chemistry and biochemistry neWs Fall 2018 Donations Enrich Graduate Student Experience INSIDE 2 Department Hires Three New Faculty Members 3 Department Head’s Perspective 4 Faculty Awards and Honors 6 Student Awards 7 News Briefs 8 Alumni News From All Over 11 Chemistry Gifts Graduate students Turner Newton and Ruth Maust, running experiments in their fume hoods in soon-to-be- 12 Sustainability Awards renovated Klamath Hall, have benefited from recent donations to the department. The last 18 months have seen rather large have received these donations made to the Department of bonuses,” says Tyler. Chemistry and Biochemistry that are “That’s a tremendous enriching the experiences of the graduate benefit for those student population. Last fall, Janet and Dennis students, three of Beetham, MS ’67, made a $1 million endowed whom were from gift to the department to honor Professor underrepresented Emeritus John Keana. “The interest on the groups.” endowment will allow us to provide fellowships A former student Janet and Dennis Beetham for one or more graduate students in the of Tyler’s, Fei department,” says department head David Mao, PhD ’90, donated $100,000, which he Tyler. “The gift will help us attract the best and earmarked to support graduate student travel. brightest graduate students.” Dennis Beetham “That’s a tremendous recruiting tool and the worked with Professor Keana and then went students very much appreciate the opportunities on to start DB Western, a chemical engineering that it provides,” says Tyler. “If you come here company that designs and builds chemical for graduate school you can have up to $1,000 plants throughout the world. from this fund to attend a scientific meeting.” An anonymous donor gave the department [Editor’s Note: This year, Fei Mao will receive the CHEM $250,000 specifically for student recruitment. department’s Alumni Achievement Award. Next Chemistry and This money offers high-achieving students a Biochemistry $5,000 to $8,000 bonus. “So far, six students continued on page 2 Department Hires Three New Faculty Members This past academic year, the department the structures that rnA molecules fold into hired three new faculty in alignment affect their ability to regulate gene expression. with the University of oregon’s push In Eugene, Widom’s research will combine to recruit 80 to 100 new tenure-related single-molecule and ultrafast spectroscopy to faculty members. Starting this fall as assistant probe rnA structure and dynamics in complex professors, chemical catalysis expert Amanda macromolecular machines. Cook and molecular materials scientist Carl Cook earned her PhD in organic chemistry Brozek join the department as part of the in 2015 from the University of Michigan. The Uo Energy and Sustainable Materials cluster, Cook lab addresses problems in chemical and Julia Widom joins the physical chemistry synthesis through catalysis. Using the division within the department. knowledge of solution-based organometallic “Three new hires for our department is reactivity, her team can develop and fabulous,” says department head David Tyler. understand the reactivity of heterogeneous “Two represent expansion hires as part of catalysts, which are prized because of their the Energy and Sustainable Materials hiring practicality. She works on the improvement and cluster (provost.uoregon.edu/energy-and- development of industrially relevant reactions, sustainable-materials) which is growing the such as alkyne carbonylation. university’s record of excellence in the fields Brozek earned his PhD from MIT after of the chemistry and physics of materials. It studying solar fuels technology. He was a takes a lot of funding for a research scientist Washington research Foundation Innovation to get a lab and a team up and running, so the Postdoctoral Fellow in Clean Energy from 2015 university’s commitment to three new faculty to 2017. The Brozek lab studies systems on the members is a big deal.” nanoscale size to close the gap on knowledge Widom earned her PhD in physical of how systems we experience at the molecular chemistry from the Uo in 2013 in the lab and macroscopic level play out at the nanoscale of Andrew Marcus. She performed her size. He synthesizes soft materials and uses postdoctoral research in the lab of nils Walter physical inorganic methods to study their at the University of Michigan, using single- unique redox properties to help find solutions molecule fluorescence microscopy to study how for renewable energy generation. Donations Enrich Graduate Student Experience continued from page 1 year’s issue will include more about his career.] students is constantly increasing, so these As funding priorities have shifted gifts will give oregon an edge over many throughout the Uo, there is less money schools,” says former