Message from the Chair

Welcome Friends!

Yet another school year is upon us. In fact, the Fall Semester is almost over at this point! Nonetheless, that means a new cohort of Freshman chemistry majors is starting to feel comfortable up here on 4th Floor Phillips, while seniors are getting anxious about completing graduate school applications or moving on to their careers. Furthermore, I have almost completed my first semester as Chair, following in the footsteps of the many distinguished colleagues that have also led this outstanding department. As such, it is with great pride that I report the numerous success stories that have unfolded over the past year.

Two faculty members, Kurt Wiegel and Alan Gengenbach were granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor, and they both also obtained substantial research grants. Sanchita Hati also obtained her first federal research grant (from NIH) - an outstanding achievement for this early stage in her career. Indeed, it was a tremendous year for publications as well, with Jason Halfen co-authoring a paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Warren Gallagher publishing a communication in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (with student Lee Behling, as well as David Lewis and Scott Hartsel). Gallagher and Behling’s work was even highlighted in Chemical and Engineering News!

Student success stories were abound as well, with BMB major Katie Klotz winning a very prestigious Goldwater Scholarship, and fellow BMB major Lee Behling earning an honorable mention. Furthermore, yet another chemistry major, Skye Doering won the Kell Container Scholarship. Of course, as in past years, many students co-authored research manuscripts, and/or gave presentations at research conferences.

Without a doubt, it is the continued success of our graduates that makes this program so noteworthy, and the Alumni News page has many updates from recent (and some not-so-recent) Chemistry grads. We want to hear from you too, so if you have not been in touch recently, please send an update.

As you read these pages, think back to the special times you spent on 4th floor Phillips – your favorite classes, the long hours spent in the lab trying to get that stubborn reaction to work, and most of all, the people, committed faculty and great friends. Your financial support is a critical part of our formula for success. Your donations make so many little things possible, like our seminar program, which helps our students make valuable contacts with alumni, potential employers, and faculty at PhD-granting schools (yes, this includes all that pizza that kept you alive during your senior year!). Your support also funds over $11,000 in student scholarships each spring, as well as more substantive and ambitious improvements to our program, such as our student computer lab, a nitrogen generator for the new LC-MS, and the new UV spectrometers used in several lab courses (all pictured below, respectively).

Please visit the “How You Can Help” page to find out how to make a donation, and what our future plans for these funds are. If you are one of the many who have contributed to our program, please except my heartfelt thanks.

Sincerely,
Dr. Jim Phillips Professor and Chair