoring in social work. She not only expects to graduate at the end of four years and feels that getting a job in social work may be quite easy. “There are constantly increasing social problems and poverty rates are consistently increasing, and there is always a need for people to be helping out other people,” said Dargin.
Nearly 62 percent of social work majors who entered the program in August 2010 had graduated by May 2014 – a percentage that’s been increasing every year for the past three. However, the No. 1 major for four-year graduation rates in programs with more than 500 majors is chemistry. For the class that entered in 2008, 62.1 percent graduated in four years, by 2010, fully three quarters, 75 percent, got their degree in May 2014 “on time,” as some describe it.
Rounding out the Top 3 is exercise science, which ranks third when it comes to graduating the largest percentage of students in the four year time span. For this program, too, the percentage has increased every year for the past three, for freshmen who entered in 2010, 62.5 percent left campus with their degrees in 2014.
“I planned to graduate in four years because I dedicated my time doing internships and gaining experience in and out of the classroom to assure I graduated within four years,” exercise science graduate Jason Anderson.
The less time it takes to graduate, the better, for obvious reasons. Students who finish in four years typically spend less money and take out fewer loans than students on the five or even six-year plan. Plus, they get into the working world faster and start earning money.
“Working as a trainer is not something I was unprepared for. I feel I did my best as a student at Ole Miss to make a promising future for myself in my field,” said Anderson.
The four-year graduation rate for Ole Miss as a whole is 33.9 percent, which means it was tied at the 78th spot in the nation among public universities.
Robert Mantz (left), chair of the Physical and Analytical Electrochemistry Division of the Electrochemical Society, presents Charles Hussey (right) with the society’s Max Bredig Award in Molten Salt and Ionic Liquids.
A University of Mississippi professor’s lifetime of successful research in molten salt and ionic liquid chemistry has brought him the ultimate international honor in his field.
Charles L. “Chuck” Hussey is the 14th recipient of the Electrochemical Society’s Max Bredig Award in Molten Salt and Ionic Liquid Chemistry. The UM chair and professor of chemistry and biochemistry was presented the award this month at the 226th annual ECS convention in Cancun, Mexico.
“This is the highest international recognition that is given to people working in my particular research area,” Hussey said. “The society held a special session in the molten salt symposium at the meeting in my honor and hosted an award dinner, where I was presented with the recognition. I was very surprised and pleased to receive this honor.”
Paul A. Kohl, the society’s president and the Hercules Inc./Thomas L. Gossage Chair and Regents Professor of Electrochemistry at Georgia Institute of Technology, said his colleague is most deserving of the honor.
“An intellectual leader in this unique field for more than 30 years, Professor Hussey has made significant contributions to both the fundamental understanding and applications of molten salts and ionic liquids,” Kohl said. “He is a model and inspiration for many of us.”
UM administrators also praised Hussey’s achievements.
“The chemistry department has flourished under his leadership,” said Richard Forgette, professor of political science and interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “We are proud of his many accomplishments and grateful to have him as a colleague.”
The Bredig award is external validation of Hussey’s noteworthy accomplishments, Provost Morris Stocks said. “He is an outstanding faculty member and a distinguished scientist who strengthens our learning community.”
Bredig, for whom the award is named, was a pioneer in the study of phase equilibria, thermodynamic phenomena and transport properties of molten salts. A researcher at the Fritz Huber Institute in Berlin and the James Franck Institute in Gottingen, he conducted the first X-ray and neutron diffraction studies on molten salts while employed at Oak Ridge National Laboratories. The award was initiated in 1987 by the late Gleb Mamantov, professor and chair of chemistry at the University of Tennessee, with support from ARCO Metals and ALCOA. Mamantov was himself the fourth recipient of the award.
Hussey earned his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in chemistry from UM in 1971 and 1974, respectively. From 1974 to ’78, he was a research chemist and active duty military officer at the Frank J. Seiler Research Laboratory (Air Force Systems Command) at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Hussey joined the UM chemistry department as an assistant professor in 1978. Concurrently, he served as a member of the U.S. Air Force Reserve and was assigned to the Battery and Propulsion Directorate, Wright Laboratory, Air Force Materiel Command, retiring in 1994 as a lieutenant colonel. He was promoted to professor in 1987 and became department chair in 1997.