department head Mike for student recruitment. The department’s Haley. “graduate students are the lifeblood of recruiting weekend flies students here our department and research programs, so it from all over the country, and department is imperative to get them here and then help representatives visit other schools to acquaint them make the most of their time at the Uo. students with the Uo. Donations earmarked Endowed fellowships and recruitment bonuses for graduate student recruiting and activities are great, but travel funds for graduate once they are here are especially useful for the students to attend conferences are especially long-term success of the department. appreciated given the limited amount of these “Competition for the best and brightest funds as part of nSF and nIH grants.” 2 UnIvErSITy oF orEgon CollEgE of ArtS AND SCIENCES Fall 2018 juliA WiDoM AMANDA Cook CArl Brozek Department Head’s Perspective one of Uo president Michael Schill’s goals is to increase the number of professors on campus by at least 100. The Chemistry and Biochemistry Department “ Overall, the mood is benefiting from his plan by having hired in the department three new energetic colleagues this past year. continues to be Amanda Cook and Carl Brozek were hired as enthusiastic and part of the Energy and Sustainable Materials cluster initiative, and Julia Widom joined our optimistic.” physical chemistry division. our new colleagues Department Head will help us expand our research breadth and David Tyler course offerings, and they will help keep the intellectual energy in the department soaring. In addition to new faculty, we continue to attract the very best graduate students. A generous gift from an anonymous donor allows us to supplement the salaries we pay graduate students, with the result that we are attracting some remarkably gifted students. related fields that industry will find attractive. An exceptionally generous gift from Janet and A major emphasis of the program will be on Get connected Dennis Beetham, MS ’67, will endow a graduate off-campus experiences (co-ops, internships, student fellowship in honor of retired professor study abroad, and so on). The plan is to John Keana. overall, with the continued eventually have applied chemistry degrees at lIkE uS! on.fb.me/JYkoPh support of donors like you, we are able to make the bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels. highly competitive—and successful—offers to overall, the mood in the department folloW uS! @uoCHandBICgraduate student applicants. continues to be enthusiastic and optimistic. I ended my column in last year’s newsletter We have great new hires, commitments from JoIN uS! by inviting you to visit the department and the administration for even more modern linkd.in/1cwp6fQ see all the exciting things that are happening. laboratories in new or soon-to-be remodeled As I described last year, there are numerous spaces, and a modern curriculum that prepares chemistry.uoregon.edu laboratory renovations going on in Klamath students to make their mark on the world. I Hall, we have new colleagues and staff repeat my invitation from last year: Please members, and we are putting time and energy stop by and see these changes for yourself into keeping our curriculum modern and sometime soon. We’d love to see you. relevant. Those changes are all still ongoing and taking shape. you may find particularly Best wishes for a pleasant and productive year! interesting our plans to push forward with a proposal to the state for a new major in applied David Tyler chemistry. The plan is to create a contemporary major within the department that will provide students with specialized training in chemistry- chemistry.uoregon.edu DEPArTMEnT oF CHEMISTry AnD BIoCHEMISTry CHEM Chemistry and 3 Biochemistry Faculty Awards and Honors exton receives Tykeson Teaching Award Senior Instructor Deborah Exton was one of three recipients of this year’s Tykeson Teaching Award. The awards are presented yearly to one faculty member in each CAS division: the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. recipients are recognized for their excellence in teaching and receive a certificate and $2,500. This year, the awards recognized faculty members who teach large lecture classes with more than 100 students. Exton has been at the Uo since 1993 and is currently the leader of the general chemistry sequence. She has previously received the Uo Williams Fellowship for Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching in 2001 and the American Chemical Society CEI Award for Incorporating Sustainability into Chemical Education in 2011. johnson receives the Bradshaw and Holzapfel research Professorship in Transformational science and Mathematics Darren Johnson, professor of chemistry and director of the Materials