W

Department of Chemistry 52nd Annual Report

2013-2014 Academic Year

and

Summer of 2014

 

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http://www.wooster.edu/Academics/Areas-­‐of-­‐Study/chemistry  

http://www.wooster.edu/Academics/Areas-­‐of-­‐Study/bcmb  

COLLEGE  PRESIDENTS,  DEANS  RANK  WOOSTER  SEVENTH  IN  U.S.  FOR  UNDERGRADUATE  TEACHING   Neck-and-neck with Amherst, Haverford, and Williams September 12, 2013 by John Hopkins WOOSTER, Ohio, Sept. 12, 2013 – College presidents, provosts, and deans have again singled out The College of Wooster as one of America’s top liberal arts colleges “where the faculty has an unusually strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.” Surveyed by U.S. News & World Report, they ranked Wooster seventh in the nation, just behind Williams, tied with Haverford, and ahead of Amherst.

The presidents, provosts, and deans also recognized Wooster for its “outstanding” undergraduate research opportunities and its senior capstone program: the one-on-one, mentored undergraduate research experience known as I.S. This is the twelfth straight year that Wooster has been honored in both categories. Only one other school can make the same claim: Princeton.

The magazine’s editors also included Wooster once again in their list of “A+ Schools for B Students,” which they describe as top colleges “where non-superstars have a decent shot at being accepted and thriving — where spirit and hard work could make all the difference…”

Overall, Wooster was ranked number 65 among national liberal arts colleges, one of four Ohio schools in the top 75, along with Oberlin, Kenyon, and Denison.

The College of Wooster is America’s premier college for mentored undergraduate research. Wooster offers an excellent, comprehensive liberal arts education, culminating in a rigorous senior project, in which each student works one-on-one with a faculty mentor to conceive, organize and complete a significant research project on a topic of the student’s own choosing. Through this distinctive program, every Wooster student develops abilities valued by employers and graduate schools alike: independent judgment, analytical ability, creativity, project-management and time-management skills, and strong written and oral communication skills. Founded in 1866, the college enrolls approximately 2,000 students.  

 

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Table of Contents

Greetings from the Chairperson ...................................... 4

FACULTY ........................................................................ 5 Faculty Publications ................................................ 18 Faculty Presentations .............................................. 19 Grants, Awards, and Gifts ....................................... 20

Staff ............................................................................... 22

Emeriti Faculty ............................................................... 24

Alumni News .................................................................. 24

Wooster Student Experiences the Power of Workplace Mentorship .................................................... 26

Helen Murray Free Endowment Lectures ........................ 27

Seminars ........................................................................ 28

Student Presentations .................................................... 30

Chemistry Club .............................................................. 33

Recognition of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-Year Students ................. 34

Herrick L. Johnston Scholarship in Chemistry ................ 34

CHEMISTRY MAJORS Class of 2014 .......................................................... 35 Recognition of Seniors ............................................. 36 Senior Independent Study Projects .......................... 38

BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY MAJORS Class of 2014 .......................................................... 40 Recognition of Seniors ............................................. 41 Senior Independent Study Projects .......................... 43

Senior Research Symposium .......................................... 46

Department of Chemistry 2014 Summer Activities .......... 48

2014 Summer Activities at Other Locations .................... 50

 

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Greetings from the Chairperson Dear Friends and Alumni of Wooster Chemistry:

Snow flurries are coating the trees and grounds of the campus as I write these greetings to you in November. Fall is always a time of remarkable change at Wooster – from the visual tree foliage and dropping daily temperatures, to the more subtle changes we observe in our students and community. Change is necessary, sometimes challenging, and mostly for the better. For instance, I find myself writing to you after my first year as chairperson astonished by how quickly I have become one of the more senior faculty members in this fine Department. The growth in the number of our majors has been equally astonishing. This past year we graduated 20 students with a major in chemistry and another 26 students with a major in biochemistry & molecular biology. The prospects look strong for even larger graduating classes in the near future. In fact, growth has been so strong in the chemical and life sciences programs at Wooster that we now regularly have 100 or more students taking sophomore-level organic chemistry each fall. To better support this cohort of students, we are currently seeking to fill a new 3-year visiting faculty position in organic chemistry with an eye toward finding a candidate who is also able to mentor student research projects in an area of neurochemistry.

In addition to these immediate changes, we find ourselves enthusiastically anticipating the enhancements likely to happen in Severance with the addition of a new integrated life sciences facility. As you may already be aware from announcements on the College’s website, Wooster is currently seeking gifts in order to replace Mateer Hall – the neighboring building that currently houses the Department of Biology. The remarkable renovation of Severance Hall in 1999, and specifically the addition of Hamburger Lounge set strategically as a meeting and study area between Severance and Mateer Halls, serves as a successful example of how new space can catalyze change and foster new collaborations. The “If you build it they will come” phenomenon, captured by the 1989 film, Field of Dreams, appears to also apply to science facilities; we have been so successful that we have outgrown our current facilities! One of the many goals of the new building project is to more cohesively unite the departments of chemistry and biology and provide specific, additional, space to support growth in our interdisciplinary programs: biochemistry & molecular biology, neuroscience, and environmental studies. This past year we interviewed teams of architects with national reputations in designing science facilities at leading liberal arts colleges to help us bring our vision to reality. I am delighted that this process recently resulted in us forming a partnership with EYP – a firm with national accolades in designing inspiring, highly functional and sustainable science facilities. Please feel free to contact me to learn more about this exciting opportunity and look forward to more announcements about this process as it unfolds.

As the academic year 2013-14 came to a close, we also experienced changes in our staff and faculty. Ronald Tebbe our Instrument and Laboratory Technician for the past decade, who was a graduate of our program in 1997, has retired. We all thank Ron for his exceptional dedication and professional services that he provided and wish him the best in retirement. Two of our visiting assistant professors – Drs. Michelle Hoffman and Crystal Young-Erdos – have accepted tenure track faculty positions at other liberal arts colleges. We thank them for their two years of teaching with us and wish them continued success.

One element of our program that has not changed is our unwavering commitment to teaching and mentoring undergraduates. The faculty continues to offer a rigorous education and exciting research opportunities for the students, our staff continues to provide immeasurable and creative support to these efforts, and our students continue to engage, excel and then graduate to continue to succeed in many distinctive paths. Our Annual Report continues to capture and highlight these activities from the past academic year. Thank you for your continued interest and support of our programs. And, as always, if you have ideas to share or become inspired to get involved in some element of our program, please contact us.

Best,

Mark J. Snider Chairperson

 

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Faculty

Front Row: Judy Amburgey-Peters, Paul Edmiston, Karl Feierabend, Melissa Schultz, Sibrina Collins Back Row: Shelly Hoffman, Sarah Sobeck, Crystal Young-Erdos, Mark Snider, Paul Bonvallet, James West, Nick Shaw

Fall  2013  

Department of Chemistry Mission Statement

The  Department  of  Chemistry  advances  the  intellectual  and  personal  development  of  every  student  in  our  broad  chemistry  community  within  the  liberal  arts.    Mentored  by  faculty  who  are  passionate  teachers,  active  researchers,  and  committed  advisors,  students  develop  the  fundamental  chemical  

knowledge,  technical  skills,  critical  thinking,  and  independence  needed  to  address  complex  problems  through  science  at  the  molecular  level.    Our  emphasis  on  collaborative  and  

interdisciplinary  learning  inspires  our  students  to  be  active  participants,  clear  communicators,  and  responsible  citizens  who  apply  their  education  across  a  broad  spectrum  of  experiences.

 

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Faculty Judith C. Amburgey-Peters Organic Chemistry

COURSES  TAUGHT    

Fall Semester

First  Year  Seminar  Introductory  Chemistry  *  

Organic  Chemistry  I  

 

Spring Semester

Organic  Chemistry  II  

Organic  Chemistry  II  Lab  

   

Independent  Study    

Steven  Hardy  –  Chemistry  Luke  Hutchings-­‐Goetz  –  Chemistry  

 

 *  In  addition,  Judy  taught  a  second  section  on  Introductory  Chemistry  from  the  beginning  of  the  semester  through  Fall  Break  while  Shelly  Hoffman  was  on  maternity  leave.  

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Judy’s teaching included a section of First Year Seminar in the fall titled Cheeseburger in Paradise. She has fun teaching this course by allowing the students to choose a research topic related to anything food. The approach allows the students to explore different topics in the context of the liberal arts as they begin to more seriously consider what their major area of academic study may be. All of the students know that one day they will be doing their own research project—Senior Independent Study! She continued her engagement with both Introductory and Organic Chemistry. She is passionate about helping young students learn how to learn, learn how to help themselves, and find their own passions. Judy works with both teams of intro and organic chemistry faculty. She presented our collaborative leading edge “research as pedagogy” in organic chemistry at the national ACS meeting in Dallas. Helping evolve cutting edge, evidence-based practices in the classroom and lab while meeting the needs of 110+ students is certainly both rewarding and challenging. As a complement to her interests in teaching in the discipline and in the Liberal Arts Judy has become increasingly involved with the American Association of Colleges and University (AAC&U) both in science engineering mathematics and engineering (STEM) and in the Liberal Arts. She was part of a team with Bryan Karazsia (Pscychology) and Tom Tierney (Sociology) who participated in the Integrative Learning Forum Global Learning in College: Asking Big Questions, Engaging Urgent Challenges. The initial forum was held in October 2013 at Rhode Island, and continued at the national AACU meeting in January 2014 in DC (during a blizzard), and in March 2014 at the unique entrepreneurial Babson College in north of Boston. Wooster’s APEX and “independent minds working together” puts us at the nexus of many leading edge issues.

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Two other major projects are also related to promoting student success in STEM at Wooster and beyond. Judy took the lead on a collaborative project supported internally by the Hewlett-Mellon Presidential Discretionary Fund for Institutional Renewal: Improving Student Success and Retention in Introductory STEM Courses. As chair of the newly created STEM Advisory Board, she coordinates the collaboration among academic and student life faculty and staff from the Learning and Math Centers, APEX, Dean of Students, Center for Diversity and Global Engagement, the Dean of Curriculum and Academic Engagement, the Dean of Faculty Development, and the team of faculty teaching key introductory courses in chemistry, biology, and math. The team is working to create a STEM environment for young students to help them learn how to have independent minds and be able to work together. Judy was a founding member and now is serving as Chair of the Governing Board of the newly created Ohio regional Project Kaleidoscope network (OH-PKAL) https://www.aacu.org/pkal/regional/ohio. She is following in the footsteps of her predecessors Professor Ted Williams who was a key player in PKAL, and Professor David Powell who was a found-ing member of the Council on Undergraduate Research. Wooster’s student-centered mentoring traditions continue.

 

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Paul A. Bovallet Organic Chemistry

COURSES  TAUGHT    

Fall Semester

Organic  Chemistry  I  Organic  Chemistry  II  Lab  

(two  sections)    

Spring Semester

Organic  Chemistry  II  

Organic  Chemistry  II  Lab  

Advanced  Organic  Chemistry    

 

Independent  Study    

Christine  Kasprisin  –  BCMB  

Kyle  Koemm  –  Chemistry  (co-­‐advised  with  Sibrina  Collins)  

John  Koniarczyk  –  Chemistry  

Dung  Nguyen  –  Chemistry  Andrea  Steiger  –  Chemistry  

 

 

Faculty

Paul celebrated his 10-year anniversary with the department this year, which he celebrated by teaching a year composed entirely of organic chemistry. In the main organic chemistry sequence, the instructors implemented a new online homework tool from Sapling Learning and continued to administer “quixams” several times per semester to provide the students with frequent feedback on their performance. For the first time, Organic I Laboratory focused on a 15-week project in which students adapted a literature reaction to prepare a compound for Paul’s I.S research program. His advanced organic chemistry class focused on current developments in spectroscopy, synthesis, polymers, and supramolecular chemistry. An unusually diverse set of I.S. students worked in the Bonvallet laboratory this year; Kyle Koemm was a double major in chemistry and French, while Christine Kasprisin (BMBC) worked on a plant pathology project at The Ohio State Agricultural Research and Development Center. Kyle went on to law school at Michigan State and Christine joined the U.S. Army / Baylor University Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy. Two of his other researchers went on to Ph.D. graduate programs in chemistry (Andrea Steiger at the University of Oregon and John “Luke” Koniarczyk at Denver University), while Dung Nguyen just started her first year of pharmacy school at Ohio State University. Four of the 21 students presenting at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society were researchers from the Bonvallet lab, and Paul personally made three presentations on topics ranging from calixarene chemistry to NMR spectroscopy and course-embedded research in teaching organic chemistry. The Chemical Education presentations were made jointly with Judy Amburgey-Peters. Paul has been Chair of the Pre-Health Advising Committee for seven years. This year saw the beginning of the Health Coach Program, administered in cooperation with Wooster Community Hospital. Wooster students begin with a one-semester training seminar followed by an internship in which campus teams visit recently-discharged members of the community in their homes to check on their physical and emotional wellbeing and to discuss lifestyle choices that impact their health. Paul also facilitated a seminar on poverty, race, and medical practice for C3 (Cross-Cultural Connections) on campus. During the summer Paul participated in the ARCH advising program and also supervised five research students in his laboratory. He continues to serve as a Question Leader in the annual Advanced Placement Chemistry reading and has contributed several questions for future exams. Paul was granted a two-semester research leave for 2015-16.

 

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Sibrina N. Collins Inorganic Chemistry

COURSES  TAUGHT    

Fall Semester

Inorganic  Chemistry  Inorganic  Chemistry  II  Lab  

(two  sections)  

 

Spring Semester

Principles  of  Chemistry  Organic  Chemistry  II  Lab  

Introduction  to  Independent  Study  (co-­‐taught  with  Karl  Feierabend)  

 

 

Independent  Study    

Kyle  Koemm  –  Chemistry  (co-­‐advised  with  Paul  Bonvallet)  

 

Faculty

The research efforts in the Collins’ research group focuses on two key projects, namely the development of metal-based therapeutics that are not mechanistic analogs of cisplatin cis-[Pt(NH3)2Cl2] and history of chemistry research. The objective of the first project is to develop a detailed understanding of the molecular structures, electronic structures, photophysics and reactivity of a selection of late transition metal complexes and exploit this understanding to design effective anticancer agents. The transition metal complexes contain ruthenium (Ru), rhenium (Re), gold (Au) copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn). The overall goal of the second research project is to investigate the important contributions of women and scientists of color. There is a gap in the literature on the contributions of scientists of color, thus we have published scholarly articles on this very topic, which makes key connections to the importance of diversity and inclusion. These articles have been incorporated into a First-Year Seminar (FYS) course entitled, “Science, Gender and Race” during the fall 2014 semester.

