Dr. Kubatova with 2019 chemistry scholarship awardees Yuliet Monatukwa and Jordyn Berg

have enjoyed my work with students ever since, both through teaching and a broad range of research projects. I feel we have a solid program in our Department; yet, there is always room for improvement. So, I am on a continuous lookout for ways to make our program the best possible path of preparation for a broad range of careers.

With the fantastic team of our faculty, we have already started

It is exciting to continue my service to the department in the new role of Chair (although this job title is rather funny and reminds me that chairs are usually placed around a table - perhaps this is also true for this role, being supportive of the central piece – that is, our education mission).

I joined the UND Chemistry Department in 2005 as an analytical chemistry faculty and

Alumni survey link and QR code

https://bit.ly/2LSkIki

Donate for scholarships and Chemistry development

UNDalumni.org/Chemistry

Weblink to CAREER services

https://und.edu/student-life/career-services/coop-internships.html

UND CHEMISTRY NEWSLETTER

2018-2019

WELCOME FROM THE NEW CHAIR – DR. ALENA KUBATOVA

With the fantastic team of our faculty, we have already started on this effort by ongoing revisions of our curriculum, placing more emphasis on

professional development and internships.

on this effort by ongoing revisions of our curriculum, placing more emphasis on professional development. We also have realized what the industry was telling us for years, that students grow professionally through a variety of internships. Thus, we are looking for internships we can offer to our graduate students through standard competition. For this initiative, we have joined forces with the UND CAREER Services, which manages “Handshake,” handling a database that lists internships and job opportunities Here we make an appeal to our Alumni:

If you work at a company or know of another company that offers internships, please let us know - so we can establish their connection with the UND CAREER Services (see link on right).

Needless to say, we are aware that our Alumni have a multitude of diverse experiences and I would be grateful if you could share your feedback and perhaps life experience through the attached survey - or just call or E-mail us.

Thank you and best wishes in New Year!

Alena Kubatova

PAST CHAIR’S REMARKS Dr. Harmon Abrahamson

computer and began integrating graphics (including chemical structures) into what had formerly been text-only documents. (No more structure drawing with India ink pens with templates.) I followed shortly with my first Mac, and then we (Don and I) strung the first network cabling (AppleTalk) above the ceiling so that we could use a shared laser printer (also the first in the department, I think). Eventually more faculty got their own Macs or PCs, and the department office secretaries converted to personal computers from the previous dedicated word-processing system (that used 8-inch floppy discs for storage!).

In the early ‘90s, we finally got approval from the legislature for an addition to Abbott Hall, which had been on the wish list for almost 20 years.

I retired from active faculty service and the chair position on June 30, 2019 after a three-year term as chair. I have been asked to contribute a piece from my perspective as a long-serving member of the department.

When I arrived in 1984, I had just left the University of Oklahoma after six years there as an assistant professor. I brought one Ph.D. student with me (Dan Weinmann), and had two more finishing up through O.U. I got involved in the early EPSCoR effort at UND, which helped fund not only my research program, but also brought some critical infrastructure to the department, including our first research-grade FTIR spectrometer, centralized computing (VAX), and support for our first superconducting NMR spectrometer.

The early 1990s saw a veritable explosion of instrumentation in the department, and more and more of these involved computers as part of their control and data collection. Computers also took over faculty offices about the same time. Just down the hall from me, Don Bergstrom got the first Macintosh

This addition, occupied in 1992, increased our available space by about 60%. The “crown jewel” of the addition, and one of the strong justifications for getting it, was the laboratory classroom dedicated to organic chemistry. Shortly after we moved into the addition, it became apparent that “old” Abbott Hall needed substantial renovation. With contributions from many faculty, then-chair Dick Baltisberger was successful in obtaining a $2.7 million infrastructure grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF grant, with additional local contributions, enabled us to completely replace electrical and plumbing services, and add modern data and HVAC, including substantial upgrades to fume hoods. While construction progressed, we ran some labs in the Ireland wing of the old medical school building (now O’Kelly

PAST CHAIR REMARKS Dr. Harmon Abrahamson

Continued…

I believe that chemistry is still the “central science.” Our faculty and graduates of our programs can still make significant contributions to research, teaching, and service chemistry and many related fields.