Science Institute, was named as the first recipient of the Bradshaw and Holzapfel research Professorship in Transformational Science and Mathematics. Uo Biologists William Bradshaw and Christina Holzapfel, who manage a world-class genetics lab in the Uo Institute of Ecology and Evolution, established the $2 million endowed professorship that rotates every five years between the departments of biology, chemistry, physics, math, and computer science. At the Uo since 2003, Johnson has previously won a 2006 nSF CArEEr Award, a 2006 research Corporation Cottrell Scholar Award, and a 2012 University of oregon Fund for Faculty Members Excellence Award. Johnson’s research is focused on molecules that can detect and bind to contaminants to remove them from the environment. His work has been useful in water- filtration techniques and in monitoring nitrate levels produced by fertilizers on agricultural fields. “I am humbled to be honored as the first of what will become a growing community of endowed professors in transformational science and mathematics,” Johnson says. “I am thankful for the incredible generosity and vision of Chris Holzapfel and Bill Bradshaw in setting up this endowment to facilitate Uo research efforts at the intersection of fundamental and applied science and math.” Prell and Wong receive NsF CAreer Awards Jim Prell and Cathy Wong, both assistant professors in the physical chemistry division, are two of five Uo faculty members to receive prestigious national Science Foundation CArEEr Awards this past academic year. This award is given to early career faculty members that the nSF believes will become leaders in their field, to fund research and education for five consecutive years. Wong, who joined Uo in 2015, uses a specialized laser technique to study self-assembling materials and materials formation when they form too quickly for traditional measurement methods. She is the faculty advisor of the Community for Minorities in Science (CMiS; pages. uoregon.edu/cmis) student group. Prell, who joined Uo in 2014, uses mass spectrometry to measure ion mobility, ion separations, and electron transfer dissociation in complex biomolecular molecules. In addition to the CArEEr award, Prell also received a 2018 American Society for Mass Spectrometry research Award. The $35,000 annual award promotes academic research by young scientists in mass spectrometry. Prell is the faculty advisor of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/ Hispanics, and native Americans (SACnAS; uosacnas.uoregon.edu) student group. 4 UnIvErSITy oF orEgon CollEgE of ArtS AND SCIENCES Fall 2018 CATHy WoNg jiM Prell DArreN joHNsoN DeBorAH exToN Faculty Awards and Honors richmond receives linus Pauling Medal Geraldine Richmond, one of oregon’s most honored professors since joining the faculty in 1985, has received the 2018 Linus Pauling Medal. The award honors richmond for her research studying oil and water and water and air interfaces. Her research has contributed greatly to the understanding of events that impact the environment such as oil spills. richmond is the Uo Presidential Chair in Science and Professor of Chemistry and she has been recognized with numerous awards including the Priestley Medal in 2018, the 2013 national Medal of Science awarded by President obama, the 2013 Charles L. Parsons Award, and many others. The Linus Pauling Medal has been awarded annually since 1966 by the oregon, Portland, and Puget Sound Sections of the American Chemical Society in recognition of outstanding achievement in chemistry. The medal’s namesake, Pauling, was born in Portland, oregon, and is the only person to have been awarded two undivided nobel prizes. richmond was on the cover of volume 96, Issue 12 of Chemical and Engineering News earlier this spring, honoring her for the Priestley Medal (on the cover of last year’s newsletter). The magazine profiled richmond’s pioneering work on environmental interfaces, her relationships with the students in her lab, and her work with CoACh supporting women in science. read the article at cen.acs.org/articles/96/i12/meet-geraldine-richmond-2018-priestley-medalist.html. jasti and Prehoda Win Fund for Faculty excellence Awards The Uo announced in June that Ramesh Jasti and Ken Prehoda would each receive a Fund for Faculty Excellence Award. Jasti, associate professor and associate director of the Materials Science Institute, and Prehoda, professor and director of the Institute of Molecular Biology, were two of 15 Uo faculty members named to receive the award in 2018, bringing the total number of FFE recipients in the department to 12. Philanthropist Lorry Lokey established the award in 2006, which recognizes and highlights world-class teaching and research. The salary supplements ensure that the Uo faculty who are operating