Inorganic  Chemistry  students  —Eric  Painting,  Noel  Mellor,  Leah  Bowers,  Curtis  Lockhart,  D.J.  Sullivan,  Elise  Gifford,  Jennifer  Barrod,  and  

Kyle  Murrary  —  demonstrating  a  quadruple  bond.  

 

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Paul L. Edmiston Analytical Chemistry

Faculty

The primary focus of Paul’s one-year research leave was to conduct laboratory work examining the use of swellable organosilica as catalyst support for hydrogenation reactions. The work was done in collaboration with Professor Umit S. Ozkan, Chemical Engineering, at The Ohio State University. The goal was to create porous scaffolds that could support palladium and ruthenium nanoparticles and allow reagents to reach the metal catalyst while excluding species that could inhibit the chemical activity. Such materials could allow catalyst to be used in the presence of complex systems that may contain one or more catalyst poisons. Much of the work involved hydrodechlorination of chlorinated solvents in water. Work was also done measuring the capacity of swellable organosilica materials for gas phase organic compounds. New composite materials were developed for selective absorption of gas phase ammonia and amine compounds. A manuscript of this work is in progress. Paul completed two chapters for Aquananotechnology (Ed. David Reisner, CRC Press) available September 2014. He also served on a National Science Foundation (NSF) advisory committee studying the role of mathematical and physical sciences in sustainable food systems. A resulting 44-page report will be used by the NSF to develop and fund new grant programs. Finally, he traveled extensively for invited talks at Michigan State University and Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., and for presenting at the American Chemical Society Meeting in Dallas, TX; and the Leading Edge Conference on Water and Wastewater Technologies in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

 

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Karl J. Feierabend Physical Chemistry

COURSES  TAUGHT    

Fall Semester

One-­‐Semester  Research  Leave    

Spring Semester

Reduced  load  due  to  paternity  leave.  

Principles  of  Chemistry  Physical  Chemistry  II  Lab    

(two  sections,  co-­‐taught  with    Sarah  Sobeck)  

Introduction  to  Independent  Study  (co-­‐taught  with  Sibrina  Collins)  

 

 

Independent  Study    

Lauren  Fleming  –  Chemistry  (Spring)  

Sarah  Laper  –  Chemistry  (Spring)    

Faculty

Karl worked at The College of Wooster during his fall research leave on the development and implementation of an incoherent broadband cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy (IBBCEAS) instrument. The instrument provides enhanced sensitivity for measuring the absorption of liquid samples. The research question that was addressed in the research leave was the extent to which methanol molecules tend to self-associate via hydrogen bonding in the presence of different solvent environments. The work was performed throughout summer and fall of 2013, leading to a publication with a Wooster student-co-author in April 2014. The project laid the groundwork for a major National Science Foundation grant proposal that was submitted in July 2014. In addition to the spectroscopy experiments, Karl carried out a number of photochemical kinetics studies involving the degradation of environmentally relevant organic compounds. Both projects will include work by I.S. students in the upcoming academic year. Karl was a Sustainability Prize Committee member in Spring 2014. Karl continues to be a peer review for Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. Karl and Kristin welcomed twins Alec Gray and Cora Leigh on March 7, 2014.

 

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Michelle D. Hoffman Analytical Chemistry

COURSES  TAUGHT    

Fall Semester

Maternity  leave  from  the  beginning  of  the  semester  through  Fall  Break  

Introductory  Chemistry  *  (two  sections)  

Physical  Chemistry  I  Lab  (two  sections,  co-­‐taught  with    

Sarah  Sobeck  after  returning  from  maternity  leave)  

 

Spring Semester

Principles  of  Chemistry  

Analytical  Chemistry  Analytical  Chemistry  Lab  

(two  sections)  

 

Independent  Study    

Da-­‐Sol  Kuen  –  Chemistry  

 *  Judy  and  Nick  took  over  for  Shelly  while  she  was  on  maternity  leave.  

Faculty

Shelly accepted position at the Rose-Hylman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, IN. Violet Ann was born August 23, 2013. (Photo: September 2014)

 

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Melissa M. Schultz Analytical Chemistry

COURSES  TAUGHT    

Reduced  load  due  to    maternity  leave.  

 

Fall Semester

First  Year  Seminar  Introductory  Chemistry  

 

Spring Semester

Environmental  Chemistry    

 

Independent  Study    

Allison  Chin  –  Chemistry  

Maria  Dawaher  –  BCMB  

Ethan  Deselem  –  Self-­‐deigned  major,  Environmental  Science  

Maura  Hall  –  Chemistry  

Zena  Lapp  –  BCMB  Curtis  Lockhart  –  Chemistry  

 

Faculty

Melissa taught a section of First Year Seminar in the fall titled From Blue Planet to Brown Planet? – Exploring Human Interactions with the Environment. She also experimented with a new active learning strategy called interteaching in her Introductory Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry courses. The interteaching approach is a multi-component method that places a heavy emphasis on peer-based instruction with the idea that one really learns the material when “one teaches it”. In November 2013, Melissa presented her work at the Society of Toxicology and Environmental Chemistry (SETAC) North American meeting in Nashville. She also traveled to Baltimore in June 2014 to present at the annual American Society of Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) meeting in Baltimore. Melissa is a member of the Environmental Studies Curricular Committee, the Campus Sustainability Committee, the Faculty Grievance Committee, the Steering Committee for the Integrated Life Sciences Project, and Classroom Stewards. She was also a co-leader for a MLK Teach-In session that focused on environmental justice. At the departmental level, she organized the departmental seminars and the Helen Murray Free endowed lecture. Melissa is an active member of the Wooster American Chemical Society serving as the treasurer. She is also a member of SETAC. She refereed for manuscripts for multiple analytical and environmental chemistry journals and was a reviewer of proposals for the National Science Foundation graduate fellowship program. Melissa was granted a one-semester research leave for 2015-16.

 

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Nicholas N. Shaw Organic Chemistry

COURSES  TAUGHT    

Fall Semester

Introductory  Chemistry  *  Organic  Chemistry  I  

Organic  Chemistry  I  Lab  (two  sections)  

 

Spring Semester

Principles  of  Chemistry  

Organic  Chemistry  II  Organic  Chemistry  II  Lab  

 

 

Independent  Study    

Jenna  Gnotek  –  Chemistry  

Kaitlin  Graham  –  Chemistry    

 

*  In  addition,  Nick  taught  a  second  section  on  Introductory  Chemistry  from  the  beginning  of  the  semester  through  Fall  Break  while  Shelly  Hoffman  was  on  maternity  leave.  

 

Faculty

Nicholas completed his third year of teaching and conducting research at the College. In the classroom, Nicholas was heavily involved in efforts to integrate evidence based practices into the organic chemistry sequence. Working with the organic chemistry faculty, spectroscopy was moved to the very first topic covered in the course. Nicholas advised Kaitlin Graham and Jenna Gnotek in Senior Independent Study. Kaitlin optimized amide bond coupling reactions in the laboratory and completer her thesis entitled “Towards Optimization of Amide Bond Coupling in the Synthesis of FRET Enabled Hairpin Polyamide.” Jenna explored a novel synthetic pathway, as outlined in her thesis, “Toward an Efficient Synthesis of N-Substituted Hydroxypyrrole Monomers.” She presented her work at the 247th ACS National Meeting & Exposition in Dallas, TX. In the department, Nicholas acted as adviser to Chemistry Club. Working with the department, Chemistry Club sent 20 students to the 247th ACS Meeting (see page 30). For the last two years he enjoyed contributing to the Wooster community as head coach of the Women’s Club Ultimate Team. Pulling inspiration from his classroom he fostered an environment built on positively reinforced player development. Perennially ranked in the lower 150s they concluded the 2013-2014 season as national champion tournament invitees, ranked 15th in the nation.

 

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Mark J. Snider Biochemistry

COURSES  TAUGHT    

Fall Semester

Principles  of  Chemistry  

Principles  of  Biochemistry    

Spring Semester

Biophysical  Chemistry  (co-­‐taught  with  Sarah  Sobeck)  

BCMB  Introduction  to  Independent  Study  (co-­‐taught  with  Stephanie  Strand  and  Crystal  Young-­‐Erdos)  

BCMB  Techniques  Tutorial  

 

 

Independent  Study    

Manish  Aryal  –  BCMB  

Pailin  Chiaranunt  –  BCMB/Philosophy  

James  Claybourne  –  Neuroscience  in  BCMB  Track  

Zachary  Harvey  –  Chemistry  

Helena  Kondow  –  BCMB  Jacob  Sprano  –  BCMB/History  

 

Faculty

1

This was Mark’s first year of a three-year appointment as Chairperson of the Department of Chemistry. Serving in this role has enabled Mark to become much more appreciative of the exceptional work of his previous chairs and mentors; he looks forward to working collaboratively with his colleagues in the many opportunities and challenges ahead. In his teaching, Mark and Crystal Young worked together to incorporate changes into their separate sections of Principles of Biochemistry in order to enhance student learning. Utilizing the ideas they learned from attending the ASBMB Special Symposium on Student-Centered Learning in the Molecular Sciences in Seattle, WA, this summer, they gave greater emphasis to topics considered transformative – a topic that once understood by a student enables the student to understand additional topics and develop a greater connection with the ways in which scientists discover new knowledge. They also held joint weekly problem-solving sessions that enabled students to work in small teams to think critically about experimental data. They also continued the enzyme research paper, but encouraged students to choose enzymes that could enable the best critical reviews to be published on the website, Proteopedia. This year was the second time that Mark and Sarah Sobeck team-taught an advanced course in biophysical chemistry. Mark advised six students in independent study thesis research projects this year – one of the first students from the new BCMB-track of the neuroscience program, and two students who were double-majors: BCMB/History and BCMB/Philosophy. Both double-majors worked collaboratively on the BCMB-portion of their project, which involved developing a strain of Bordetella pertussis that lacked a gene required for degrading vitamin B3 to test the hypothesis that vit B3 regulates virulence gene expression (B. pertussis is the causative agent of whooping cough). The additional ways of thinking developed in each student as a result of their double-major was remarkable, and Mark is now a firm believer that all students should be double-majors at the College (well… that might be over-stating it a bit!). All 6 of his seniors presented the results of their research at the national ASBMB meeting in San Diego, CA, this spring, and two of them won honorable mention for their research results and poster presentations at the ASBMB Undergraduate Research Poster Competition.

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Mark continued to serve, with Dean Fraga (Biology) as a building shepherd for the Integrative Life Sciences Facility project. This past year the College reviewed the resumes of some 15 architectural firms, invited 6 to respond to a request for proposal, and interviewed the 6 firms on campus multiple times to choose the finalist who will work with the College to design the new facility. This facility will be integrated with Severance Chemistry and replace Mateer Hall. Mark looks forward to the next few years in working with the architects who will be selected next fall in converting the goals to realities. (Mark admits to being a closet architect.)

Mark was appointed to the Robert E. Wilson Professorship in Chemistry.

 

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Sarah J. Sobeck Physical Chemistry

COURSES  TAUGHT    

Fall Semester

Principles  of  Chemistry  Physical  Chemistry  I  

Physical  Chemistry  I  Lab  (two  sections,  co-­‐taught  with    

Shelly  Hoffman)  

 

Spring Semester

Physical  Chemistry  (II)  Physical  Chemistry  II  Lab    

(two  sections,  co-­‐taught  with    Karl  Feierabend)  

Biophysical  Chemistry  (co-­‐taught  with  Mark  Snider)  

 

Independent  Study    

Jacob  Boroff  –  Chemistry  Leah  Bowers  –  Chemistry  

Norman  Chamusah  –  Chemistry  

Lauren  Fleming  –  Chemistry  (Fall)  Sarah  Laper  –  Chemistry  (Fall)  

 

Faculty

In the fall semester Sarah continued to adapt the Chem 318 lab curriculum to focus on scientific writing, as our W-course. This fall presented the “good" challenge of a large class size of nearly 30 students in the course. In the spring semester she co-taught Biophysical Chemistry for a second time with Mark Snider. They continue to develop the course with a focus on incorporating literature and presenting new research techniques. Sarah added some new in-class activities to explore simulations and computational analysis of biological systems. Over the summer Sarah advised three students and Rachelle Herrin, a Clare Booth Luce scholar, continued her research during the academic year. Rachelle presented her research at the ACS meeting in the spring, as did two of Sarah’s I.S. students, Leah Bowers and Norman Chamusah. (See also page 30.) Sarah presented the work of I.S. student Jacob Borroff at the annual InterAmerican Photochemistry Society meeting in January 2014. On campus, Sarah served on the Financial Advisory Committee and was the faculty contact for the NSF Graduate Fellowship and Goldwater Scholarship. She was a presenter and on the organizing committee for Expanding Your Horizons and served as coordinator for State Science Day. In the department she continued her duty as assessment coordinator. Sarah took over as chair of the Wooster local ACS. The group continues it’s focus of supporting and recognizing students in the section. Sarah was granted a two-semester research leave for 2014-15. During her research leave she will be expanding her research focus towards applying photochemistry to pigments used in works of art and objects of cultural heritage. Specifically she is studying the light-induced degradation of cochineal, a red dye extracted from South American scale insects and used as an artist colorant. She would like to understand how the type of paint (water vs. oil-based) and storage conditions (gases in the air and humidity) impacts the photo-degradation. She is spending a portion of the leave at the Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage at Yale University. She will spend the latter half of her research leave in her lab at Wooster, working to tailor techniques for future projects.