During his academic career, Hussey has served as vice chair and chair of the Gordon Conference on Molten Salts and Liquid Metals, as a consultant for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, as a member of the National Research Council Committee on Electrometallurgical Techniques for DOE Spent Fuel Treatment, as a member of the University of Chicago Review Committee for the CMT Division of Argonne National Laboratory and as a member of the Board of Visitors for the Army Research Office.
An ECS fellow, Hussey has been a member of the organization’s editorial board since 2000. As an associate editor and technical editor, he has handled manuscripts in many topical areas for the Journal of The Electrochemical Society and ECS Electrochemistry Letters, but mainly those articles involving electrochemical and electro-less deposition and electrochemistry in molten salts and ionic liquids.
He also organized ECS symposia about electrochemistry in molten salts and nonaqueous solvents and the electrochemistry and spectroscopy of surface-bound molecules. Hussey’s scientific research with molten salts and ionic liquids has been directed at the electrochemistry and spectroscopy of d- and f-block elements, the electrodeposition of aluminum and corrosion-resistant aluminum-transition metal alloys and the electrochemical treatment of spent nuclear fuel. He also has published extensively about the physical and transport properties of molten salts and ionic liquids.
More than 25 students have earned advanced degrees in his laboratory, and many of them hold significant positions in industry or academia. For more details see the official Ole Miss news story.
John Wiginton, Instructional Assistant Professor & Director of Undergraduate Laboratories
The Mississippi Science Teacher’s Association has selected John Wiginton, Instructional Assistant Professor & Director of Undergraduate Laboratories, as the 2014 Mississippi Outstanding College Science Teacher.
Wiginton will receive a plaque Oct. 21 at the MSTA’s annual convention awards banquet in Jackson. The organization uses its annual convention to allow teachers to present ideas to fellow teachers and to glean information and ideas from each other to better equip themselves for their classroom.
“I am excited and humbled to receive this award,” Wiginton said. “I used to think that the Teacher of the Year was the ‘best’ teacher of the year, but I’ve since come to understand that many of the best educators are far too humble to recognized easily. There are many more individuals far more deserving than I am.
“It is a supreme honor to be included in the same group with such awe-inspiring and selfless individuals.”
The honoree began teaching non-majors chemistry lecture courses at Ole Miss as an instructor in 2003. After Wiginton received his doctorate and was promoted to instructional assistant professor in 2008, he added General Chemistry, Chemistry for Teachers I and II, and Graduate Chemistry for High School Science Teachers I. He has been a laboratory manager since 2003 and the director of undergraduate labs since 2010.
“As the director of our undergraduate laboratory program, Dr. Wiginton has responsibility for 56 sections of laboratory courses,” said Charles “Chuck” Hussey, chair and professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the university. “He works hard to keep abreast of the latest developments in laboratory instruction and has worked with prominent publishing companies to write laboratory manuals for his courses. His hard work is very much appreciated, and we are glad to see him recognized with this award.”
Wiginton reflected upon his teaching career.
“I come to work every day excited about the possibilities and leave every day feeling like I have done good, meaningful work,” he said. “Receiving awards is motivating to be sure, but none of us do what we do for the recognition. We do it because we love and care about our rising generation.
“At then end of the day, my reward is seeing my students graduate and become successful individuals and colleagues.”
MSTA award recipients are nominated by peers, students and parents. At the close of the annual convention, MSTA recognizes seven teachers. The Distinguished Science Teacher is one who has previously won an award from MSTA and has continued to be an exemplary teacher. An Informal Science Teacher award is presented to a person who is not employed as a science teacher, but who has contributed to science education in some manner.
Awards are presented for an outstanding new science teacher at any educational level, and for an outstanding elementary teacher, an outstanding middle school teacher, an outstanding high school teacher and an outstanding college teacher.
Charles Hussey, UM chair and professor of chemistry and biochemistry, saw his “Portable Aluminum Deposition System” named to R&D magazine’s “Top 100” most innovative technologies introduced in 2013. The award is considered the “Oscar” for inventors. Hussey worked closely with postdoctoral research associate Li-Hsien Chou to develop PADS.