at the highest levels in their field are honored and recognized by the university community. uo Chemical synthesis group receives the inaugural Cure Mentor Award The department’s Chemical Synthesis group was named as one of three 2018 recipients of the inaugural University of oregon Center for Undergraduate research and Engagement (CUrE, cure.uoregon.edu) Mentor Awards. The new award recognizes faculty members who go above and beyond in engaging with students and their undergraduate research, excellence in mentoring, time spent, and more. The Chemical Synthesis group is a team composed of professors Michael Haley, David Johnson, Vickie DeRose, Michael Pluth, Ramesh Jasti, Darren Johnson, Ken Doxsee, and David Tyler. The group has more than 163 years of combined knowledge as chemistry professors, having mentored more than 500 undergraduate researchers with 221 publications with undergraduates listed as co-authors. The award, along with a $2,500 grant, was presented at a ceremony in May. chemistry.uoregon.edu DEPArTMEnT oF CHEMISTry AnD BIoCHEMISTry CHEMChemistry and 5 Biochemistry keN PreHoDA rAMesH jAsTi gerAlDiNe riCHMoND student Awards Maust and shear receive Fargher receives uo NsF graduate Fellowships Dixon graduate student graduate students Ruth Maust and innovation Award Trevor Shear have been chosen Hazel Fargher, a third-year graduate to receive graduate research student working jointly with Darren Fellowships from the national Johnson and Mike Haley, has Science Foundation. An additional received a Julie and rocky Dixon seven Uo students received graduate Student Innovation Award. honorable mentions. As nSF’s most The Dixon award is designed to prestigious graduate student award, support doctoral students who are the fellowship supports students for interested in pursuing innovative three years of study. Students receive experiences that will prepare them a living stipend, tuition waivers, for careers outside of academia in and travel funds. The fellowship areas including industry, business, is highly competitive, with only and the nonprofit and government 2,000 being awarded each year to sectors. Fargher’s research focuses graduate students across the USA. on the design and synthesis of Maust is pursuing a doctorate in the molecular hosts for the sensing and ramesh Jasti lab working on carbon selective binding of biologically and nanohoops as polymer precursors, environmentally relevant anionic while Shear is in the Darren Johnson guests. lab studying the self-assembly of macrocyclic and 3D cages. van Nice and kuntz- swinehardt scholarship laskowski receives uo recipients Dissertation research The 2018 recipients of the van nice Award and Kuntz-Swinehardt scholarship Forrest Laskowski, a fourth-year respectively are Alexi Overland graduate student in the Shannon and Dylan Bardgett. overland is a Boettcher lab, has received a Uo chemistry and environmental science Dissertation research Fellowship. The double major originally from Bend, fellowship provides financial support oregon. A sophomore, she works in to outstanding doctoral students the research group of David Tyler as they work to complete their making chiral phosphine ligands dissertations. Laskowski’s research for catalysis. Bardgett is a junior focuses on the photoelectrochemical chemistry major from Eugene. He is cell—a device that stores energy working in the lab of David Johnson from sunlight via a process known as using x-ray reflectance spectroscopy “water splitting.” to characterize thin film materials. 6 UnIvErSITy oF orEgon CollEgE of ArtS AND SCIENCES Fall 2018 ForresT lAskoWski Trevor sHeAr ruTH MAusT DylAN BArDgeTT Alexi overlAND HAzel FArgHer News Briefs koscho and sullivan Promoted to dignitaries, university officials, and faculty senior instructor ii members. At the event, Schill signaled workers to tear down a former office building on what Mike Koscho, senior instructor and will be the future site of the campus. The first undergraduate advisor, and Randy Sullivan, phase of the project includes a $225 million, lecture demonstrator and senior instructor, 160,000-square-foot structure, which will be have both been promoted to senior instructor built on the north side of Franklin Boulevard level II. Koscho, at the Uo since 2006, received between onyx Street and riverfront Parkway. his PhD at the University of Illinois in 1999. It is scheduled to open in early 2020. Sullivan, at the Uo since 2001, received his MS from the University of north Texas in 1989. klamath renovation update Nolen lab Discovers Metastasis Planning for the nearly total renovation of Machinery the third floor of Klamath Hall is done, and construction is scheduled to begin January Associate professor Brad Nolen and his 2019. The $20+ million renovation project team have been studying cell