 

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James D. West Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

COURSES  TAUGHT    

Fall Semester

Gateway  to  Molecular  &  Cellular  Biology  (BIOL  201)  

Techniques  in  Biochemistry  &  Molecular  Biology  

(two  sections,  co-­‐taught  with    Crystal  Young-­‐Erdos)  

 

Spring Semester

Gateway  to  Molecular  &  Cellular  Biology  (BIOL  201)  

Chemical  Biology    

 

Independent  Study    

Juliet  Chepng’eno  –  BCMB  

Sreyan  Chowdhury  –  BCMB  

Matthew  Naticchia  –  BCMB  Trevor  Roston  –  BCMB  

Matthew  Spencer  —  Biology  

Susmit  Tripathi  –  BCMB    

 

Faculty

James recently finished his sixth year in the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Program at Wooster. In 2014, he was promoted to Associate Professor. During the 2013-14 academic year, James taught Gateway to Molecular & Cellular Biology (three sections of it, in fact) along with Techniques in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Chemical Biology. James also advised six I.S. students and mentored six other students on research projects in his group. Five of these students attended the Midwest Stress Response and Molecular Chaperone Meeting in Evanston, IL last January (see page 32). On campus, James is a member of the Committee on Academic Standards, the Pre-Health Advisory Committee, and the Office of Interfaith Campus Ministries Advisory Board. In July 2014, James presented some of his work done with students at the Gordon Research Conference on Thiol-Based Redox Regulation and Signaling, held in Costa Brava, Spain. It was actually his second trip across the Atlantic this year, having spent ten days in France with Biology’s Bill Morgan over spring break. From these European adventures, he has learned the meaning of good coffee, good pastries, good cheeses, and the good life. Watch out, Europe; he’ll be back.

James is a member of the member of the American Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and the American Chemical Society, Biological Chemistry and Chemical Toxicology Divisions. He also serves as a councilor for the Wooster Section of the American Chemical Society.

 

  17  

Crystal L. Young-Erdos Biochemistry

COURSES  TAUGHT    

Fall Semester

Organic  Chemistry  I  Lab  

Techniques  in  Biochemistry  &  Molecular  Biology  (two  sections,  co-­‐taught  with  James  West)  Principles  of  Biochemistry  

 

 

Spring Semester

Principles  of  Chemistry  Lab  Biochemistry  of  Metabolism  

BCMB  Introduction  to  Independent  Study  (co-­‐taught  with  Mark  Snider  

and  Stephanie  Strand)  

   

Independent  Study    

Austin  Oberlin  –  BCMB  William  Pender  –  BCMB  

Zachary  Rotter  –  BCMB  

Erica  Skillman  –  BCMB  

 

Faculty

Accepted a tenure-track position at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL. At Eckerd Crystal will be teaching Biochemistry I and II (lecture and lab), Organic Chemistry I (lab) and Organic Chemistry II (lecture and lab). She will also be teaching a course on the Science of Diet and Nutrition.

The James Center at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL.

 

  18  

Faculty Publications Bonvallet,  P.  A.;  Amburgey-­‐Peters,  J.  C.;  Data  vs.  Dogma:  Introducing  NMR  Early  in  Organic  Chemistry  to  Reinforce  Key  Concepts,  In  NMR  Spectroscopy  in  the  Undergraduate  Curriculum;  Soulsby,  D.;  Anna,  L.;  Wallner,  T.,  Eds.;  ACS  Symposium  Series;  American  Chemical  Society:  Washington,  DC,  2013.  

Collins,  S.N.;  Science,  Gender  and  Race:  A  First-­‐Year  Seminar  Course  in  Critical  Inquiry;  Interdisciplinary  Journal  of  Teaching  and  Learning,  2014,  4(2),  140-­‐142.  

Krause,  J.A.;  Zhao,  D.;  Chatterjee,  S.;  Falcon,  R.*;  Stoltz,  K.*;  Warren,  J.C.*;  Wiswell,  S.E.*;  Connick,  W.B.;  Collins,  S.N.;  In-­‐house  and  synchrotron  X-­‐ray  diffraction  studies  of  2-­‐phenyl-­‐1,10-­‐phenanthroline,  protonated  salts,  complexes  with  gold(III)  and  copper(II),  and  an  orthometallation  product  with  palladium(II);  Acta  Cryst.,  2014,  C70,  260–266.  

Smith,  S.R.;  Collins,  S.N.;  Eppley,  H.;  Geselbracht,  M.;  Jamieson,  E.;  Johnson,  A.;  Nataro,  C.;  Reisner,  B.;  Stewart,  J.;  Williams,  B.S.;  Watson,  L.;  VIPEr:  An  Online  Academic  Resource  Enhancing  Undergraduate  Research;  Council  on  Undergraduate  Research  (CUR)  Web  Vignettes,  2013,  34  (2),  14-­‐15.  

Edmiston,  P.  L.;  Swellable,  Nanoporous  Organosilica  for  Extended  and  Triggered  Release;  Cosmetics  and  Toiletries:  Applied  Science,  2013,  754-­‐762.    

Edmiston,  P.  L.;  Bilge  and  Ballast  Water  Treatment  Using  Nanotechnology.  In  Aquananotechnology,  Ed.  David  Reisner,  CRC  Press,  Boca  Raton,  FL,  2014.  

Edmiston,  P.  L.;  Jolly,  S.  Nanoengineered  Organosilica  Materials  for  the  Treatment  of  Produced  Water.  In  Aquananotechnology,  Ed.  David  Reisner,  CRC  Press,  Boca  Raton,  FL,  2014.  

Kuen,  D.*,  Feierabend,  K.J.;  Cavity-­‐enhanced  overtone  spectroscopy  of  methanol  in  aprotic  solvents:  probing  solute-­‐solvent  interactions  and  self-­‐associative  behavior;  Journal  of  Physical  Chemistry  A,  2014,  118,  2942-­‐2961.  

Minarik,  Thomar;  Vick,  Justin;  Schultz,  Melissa  M.;  Bartell,  Stephen  E.;  Martinovic-­‐Weigelt,  Dalma;  Rearick,  Daniel;  Schoenfuss,  Heiko.  On-­‐Site  exposure  to  Treated  Wastewater  Effluent  has  Subtle  Effects  on  Male  Fathead  Minnows  and  Pronounced  Effects  on  Carp;  Journal  of  the  American  Water  Resources  Association  —  special  issues  on  Contaminants  of  Emerging  Concern,  2014,  50,  358-­‐375.  

Niemi,  Lydia  M.*;  Stencel,  Katherine  A.*;  Murphy,  Madigan  J.*;  Schultz,  Melissa  M.;  Quantitative  Determination  of  Antidepressants  and  Their  Select  Degradates  by  Liquid  Chromatography.Electrospray  Ionization  Tandem  Mass  Spectrometry  in  Biosolids  Destined  for  Land  Application;  Analytical  Chemistry,  2013,  85,  7279-­‐7286.  

Martinovic-­‐Weigelt,  Dalma;  Minarik,  Thomas;    Curran,  Erin;  Marchuk,  Jascha;  Pazderka,  Matt  J.;  Smith,  Eric;  Coldenstein,  Rachel;  Miresse,  Christine;  Matlon,  Thomas;  Schultz,  Melissa;  Schoenfuss,  Heiko;  Environmental  Estrogens  in  an  Urban  Aquatic  Ecosystem:  I.  Spatial  and  Temporal  Occurrence  of  Estrogenic  Activity  in  Effluent-­‐Dominated  Systems;  Environment  International,  2013,  61,  127-­‐137.  

Schultz,  Melissa  M.;  Minarik,  Thomas,  Martinovic-­‐Weigelt,  Dalma;  Curran,  Erin  M.;  Bartell,  Stephen  E.;  Schoenfuss,  Heiko  L.;  Environmental  Estrogens  in  an  Urban  Aquatic  Ecosystem:  II.  Biological  Effects;  Environment  International,  2013,  61,  138-­‐149.  

Elisa  Leyva,  Sarah  J.  Schmidtke  Sobeck,  Silvia  E.  Loredo-­‐Carrillo,  Diego  A.  Magaldi-­‐Lara;  Spectral  and  structural  characterization  of  2-­‐(fluorophenylamino)-­‐  and  2-­‐(nitrophenylamino)-­‐1,4-­‐naphthoquinone  derivatives;  Journal  of  Molecular  Structure,  2014,  1068,  1-­‐7.  

Spencer,  M.K.*;  Radzinski,  N.P.*;  Tripathi,  S.*;  Chowdhury,  S.*;  Herrin,  R.P.*;  Chandran,  N.N.*;  Daniel,  A.K.*;  West,  J.D.;  Pronounced  Toxicity  Differences  between  Homobifunctional  Protein  Cross-­‐Linkers  and  Analogous  Monofunctional  Electrophiles;  Chem.  Res.  Toxicol.,  2013,  26,  1720-­‐1729.  

     

*    Wooster  undergraduate.  

 

  19  

Faculty Presentations

1

Paul  L.  Edmiston;  Swellable  Organosilica  Composite  as  a  High  Capacity  Sorbent;  Department  of  Chemical  Engineering,  Michigan  State  University,  July  2014.  

Paul  L.  Edmiston;  Chemomechanical  Solids  Comprised  of  Hybrid  Organic-­‐Inorganic  Materials;  Goodyear  Tire  and  Rubber  Co.,  July  2014.  

Paul  L.  Edmiston;  Bridged  Polysilsesquioxane  for  Water  Purification  and  Catalyst  Supports;  Leading  Edge  Conference  on  Water  and  Wastewater  Technologies,  Abu  Dhabi,  UAE,  May  2014.  

Karl  J.  Feierabend;  In  the  “OH-­‐Me”  stretch:  probing  solvent-­‐solute  interactions  and  self-­‐associative  behavior  using  cavity-­‐enhanced  absorption  spectroscopy  and  computational  chemistry;  Department  of  Chemistry,  The  College  of  Wooster,  February  2014.  

Melissa  M.  Schultz,  Lydia  M.  Niemi*,  Maria  Dawaher*,  Maura  Hall*;  Determination  of  antidepressants  in  biosolids  destined  for  land  application  and  the  potential  for  bioaccumulation  in  terrestrial  organisms;  Proceedings  of  the  34th  Society  of  Environmental  Toxicology  and  Chemistry  North  American  Meeting,  Nashville,  TN,  November  2013.  

Melissa  M.  Schultz;  Mass  Spectrometry,  Drugs,  Happy  Fish  AND  Worms:  Investigations  of  the  Occurrence,  Fate,  and  Effects  of  Antidepressant  Pharmaceuticals  in  the  Environment;  The  College  of  Wooster,  Department  of  Chemistry  Seminar,  February  2014.  

Melissa M.  Schultz,  Maria  Dawaher*,  Maura  Hall*,  Lydia  M.  Niemi*  “Quantitative  Determination  of  Antidepressants  and  Transformation  Products  by  LC  ESI-­‐MS/MS  in  Terrestrial  Environments  that  Receive  Biosolids.”  In  the  Proceedings  of  the  62nd  American  Society  of  Mass  Spectrometry’s  Annual  Meeting  on  Mass  Spectrometry  and  Allied  Topics,  Baltimore,  MD,  June  2014  (poster  presentation)  

Nicholas  S.  Shaw;  From  Therapeutics  to  Assays:  Development  of  an  Undergraduate  Research  Project  in  Gene  Detection;  Department  of  Chemistry,  The  College  of  Wooster,  October  2013.  

Sarah  J.  Schmidtke  Sobeck,  Jacob  Boroff*;  Comparative  Photochemistry  of  PABA  and  DABA;    Inter-­‐American  Photochemistry  Society  Winter  Conference,  Sarasota,  FL,  January  2014  (poster  presentation).  

Sarah  J.  Schmidtke  Sobeck;  Beyond  Sunscreen:  Explorations  of  the  Photochemistry  of  PABA  Derivatives;  Department  of  Chemistry,  Allegheny  College,  Allegheny,  PA,  September  2013.  

     *  Wooster  undergraduate.  

See  also  pages  30-­‐32  for  presentations  made  at  the  following  meetings:  

247th  American  Chemical  Society  National  Meeting  2014  ASBMB  Annual  Meeting  

19th  Annual  Midwest  Stress  Response  and  Molecular  Chaperone  Meeting  

 

  20  

Grants, Awards, and Gifts

2

Sarah  J.  Schmidtke  Sobeck;  Photochemistry  of  1-­‐Acylaminoanthraquinones;    IUPAC  2013,  Istanbul,  Turkey,  August  2013.  

Sarah  J.  Schmidtke  Sobeck;  Impact  of  Esterification  and  Thionation  on  the  Photochemistry  of  Para-­‐Aminobenzoic  Acid;    IUPAC  2013,  Istanbul,  Turkey,  August  2013.  

Sarah  J.  Schmidtke  Sobeck;  Photochemistry  of  para-­‐Aminobenzoic  Acid  Derivatives;  Gordon  Research  Conference  on  Photochemistry,  Easton,  MA;  July  2013  (poster  presentation).  

West,  J.D.,  Loberg,  M.A.,*  Allan,  K.M.,*  Spencer,  M.K.,*  Tripathi,  S.,*  Naticchia,  M.R.,*  Chepngeno,  J.,*  Pilat,  J.A.,*  Sizek,  H.H.,*  and  Cuchan,  J.A.*;  Structural  Features  Contributing  to  Intersubunit  Cross-­‐Linking  of  Peroxiredoxins  by  Bifunctional  Electrophiles;  Gordon  Research  Conference  on  Thiol-­‐Based  Redox  Regulation  and  Signaling,  Girona,  Spain,  July  2014  (poster  presentation).  

West,  J.D.,  Naticchia,  M.R,*  Chepngeno,  J.,*  Loberg,  M.A.,*  Tripathi,  S.,*  Chowdhury,  S.,*  and  Murphy,  W.J.*;  Surveillance  of  Electrophilic  Protein  Thiol  Modifications  by  Thioredoxins;  Gordon  Conference  on  Stress  Proteins  in  Growth,  Development,  and  Disease,  West  Dover,  VT,  July  2013  (poster  presentation).  

New Grants and Awards ✦ Judy Amburgey-Peters: Proposal to the Hewlett-Mellon Presidential Discretionary Fund for Institutional

Renewal: Improving Student Success and Retention in Introductory STEM Courses (Science Technology Engineering and Math). In collaboration with Academic Departments (Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics), APEX, Center for Diversity and Global Engagement, Dean of Curriculum and Academic Engagement, Dean of Faculty Development, Dean of Students, Learning Center, Math Center; $39,000.

✦ Melissa M. Schultz and Megan Pollock (Geology); Acquisition of Portable X-ray Fluorescence Analyzer to Enhance the Chemistry and Geology Curricula; Pittsburgh Conference Memorial National College Grant; $10,000, 2014.

The Dr. Carl O. Schulz Endowed Chemistry Fund was established in 2014 by Dr. Constance B. Schulz, a member of the Class of 1964, in memory of her husband, Dr. Carl O. Schulz, a member of the Class of 1963. The fund will provide financial support for enhancing the learning experiences for student at The College of Wooster who are studying Chemistry. Examples of uses include, but are not limited to, seminars or undergraduate research conferences in chemistry held at the college; student travel to conferences; faculty travel to accompany students on conference travel; purchase of small-scale equipment or supplies for student research projects; visiting lecturers; informal opportunities for students and faculty to meet and talk with visiting lecturers. The funds may also be used to for students to conduct internships in a non-academic environment (industry, government, non-profit).