A revolutionary aluminum plating process developed at the University of Mississippi has been recognized as one of the most technologically significant products of 2014.
The Portable Aluminum Deposition System, or PADS, invented in the laboratory of UM chemistry chair and professor Charles Hussey, is a winner in R&D Magazine‘s 52nd annual R&D 100 Awards. The international competition recognizes excellence across a wide range of industries, including telecommunications, optics, high-energy physics, materials science chemistry and biotechnology. The award is considered to be the “Oscar” for inventors.
The work in Hussey’s lab is part of a larger project and carried out in collaboration with Sheng Dai and other scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the United Technologies Research Center. At UM, Hussey worked closely with postdoctoral research associate Li-Hsien Chou to develop PADS. This aluminum plating technology is expected to replace hazardous coatings such as cadmium, thereby potentially strengthening the competitiveness of American manufacturing companies worldwide and cutting the cost of aluminum plating by a factor of 50 to 100.
PADS allows manufacturers to safely conduct aluminum deposition in open atmosphere for the first time. Aluminum cannot be plated from water or most other solvents, so a special electrolyte that enables the safe plating is a critical part of the device.
“As basic scientists studying fundamental process and phenomena, so much of what we do is not immediately useful or obvious to society,” Hussey said. “Here, we have made something unique and obviously useful. This is very satisfying.”
Chou, who earned her doctorate under Professor I-Wen Sun at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, is Hussey’s “academic granddaughter” because Sun is one of Hussey’s first doctoral graduates, having earned his Ph.D. at UM in 1989.
Winning the R&D award is a dream come true for Chou.
“Every scientist dreams one day to develop a useful product with their name on it, and we did,” Chou said. “I am so happy we can bring this recognition to Ole Miss.”
Hussey said he is pleased with his Chou’s contributions to the project.
“I am very proud of her and hope this will benefit her career,” he said. “After all, this is really what we do or should be doing in academia, developing people and helping them to be successful in their careers and lives.”
The judges were impressed by the development of a process to use air-sensitive ionic liquids in the open atmosphere to make an air-stable plating system.
“The availability of air-stable plating systems allows the technology to be used in the field, giving PADS a competitive advantage,” said Paul Livingstone, senior editor of R&D Magazine. “The technology’s lower cost of use and prospect for displacing toxic corrosion protection alternatives were additional factors that contributed to the selection of this winning technology.”
Research on the technology was stimulated by a research contract from the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense to UM through ORNL. Plated aluminum is a protective coating and offers corrosion protection to any underlying metal.
Hussey has worked on ionic liquid projects for many years, including various U.S. Department of Energy projects involving the development of ionic liquid-based processes for the treatment of spent nuclear fuel.
The 2014 R&D 100 Awards banquet is set for Nov. 7 at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas.
For a full list of this year’s winners, visit http://www.rdmag.com/award-winners/2014/07/2014-r-d-100-award-winners. For more information on this story visit OleMiss News.
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Ole Miss WELCOMES Drs. Davita Watkins and Jonah Jurss, our newest tenure-track assistant professors. Dr. Watkins, who is an organic chemist, completed her Ph.D. studies at the University of Memphis and postdoctoral studies at the University of Florida. Dr. Watkins research lie in the development of novel functional materials with tunable properties through molecular self-assembly. The well-defined, programmable nanostructured materials produced in my laboratory are designed to be used in a variety of applications which range from therapeutics to electronic devices. Dr. Jurss, who is an inorganic chemist, completed his Ph.D. studies at the University of North Carolina and postdoctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Jurss research will focus on developing new earth-abundant catalysts for reactions pertinent to solar energy conversion into chemical fuels (i.e. CO2 reduction) as well as for C-H bond functionalization in organic synthesis. Special attention will be given to advancing inorganic systems that operate on electrode surfaces for electrochemical and light-driven catalysis. Students interested in joining his their research groups may contact the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
Kerri Scott, Associate Director of Forensic Chemistry & Instructional Assistant Professor
The National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) has selected Kerri Scott, associate director of forensic chemistry and instructional assistant professor of chemistry, as a 2014 NACADA Outstanding Advising Award-Faculty Academic Advising Winner.