Hall). We reoccupied the old wing in 1998.

After Dick retired, I became chair (for the first time) in 1996. The next spring was the (in)famous flood of 1997! Our last day on campus was the date of our annual Abbott Lecture. Many people were involved in helping to move chemicals

out of the ground floor stockroom up to higher floors. We took a break at noon to hear the Abbott Lecture, and then went back to work. The flight our guest took that afternoon was the last one to fly out of GFK for a while. The precautionary effort to move the chemicals was ultimately not needed, as

international students. Similarly, our faculty now has a much more international flavor than when I joined the department, which brings a useful diversity to perspectives in research and teaching. Our instrumentation has improved considerably, and our laboratory infrastructure has also expanded and grown in quality. Research collaborations are increasingly common, and obtaining major federal funding has gotten more

difficult. Big changes in the nature of how we obtain and communicate information have also occurred. Thirty-five years ago, most faculty were still writing exams and manuscripts in long hand, and having them typed by staff. Literature searches involved going to the library to consult hard-copy Chemical Abstracts and journals, writing references on note cards, and occasionally sending an

Interlibrary Loan request for an article in a journal we didn’t carry. Now most of that work occurs on a computer on our desk, or even on our phones.

Even in the face of all that change, I believe that chemistry is still the “central science.” Our faculty and graduates of our programs can still make significant contributions to research, teaching, and service in chemistry and many related fields.

we got no water on the ground floor during the flood.

The department has changed considerably over the past 35 years. When I started, most graduate students were from regional colleges and universities. Now, a majority of them are

HONOR OF OUR RETIRED FACULTY MEMBERS Drs. Julie Abrahamson and Harmon Abrahamson

Dr. Julie Abrahamson retired in May 2019 after 27 years of teaching freshman courses at UND, primarily Introductory Chemistry and Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry (Chem 115 and 116), with their corresponding labs, plus General Chemistry I (Chem 121) a few semesters. She initiated the POGIL active learning methodology in the Chem 115 and Chem 116 sequence, for Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning beginning in 2007. Her workbook Guided Inquiry Explorations into Organic and Biochemistry was published by Cognella Academic Publishers and used for guided inquiry in Chem 116 in 2010. In conjunction with the use of the POGIL active learning approach, a cohort of Peer Facilitators was recruited to assist in each course during class time. The peer facilitators became good prospects for undergraduate teaching assistants.

In the fall of 2013, she requested to have Chem 115 moved from Abbott 101 to the newly completed high-tech SCALE-UP (Student Centered Active Learning Environment for Undergraduate Programs) classroom in O’Kelly 61. This room with 20 tables of 9 students promotes teamwork among students while the

instructor and Peer Facilitators assist teams working together on daily activities. This remains the only chemistry course offered in UND’s largest active learning classroom.

Her efforts using POGIL in large freshman classes were presented at national conferences, including Biennial Conferences on Chemical Education 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016, plus regional and national POGIL meetings.

For many years, Julie served as the advisor for the Undergraduate Chemistry Club. The group regularly presented outreach activities at events such as the city-wide Super Science Day and at Century Elementary School Science Night. Over the years, several Chemistry Fun Days for elementary or middle schoolers and Haunted University for Girl Scouts brought area youngsters to

Abbott Hall for demonstrations and hands-on activities under her coordination efforts.

One of Dr. Julie Abrahamson’s lasting contributions that began as an activity of the Undergraduate Chemistry Club was the creation of the Periodic Table mural of ceramic tiles mounted in the north foyer of Abbott Hall in 2014. This project was a collaborative effort with Professor Wes Smith from the UND Art and Design Ceramics department. The mural was augmented by 17 of Smith’s creative and whimsical ceramic “baubles” in the summer of 2016.