We wish to thank Constance for establishing this endowed fund. The opportunities our students receive by this kind of support is life changing. The connections they make by attending conferences and the discussions they have with invited lecturers is very important to their scientific careers.

 

  21  

Continuing Grants and Awards

✦ Sibrina N. Collins (PI); Chemistry 341: Introduction to Computational Chemistry; The Ohio Super Computer (OSC), The Ohio State University; $3,500; January 2013 through May 2013.

✦ Sibrina N. Collins (PI); Investigation of Electronic Structures of Transition Metal Complexes: Promising Alternatives to Cisplatin; The Ohio Super Computer (OSC), The Ohio State University; $7,000; January 2013 through January 2015.

✦ Paul A. Bonvallet; Exploring the Controllable Uptake and Release of Pyridinium Ions with a Photoactive Calixarene-Capped Azobenzene; American Chemical Society, Petroleum Research Fund; $65,000; May 2012 through August 2015.

✦ Paul L. Edmiston; Produced Water Treatment Using Animated Organosilicas that Rapidly and Reversible Swell; National Science Foundation, SBIR Phase II; $500,000; 2011-2014.

✦ Paul L. Edmiston and ABS Materials as lead organization; Frac Fluid and Flow Back Water Treatment Using Animated Organosilicas that Rapidly and Reversible Swell; U.S. Department of Energy, SBIR Phase II; $998,150; 2011-2014.

✦ Paul L. Edmiston and ABS Materials as lead organization; National Science Foundation, SBIR Phase IIB; $495,463; 2012-2015.

✦ Karl J. Feierabend; Construction of a incoherent broadband cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy instrument; Research Corporation for Science Advancement, Cottrell College Science Award; $35,000; July 2011 through July 2014.

✦ Karl J. Feierabend; Self-Association of Dicarboxylic Acids in Solution Using Broadband Cavity-Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy; Research Corporation for Science Advancement, Single Investigator Cottrell College Science Award, $45,000, May 2011 through July 2014.

✦ Melissa M. Schultz; RUI: Influence of Wastewater Treatment on Fate, Transport, and Bioaccumulation of Antidepressant Pharmaceuticals in Terresterial Environments; National Science Foundation; $99,376; February 2013 through January 2015.

✦ Melissa M. Schultz; COLL, RUI: Assessing Load Reduction and Biological Recovery After 500 MGD Treatment Upgrades in an Effluent-Dominated Aquatic Ecosystem; H. L. Schoenfuss (PI), D. Martinovic (PI), M. M. Schultz (PI); National Science Foundation; $74,099; January 2014 through December 2016.

✦ Stephanie S. Strand (Biology), Melissa M. Schultz, and Mark J. Snider; Bacterial Degradation of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products During Waste Water Treatment; Research Corporation for Science Advancement: Multi-Investigator Cottrell College Science Award; $100,000; 2012-2014.

✦ NSF-CRIF: University of Minnesota CyberMUEL (Multi-User Laser Experiment. William Tolman (PI), Joseph Brom (Co-PI), Keith Walters (Co-PI), Aaron Massari (Co-PI), Sarah J. Schmidtke (Sobeck) (Co-PI); purchase of instrumentation at the University of Minnesota that is cyber-controlled to allow off-campus use for research and classwork; $469,995; 2010-2013; extended through November 2014.

✦ Sarah J. Sobeck (PI); Impact of Solvent-Solute Interactions on Photochemistry of p-Aminobenzoic Acid Derivatives; American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund (ACS PRF) Undergraduate Research Proposal; $65,000; September 2013 through August 2016.

✦ James D. West; Exploring the Function of Thioredoxin Peroxidase 1 from Baker’s Yeast Following Modification by Electrophiles; Cottrell College Science Award, Research Corporation for Scientific Advancement; $35,000; July 2011 through July 2014.

 

  22  

STAFF

Brett Baker is the Principles of Chemistry Laboratory Coordinator. As our Laboratory Coordinator, Brett prepares materials and curriculum for the Principles of Chemistry labs. He also teaches lab sections — three sections in the fall and three sections in the spring — and organizes grading of lab reports.

Brett and his wife Lara live is Doylestown. They enjoy the outdoors, gardening, beekeeping, and theater.

Mary Cornelius celebrated five years with the Department of Chemistry in December serving as the part-time Secretary in the Department of Chemistry. Her duties include supporting Diane Rossey, Administrative Coordinator, and Kristin Feierabend as the Safety Liaison for the Department, and Mary Kilpatrick, Project Director for the B-WISER Science Camp. Mary took on a few extra duties this past year, providing administrative support for the ACS Periodic Report and the Herrick L. Johnston Scholarship in Chemistry.

There were big changes for our Stockroom Manager, Kristin Feierabend during the 2013 – 2014 Academic Year. She had twins! Alec Gray and Cora Leigh were born on March 7, 2014. Conveniently, this was the Friday before the College’s Spring Break. Kristin took the rest of the semester off for her maternity leave and returned to work in June.

Kristin continued to optimize cost savings for the department by researching the best prices for reagents and equipment for faculty. During the Summer of 2014 Kristin helped the College with the sourcing and acquisition of a portable X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer. The Chemistry and Geology Department’s had secured funding for an industrial grade pXRF, but Kristin was able to find a barely used research grade pXRF at a $25,000 discount! During the school year Kristin completed a physical inventory of the I.S. laboratories in Severance. It is quite a task to ensure that all of the reagents in Severance are where they are supposed to be.

Due to the twins’ young age Kristin was not able to travel to the NAOSMM conference in Indianapolis, IN in late July. She hopes she can continue the tradition in the coming years as she appreciates the chance to network with her peers and get the latest information in the world of laboratory equipment and safety.

Lee Hothem, Electronics and Instrument Technician, continues to support the sciences on campus. He does preventive maintenance and makes repairs on a vast array of instrumentation scattered across campus.

In September 2013, Diane Rossey celebrated 35 years at the College in the Department of Chemistry. The department surprised her with a reception following a Chemistry Seminar.

Diane was busy fall semester with training on the new web editing program, OU Campus, and Connect Daily for making room reservations. From March 1 through May 31, Diane took over all purchasing duties while Kristin was on Maternity Leave. Diane was very happy when Kristin returned. She continues to enjoy producing this Annual Report, making the posters for the Chemistry seminars, and helping with the arrangements for the Helen Murray Free lectures.

Diane participated in the interview process for Ron Tebbe’s replacement and, at the request of Chief Glick, participated in the interview process for the position of Assistant Director of Campus Access.

Once again, Diane had many entries in the Wayne County Fair. She received a total of eight ribbons, two of which were Best of Show.

 

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Ronald  Tebbe  retired  on  April  30,  2014.    Ron  began  his  career  at  The  College  of  Wooster  on  April  19,  2004  as  Instrument  and  Laboratory  Technician/Machinist  for  all  the  sciences  —  Biology,  Chemistry,  Geology,  and  Physics.  Ron  performed  routine  maintenance  and  minor  repairs  on  our  instruments  and  equipment  and  assisted  students  and  faculty  in  their  use.  He  also  machined  fixtures  and  custom-­‐build  apparatus  needed  for  research.      In  Chemistry,  he  prepared  the  reagents  

and  supplies  for  the  organic  chemistry  laboratories  and  on  occasion,  helped  out  in  the  analytical  chemistry  laboratories.  Maintaining  the  LC-­‐MS  QQQ,  NMR,  and  GC-­‐MS  would  have  been  impossible  without  Ron  expertise.  Ron  was  a  familiar  face  to  many  of  us  in  

Chemistry.  After  a  number  of  years  in  the  workforce  as  a  machinist,  he  enrolled  at  The  College  of  Wooster,  graduating  in  1997  with  a  major  in  Biochemistry.    After  graduation  he  worked  in  the  department  as  Assistant  Stockroom  Manager  for  six  months.    In  January  1998  he  accepted  a  position  as  a  Research  Associate  at  SDG,  Inc.  in  Wooster,  where  he  put  his  biochemistry  background  to  use  working  on  drug  delivery  technology.  He  worked  at  SDG  through  October  2000,  at  which  time  he  moved  on  to  Athersys,  Inc.  in  Cleveland.  A  dinner  at  The  Wooster  Inn  was  held  

in  Ron’s  honor  on  May  2,  2014.    We  wish  Ron  the  very  best  in  his  retirement.  

 

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Emeriti Faculty Virginia Pett published a paper she had been working on for several years in the journal Plant Science in May 2014. Two of the co-authors, Roger Klein and Tamu Chidawanyika, are graduates of The College of Wooster. Both are now in M.D./Ph.D. programs, Roger at Washington University (St. Louis) and Tamu at Dartmouth. Roger worked with Virginia on this project for two summers, and Tamu did her Senior I.S. with Virginia. Hannah Tims was a postdoctoral teacher-researcher in the Department of Chemistry 2007-2009. Tea Meulia is at OARDC. Bob Bouchard collaborated with Virginia on this project since the 1990s.

Chaperone function of two small heat shock proteins from maize Roger D. Klein, Tamutenda Chidawanyika, Hannah S. Tims, Tea Meulia, Robert A. Bouchard, Virginia B. Pett.

Abstract

Small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are molecular chaperones that protect cells from the effect of heat and other stresses. Some sHsps are also expressed at specific stages of development. In plants different classes of sHsps are expressed in the various cellular compartments. While the Class I (cytosolic) sHsps in wheat and pea have been studied extensively, there are fewer experimental data on Class II (cytosolic) sHsps, especially in maize. Here we report the expression and purification of two Class II sHsps from Zea mays ssp. mays L. (cv. Oh43). The two proteins have almost identical sequences, with the significant exception of an additional nine-amino-acid intervening sequence near the beginning of the N-terminus in one of them. Both ZmHsp17.0-CII and ZmHsp17.8-CII oligomerize to form dodecamers at temperatures below heat shock, and we were able to visualize these dodecamers with TEM. There are significant differences between the two sHsps during heat shock at 43 ºC: ZmHsp17.8-CII dissociates into smaller oligomers than ZmHsp17.0-CII, and ZmHsp17.8-CII is a more efficient chaperone with target protein citrate synthase. Together with the previous observation that ZmHsp17.0-CII but not ZmHsp17.8-CII is expressed during development, we propose different roles in the cell for these two sHsps.

Alumni News W.K.  KELLOGG  FOUNDATION’S    

WOODROW  WILSON  MICHIGAN  TEACHING  FELLOWS  NAMED  The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation has announced the 2014 class of the W. K.

Kellogg Foundation’s Woodrow Wilson Michigan Teaching Fellowship. Among them is The College of Wooster Alumna Kaitlynn Wilson (’12) who is attending The University of Michigan.

The competitive program recruits accomplished career changers and outstanding recent college graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (the STEM fields). The 2014 Fellows are the fourth class of new teacher candidates to be prepared through the program since the Fellowship was launched in Michigan in 2010.

Each fellow receives a $30,000 stipend while completing an intensive master’s-level teacher education program at a participating Michigan university. These institutions have committed and continue to commit to provide Fellows a full year of experience in local classrooms, as well as specific teaching approaches for the STEM fields—a clinically intensive model still rare in university-based teacher preparation.

Michigan is one of five states now participating in the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowships (other participating states include Indiana, Ohio, New Jersey, and Georgia). Since the program’s inception in 2010, 239 Fellows have been named in Michigan. After their preparation, Fellows commit to teach for at least three years in a high-need Michigan school, with ongoing support and mentoring. The Fellows to date will have a projected eventual impact on the lives of more than 20,000 students each year. ❖ June 2014

In May 2014, Dr. William M. Chew (’68) was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the JANNAF (Joint Army Navy NASA Air Force) Executive Committee in recognition of “his outstanding leadership and technical expertise in the fields of liquid and gel propellants, propulsion and hazards.” Chew has been the Principal Investigator for several projects at Streamline Automation. He has broad experience in Research and Development including X-ray and gamma-ray spectroscopy, inorganic synthesis, development of hydrogen gas generators and the chemical pump for the Modular Army Demonstration System high energy chemical laser, permeability of and compatibility with core samples from reservoirs, gel propellant and engine development and testing, and the development of sub-scale tests for Insensitive Munitions.

Dear Alumni,

We would love to hear from your. Send your news to chemistry@wooster.edu for publication in our next Annual Report.

 

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James  LaPolla  (’85),  a  1989  graduate  of  The  Ohio  College  of  Podiatric  Medicine,  serves  on  the  medical  executive  board  of  the  Trumbull  Memorial  Hospital.    His  practice  —  The  Northeast  Ohio  Foot,  Ankle  &  Wound  Center  —  has  three  offices.  

Beginning  July  1,  2012,  Ken  Aldridge  (’90)  holds  the  position  of  assistant  head  of  School  for  academics  at  Wilmington  Friends  School  in  Wilmington,  DE.  

Betsy  Kersteen  Mulligan  (’98)  works  in  product  development  at  Luminex  Corporation,  a  company  that  develops  and  manufactures  molecular  diagnostics.  

Colleen  Ryan  (’98,  BCHM)  resides  in  Boulder,  CO  where  she  recently  started  a  direct  pay  family  medicine  practice.  

Bilal  Zuberi  (’98)  and  his  family  moved  to  Palo  Alto,  CA  in  the  summer  of  2013.    He  is  a  partner  at  Lux  Capital,  a  venture  capital  firm.    

In  June  2013  Jay  MacGregor  (’00)  completed  a  fellowship  in  Orlando,  FL  and  moved  to  Fargo,  ND  where  he  joined  a  colorectal  surgery  practice.  

Meris  Mandernach  (’01)  is  in  Columbus,  OH  working  as  the  head  of  research  services  at  The  Ohio  State  University  Libraries.  

Guy  Mulligan  (’01,  BCHM)  and  Amy  Tsacoumangos  Mulligan  (’00)  reside  in  the  Cleveland,  OH  area  with  their  three  children.    Guy  practices  endocrinology  and  Amy  works  as  a  pharmacist.      

In  the  summer  of  2014,  Jason  Tout  (’05)  and  wife  Sarah  moved  to  Cleveland  Heights,  OH  from  Boston,  MA.    Jason  is  teaching  at  Montessori  High  School  —  Physical  Science,  Chemistry,  Physics,  and  Physical  Education  —  and  Sarah  is  loving  her  residency  at  Case  Western/University  Hospital.  

