By Jenny Wells and Alicia Gregory

University of Kentucky REVEAL Research Mediarecently caught up with Susan Odom, an assistant professor of chemistry in the UK College of Arts and Sciences, to learn more about her pioneering work in electrochemical energy storage.

Odom, who joined UK in 2011, creates new organic compounds for applications in electrochemical energy storage systems. Applications include lithium-ion batteries, which are utilized in portable consumer electronic devices. Her additives have been demonstrated to protect these batteries from overcharging conditions longer than any other electrolyte additive reported to date.

Odom’s group

Predicting the packing of molecules in the solid state is a major goal of researchers around the world. In their latest paper in Chemistry of Materials, Professors Chad Risko and John Anthony derive understanding as to how subtle changes in the chemical structure of trialkylsilylethynyl pentacenes, an important class of organic semiconductor materials, can impact the solid-state molecular packing arrangements that in turn determine the semiconducting characteristics. This insight is then used to propose new polymorphs that could be of technological relevance if appropriate processing conditions are developed. Overall, the theory-driven insight developed in this work lays an important foundation to build a more robust crystal engineering paradigm for these molecular materials.

"Theory-Driven Insight into the

Professor Edith "Phoebe" Glazer was selected to serve on the advisory board for Chemical Society Reviews (Chem. Soc. Rev.). This prestigious publication, which produces 24 issues per year and boasts an Impact Factor of 34, is the flagship review journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and - from the RSC's website - publishes "high-impact, succinct and reader-friendly articles at the forefront of the chemical sciences".

The Small-Molecule X-Ray Crystallography Facility in the Department of Chemistry has been awarded a prestigious and highly competitive grant from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program of the National Science Foundation (NSF).  The award of $383,133 (70% NSF, 30% UK matching funds) will fund the acquisition of a state-of-the-art microfocus X-ray diffractometer.

X-ray crystallography has long been considered the 'gold-standard' for providing detailed atomic-level structural information for molecules in chemical, pharmaceutical, and materials research. The award proposal by X-Ray Facility director Sean Parkin, Department of Chemistry professors Susan Odom, Phoebe Glazer, and John Anthony, and College of Pharmacy professor Oleg Tsodikov will modernize and dramatically enhance structural chemistry research instrumentation at UK.

The Light Microscopy Core, a newly named research core facility under the auspices of the Office of the Vice President for Research, has invested $1.3 million in two new microscopes to support an array of research across the University of Kentucky. Dr. Chris Richards, director of the Light Microscopy Core and assistant professor of chemistry, said these instruments and the hiring of manager Thomas Wilkop will enable UK researchers to utilize the most advanced imaging available. “If we want to understand biological systems, ranging from neuroscience to physiology, or apply imaging techniques for cutting-edge materials science, we really need to have the type of equipment that makes us competitive with other

Assistant Professor Kenneth Graham received a $110,000 grant from ACS PRF to develop a better understanding of polymer blend thermoelectrics. Thermoelectrics can convert heat energy to useful electrical energy based on the Seebeck effect, or they can utilize electrical energy to produce heating or cooling. Polymer based thermoelectric materials have the potential to be low-cost, are lightweight, and mechanically flexible, which opens up a number of applications if the thermoelectric performance of these materials can be further improved. For example, these materials could be utilized to make the band of a Fitbit, or other wearable electronic device, and provide power for the device based solely on your body heat, or they could be utilized to recover waste heat from higher temperature sources, such as the coolant systems of

Ellen Crocker (forestry), Susan Odom (chemistry), and Bradford Condon (plant pathology) received a grant from KY NSF EPSCoR for Education and Outreach Activities, which will fund an Expanding Your Horizons conference at the University of Kentucky. This STEM conference for middle school girls will feature interactive activities led by UK undergraduate and graduate students and will include college preparation sessions for accompanying parents. The conference will be held in the Jacobs Science Building on April 29, 2017. For more information, contact Dr. Crocker.

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Prof. Yates elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society. The criterion for election is exceptional contributions to the physics enterprise; e.g., outstanding physics research, important applications of physics, leadership in or service to physics, or significant contributions to physics education. Fellowship is a distinct honor signifying recognition by one's professional

By Jenny Wells

By Jenny Wells

By Dave Melanson

By Whitney Harder

By Jenny Wells

By Samantha Ponder

Dr. April French was selected as Chair of a new committee of the American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Education's Examination Institute. The committee is responsible for producing the 2018 General, Organic, and Biochemistry Examination. This appointment is a significant recognition of stature in the chemistry education community and the ACS exams play an important role in the education of future chemists.

French's PhD research focused on informal scientific education occurring within science museums, and her experience in teaching includes general, organic, and biological chemistry courses. French currently serves as a Senior Academic Coordinator in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Kentucky where she supervises the General Chemistry Laboratories. 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 15, 2016) — Alexis Eugene, a University of Kentucky doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry, has been awarded the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship. More than 700 applications were submitted for the 2016 awards, and Eugene was one of only 73 who received a fellowship in earth science. Eugene will collaborate with members of NASA's Langley Aerosol Research Group Experiment by analyzing the chemical composition of cloud water and aerosol samples collected during flights over the Atlantic Ocean. Specifically, she will study what chemicals are there and how they affect the properties of the atmosphere. "For example, looking at how those chemicals might interact with radiation," she said.

Eugene has been working in Assistant Professor Marcelo Guzman's

The University of Kentucky has received permission from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct research with unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or drones, nationwide, following FAA regulations.

"UK is among the first universities in the country to receive this new FAA 'blanket' CoA," said Suzanne Smith, director of the UK Unmanned Systems Research Consortium and the Donald and Gertrude Lester Professor of Mechanical Engineering. "Now, UK faculty will be among the first to perform and publish their research on leading-edge autonomy technologies and applications, and the new scientific discoveries that are sure to result."

The FAA's public Certificate of Authorization (CoA) allows UK researchers to fly drones that are less than

Allison Soult, a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Kentucky, received the 2016 Teaching Excellence in Support of Professional Nursing award from the College of Nursing. This award recognizes a faculty member outside of the College who demonstrates excellence in the development and delivery of effective teaching and learning experiences for students in the one of the College’s academic programs. Soult has taught Chemistry for Health Professionals to pre-nursing students for five years.  She has invested time and effort to understanding the needs of the nursing curriculum, has met with students to address questions, has provided thoughtful advice for students with academic difficulties, and is dedicated to her students.