September 2012
Dear Alumni and Friends,
Thank you for visiting our website, and I hope you get the chance to visit us in person. We are always happy to show you around the department and the campus so you can see firsthand the many changes that have been made over the past few years. To all of you who have donated to our program, I offer my sincere appreciation for your generosity, and I would be delighted to speak to those who are interested in giving opportunities.
We are pleased to announce that the Gene and Carla LeMay Summer Research Scholars program had continued success in its second summer. Three of our first year graduate students were supported by this program over the summer, and this allowed them to get a jump on their research productivity and “hit the ground running” going in to their second year. The LeMays have recently contributed a very generous donation to allow us to continue this program into the future.
We also thank the continued and generous contributions to the department from the Boyntons. I invite you to visit the DeLaMare library to peruse the excellent Russ and Peggy Boynton Chemistry Collection, filled with books and reference materials that the Boyntons have provided. These facilities and resources assist all of our graduate students, undergraduate students, and faculty on a daily basis and allow them to carry out their research activities. The ability to purchase specialized chemistry books is welcomed reprieve from the cost cutting measures that result from these difficult financial times.
This year the department welcomes a new faculty member, Prof. Wesley Chalifoux, as an assistant professor of organic chemistry. Wes earned his Ph.D. degree at the University of Alberta in 2009 while working with Rik Tykwinski. He then moved on to a NSERC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from 2010 to 2012 at Columbia University to study with James Leighton. Wes’s research centers on the development of new methodologies for organic synthesis that provide more efficient access to complex intermediates. We are honored to have Wes join our faculty and are confident he will make significant contributions to our teaching and research mission.
Two members of our department were honored this past spring by the College of Science and the College of Liberal Arts. Dr. Robert Sheridan received the Gene LeMay Outstanding Teaching Award, the College of Science's teaching award, and Dr. Sarah Cummings received the Alan Bible Teaching Excellence Award, which honors outstanding teachers in the arts, humanities, and the natural and social sciences. The department is especially proud of Bob and Sarah’s accomplishments and grateful for their significant and important contributions to the department and college.
We are now in our third year of classes in the Davidson Mathematics and Science Center. This building houses our instructional laboratories for Analytical, General, and Organic Chemistry as well as for several other science departments and space for the Department of Mathematics and the College of Science dean's office. This building is a showcase for modern, undergraduate laboratory teaching. I encourage you to visit it the next time you are on campus.
The Department of Chemistry continues to experience growth in enrollments. We serve over 2400 students each semester, with lab courses now scheduled for two mornings, five afternoons, and two evenings per week. We have about 55 graduate students and 15 permanent teaching and research faculty. To learn about the exciting research going on in the department, please view the faculty research descriptions on our web page.
Once again, allow me to remind you of the various giving opportunities available for supporting the programs of the department. You will note several named scholarship, award, and lectureship funds in honor of faculty and former students. Unrestricted donations to the Chemistry Department Fund are also most appreciated to help us with student and faculty recruitment and the seminar program.
Our departmental newsletters are available (below) for downloading. We are always happy to hear from our former students and friends of the department. Please drop us a line and let us know what you are doing - any alumni news for this year's newsletter is appreciated.
Sincerely,
Sean Casey, Chair
Periodic Tableaux, 2005
Periodic Tableaux, 2006
Periodic Tableaux, 2007
Periodic Tableaux, 2008
Periodic Tableaux, 2009
Periodic Tableaux, 2010
Periodic Tableaux, 2011