Nicholas  Amato  (’08)  received  his  Ph.D.  in  chemistry  from  the  University  of  Toledo  in  2013.  He  accepted  a  position  at  the  University  of  California,  Riverside  as  a  postdoctoral  scholar.  

Erin  (Fortin)  Wiesenauer  (’08)  defended  her  Ph.D.  in  organic  materials  chemistry  from  the  University  of  Colorado  at  Boulder  in  August  2013.    She  accepted  a  position  with  Intel  in  Portland,  OR.  

Warren  Swegal  (’08,  BCMB)  received  his  M.D.  from  Case  Western  Reserve  University  School  of  Medicine  in  May  2013.  He  is  currently  a  resident  physician  at  Henry  Ford  Heath  System  in  Detroit,  MI.  

Laura  West  (’10)  graduated  from  the  University  of  Pittsburgh  School  of  Medicine  in  May  2014.    She  matched  into  her  residency  in  Pediatrics  at  the  Children’s  Hospital  of  Pittsburgh  of  UPMC,  where  she  will  pursue  her  career  in  academic  pediatric  medicine.  

Haley  Brown  (’12,  BCMB)  began  graduate  school,  fall  2013,  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin-­‐Madison.    She  is  working  towards  a  Ph.D.  in  biochemistry.  

During 2014 Alumni Weekend, two chemistry alumni received Distinguished Alumni Awards, the highest honor bestowed by the Alumni Association.

Dr. Zvavahera "Mike" Chirenje '77 is a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the College of Health Sciences at the University of Zimbabwe, and executive director of the university's Collaborative Research Program on Women's Health, in partnership with the University of California-San Francisco. He oversees a research unit with 400 employees running clinical trials for the prevention and treatment of HIV, and was chief investigator on a three-year study comparing the efficacy and safety of two prevention methods. Dr. Carl W. Cotman '62 is a professor of neurology at the University of California-Irvine and founder of the UC Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders. His landmark studies have advanced understanding of Alzheimer's disease and other age-related disorders. He has authored or co-authored nine books and hundreds of articles in the fields of neurobiology, the development of Alzheimer's disease, and the recovery of function after brain injury.

 

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1

WOOSTER, Ohio - Scott Peters, a 1989 College of Wooster alumnus, understands the power of on-the-job mentorship both as a giver and as a receiver. The opportunity to work at a Wooster R&D company the summer before his senior year prompted the chemistry major to change the focus of his senior Independent Study (I.S.) and also convinced him that his career goal was to find a job that allowed him to step outside the laboratory.

Today, Peters is product development manager at Ingredient Innovations International (3i) in Wooster, a spin-off of the company where he began as a student 25 years ago. And he's in a good position to return the opportunity that was offered him. In collaboration with his wife, Judith Amburgey-Peters, Wooster associate professor of chemistry, he has co-advised two students' Independent Studies.

So on the way home from work, when Professor Amburgey-Peters asked Manager Peters if the company might have something for a promising student in her department, Peters was pretty sure they did. He was up for the mentorship, but wasn't positive about the salary. The College's APEX Fellowships, which add a stipend and guidance to students' summer internship and career exploration experiences, came into play and rising junior Kevin Smith came on board.

At 3i, Smith has participated in all functions of the small company—from laboratory research, to meeting with customers, to cleaning up after production. "We wear a lot of hats here," says Peters, "and Kevin has worn just as many as the rest of us."

The goal of scientists at 3i is to give materials that are exclusively oil-soluble also the ability to disperse evenly in water. 3i's customers are beverage, food,

2

and personal care marketers who want to add a health benefit value to their products. One of the company's most successful applications, for example, is an over-the-counter drink that contains coenzyme Q10 (essential to a healthy body, but lacking in patients taking statin drugs). By changing the substance from a crystalline to a liquid form, 3i makes it both more marketable and more effective. "Absorption in the body goes up about six times in a liquid based product, compared to a tablet," says Peters.

Other benefits include increasing the shelf life of a product. For example, 3i uses its dispersion technology on fish oil, allowing it to be added to a drink without fear of spoilage. Mouthwash formerly carried only by an alcohol-based fluid may now be alcohol-free. All told, the Wooster company produces up to 6,000,000 pounds of product annually.

Smith hopes his I.S. will reflect his work at Ingredient Innovations International. At the conclusion of his eight-week APEX Fellowship, the company decided to keep him on as a paid employee for the rest of the summer. "He's been a lot of help; he's doing a good job for us," says Peters. "And besides, he's in the middle of some projects."

The experience is exactly what he had hoped it would be, says Smith, and has solidified his desire to find a similar job after he graduates. "I've loved being here," he says. "I wanted a real world application. I wanted to see the business side to chemistry that you just don't experience if you stay on campus.

"I'm seeing the whole process and it's benefitting me a lot."  

WOOSTER  STUDENT  EXPERIENCES  THE  POWER  OF  WORKPLACE  MENTORSHIP   APEX Fellowship connects junior Kevin Smith and alumnus Scott Peters 22 July, 2014 by Karol Crosbie

 

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Helen Murray Free Endowment Lecture TECHNICAL LECTURE

Ozone Depletion from Pole to Pole: Science and Policy

PUBLIC LECTURE

Something for Everyone About Climate Change and the Reasons for Climate Gridlock

Helen Murray Free graduated with a B.A. in chemistry from The College of Wooster in 1945. Her research in clinical chemistry revolutionized diagnostic testing (for instance “dip-and-read” glucose tests for diabetics), and she was awarded seven patents for her clinical diagnostic test inventions Helen and her

husband Alfred were inducted into the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame in 2000. From 1987 to 1992, Helen chaired the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) National Chemistry Week Task Force, and in 1993 she was elected president of the ACS. In 2010, the ACS designated development of diagnostic test strips as a National Historic Chemical Landmark. In 2010 Helen was also awarded the National Medal of Technology & Innovation by President Obama. The Helen Murray Free Endowed Lecture Series was established by Helen’s children and endowed through the Al and Helen Free Foundation. Each year, this endowed fund brings to campus a renowned chemical scientist, who interacts with chemistry students at a technical level and present an all-college convocation on the contributions of science to the quality of life. 2007 Mary Lowe Good 2008 Richard N. Zare 2009 Jacqueline K. Barton 2010 Harry B. Gray

2011 Sara Risch Spring 2012 Catherine T. Hunt Fall 2012 Sam Niedbala

Susan Solomon is the Ellen Swallow Richards Professor of atmospheric chemistry and climate science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

She is well known for having pioneered the theory explaining why the ozone hole occurs in Antarctica. She is also the author of several influential scientific papers in climate science, including one on the irreversibilities of the climate change problem. She received the 1999 US National Medal of Science, that nation’s highest scientific honor. She is a member of the U. S. National Academy of Sciences, the French Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Acadameia Europaea. She served as co-chair of the climate science group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from 2002-2007, and in 2008, Time magazine named Solomon as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. A glacier in Antarctica has been named after her, Solomon Glacier.

 

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Department Seminars

1

Thomas Leeper – Chemistry and BCMB Joint Seminar Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Akron Glutaredoxin protein-metal complex structure elucidation and antibiotic drug design by NMR

Mark Ams – Chemistry Seminar Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Allegheny College More than just a rotation: the twisted tale of isomerizing molecules

Mark Snider – Chemistry and BCMB Joint Seminar Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, The College of Wooster Mechanistic studies of vitamin B3 “destructases”: an enzymologist’s treasure trove

Heiko Schoenfuss – Chemistry, BCMB and Biology Joint Seminar Professor of Anatomy; Director, Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory; Department of Biological Sciences, St. Cloud State University, MN Sources and effects of contaminants of emerging concern in the aquatic environment

José Otero – Chemistry, BCMB, Biology, Neuroscience and Pre-Health Joint Seminar Assistant Professor, The Ohio State University, College of Medicine Department of Pathology, Division of Neuropathology Ø Mechanisms of congenital hypoventilation Ø An insider’s perspective on the medical school

admission process An informal discussion with pizza provided by the Pre-Health Program.

Howard Senkfor (’85) – Chemistry Seminar Senior Development Chemist Associate, PPG Omdistroes – Automotive OEM

Ø Scratching the Surface of Automotive Coatings Chemistries Ø An Insider’s Perspective on Being an Industrial Chemist

An informal discussion with pizza provided by PPG.

Christopher Chapman (’09), a member of Senkfor’s Team was also on campus.

Informal discussion with José Otero.

 

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2

Nicholas Shaw – Chemistry Seminar Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, The College of Wooster From Therapeutics to Assays: Development of an Undergraduate Research Project in Gene Detection

Ross Ellington – BCMB and Biology Joint Seminar Department of Biological Science, Florida State University Cell Motility, Reaction-Diffusion Constraints and the Origin of Phosphagen Energy Buffering Systems

Anna Andrews (’87,Physics) – Interdepartmental Science Seminar Senior NPD Scientist, Vancive Medical Technologies Medical Device Development in the 21st Century: What Science Majors Need to Know

Melissa Schultz – Chemistry Seminar Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry The College of Wooster Mass Spectrometry, Drugs, Happy Fish AND Worms: Investigations of the Occurrence, Fate, and Effects of Antidepressant Pharmaceuticals in the Environment

Karl J. Feierabend – Chemistry Seminar Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, The College of Wooster In the OH-Me stretch: Probing solvent-solute interactions and self-associative behavior of methanol using cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy and computational chemistry

Adrian Michael – Chemistry and BCMB Joint Seminar Department of Chemistry, Chevron Science Center, The University of Pittsburgh Using Implantable Micro Electrodes to Explore the Chemical Link Between the Brain and Behavior – or Misbehavior

Ryan Sullivan – Chemistry Seminar Assistant Professor,Chemistry & Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University How Do individual Atmospheric Particles React, Alter Clouds and Climate?

John McDowell – BCMB and Biology Seminar Professor; Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science; Virginia Tech How do biotrophic pathogens survive inside hostile hosts?

Jane Jackman – Chemistry and BCMB Joint Seminar Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, The Ohio State University Putting it in Reverse: 3’-5’ Polymerases in Biology

Sarah Knutson – BCMB and Biology Joint Seminar; sponsored by BCMB Club Epizyme, Inc., Cambridge, MA From the Buckeye to the Bay State: My Path to Drug Discovery

 

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247th American Chemical Society National Meeting

1

Student Presentations  Leah  Bowers,  Sarah  Sobeck  

Photo-­‐Degradation  of  Cochineal  Dye  in  Oil,  Alcohol,  and  Aqueous  Media  Norman  Chamusah,  Sarah  Sobeck  

User-­‐Friendly  Ising  Model  Simulator  Allison  Chin,  Melissa  Schultz  

Optimization  of  a  SBSE-­‐LC-­‐MS/MS  Method  for  the  Determination  of  Endocrine  Disrupting  Chemicals  in  Environmental  Aqueous  Samples  

Maria  Dawaher,  Melissa  Schultz  Bioaccumulation  and  Effect  of  Fluoxetine  Exposure  on  Earthworm  (Eisenia  fetia)  Reproduction  and  Serotonergic  Activity  

Lauren  Fleming,  Karl  Feierabend  Kinetics  and  Mechanism  for  the  Reaction  of  Oxalic  Acid  with  the  Hydroxyl  Radical  

Jenna  Gnotek,  Nicholas  Shaw  Toward  an  Efficient  Synthesis  of  N-­‐Substituted  Hydroxypyrrole  Monomers  

Maura  Hall,  Melissa  Schultz  Quantitative  Determination  of  Antidepressants  in  Biosolid-­‐Amended  Soil  and  Earthworms  

Nineteen students and three faculty from the Department of Chemistry attended the 247th American Chemical Society National Meeting in Dallas.

Funding  was  provided  by:  College  of  Wooster  Student  Travel  Fund  

College  of  Wooster  Department  of  Chemistry  Clare  Boothe  Luce  Foundation  

American  Chemical  Society,  Wooster  Local  Section  Research  Corporation  for  Science  Advancement  

Howard  Hughes  Medical  Institute  American  Chemical  Society,  Petroleum  Research  Fund  

 

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2

Steven  Hardy,  Judith  Amburgey-­‐Peters  Synthesis  of  a  Cyclohexylbisphosphoserine  as  a  Potential  Phosphatidylserine  Analog  

Rachelle  Herrin,  Sarah  Sobeck  Effect  of  Solvent  on  1-­‐Dichloroacetylaminoanthraquinone  Photochemistry  

Luke  Hutchings-­‐Goetz,  Judith  Amburgey-­‐Peters  Four-­‐Step  Synthesis  of  Cyclohexylphosphoserine  as  a  Potential  Phosphatidylserine  Analog  

Virginia  Iungerich,  Paul  Bonvallet  Survey  of  Cationic  Guests  for  a  Supramolecular  Calixarene-­‐Capped  Azobenzene  Container  

Ryan  Kish,  Judith  Amburgey-­‐Peters  Formation  of  a  Protected  Serine-­‐Cyclohexyl  H-­‐Phosphonate  Diester  Towards  Synthesis  of  Cyclohexylphosphoserine  as  a  Potential  Phosphatidylserine  Analog  

Da-­‐Sol  Kuen,  Michelle  Hoffman  Microfluidic  Fluorescence  Detection  of  the  Intracellular  Heavy-­‐Metal  Uptake  Properties  of  Caulobacter  crescentus    

Noel  Mellor,  Paul  Edmiston,  Zachary  Harvey,  Ricky  Bowles  Bridged  Polysilsesquioxane  for  Solid  Phase  Extraction    

Dung  Nguyen,  Paul  Bonvallet  Synthesis  of  a  Model  Electroluminescent  Polymer  by  Acyclic  Diene  Metathesis  

Meredith  Schervish,  Karl  Feierabend  Analysis  of  Alcohols  in  Organic  Solvent  Systems  Using  IBBCEAS  

Traci  Scott,  Judith  Amburgey-­‐Peters  Formation  of  a  Protected  Serine  H-­‐Phosphonate  Monoester  Towards  Synthesis  of  Cyclohexylphosphoserine  as  a  Potential  Phosphatidylserine  Analog  

Andrea  Steiger,  Paul  Bonvallet  Functionalization  of  a  Calix[4]arene-­‐Capped  Azobenzene  Supramolecular  Host  to  Increase  Solubility  in  Polar  Organic  Solvents  

Lucas  Webber,  Sarah  Blosser,  Dung  Nguyen,  Paul  Bonvallet  Improving  the  Synthesis  of  Benzo-­‐24-­‐Crown-­‐8  Ether  and  Investigating  the  Role  of  Benzo-­‐Functionalization  in  Binding  with  Dibenzylammonium  Guests  

   

Faculty Presentations  Paul  Bonvallet,  Judith  Amburgey-­‐Peters,  Nicholas  Shaw  

“Spectroscopy  First”  as  Evidence-­‐Based  Teaching  in  Organic  Chemistry  Paul  Bonvallet,  Judith  Amburgey-­‐Peters,  Nicholas  Shaw,  Sibrina  Collins,  Crystal  Young-­‐Erdos  

Using  Course-­‐Embedded  Research  in  the  Organic  Chemistry  Laboratory  to  Promote  Mastery  Mentality  and  “Thinking  Like  a  Chemist”  

Paul  Bonvallet,  Andrea  Steiger*,  Mary  Nappi*,  Lucy  Moser*,  Virginia  Iungerich*  Enhanced  Control  of  the  trans-­‐cis  Equilibrium  in  a  Calixarene-­‐Capped  Azobenzene  Dimer  

Paul  Edmiston  Removal  of  Organic  Solutes  From  Flow  Back  Water  

Chip  Nataro,  Sheila  Smith,  Sibrina  Collins,  Hilary  Eppley,  Margaret  Geselbracht,  Elizabeth  Jamieson,  Adam  Johnson,  Barbara  Reisner,  Joanne  Stewart,  Bruke  Williams,  Lori  Watson  Ride  the  Snake:  The  Online,  Inorganic  Community  of  IONiC/VIPEr  

     *Wooster  undergraduates.    