Drs. Julie Abrahamson and Harmon Abrahamson in the retirement reception

WELCOME TO NEW FACULTY AND STAFF MEMBERS Dr. Tao Yu Dr. Justin Meyer Mrs. Debi Stainbrook

Dr. Yu got his PhD in 2012 at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, working with Dr. Donald G. Truhlar. Then, he moved to Northwestern University working with George C. Schatz as a postdoctoral research fellow for two years. In 2014, he started the second postdoc training with Dr. Sharon Hammes-Schiffer at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In fall 2016, he became a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Tennessee Technological University. He joined UND Chemistry in the fall 2019 as an Assistant Professor in Physical Chemistry.

His primary research interests are directed toward developing theoretical/computational methods to understand structure and dynamics of large-scale biological and material systems to address challenging questions related with human health and renewable energy at the molecular level, such as enzyme-catalyzed proton-coupled electron transfer reactions and photo induced charge transfer in semiconductors. He has published 30 research articles in high-impact journals, such as Science, Nature Materials, and JACS. He was a recipient of the DOE Visiting Faculty Program (VFP) Fellowship in 2018.

Dr. Justin Meyer joins the chemistry department at UND after spending 12 years at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, SD teaching general and physical chemistry. He is a native of North Dakota, growing up south of Bismarck and attending Dickinson State University where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Education. From there he went to North Dakota State University, where he obtained his PhD.

Dr. Meyer is married and has three kids, Emily (11), Jordan (8), and Peyton (5). When he is not teaching he enjoys gardening and hunting on his parents ranch. Dr. Meyer has a passion for teaching chemistry, and focused his efforts on that for a number of years now. He has published a number blogs and presented research on educational methods and outreach activities. He is excited to be teaching the Introductory Chemistry and Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry courses for UND.

Debi is one of our newest staff members. She joined Kim in the office as the Administrative Secretary. Debi went to school in East Grand Forks, MN. After graduating, she joined the Navy and was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. She met her husband, Wes, in the Navy, and they decided to move back to her hometown to raise a family. For the past 12 years, her career was in the training department at LM Wind Power before joining UND.

Outside of her work life, Debi likes to volunteer at a community church in the Children’s Ministry, facilitate Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace course, watch her son play basketball, and co-lead Girl Scouts with her daughter by her side. She is also going to school and will be graduating this spring with a bachelor’s degree in Leadership and Management.

Debi is excited for this new adventure at UND in the Chemistry department as everyone has been so nice and welcoming.

THE 2019 ABBOTT CHEMISTRY LECTURER Dr. Christopher Cummins

Dr. Christopher “Kit” Colin Cummins graduated from the Cornell University with an A.B. degree in 1989 and Ph.D. degree in 1993 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Right after the graduation, he joined the chemistry faculty at MIT as an Assistant Professor; in 1996 he was promoted to the rank of Professor, and in 2015 he was named the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Chemistry.

Research themes in the Cummins group showcase exploratory synthesis and reactivity studies. General areas of interest include transition-metal coordination chemistry, organometallic chemistry, small molecule activation, metal-ligand multiple bonds, and group transfer reactions. We are developing anthracene-based molecular precursors to novel reactive intermediates and potential interstellar molecules.

Such anthracene-based precursors are also of interest as group transfer reagents with applications in synthesis. We are in pursuit of reagents for selective chemical polyphosphorylation. Reactions of relevance to phosphorus sustainability are under development with the goal of minimizing waste and energy consumption in the upgrading of phosphate raw materials to value-added chemicals.

The research accomplishments of Kit’s group have been recognized by a number of awards. He is a corresponding member of the Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, an honorary member of the Israel Chemical Society, and an elected member of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.

THE 2019 CHEMISTRY HOMECOMING ALUMNI LECTURER Dr. Greg Everson

CEO, Inventor & Founding Member of HepQuant

Greenwood, Village, CO

Dr. Everson is Chief Executive Officer and Managing Member of HepQuant, LLC, a company he founded in 2007 with a small group of investors. Dr. Everson received his MD degree from Cornell Medical College, NY, NY and is currently Past Professor of Hepatology at the University of Colorado, Denver.

He is a distinguished Fellow of several professional societies and has published over 300 original papers, books, and book chapters in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Everson is a frequently invited speaker and has presented his work at clinical and scientific meetings nationally and internationally.

