Graduation Celebration
The Department of Chemistry hosts an annual Graduation Celebration and Awards Ceremony to recognize the outstanding achievements of our students on an annual basis.
We invite families and friends of graduates and award winners to join us in celebrating the success of these outstanding students. A reception will be held after the ceremony.
To view this year's brochure, click here. For past events, click here.
| 11:00am - 12:00pm | Recognition of graduating class of 2025 |
| 12:00pm - 2:30pm | Outdoor picnic in Alumni Commons |
College of Arts and Sciences Awards
Outstanding Teaching Assistant in the Department of Chemistry | Shuvo Deb Nath
Graduate Student Awards
100% Plus Award | Lateefat Jimoh
Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award | Kathryn Pitton
Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award | Md Tawabur Rahman & Motunrayo Oladele
William D. Ehmann Graduate Award Fund in Chemistry | Shickshitha Dissanayake
C.H.H. Griffith Outstanding General Chemistry TA Award | Deborah Adeyemi-Alabi & Alexander Igwebuike
Fast Start Award | Joy Jerome
Undergraduate Student Awards
100% Plus Award | Lauren Gravatte
Hammond Undergraduate Service Award | Walter Kunnmann
Hammond Leadership Award | Shasanka Lamichhane
Nancy J. Stafford Award | Mason Marrs
Willard R. Meredith Memorial Award | Marissa Harris
First-Year Chemistry Major Award | Isabella Soon
General Chemistry Excellence Award (Spring 2024) | Thomas Lockhart, Elizabeth Scheetz & Caralea Vest
General Chemistry Excellence Award (Fall 2024) | Harsh Patel & Lauren Marksbury
Undergraduate Scholarships
Wilbur L. Price Scholarship | Daani Karim
Gold(I) complexes typically bond in a linear fashion; however, an increased valence can be achieved via ligand modulation. The most prevalent therapeutic gold complex, auranofin, contains a linear Au(I) center and has shown great potential in several diseases and conditions. On the other hand, the potential of three-coordinate Au(I) complexes have scarcely been probed as therapeutics. Reported here are the synthesis, characterization, and applications of novel three-coordinate Au(I) complexes. The degree of asymmetry varies between complexes depending on the Au-X ancillary ligands. This insight suggests that the degree of asymmetry influences the potency when incubated in various cancer cell lines. In addition, the coordination of bidentate phenanthroline ligand derivatives effect the symmetry by inducing varying degrees of distortion in the crystal structure. When the center Au(I) is bound to an N-Heterocyclic Carbene (NHC), the compound shifts from a distorted trigonal planar geometry to a distorted linear geometry. These complexes were used to probe glioblastoma, an aggressive head-and-neck cancer. When the center Au(I) is bound to biaryl dialkyl phosphine ligands, the geometry varies in symmetry, but the distorted trigonal planar geometry remains intact. Structure activity relationship studies were performed on these complexes in triple negative breast cancer cell lines. Previous research shows a disruption of mitochondrial dynamics when cancer cells were treated with three-coordinate Au(I) complexes, and the novel Au(I)-NHC library indeed disrupts mitochondrial dynamics. Mitochondria are the main energy production centers in the cell and are desirable therapeutic targets due to their implication in aging, inflammation, and cancer. The Au(I)-P library shows little mitochondrial disruption; instead, these complexes induce significant stress in the endoplasmic reticulum. The endoplasmic reticulum transports and folds proteins that allow the cell to function properly and synthesizes lipids and cholesterols. When the endoplasmic reticulum undergoes stress, the several signaling pathways, known as the unfolded protein response, activate, which can lead to lipid accumulation. Both a disruption of mitochondrial dynamics and an induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress can lead to apoptotic cell death. These effects were characterized by several 
Lignin is a complex aromatic biopolymer and an important constituent in plant cell walls. The process of lignin biosynthesis, known as lignification, is poorly understood and challenging to study but has important implications in a variety of fields including sustainable energy, bioengineering, and materials science and is therefore of interest to pursue. In the final stage of lignification, H-, G-, and S-monolignols are oxidized by laccase and peroxidase enzymes to generate radical species that couple to form dimers and further oligomeric species to ultimately produce the lignin polymer. Biomimetic lignin model systems utilize in vitro oxidative coupling reactions as an important tool to further develop our understanding of this complex process. The goal of the first portion of this dissertation was to explore several aspects of monolignol oxidative coupling using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). These aspects included the study of relative reaction rates, both with respect to monolignol conversion and product formation, and the effects of solvent composition on product distribution. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was an important analytical tool for characterizing many coupling products, especially higher oligomeric compounds. The insights acquired from these experiments contributed valuable information towards a fuller understanding of the lignification process.