 

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2014 American Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Annual Meeting April  26-­‐30,  2014  San  Diego,  CA    Student  Presentations  (presenter  underlined,  *  Wooster  student):    7  students  presented  posters  at  the  national  meeting  3  worked  collaboratively  on  a  project  6  senior  I.S.  projects;  1  Clare  Boothe  Luce  Research  Project  (Abigail  Daniel,  ’15  BCMB).    

Helena  Kondow*,  and  M.  J.  Snider;  Investigation  of  B.  bronchiseptica  maleamate  amidohydrolase  (NicF)  substrate  specificity.    

  Manish  Aryal*,  and  M.  J.  Snider;  Testing  the  versatility  of  the  alternating  sites  of  reactivity  mechanism  in  the  phosphagen  kinases.    

Pailin  Chiaranunt*,  Jacob  Sprano*,  Abigail  Daniel*  and  M.  J.  Snider;  Investigation  of  the  nicotinate  degradation  pathway  in  Bordetella  Pertussis  and  its  connections  to  whooping  cough.    

  Zachary  Harvey*  and  M.  J.  Snider;    Functional  genomic  elucidation  of  nicotinic  acid  catabolism  in  Bacillus  niacini:  Towards  a  metabolic  engineering  approach  to  environmental  remediation.    

James  B.  Claybourne*,  Edmund  Shi*,  Stephanie  Strand,  Melissa  Schultz  and  M.  J.  Snider;  Biodegradation  of  venlafaxine.      

Zachary  Harvey  (’14,  CHEM)  and  Manish  Aryal  (’14,  BCMB)  won  “Honorable  Mention”  on  their  presentations  during  the  18th  Annual  ASBMB  Undergraduate  Student  Research  Poster  Competition.  Twenty  awards  were  given;  over  250  undergraduates  from  around  the  country  competed.    Funding  Sources:    The  College  of  Wooster  Student  Travel  Fund,  The  College  of  Wooster  Department  of  Chemistry,  Clare  Boothe  Luce  Foundation,  Wooster  Local  Section  of  the  American  Chemical  Society,  Research  Corporation  for  Science  Advancement,  Howard  Hughes  Medical  Institute,  National  Science  Foundation.  

19th  Annual  Midwest  Stress  Response  and  Molecular  Chaperone  Meeting  Northwestern  University,  Evanston,  IL  January  18,  2014  

In  January,  James  West  and  five  of  his  students  traveled  to  Illinois  where  they  attended  the  19th  Annual  Midwest  Stress  Response  and  Molecular  Chaperone  Meeting  on  the  Evanston  Campus  of  Northwestern  University.  The  meeting  provided  an   opportunity   for   those   interested   in   the   areas   of   stress   response,   heat-­‐shock   proteins,   and  molecular   chaperones   to  present  their  own  work  and  learn  from  others  working  in  the  field.  

Juliet Chepng’eno (’14, BCMB) and James West; Electrophilic Modification of Methionine Sulfoxide Reductases from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Sreyan Chowdhury (’14, BCMB), Matthew Naticchia, Wesley Murphy, and James West; Examining a Role for Thioredoxin in Protecting Against Protein Damage by Isothiocyanate-Containing Electrophiles.

Matthew Loberg (’16, BCMB), Matthew Spencer (’14, BIOL), Susmit Tripathi, Matthew Naticchia, Juliet Chepngeno, and James West; Mutational Analysis of Dimer Interface Residues in the Yeast Peroxiredoxins Tsa1 and Ahp1.

Matthew Naticchia (’14, BCMB), Wesley Murphy, Susmit Tripathi, and James West; Exploring a Role for Thioredoxin in the Recognition of Electrophilic Modifications in Substrate Proteins.

 

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Chemistry Club In  the  fall,  Chemistry  Club  participated  in  Scot  Spirit  Day,  an  all-­‐campus  event  where  clubs  share  their  stories.    Members  decorated  Severance  Hall  for  National  Chemistry  Week  and  sponsored  activities  throughout  the  week.    The  science  clubs  jointly  hosted  a  Science  Mixer  in  October.  They  played  games,  carved  pumpkins,  and  enjoyed  great  food.  

Club  members  visited  Melrose  Elementary  School’s  fourth  grade  class  where  they  demonstrated  making  tie-­‐dye  milk,  flubber,  and  hot  ice.    Students  were  briefed  on  safety  precautions  prior  to  the  demonstrations  and  scientific  explanations  accompanied  each  demonstration.  

The  Sixth  Annual  Community  Science  Day  was  held  on  Saturday,  April  26,  2014.    The  day  was  devoted  to  engaging  young  minds  through  interactive  projects  in  astronomy,  biology,  biochemistry,  chemistry,  geology,  neuroscience,  physics,  and  mathematics.    Activities  of  the  Chemistry  Club  included  flubber,  tie-­‐dye  milk,  liquid  nitrogen  ice  cream,  and  hot  ice.      

Chemistry  Club  members  volunteered  at  Expanding  Your  Horizons,  a  day-­‐long  event  for  girls  in  the  5th  and  6th  grades.    The  girls  learned  from  female  professors  and  women  in  STEM  related  careers  by  participating  in  age-­‐appropriate  activities  that  engaged  them  in  math  and  science.      

Lab  aprons  and  lab  coats  were  sold  as  fundraisers.    Student-­‐designed  Chemistry  Club  T-­‐shirts  were  also  sold  at  the  end  of  the  academic  year.  

Officers

Co-Presidents Allison Chin (’14)

Curtis Lockhart (’14)

Vice-President Virginia Iungerich (’15)

Secretary

Lauren Fleming (’14)

Treasurer Holly Jacobs (’14)

Outreach Coordinators

Rachelle Herrin (’15) Claire Moffett (’15)

Faculty Advisor Nicholas Shaw

In the spring, Chemistry Club sponsored a lecture given by Professor Ruth Armitage from the Department of Chemistry at Eastern Michigan University. The title of her talk was Archeological Chemistry of Rock Paintings: Radiocarbon Dating and Chemical Analysis. This was a unique opportunity for chemistry and archeology majors. It displayed how the arts and sciences can benefit from one another and bridged the gap between two majors that don’t typically spend time together in an academic setting. Students were invited to eat lunch with Dr. Armitage; informal discussions continued during lunch.

 

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Recognition of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-Year Students

Herrick L. Johnston Scholarship in Chemistry   The  Herrick  L.  Johnston  Scholarship  in  Chemistry  honors  the  memory  of  Herrick  L.  Johnston,  Class  of  1922,  Sc.D.  1943,  and  was  established  by  Margaret  Vanderbilt  Johnston  Dittmers  in  1982.  The  Scholarship  is  awarded  to  an  incoming  first-­‐year  student  on  the  basis  of  merit  and  a  strong  interest  in  chemistry.  The  2014-­‐15  Johnston  Scholarship  recipient  is  Clayton  Geib  of  London,  OH.  Clayton  wants  to  obtain  a  Ph.D.  in  chemistry.    His  career  goal  is  to  be  a  research  chemist.  

Camille Boufford (’17) CRC Freshman Chemistry Achievement Award

Jacob Brotman (’16, CHEM) John W. Chittum Scholarship

John Buchan (’17) CRC Freshman Chemistry Achievement Award

Kimberly Carter (’16, CHEM) American Chemical Society Polymer Education Committee Award

Katelynn Edgehouse (’17, CHEM) Wooster Section of the American Chemical Society First-Year Award

Tyler Gerwig (’15, CHEM) Lewis LaShell Memorial Scholarship

Rachelle Herrin (’15, CHEM) Robert E. Wilson Scholarship

Hannah Hicks (’17) CRC Freshman Chemistry Achievement Award

Matthew Loberg (’16, CHEM) John W. Chittum Prize in Chemistry

Elsa Maggiolino (’17) CRC Freshman Chemistry Achievement Award

Angelo Melari (’17) CRC Freshman Chemistry Achievement Award

Noel Mellor (‘15, CHEM) American Chemical Society Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry

Jake Polster (’17, CHEM) Wooster Section of the American Chemical Society First-Year Award

Lindsay Robinson (’17) CRC Freshman Chemistry Achievement Award

Laura Sherer (’17) CRC Freshman Chemistry Achievement Award

Benjamin Stromberg (’17) CRC Freshman Chemistry Achievement Award

Lucas Webber (’15, CHEM) Cary R. Wagner Prize in Chemistry

 

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Chemistry Majors

Front Row: Jenna Gnotek, Kaitlin Graham, Dung Nguyen, Lauren Fleming Second Row: Luke Koniarczyk, Norman Chamusah, Andrea Steiger, Steven Hardy,

Maura Hall Third Row: Jacob Boroff, Zachary Harvey, Allison Chin, Leah Bowers, Sarah Laper Back Row: Curtis Lockhart, Kyle Koemm, Luke Hutchings-Goetz, Da-Sol Kuen Missing: John Marshall, Jiho Yang

 

 

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Chemistry Majors 19 students  graduated  with  a  major  in  Chemistry.    Three  students  graduated  with  a  double  major:     Norman  Chamusah  –  Chemistry  and  Computer  Science     Kyle  Koemm  –  Chemistry  and  French     Sarah  Laper  –  Chemistry  and  Mathematics    During  their  senior  year,  John  Marshall  and  Jiho  Yang  attended  Case  Western  Reserve  University  School  of  Dental  Medicine  in  the  dual-­‐degree  program.    Chemistry  majors  who  graduated  with  a  minor  were:     Zachary  Harvey  –  Biology     John  Koniarczkyk  –  Mathematics     Andrea  Steiger  –  Environmental  Studies    Two  Biology  Majors,  Eric  Brenner  and  Justin  Ziegler,  graduated  with  a  minor  in  Chemistry.    

Departmental Honors were awarded to:

Jacob Boroff Leah Bowers Allison Chin

Lauren Fleming Zachary Harvey

Da-Sol Kuen Sarah Laper

Curtis Lockhart Dung Nguyen Andrea Steiger

Elected to Phi Beta Kappa:

Jacob Boroff Lauren Fleming Zachary Harvey Curtis Lockhart Andrea Steiger

Majors who received American Chemical

Society Certification in Chemistry:

Jacob Boroff Leah Bowers Allison Chin

Laura Fleming Steven Hardy

Luke Hutchings-Goetz Da-Sol Kuen Sarah Laper

Curtis Lockhart Dung Nguyen Andrea Steiger

Zachary Harvey received

American Chemical Society Certification in Chemistry/Biochemistry

Prizes, Awards, and Scholarships Leah Bowers Department of Chemistry Citizen Award

William Byron Ross Memorial Prize in Chemistry

Jacob Boroff William Z. Bennett Prize in Chemistry Allison Chin American Chemical Society Undergraduate

Award in Environmental Chemistry Lauren Fleming Wooster Section of the American Chemical

Society Senior Award Zachary Harvey William Byron Ross Memorial Prize in

Chemistry Luke Hutchings-Goetz American Institute of Chemists Award —

Chemistry Kyle Koemm American Chemical Society Undergraduate

Award in Inorganic Chemistry Curtis Lockhart Joseph E. Weber Pre-Medical Award

Wooster Section of the American Chemical Society Senior Award

Andrea Steiger American Chemical Society Undergraduate Award in Organic Chemistry

 

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Entering  graduate  school:     Lauren  Fleming   University  of  California,  Irvine  (atmospheric  chemistry)     Zachary  Harvey   Stanford  University  (chemical  and  systems  biology)     John  Koniarczyk   Colorado  State  University     Andrea  Steiger   University  of  Oregon    Entering  health  professional  school:     Jacob  Boroff   The  Ohio  State  University  College  of  Optometry     Kyle  Koski   Case  Western  Reserve  University  School  of  Dental  Medicine     Sarah  Laper   Eastern  Virginia  Medical  School     Curtis  Lockhart   Case  Western  Reserve  University  School  of  Medicine     John  Marshall   Case  Western  Reserve  University  School  of  Dental  Medicine     Dung  Nguyen   The  Ohio  State  University  College  of  Pharmacy     Jiho  Yang   Case  Western  Reserve  University  School  of  Dental  Medicine    Kyle  Koemm  will  be  attending  Michigan  State  University  College  of  Law  in  the  fall  to  study  intellectual  property.    He  plans  to  work  as  a  patent  attorney  for  a  pharmaceutical  company.  

 Leah  Bowers  will  intern  as  an  art  conservationist  for  the  Smithsonian  National  Museum  of  African  

American  History  and  Culture  in  Washington,  DC.    After  the  internship,  she  will  be  teaching  English  in  Ecuador  through  World  Teach,  January  –  July  2015.    She  is  also  applying  to  graduate  programs  in  chemistry  to  start  in  the  Fall  of  2015.  

Norman  Chamusah  is  employed  as  a  Java  Applications  Software  Engineer  for  Digital  monitoring  Products  in  Springfield,  MO.  