His research has spanned many topics in both basic and clinical hepatology—bile acid and cholesterol metabolism, mechanisms of gallstone formation, effects of female steroid hormones on liver metabolism, hepatitis C, liver transplantation, polycystic dis- ease, and quantifying the function of the liver with unique minimally invasive tests. After over twenty years of research, Dr. Everson founded HepQuant, LLC in order to commercialize his invention of novel technology for noninvasive assessment of chronic liver disease.

CURRENT STUDENTS 2019 Chemistry Scholarship Awardees

Dr. Richard Frank and Mary Margaret French Scholarship:

Sean Glaholt, Janene Peterson, Rachel Reichow

Dr. Ben G. Gustafson Scholarship:

Robert Sickels

Dr. Walter H. Moran Memorial Scholarship:

Melanie Foraker, Alexandra Hondl, Svea Pearson, Sierra Perry, Greta Peterick, Ken Ryan

Roy and Ann Multhaup Memorial Scholarship:

Jordyn Berg

Dr. C.A. Wardner Memorial Scholarship:

Briana Krupinsky

US MASTER Scholarship:

Jordyn Berg, Nathan Moe, Yuliet Monatukwa

Dr. Roland G. Severson Graduate Scholarship:

Purna Chandra Vasireddy

STEM Scholarship:

Annika Bastian

Great River Energy award

Sean Glaholt

2019 CHEMISTRY OUTREACH & RECOGNITION

Chemistry students volunteered over 700 hours with 850+ participants in a broad range of activities including NATURE camps to tribal high schools, Grand Forks Library Chemistry day, STEM day, Super Science day, Elementary schools as well as North Dakota State Science Fair

Donate for scholarships and Chemistry development

UNDalumni.org/Chemistry

Nora Almutari Chirby Ambo Solene Bechelli Cecelia Castleberry Matt Conboy Nichole Domke Steven Groven Kristina Griesgraber Shuyi He Brianna Krupinsky Audrey LaVallie Xiao Liu Brooke Meyer Dominic Nkemngong Rawan Omar Jigna Parmar Sarah Reagen Tess Sether Ellie Schmidt Walker Schmidt Di Sun Wen Sun Tatjana Svetlanovic Purna Vasireddy Yingfen Wu Bin Yao

RESEARCH CORNER Polymer breakdown uses water

Can a cell-based polymer, such as lignin, be broken down into simpler (phenolic) compounds for use in the fuels and chemical industries? A simple and inexpensive method to provide this breakdown is the subject of current research that was presented at the January CSMS research team meeting by CSMS researcher and UND Chemistry graduate student Audrey LaVallie. She is part of a research team headed by Alena Kubátová, CSMS researcher and professor in Chemistry at UND.

LaVallie reported results showing significant amounts of the large molecules in the liquid fraction were not accounted for by GC-MS processing. Out of the total mass of water-treated samples, only 3-5% of the initial lignin weight was broken down to the more usable, low molecular weight phenolic molecules. In other testing, the high-molecular weight byproducts were a significant fraction of the water-treated lignin, but produced large amounts of gas, implying fewer cross linkages (links to other polymers) as opposed to untreated lignin.

Our Alumni, Dr. Michelle Ward, Dr. Aize Li, Dr. Yuhui Jin, Dr. Jiao Chen, Dr. Jana Rousova in Pittcon 2019, Philadelphia

Our New alumni, Dr. Yuqian Xing, May 2019

ALUMNI NEWS

The thesis of Brett Nespor was focused on determining the origin of species in air particulate matter (PM). This study contributes to the investigations of natural and anthropogenic PM sources essential for both accurate weather predictions - such as cloud formation, climate change studies, and impact on health. Brett advised by UND Chemistry faculty Drs. Kubatova and Kozliak developed a new method of studying the PM fraction, which is organic in origin but not amenable to the modern “workhorse” of organic chemical analysis, i.e., gas chromatography (GC). Brett’s work revealed that a significant fraction of the rural PM corresponds to compounds originating from lipids, plant components.

Department of Chemistry Abbott Hall, Room 236 151 Cornell St, Stop 9024 Grand Forks, ND 58202-9024