motility in an includes state-of-the-art synthetic chemistry attempt to understand how cells, whether the labs on the third floor with faculty offices body’s own immune cells or cancerous cells, adjacent to the renovated space. Construction move through organs, skin, or bones. A paper will occur in two phases with completion describing the lab’s discoveries was published targeted for summer 2020. in the February 13 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research Wgs on Cover of Oregon concluded that a cell protein called actin can Quarterly produce branch-like protrusions which can move cells forward. Understanding how this Oregon Quarterly featured Uo’s Women in branching activity is turned on in malignant graduate Science (blogs.uoregon.edu/uowgs/) cells could propel development of new drugs on the cover of the April issue. WgS was to target cancer. Theoretically, drugs that block founded in 2005 by then-graduate student or prevent the branching could stop cancer cell Sarah Staggs Wisser with the intent to create metastasis. a support network for women in the sciences and to institute a curriculum and awareness for Construction Continues on future women in science. The 150-member Uo knight Campus WgS group, which has been featured several times in this newsletter, forms one of the A March 2 ceremony formally kicked off largest graduate student women’s groups in the construction on the Uo Knight Campus for country. read the article at around.uoregon Accelerating Scientific Impact. President .edu/oq/perfect-chemistry. Michael Schill presided over a groundbreaking attended by dozens of state and local chemistry.uoregon.edu DEPArTMEnT oF CHEMISTry AnD BIoCHEMISTry CHEMChemistry and 7 Biochemistry BrAD NoleN rANDy sullivAN Mike kosCHo Alumni News From All over oSU. From 2017 to the present he is performing neuroscience research with Michel Baudry at WUHS, working on further characterizing Calpain-2 and its physiological role in the brain. McCloud is president of Pomona Health Career Erik Burlingame, BS Biochemistry 2010s Ladder, an organization that educates ’16, MS Biology ’17, focused on minority K–12 students in various health bioinformatics while at the Uo. science topics in the hopes of increasing Jeneva Anderson, PhD Biochemistry He is currently pursuing his PhD in diversity within the health professions. ’15, researched bacterial molecular neuroscience at oregon Health and Prior to re-entering academia, he worked biology and biochemistry in Karen Science University, focusing on the for four years as a banker at Pentagon guillemin’s lab. After graduating, structural biology of ion channels. Federal Credit Union. Anderson took an instructor and As a biochemistry undergraduate undergraduate academic advisor position he studied the molecular bases for Keenan Woods, PhD ’17, worked in in the microbiology department at synapse formation during development the Cathy Page group developing oregon State University for two years. in the Washbourne lab. In 2018 aqueous solution routes to metal oxide She started her current position as the Burlingame’s recent publication includes thin films for electronic technologies. survey biology lead coordinator and “SHIFT: Speedy Histopathological- Woods published extensively in peer- faculty instructor at Lane Community to-ImmunoFluorescent Translation of reviewed academic journals and was College in fall of 2017. Anderson Whole Slide Images Using Conditional heavily involved in STEM outreach, primarily teaches and oversees the generative Adversarial networks” in serving as an informal science education curriculum/assessment for LCC’s Proc. SPIE 10581, (2018). fellow for the Uo, and as a science 100-level non-majors biology sequence. communication fellow for the oregon She is working toward incorporating Dana Garves, BS ’10, was recently Museum of Science and Industry course-based research into the featured in volume 96, Issue 10 of (oMSI). After graduating Woods joined curriculum, inspired by her time as Chemical and Engineering News for her Applied Materials’ Chemistry Center an adjunct instructor at the Uo. “I work on brewing chemistry. As an of Excellence team in Santa Clara, hope to strengthen connections and undergraduate, garves appreciated California. He has enjoyed living within collaborations between the students here the principals of green chemistry that easy driving distance of his siblings and at LCC with research faculty at nearby the department is known for. After is thrilled to marry Jacklyn Whitehead in institutions,” Anderson says. graduating, she got a job as a QC January 2019. chemist at a water quality lab, but didn’t Brandi L. Baldock, PhD ’16, studied enjoy it. She took a job at ninkasi, a local nanomaterials and nanoparticle-DnA Eugene brewery. She built the brewery’s 