Allison  Chin  is  working  at  Aptalis  Pharmatech  with  future  plans  of  attending  graduate  school.  Jenna  Gnotek  is  looking  for  a  position  in  the  field  of  forensic  science.  

Kaitlin  Graham  is  currently  employed  as  a  chemical  analyst  at  Ream  and    Hagar  Laboratory.  

Maura  Hall  is  pursuing  career  opportunities  in  environmental  consulting.  

Steven  Hardy  is  working  at  Children’s  Hospitals,  Minneapolis,  MN  and  studying  for  the  MCAT.  

Luke  Hutchings-­‐Goetz  is  employed  at  Valent  Biosciences,  Libertyville,  IL.  Da-­‐Sol  Kuen  plans  to  take  a  gap  year  to  determine  her  research  interests    

before  pursuing  further  education.  

Chemistry Majors

Zachary  Harvey  was  one  of  two  2014  student  Commencement  speakers.  

 

  38  

Chemistry Majors

1

Jacob  Boroff    Sarah  J.  Sobeck  An  In-­‐Depth  Analysis  of  the  Photophysical  Properties  of  para-­‐Aminobenzoic  Acid  and  4-­‐Dimethylaminobenzoic  Acid  

Leah  Bowers    Sarah  J.  Sobeck  Photochemical  Degradation  of  the  Carmine  Dye  Molecule  in  Artist  Media  

Norman  Chamusah    Sarah  J.  Sobeck  and  Denise  D.  Byrnes  (Computer  Science)  Multi-­‐Dimensional  Ising  Model  Based  Graphical  User-­‐Interface  Simulator  

Allison  Chin    Melissa  M.  Schultz  Optimization  of  a  SBSE-­‐LC-­‐MS/MS  Method  for  the  Determination  of  Endocrine  Disrupting  Chemicals  in  Environmental  Aqueous  Samples  

Lauren  Fleming    Sarah  J.  Sobeck  (Fall)  and  Karl  J.  Feierabend  (Spring)  The  Fate  of  the  Formic  Acid  Radical:    A  Kinetic  Investigation  of  the  Reaction  Between  Oxalic  Acid  and  the  Hydroxyl  Radical  

Jenna  Gnotek    Nicholas  N.  Shaw  Toward  an  Efficient  Synthesis  of  N-­‐Substituted  Hydroxypyrrole  Monomers  

Kaitlin  Graham    Nicholas  N.  Shaw  Towards  Optimization  of  Amide  Bond  Coupling  in  the  Synthesis  of  FRET  Enabled  Hairpin  Polyamides  

Maura  Hall    Melissa  M.  Schultz  The  Quantitative  Determination  of  Antidepressants  and  Their  Primary  Degradation  Products  in  Biosolid-­‐Amended  Soil  and  Earthworms  via  LC-­‐MS/MS  Analysis  

Steven  Hardy    Judith  C.  Amburgey-­‐Peters  Synthesis  and  Purification  of  Bis-­‐Phosphoserine-­‐Cyclohexyl  Lipid  Analogues  Utilizing  an  H-­‐Phosphonate  Approach  

Zachary  Harvey    Mark  J.  Snider  Defining  the  Genome  and  Nic  Gene  Cluster  of  Bacillus  niacini  

Luke  Hutchings-­‐Goetz    Judith  C.  Amburgey-­‐Peters  Synthesis  of  a  Potential  Phosphatidylserine  Analog:    Cyclohexylphosphoserine  

 

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Chemistry Majors

2

Kyle  Koemm    Sibrina  N.  Collins  and  Paul  A.  Bonvallet,  Carolyn  A.  Durham  (French)  Could  Copper  Cure  le  cancer?    Research  into  Potential  Antitumor  Agents  and  the  Art  of  Scientific  Translation  

John  Koniarczyk    Paul  A.  Bonvallet  Preparation  of  a  Diene-­‐Functionalized  Crown  Ether  Monomer  for  the  Synthesis  of  a  Conjugated  Polymer  

Da-­‐Sol  Kuen    Michelle  D.  Hoffman  Microfluidic  Fluorescence  Detection  of  the  Intracellular  Lead  Uptake  Properties  of  Caulobacter  crescentus  

Sarah  Laper    Sarah  J.  Sobeck  (Fall)  and  Karl  J.  Feierabend  (Spring),  R.  Drew  Pasteur  (Mathematics)  Creation  of  a  Mathematical  Model  and  Investigation  of  the  Kinetics  of  the  Reaction  Between  the  Oxalic  Acid  Species  and  the  Hydroxyl  Radical  

Curtis  Lockhart    Melissa  M.  Schultz  Quantitation  of  D-­‐Dimer  Levels  in  Urine  Using  Liquid  Chromatography-­‐Tandem  Mass  Spectrometry  

Dung  Nguyen    Paul  A.  Bonvallet  Synthesis  of  Diviny  and  Dipropenyl  Monomers  for  ADMET  Polymerization  and  Preliminary  Synthesis  of  a  Model  Conjugated  Light-­‐Emitting  Polymer  

Andrea  Steiger    Paul  A.  Bonvallet  Synthesis  of  a  Functionalized  Calix[4]arene-­‐Capped  Azobenzene:    A  Supramolecular  Host  in  Polar  Organic  Solvents  

The Independent Study projects of Allison Chin, Zachary Harvey, Da-Sol Kuen, Curtis Lockhart, and Dung Nguyen were generously supported with funds from the Henry J. Copeland Fund for Independent Study.

 

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Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Majors

Front Row: Maria Dawaher*, Caroline Gormley, Manish Ayral, Holly Jacobs Second Row: Trevor Roston, Hunter VanHorn**, William Pender, Sreyan Chowdhury,

Gabriel Abud Third Row: Juliet Chepng’eno, Christine Kasprisin, Susmit Tripathi, Zachary Rotter,

Zena Lapp Fourth Row: Helena Kondow, Matthew Naticchia, Erica Skillman, Sheila Amoako Back Row: Kory George, Austin Oberlin, Matthew Reeder, John Thompson Missing: Pailin Chiaranunt, Peter Markov, Daniel Montagna, Jacob Sprano * Graduated Summer 2014. ** Changed major.

 

  41    

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Majors

24 students  graduated  with  a  major  in  BCMB.    Several  graduated  with  a  double  major:     Pailin  Chiaranunt  –  BCMB  and  Philosophy     Caroline  Gormley  –  BCMB  and  Religious  Studies       Jacob  Sprano  –  BCMB  and  History    During  his  senior  year,  Peter  Markov  attended  Case  Western  Reserve  University  School  of  Dental  Medicine  in  the  dual-­‐degree  program.    BCMB  majors  who  graduated  with  a  minor  were:     Sheila  Amoako  –  Religious  Studies     Helena  Kondow  –  Psychology     Trevor  Roston  –  History        Two  students,  James  Claybourne  and  Michael  Terribile,  graduated  with  a  major  in  Neuroscience  in  the  Biochemistry  &  Molecular  Biology  track.  

Prizes, Awards, and Scholarships Holly Jacobs Karen Diane Cross Memorial Award Austin Oberlin Joseph E. Weber Pre-Medical Award Zena Lapp Sisodia-Williams Prize in Biochemistry Matthew Naticchia American Institute of Chemists Award — Biochemistry

1

Entering  graduate  school:     Kory  George   Youngstown  State  University           (molecular  biology)     Helena  Kondow   Texas  A&M  University                (biochemistry  &  biophysics)     Matthew  Naticchia   University  of  California,  San  Diego  (chemistry  &  biochemistry)    Christine  Kasprisin  will  commission  as  an  officer  and  go  through  Basic  Officer  Leadership  Course  fall  2014,  after  which  she  will  attend  the  Army-­‐Baylor  Doctoral  Program  for  Physical  Therapy  in  San  Antonio,  TX.  

 Trevor  Roston  entered  the  Marshall  University,  Biomedical  Science  Program  with  a  medical  science  specialty.    This  is  a  two-­‐year  graduate  program  designed  to  assist  in  getting  entrance  into  medical  school.  

Departmental Honors were awarded to:

Pailin Chiaranunt Sreyan Chowdhury

Holly Jacobs Zena Lapp

Austin Oberlin William Pender

Matthew Reeder Erica Skillman

Elected to Phi Beta Kappa:

Sreyan Chowdhury Holly Jacobs Zana Lapp

Austin Oberlin

Elected to Beta Beta Beta:

Sheila Amoake Pailin Chiaranunt Helena Kondow

Zena Lapp Austin Oberlin Erica Skillman Jacob Sprano

James Claybourne

Christine Kasprisin received American Chemical

Society Certification in Chemistry/Biochemistry

 

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Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Majors

2

Entering  health  professional  school:     Peter  Markov   Case  Western  Reserve  University  School  of  Dental  Medicine     Austin  Oberlin   Virginia  Commonwealth  University  School  of  Medicine     Zachary  Rotter   The  University  of  Toledo  College  of  Medicine  and  Life  Sciences     Erica  Skillman   The  Ohio  State  University  College  of  Veterinary  Medicine     John  Thompson   Kent  State  College  of  Podiatric  Medicine     Susmit  Tripathi   Albert  Einstein  College  of  Medicine  

Gabriel  Abud  is  a  lead  web  designer  and  administrator  for  a  tutoring  company  based  in  Charleston,  SC.    Manish  Aryal  began  working  as  a  Research  Specialist  at  The  University  of  Chicago  June  2014.  Juliet  Chepng’eno  is  currently  seeking  employment  as  a  research  assistant.  Pailin  Chiaranunt  tentatively  plans  to  attend  medical  school  or  pursue  a  master’s  degree  in  Public  

Health  or  Bioethics.    Currently  she  is  seeking  employment  ideally  in  the  medical  field.  Sreyan  Chowdhury  is  a  research  assistant  at  Harvard  Medical  School  in  David  Ginty’s  laboratory.  Maria  Dawaher  is  working  at  a  pharmacy  as  a  technician.  In  her  spare  time  she  is  volunteering  with  

the  Red  Cross  and  at  a  local  hospital  in  an  outpatient  lab.  She  plans  to  continue  her  education  in  public  health.  

Caroline  Gormley  entered  the  Peace  Corps  in  the  Dominican  Republic.  Zena  Lapp  is  working  a  year  at  an  orphanage  in  Bolivia  (NPH  Bolivia)  before  attending  medical  school  

or  graduate  school.  Daniel  Montagna  will  be  working  at  Brigham  and  Women’s  Hospital  in  Boston,  MA,  in  a  Harvard  

Medical  School  laboratory  studying  Alzheimer’s  disease.    This  is  the  laboratory  where  he  conducted  his  I.S.  research.  

William  Pender  and  Matthew  Reeder  plan  to  attend  medical  school.  Jacob  Sprano  plans  to  attend  medical  school  in  2015,  until  then  he  will  be  working  as  a  medical  scribe  

at  a  hospital  in  Anchorage,  AK.  

Plans  after  graduation  were  unknown  for:  Sheila  Amoako  and  Holly  Jacobs.  

 

Neuroscience Majors in the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Track  James  Claybourne  plans  to  serve  in  the  Peace  Corps  after  graduation  and  then  attend  medical  school.  

Michael  Terribile  will  be  working  in  an  E.  Coli  lab  at  the  University  of  Virginia  Hospital  on  a  Gates  Foundation  project  under  Dr.  James  Nataro.  He  will  then  apply  to  medical  school.  

 

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Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Majors

1

Gabriel  Abud  William  R.  Morgan,  Biology  Transcriptional  Response  to  the  Phytophthora  sojae  Avh110  Effector  Protein  Using  a  Yeast  Expression  Study  

Sheila  Amoako    Julie  Heck,  Biology  and  Peter  Piermarini,  Entomology,  OARDC  Investigating  the  Effects  of  Small  Molecule  Inhibitors  of  Potassium  Channels  on  Mortality  Rate  and  Urine  Excretion  in  Female  Aedes  aegypti  

Manish  Aryal    Mark  J.  Snider,  Chemistry  Evolution  of  Negative  Cooperativity  in  Phosphagen  Kinases  

Juliet  Chepng’eno    James  D.  West,  BCMB  Electrophilic  Modificaiton  of  Methionine  Sulfoxide  Reductases  –  MXR1  and  YKG9  from  Baker’s  Yeast  

Pailin  Chiaranunt    Mark  J.  Snider,  Chemistry  A  Scientific  Paradigm  Shift  from  Reductionism  to  Holism:    The  Potential  Relationship  Between  Nicotinate  Degradation  and  Virulence  Modulation  in  Bordetella  pertussis  

Sreyan  Chowdhury    James  D.  West,  BCMB  Examining  a  Role  for  Thioredoxin  in  Protecting  Against  Protein  Damage  by  Isothiocyanate-­‐Containing  Electrophiles  

Maria  Dawaher  Melissa  M.  Schultz  LC-­‐MS/MS  Analysis  of  Fluoxetine,  Norfluoxetine  and  Serotonin-­‐Related  Compounds  in  Eisenia  fetida  Living  in  Treated  Soil  

Kory  George    Craig  Stevens,  Biology  Effect  of  Growth  Selection  of  Adipogenic  Gene  Expression  in  Turkey  Breast  Muscle  

Caroline  Gormley    Stephanie  S.  Strand,  Biology  and  Joshua  Blakeslee,  Horticulture  &  Crop  Science,  OARDC  Molecular  Biology  of  a  Miracle:    Conceptualization  of  Medicine  Through  the  Amish-­‐Religious  Lens  and  Antimicrobial  Properties  of  Burdock  Burn  Wound  Treatment  

 

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Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Majors

2

Holly  Jacobs    Stephanie  S.  Strand,  Biology  An  Investigation  of  the  Inhibition  of  Phenazine  Biosynthesis  in  Pseudomonas  

Christine  Kasprisin    Paul  A.  Bonvallet,  Chemistry  and  McSpadden  Gardener,  Plant  Pathology,  OARDC  Assessment  of  the  Biocontrol  Activity  of  Mitsuaria  Isolates  Through  Indole-­‐3-­‐Acetic  Acid  Regulation  and  Plant  Pathogen  Inhibition  

Helena  Kondow    Mark  J.  Snider,  Chemistry  Elucidation  of  Bordetella  bronchiseptica  Maleamate  Amidohydrolase  (NicF)  Substrate  Specificity  

Zena  Lapp    Melissa  M.  Schultz,  Chemistry  and  Stephanie  S.  Strand,  Biology  Using  Cultivation-­‐Independent  Methods  to  Investigate  Venlafaxine  Biodegradation  