The award is given in recognition of her “demonstrated abilities as an advisor in nationwide competition….with the outstanding advising of students.”
Dr. Scott will receive a Certificate of Merit at an awards ceremony and reception during the NACADA annual conference held in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 8, 2014.
ForensicsColleges.com praises UM program for internship opportunities and experience
The University of Mississippi degree program in forensic chemistry has been named one of the nation’s finest by ForensicsEd, the blog of ForensicsColleges.com.
UM is among 13 top programs, including two other SEC institutions, that made the elite list. Criteria used in the rankings included notoriety among professionals and peers, as measured by comprehensive surveys done by U.S. News and World Report, cost and opportunities for experience.
UM’s forensic chemistry program is the only one in Mississippi. It also is among only three forensic chemistry programs in the South and six nationally that are accredited by the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission, which is administered through the American Academy of Forensic Science.
“One of the key factors in this list was whether or not there were internship opportunities, hands-on labs that students would work in and other experiential qualifications,” the report states. “Although the University of Mississippi only offers a B.S. in forensic chemistry, a key difference is that all students of the program are enrolled in a summer internship with a local criminal laboratory.”
Because of this hands-on experience, more than 70 percent of graduates find employment right away, many of them working in local and federal crime labs.
Dr. Murrell Godfrey | Photo by Kevin Bain/Communications
“It is an honor that the University of Mississippi’s Bachelor of Science in Forensic Chemistry is recognized in the top 13 of forensic chemistry programs by ForensicsEd,” said Murrell Godfrey, UM associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry and director of forensic chemistry. “Our program contains a demanding science-based curriculum that prepares our graduates for versatile careers in forensics laboratories, including the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Agency.”
Perhaps spurred by popular TV shows such as “CSI” and “NCIS,” many curious and observant problem-solvers are attracted to forensic chemistry, as it involves the analysis of physical crime evidence and allows students to deal directly with the very puzzle pieces that come together to solve cases. Students learn to use chemical and biochemical processes to determine culpability of potential crime suspects.
Other institutions on the ForesicsEd.com list include the University at Albany-SUNY, the University of Florida, Pennsylvania State University, Texas A&M University, Michigan State University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, Towson University, George Washington University, Sam Houston State University, Lake Superior State University, St. Edward’s University and Loyola University.
For more information, visit http://www.forensicscolleges.com/blog/resources/15-top-forensic-chemistry-programs.
Logan Wilson
In the final year of high school, students work hard to achieve 4.0 GPAs, high test scores and maintain exemplary leadership and service track records in the hopes colleges will stuff their mailboxes with scholarship offers. Likewise, universities are looking to keep their scholarship packages competitive to assure they can recruit high-potential students, especially from within the home state. The key for both are discerning philanthropists who invest their dollars in education.
While UM’s high profile Barksdale Honors College enticed Logan Wilson to choose UM, it was the Everett-Williams Memorial Scholarship that enabled him to achieve his dream of attending college without accumulating today’s all too common student loan debt, which averages $28,000 for 2013 U.S. college graduates.
Thanks to generous donors like the late Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Everett of Meridian, Miss., the biochemistry major is attending his top choice university, the University of Mississippi.
The Everett-Williams Memorial Scholarship
In 2008, UM School of Law alumnus and 1848 Society member William H. McMullen of Charlotte, N.C. coordinated the transfer of the Everett-Williams Memorial Scholarship fund to the University of Mississippi Foundation.
The scholarship fund was initiated in the 1980s with an initial gift of $90,000 from McMullen’s uncle, Thomas Everett, on the condition that the endowment had to reach $1 million before any distribution began. Slowed but undeterred by the economic recession, the operations committee of the Everett-Williams Memorial Scholarship announced its first awards almost three decades after Everett’s first contribution, creating two four-year scholarships that total $13,000 annually: one for the Sally McDonnell-Barksdale Honors College (SMBHC), the other for Ole Miss First (OMF), a scholarship program that rewards scholastic achievement and leadership.