2000s interactions in the lab of Jim Hutchison. chemistry and sensory labs for four During her postdoctoral fellowship years, then started her own company, Gary Succaw, PhD ’04, was awarded with Thomas greenbowe and Deborah oregon BrewLab, in her garage. She tenure and promotion to full professor of Exton at the Uo she studied interactive now offers affordable and fast alcohol chemistry at Montana State University- teaching strategies. Her current position percentage testing for numerous clients. northern. Succaw recently worked is assistant professor of chemistry at with another department on campus Merrimack College in Massachusetts. Anthony McCloud, BS Biochemistry to develop a reusable solid catalyst for Baldock was recently awarded the 2018 ’13, BS Human Physiology ’14, went on oxidation of alcohols and alkenes based Davis Educational Foundation grant at to receive his MS in medical sciences in on results from research in China. The Merrimack. 2018 from Western University of Health catalyst they obtained did not match the Sciences. In summer 2018 McCloud properties the researcher’s recorded, but Heather A. Bankowski, MS ’12, worked started medical school at WUHS it still worked. He successfully used the with semiconductors for seven years College of osteopathic Medicine of catalyst in his undergraduate organic lab. at ATMI, an Entegris Company. She the Pacific. While at the Uo he studied “It has been a busy year!” he writes. is currently working with fuel cells at inorganic chemistry with Cathy Page, Doosan Fuel Cell America. working on standardization processes Derrick Thoma, BS ’08, is currently of inorganic thin films jointly with the operations manager of Hop valley Brewing Co. in Eugene. Since college, 8 UnIvErSITy oF orEgon CollEgE of ArtS AND SCIENCES Fall 2018 he was a winemaker at King Estate and 1980s Institutes of Health in the Laboratory achieved level 1 certification in the Court of Molecular Embryology and went of Master Sommeliers. He currently on to become a tenured investigator Michael Comb, PhD ’84, is the founder, holds a seat as the no. 1 industry and head of the Cell Cycle regulation president, and chief executive officer advocate on the Eugene Toxic Chemicals section in the Division of Molecular and of Cell Signaling Technology. Earlier Community right to Know board. Cellular Biology at nIH. Since 2015 she this year Comb was chosen to receive has been associate scientific director for a CiteAb Lifetime Achievement Award. Brian Truong, BA Biochemistry ’07, administration and budget, Division of The award recognizes noteworthy finished his residency in anesthesiology Intramural research, at nIH. dedication and significant contribution at the University of Washington in June to the research reagent industry. CST 2018. In August 2018 he plans to return Ruskin J. Gould, BA ’85, now known is a leading provider of antibodies, kits, to Eugene as an anesthesiologist at as reverend Hugh gould, writes that and services for researchers working to northwest Anesthesia Physicians. In since his 2015 update he has become understand the molecular and cellular his leisure time he enjoys food, tennis, the Buddhist chaplain for newcastle processes of disease. travel, technology, and photography. University in northern England, about an hour’s drive from the Throssel Hole Mary Dasso, BA ’84, studied chemistry Jianfei (Jeffrey) Zhao, PhD ’07, who Buddhist Abbey monastery where he has with Peter von Hippel, then went on to studied under Diane Hawley, is now been living. He is a volunteer chaplain the PhD biochemistry program at the deputy editor of NEJM Medical Frontier who offers spiritual guidance, meditation, University of Cambridge. She became (the Chinese edition of the New England and Buddhist teaching at the university a senior staff fellow at the national Journal of Medicine), based in Beijing, for a full day every two weeks. China. He is responsible for editorial operation, outreach, and strategic planning. As the first biology editor of Nature Research working in China, he fostered close relationships with the Chinese life sciences community. While at the Uo, his research interest was focused on the transcription regulation in budding yeast. His postdoctoral training in the US national Cancer Institute was centered on the epigenetic regulation of gene expression. 