Matthew  Naticchia    James  D.  West,  BCMB  Exploring  a  Role  for  Thioredoxin  in  the  Recognition  of  Electrophilic  Modifications  in  Substrate  Proteins  

Austin  Oberlin    Crystal  L.  Young-­‐Erdos,  Chemistry  Developing  Swellable  Organically  Modified  Silica  as  a  Drug  Delivery  System  for  Proteins  

William  Pender    Crystal  L.  Young-­‐Erdos,  Chemistry  Investigating  the  In  Vitro  Binding  Interactions  of  Dbp6  and  Two  Potential  Protein  Cofactors  in  60S  Ribosomal  Biogenesis  

Matthew  Reeder    William  R.  Morgan  (Biology)  Identifying  a  Novel  Host  Target  of  the  Pytophthora  sojae  RxLR  Effector  Protein  PsAvh172  

Trevor  Roston    James  D.  West,  BCMB  Mechanistic  Examination  of  the  Mutator  Phenotype  in  Saccharomyces  cerevisiae  Lacking  the  Peroxiredoxin  Thioredoxin  Peroxidase  1  

Zachary  Rotter    Crystal  L.  Young-­‐Erdos,  Chemistry  and  Andrew  Evans,  Horticulture  &  Crop  Science,  OARDC  Preliminary  Investigation  into  the  Essential  Region  of  DEAD-­‐Box  Protein  6  

 

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Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Majors

3

Erica  Skillman    Crystal  L.  Young-­‐Erdos,  Chemistry  and  Ramesh  Selvaraj,  Animal  Science,  OARDC  The  Development  of  a  Non-­‐Surgical  Sterilant  for  Dogs  

Jacob  Sprano    Mark  J.  Snider,  Chemistry  Pertussis,  Pellagra  and  Poverty:  A  Historical  and  Scientific  Analysis  of  Whooping  Cough’s  Associaitons  with  Poverty  and  Pellagra,  and  the  Nicotinate  Degradation  Pathway  in  Bordetella  pertussis  

John  Thompson    Julie  Heck,  Biology  and  Arathya  Gourapura,  Food  Animal  Health  Research  Program,  OARDC  Pertussis,  Pellagra,  and  Poverty:    A  Historical  and  Scientific  Analysis  of  Whooping  Cough’s  Associations  with  Poverty  and  Pellagra,  and  the  Nicotinate  Degradation  Pathway  in  Bordetella  pertussis  

Susmit  Tripathi    James  D.  West,  BCMB  Disrupting  Dimer  Formation  in  the  Baker’s  Yeast  Alkyl  Hydroperoxide  Reductase  1  (Ahp1)  

 

Neuroscience Majors in the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Track James  Claybourne    

Mark  Snider  An  Analysis  of  the  Bioremediation  of  Venlafaxine  

Michael  Terribile    Craig  Stevens  The  Impact  of  Formate  on  the  Physiology  of  Campylobacter  jejuni  

The Independent Study projects of Gabriel Abud, Juliet Chepngeno, Sreyan Chowdhury, Maria Dawaher, Holly Jacobs, Helena Kondow, Zena Lapp, Matthew Naticchia, Trevor Roston, Susmit Tripathi, and Caroline Gormley were generously supported with funds from the Henry J. Copeland Fund for Independent Study.

BCMB  Faculty    

Crystal  Young-­‐Erdos,  Dean  Fraga,    Mark  Snider,  Stephanie  Strand,    

James  West  

 

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Senior Research Symposium

A  Celebration  of  Independent  Study   Friday,  April  25,  2014          The Senior Research Symposium is supported by the Henry J. Copeland Fund for Independent Study.  

Severance  Hall  —  12:00  PM  

Severance  Hall  —  1:00  PM  

 

  47  

 Sam  Sisodia  (’77)  gave  the  opening  remarks  at  the  

Student/Faculty  Collaborations  session  at  the  symposium.    

Sam  is  pictured  (left)  with  Mark  Snider  and  Sarah  Sobeck,  the  

faculty  participating  in  the  session.  

Nicholas Shaw, James West, and Crystal Young-Erdos each served as a moderator for one of the oral sessions.

On April 25th, The College of Wooster did not hold any conventional classes; instead the College itself became a classroom as the Class of 2014 demonstrated the projects they developed this academic year. Students, faculty, staff, parents, and community members were encouraged to move around the campus and listen to presentations, view art exhibits, ask questions about research posters, and explore the work of the senior class.

All Chemistry Majors and BCMB Majors presented posters of their Independent Study projects. In addition, students had an opportunity to present their work digitally and orally.

!

ORAL PRESENTATION     IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE — Kyle  Koemm INNOVATIONS IN HEALTH CARE — Kaitlin  Graham THE VACCINE DEBATE IN AMERICA — Jacob  Sprano  *   BIOCHEMICAL PROCESSES  — Pailin  Chiaranunt*,  Zachary  Rotter*,                     and  Zena  Lapp*     ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE  — Holly  Jacobs*     DELIVERING MEDICINE  — Sheila  Amoako*  and  Austin  Oberlin*   KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: INTERDISCIPLINARY DOUBLE MAJORS   Caroline  Gormley  *   STUDENT/FACULTY COLLABORATIONS   Leah  Bowers  and  Sarah  Sobeck     Zachary  Harvey  and  Mark  Snider    *  Biochemistry  &  Molecular  Biology  Major  

 

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Department of Chemistry 2014 Summer Activities

1

Kristin  Allan  (’16,  BCMB)  Advisor:    James  West  Funding:    Sophomore  Research  Project:    Mutational  Analysis  of  the  Disruption  of  Peroxiredoxins'  Tertiary  Structure  

Jacob  Brotmen  (’16)  Advisors:    Mark  Snider  and  Stephanie  Strand  (Biology)  Funding:    Research  Corporation  Grant  Project:    Pseudomonas  Degradation  of  Venlafaxine  

Lauren  Buyan  (’15,  BCMB)  Advisors:    Mark  Snider  Funding:    Research  Corporation  Grant  Project:    Optimizing  Venlafaxine  Degradation  Pathways  

Kimberly  Carter  (’16)  Advisor:    Paul  Bonvallet  Funding:    Clare  Booth  Luce  Project:    Investigation  of  the  Non-­‐Covalent  Binding  Between  a  Crown  Ether  and  Bis(trifluoromethyl)  Dibenzylammonium  Ion  

Abigail  Daniel  (’15,  BCMB)  Advisor:    Mark  Snider  Funding:    Clare  Booth  Luce  Project:    Investigating  the  Degradation  Pathway  of  Nicotinic  Acid  by  Bicillus  niacini  

Tyler  Gerwig  (’15)  Advisor:    Mark  Snider  Funding:    Dean’s  Office  Project:    Kinetic  Studies  of  6-­‐Hydroxynicotinate-­‐3-­‐monooxygenase  

Trevor  Horst  (’16)  Advisor:    Paul  Bonvallet  Funding:    ACS-­‐PRF  Grant  Project:    Development  of  a  Pathway  to  Synthesize  a  Short  CCA  

Virginia  Iungerich  (’15)  Advisor:    Paul  Bonvallet  Funding:    ACS-­‐PRF  Grant  Project:    Toward  an  Ether-­‐Functionalized  Calix[4]arene  for  Improved  Solubility  in  Polar  Solvents  

 

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2

Karan  Malani  (’15,  BCMB)  Advisor:    Mark  Snider  Funding:    Volunteer  Project:    Studying  the  Mechanism  of  NicX  in  the  Nicotinic  Acid  Aerobic  Degradation  Pathway  in  Bordetella  Species  

Jake  Polster  ‘(17)  Advisor:    Judy  Amburgey-­‐Peters  Funding:    Sophomore  Research  Project:    Synthesis  and  Purification  of  Cyclohexyl  Phosphatidylserine  Analogs  via  the  H-­‐Phosphonate  Approach  

Traci  Scott  (’16,  BCMB)  Advisor:    Judy  Amburgey-­‐Peters  Funding:    Clare  Booth  Luce  Project:    Formation  of  a  Protected  Serine  H-­‐phosphonate  Monoester  Towards  Synthesis  of  Cyclohexylphosphoserine  as  a  Potential  Phosphatidylserine  Analog  

Laura  Sherer  (‘17)  Advisor:    Mark  Snider  Funding:    Clare  Booth  Luce  Project:    Understanding  the  Nicotinic  Acid  Degradation  Pathway  in  Bacillus  Niacini  

Meredith  Schervish  (’15)  Advisor:    Karl  Feierabend  Funding:    Volunteer  Project:    Development  of  Cavity-­‐Enhanced  Spectrometer  for  the  Investigation  of  Hydrogen  Bonding  

Lucas  Webber  (’15)  Advisor:    Paul  Bonvallet  Funding:    Williams  Scholar  Project:    Synthesis  of  Precursors  to  an  Azobenzocrown  Ether  as  a  Selective,  Photoresponsive  Supramolecular  Host  

Claire Moffett (’15) and Kristina Schiavone (’15) were hired during the summer to perform various tasks around the department, including filling the NMR with liquid nitrogen weekly in the interim while we were without an instrument technician. Because of the wide array of projects that they worked on throughout the department, they dubbed themselves the "Chemistry Fairies". Stockroom Manager, Kristin Feierabend, serving as supervisor for many of their projects felt that she was their "Fairy Chem-mother" and gave them their Chem Fairy names of Gadolinium and Neodynium. They even dressed the part on their last day of work for the summer, complete with wings and magic wands.

 

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2014 Summer Activities at Other Locations

1

Melanie  Chin  (’15,  BCMB)     Location:    Wright  Patterson  Air  Force  Base;  Dayton,  OH     Advisor:    Ryan  Jankord     Project:    Transcriptional  Changes  in  the  Rodent  Cortex  in  Response  to  Application  of  Transcranial  Direct  Current  

Stimulation    Allison  Grenell  (’15,  BCMB)     Location:    Plant  Pathology  Department,  The  Ohio  State  University  Ohio  Agriculture  Research  and  Development  

Center;  Wooster,  OH     Advisor:    Christopher  Taylor     Project:    A  Molecular  Analysis  of  Plant  Parasitic  Nematodes    Rachelle  Herrin  (’15)     Location:    Environmental  Engineering  Department,  Colorado  School  of  Mines;  Golden,  CO     Advisors:    Junko  Munakata-­‐Marr  and  James  Cochran     Project:    Quantification  of  Denitrifying  Genes  and  Leachate  Quality  of  Turf  Grass  Irrigated  with  Tailored  Membrane  

Effluent    Gentry  Kerwood  (’15,  BCMB)     Location:    Department  of  Biology,  The  College  of  Wooster     Advisor:    Dean  Fraga     Project:    Possible  Unique  Arginine  Kinase  Function  in  Myxococcus  Xanthus    Melia  Kovach  (’16,  BCMB)     Location:    Biomedical  Sciences,  Microbiology,  and  Molecular  Genetics;  University  of  Texas,  Houston,  TX     Advisor:    Theresa  Koehler     Project:    The  Role  of  Crh,  and  Hpr  Homologue,  on  Expression  of  the  Bacillus  Anthracis  Virulence  Regulator  AtxA    Gwendolyn  Kuzmishin  (’16,  BCMB)     Location:    Center  of  Autoimmune  Genomics  and  Etiology;  Cincinnati  Children’s  Hospital     Advisor:    John  Harley     Project:    Assessing  de  novo  Mutations  in  Pediatric-­‐Onset  Lupus    Nicholas  Lesner  (’16)     Location:    Department  of  Chemistry,  University  of  Cincinnati     Advisor:    Patrick  Limbach  and  Blasubrahmanyam  Addepalli     Project:    Optimal  Conditions  for  Expression  and  Purification  of  Recombinant  U-­‐Specific  MC1  Ribonuclease    Derrick  Marshall  (’15)     Location:    Department  of  Chemistry,  Dartmouth  College     Advisor:    David  Glueck     Project:    Synthesis  of  Limonene-­‐Based  Phosphines    Elizabeth  McInturf  (’16)     Location:    Bioanalytical  Chemistry  Department,  WIL  Research,  Ashland,  OH     Advisor:    Elizabeth  Groeber  and  Michael  Donegan     Project:    Drug  Discovery  Pharmacokinetics  

 

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2

 Noel  Mellor  (’15)     Location:    The  Cleveland  Clinic     Advisor:    Read  Dweik  and  David  Grove     Project:    Breath  and  Headspace  Analysis  of  Pulmonary  Hypertension  and  Diabetes    Huyen  Nguyen  (’16,  BCMB)     Location:    Department  of  Horticulture  and  Crop  Science,  The  Ohio  State  University  Ohio  Agriculture  Research  and  

Development  Center;  Wooster,  OH     Advisor:    Esther  van  der  Knaap     Project:    Investigating  OFP-­‐TALE  Protein  Interactions  Involved  in  Tomato  Fruit  Morphology    Jennifer  Pilat  (’16,  BCMB)     Location:    Department  of  Pharmacology,  Case  Western  Reserve  University  School  of  Medicine     Advisor:    Vera  Moiseenkova-­‐Bell     Project:    TRPV2  Enhances  NGF-­‐Induced  Neurite  Outgrowth    Peter  Rohweder  (’16)     Location:    Research  and  Innovation  Center,  Ford  Motor  Company,  Dearborn,  MI    Colleen  Sells  (’16,  BCMB)     Location:    Department  of  Biology,  The  College  of  Wooster     Advisor:    William  Morgan     Project:    Analysis  of  RXLR  Effectors  from  the  Plant  Pathogen  Phytophthora  sojae    Edmund  Shi  (’15,  BCMB)     Location:    Summer  Pediatric  Research  Scholar,  Akron  Children’s  Hospital     Advisor:    Richard  Hertle     Project:    Retinal  Nerve  Fiber  Layer  Analysis  Using  Spectral  Domain  Optical  Coherence  Tomography  (SC-­‐OCT)  in  

Patients  with  Infantile  Nystagmus  Syndrome  (INS)    Dempsey  Simonis  (’15,  BCMB)     Location:    Department  of  Biology,  The  College  of  Wooster     Advisor:    Dean  Fraga     Project:    Characterizing  the  Physiological  Roles  of  Arginine  Kinase  in  C.  elegans    Matthew  Sydor  (’15,  BCMB)     Location:    Department  of  Biology,  The  College  of  Wooster     Advisor:    William  Morgan     Project:    Screening  for  Oomycete  Effector  Function  in  Saccharomyces  Cerevisiae