“Uncle Tom was a product of the depression era,” said McMullen. “His primary interest was the preservation of the corpus of money. He followed the stock market and was dedicated to being a good financial steward. He was also a steward of our family, always caring for others in times of illness or hardship.”
One of only two deserving recipients chosen in 2012 incoming SMBHC freshmen Logan Wilson, who has since met McMullen and his nephew, Phillip Allen and his wife, Toni, both UM alumni. Wilson enjoyed meeting McMullen and the Allens, learning about the family that helped provide this opportunity.
“It was an honor to meet them,” said Wilson. “I was glad to have the opportunity to shake their hands, hear the history of their family and how they came to dedicate this scholarship which has helped me and will continue to help others.” McMullen was eager to help his uncle navigate leaving this legacy, as McMullen also came to UM to focus on studies, not to worry about how to pay his tuition. “I was lucky to be able to complete law school in 1969 by just taking out a few manageable loans and working on the law journal for a small stipend. Back in those days the cost of law school was not what it is now. For today’s students, to borrow to go to school can be in the six-digit figures.”
Logan Wilson: A Force from Hattiesburg Carves his Niche at UM
Wilson, the recipient of the Everett-Williams Memorial SMBHC Scholarship, is proud to tell you that he is the product of North Forrest High School and a single-parent household. His mother instilled the importance of education in him from a very early age. As a teacher, she knew her son had potential, something she and his grandmother frequently reminded him, encouraging him to work hard and challenge himself. Throughout high school, Logan focused on academics and sports, excelling in both.
“I actually signed a junior college football scholarship, but my football coach pulled me aside and said, ‘Logan, you’re way too smart for that. With a mind like yours, you need to do something that uses your knowledge – football will always be there,'” said Wilson. “Plus, my grandmother taught me to listen to myself first and foremost, and not feel pressured to do what others want of me. Those two things and the influence of a lot of others helped me choose this path, which I feel really confident about.”
Wilson graduated second in his high school class in 2012 and was chosen for the NFHS’s Hall of Fame. He was class president all four years and president of the Student Council. He won awards in English, anatomy and physiology, and trigonometry/pre-calculus. Chosen as a Mississippi Rural Medical Scholar, he participated in a summer program where he took biology and pre-calculus at Mississippi State University while also shadowing doctors and learning the ropes of applying to medical school and choosing a specialty. The experience solidified Wilson’s dream to practice medicine, and he looked forward to starting down that path as an undergraduate.
“I didn’t get as many scholarship offers as I thought I might given what people had told me to expect with my credentials and grades,” said Wilson. “And the offers I did get weren’t schools I was really excited about. After being accepted to the Honors College, Ole Miss was easily my first choice – but I needed more financial assistance to make it happen. I was actually set to attend a different school because of their scholarship package, even though I had visited and didn’t feel it was the right fit for me. When I got the call offering the Everett-Williams scholarship here at UM, it was like a light came on – I knew the right things were finally taking shape.”
Today, Wilson is a sophomore biochemistry major who is making his own destiny here at UM. The summer between his freshman and sophomore years, he convinced Dr. Thomas Baylis at Premier Orthopedics and Sports in Hattiesburg to allow him to create a shadowing apprenticeship at the practice. “I shadowed him one day, and then I asked if we could make it a more formal thing. So they allowed me to come in three days a week. He gave me books to read, showed me how to read x-rays and gave me a full-scale experience to really see what the work was like. I loved it.”
When asked how his scholarship attributed to that experience, Wilson was quick to answer. “Having this scholarship allows me to strictly focus on my studies and my career path. I don’t have to worry about having to pay for college in a class-to-class fashion, semester to semester, and I know a lot of people that do. Not having that burden really does a lot for me and I don’t take it for granted.”
Dr. Hussey
Hidden Fire Hazards In Your Home
“If they are mishandled, they can be a problem,” said Dr. Charles Hussey, professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “The contents inside forms gases, the cases ruptures, and you end up with a fire.”
He said the best way you can prevent your batteries from sparking: keep the safety cap on or put some duct tape on the top, before you store it or throw it away.