1990s Brian Gu, BA ’93, went on to earn a PhD from the University of Washington and an MBA from yale. In March, gu was appointed vice chairman and president of XPEnD Motors, a leading Chinese electric vehicle company. Before that gu joined J.P. Morgan in 2004 and served Professor Emeritus Hayes Griffith celebrated his 80th birthday with a climb of California’s as chairman of Asia Pacific Investment Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the contiguous states at 14,508 feet. Here he stands in Banking. From 1998 to 2004 gu worked in the global M&A and global healthcare front of the Smithsonian hut on the summit on August 7, 2018. He climbed solo with backup practice of Lehman Brothers in new from his wife, Karen Griffith-Hedberg, who hiked to a high camp with him. Griffith plans york. Prior to his Wall Street career, to return to the UO in 2020–21 for the Inaugural Harden and Sophia McConnell Lecture gu was a senior research scientist at in Chemistry. Hayes and Karen finished funding this endowment last year with some help the University of Washington Medical from Sophia McConnell. Plans are for a biennial lectureship around the theme of broad School. applications of physical chemistry. chemistry.uoregon.edu DEPArTMEnT oF CHEMISTry AnD BIoCHEMISTry CHEM Chemistry and 9 Biochemistry 1970s am extremely grateful for the education St. Petersburg, russia (icfia2017.org/80th- I received at oregon and I rate my four birthday-of-prof-g-christian1) as well as by years in Eugene as four of the best years a special issue of the journal Talanta (doi. Dan Olson, PhD ’72, studied organic of my life! Thank you U of o!” org/10.1016/j.talanta.2017.10.047), which electrochemistry with Leroy H. Klemm. Christian continues to edit. He received He did postdoctoral work on synthetic 1960s the 2017 Santa Clara valley Section of organic chemistry at The ohio State the ACS Shirley B. radding Award. University with Melvin S. newman. olson joined general Electric’s research Catherine (Katie) Smith, BS ’69, went Jerry Christian, BS ’59, retired in 2001 and Development Center in Schenectady, to the University of Arizona College from Idaho national Laboratory as a new york, after finishing his postdoc, of Medicine for a PhD in biochemistry, scientific fellow, where he specialized intending to spend two years gaining finishing in 1976. She worked in research in nuclear fuel processing and high- experience before returning to oregon. and development then clinical research level radioactive waste management. But gE’s research Center turned out to for several biotech companies in He was responsible for developing and be such a fascinating place to work that Chicago, Boston, and San Diego, where implementing a process for recovery two years turned into more than 30. she now lives. She started her own of enriched uranium from spent naval olson spent 10 years managing biotech consulting company about seven nuclear fuels. Christian is currently research on high performance polymers years ago and retired in 2017. She’s now owner of Electrode Specialties Company, and bioremediation research, but most traveling and volunteering at the San which manufactures electrodes for of his time was spent doing research and Diego Zoo. amperometric measurement of HF development on organic coatings. Two in acid solutions. Christian received big projects were for the development Celeste Roper, BA ’62, has been the inaugural Distinguished Scientist/ of glass replacements such as Margard enjoying retirement for 15 years. “But Engineer Award of the Idaho Academy of Coated Sheet as well as the first viable who is counting!” she writes. Science and an American nuclear Society plastic headlamp lenses, which appeared Annual Special Award. Favorite Uo on 1984 Lincoln Continentals. Bob Solomon, PhD ’60, studied under chemistry teachers were Don Swinehart, olson retired from gE with more Terrell Hill during his PhD work and richard noyes, and Terrell Hill. His twin than 50 US patents and around 20 also as a postdoc. He taught at Temple brother, gary Christian, is also a 1959 Uo publications and now lives in Bend, University from 1960 to 2000 and graduate (see above). oregon. Three years ago he stepped chaired the department for several out of retirement to work as a visiting years. Solomon did some consulting for Jochanan Stenesh, BS ’53, followed up senior scientist and consultant for several agencies including the nuclear his Uo education with studies at Cornell Switch Materials in vancouver, BC, to regulatory Commission. now, he says, University and a PhD in biochemistry in mentor and help develop photochromic/ he mostly “bums around” on a 49-foot 1958 from the University of California, electrochromic coatings for automotive boat. He takes care of his large house Berkeley. He was a research associate applications. He is a past member of the in Philadelphia near his children and from 1958 to 1960 at the Weizmann Uo’s CAS advisory board and currently grandchildren. He loves to hear about Institute of Science in Israel, where he serves as a board director and a regular retired faculty and former students studied carnosine-anserine synthetase volunteer at The giving Plate, a food through the department’s newsletter. of muscle. From 1960 to 1963 Stenesh pantry in Bend. His daughter is a junior was senior research associate at Purdue at the Uo majoring in psychology. 1950s University, where he studied the stability of flagella from mesophilic and James L. Roberts, PhD ’77, studied Gary Christian, BS ’59, is emeritus thermophilic bacteria. From 1963 to 1966 with Ed Herbert. He was Chair of professor of chemistry at the University he was assistant professor of chemistry neuroscience at the Mt. Sinai School of at Western Michigan University, studying Medicine in new york City for 16 years. of Washington. Last year he turned 80, DnA, rnA, and protein synthesis in He spent his last 10 years teaching and he and his wife of 56 years, Sue, at Trinity University in San Antonio, became great grandparents. His twin mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria. He brother, Jerry, also a 1959 chemistry was promoted to associate professor of Texas, where he will retire in 2018. “It’s been a great run but now I will go alum (see below), celebrated their chemistry, then professor of chemistry, and as of 1990 he is professor of back to full time at the bench studying birthdays together. He was honored for gut microbiome effects on the brain in his 80th birthday at the International chemistry emeritus. over his career he Conference on Flow Injection Analysis in published many scientific papers, books, males and females,” roberts writes. “I and book chapters. 10 UnIvErSITy oF orEgon CollEgE of ArtS AND SCIENCES Fall 2018 Honor roll Chemistry gifts, july 1, 2017, to june 30, 2018 your gifts, our Thanks! he Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty, Burton Litman, PhD ’66 Lori Howard Tstaff, and students are grateful for your contributions. Lisa Martin ’05 Judith JaquithPrivate donations, because of their flexibility, are often Joan and robert Mazo Alan Junck John Meade Jessica Kana worth much more than their dollar amount in terms of helping Doris and Fred Mohr Jr. ’56, ’58 Joe Kast students and programs. Joseph nelson Kim Kent Caren and Larry ogg Craig McClure iNDiviDuAls nancy and Daniel olson, PhD ’72 Barbara A. Page Trust John Midtgard Benjamin Paxton ’00 Barbara Page ’57 vanessa Muller ’02 Prince lucien Campbell Joshua Thompson ’03, MS ’05 nicholas Phillips ’06 Hien nguyen MS ’14 Founders society Lillian Wu ’69 Dennis Beetham, MS ’67 Sovitj Pou, PhD ’87 Margaret and William nolan, Heidi Wierman ’91 and Brian Aaron ’90 and James rawlins MA ’65 Boekelheide Circle Daikh ’90 Hal Sadofsky Marilyn and robert Pinschmidt Anonymous Associate Matt Schnippert Jr., PhD ’71 Karen griffith-Hedberg ’75, Christian Ayoub ’13 Wayne Stalick ’64 Alison rohde PhD ’80 valerie Copie nancy and John Winkelman ’62 Max rodnick-Smith, PhD ’16 o. 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Chemistry and Biochemistry News A publication of the University of Oregon Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, distributed to alumni, faculty and staff members, postdoctoral fellows, students, and friends of the department. Editor Vanessa Salvia faculty Advisor Michael Haley Designer Colin Miller Printer UO Printing and Mailing Services Haack and Hutchison Win uo sustainability Awards Julie Haack, senior instructor and assistant department head, and Jim Hutchison, Lokey- Harrington Chair of Chemistry, each won a Uo Sustainability Award for 2018. The University of oregon has long been known for being on the forefront of sustainability, and in 2015 the Uo office of Sustainability launched its award program to recognize individuals who lead the culture of sustainability. Haack received the Excellence in Teaching Award, which recognizes faculty members who have developed curriculum and pedagogy that reinforce and advance the principles of sustainability through course design and instruction. She was selected for her national leadership in the teaching of green chemistry, her multidisciplinary partners across the Uo’s schools and colleges, and her development of courses and workshops with a focus on green chemistry and life cycle analysis. A video of Haack discussing this award can be found at youtu.be/_QRVh5morDA. Hutchison received the research Innovation Award, which recognizes innovations developed as part of Uo research and are now offered as commercially available products or services that improve sustainability. DeFUnKify laundry products were developed as a result of research discoveries made in the Hutchison lab and thus exemplify this type of innovation. A video of Hutchison discussing this award can be found at youtube.com/watch?v=jDsAXNBJ1HU. The University of Oregon is an equal-opportunity, affirmative-action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This publication will be made available in accessible formats upon request. ©2018 University of Oregon F41118 jAMes HuTCHisoN julie HAACk