by Whitney Harder
(April 23, 2014) — Chris Richards, assistant professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Chemistry, recently received a Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) Young Investigators research grant for a research project focused on understanding complex biological processes.
Richards' project is titled “Real-time imaging of fast conformational dynamics of ion channel gating with plasmonic nano-antennas.”
Richards and his team, including Tom Vosch at the
Sometimes the most obvious questions are the ones that need to be asked. In chemistry professor David Atwood’s case, that question came in 1994 when a postdoc student working in his lab realized that there was no industrial chelator that worked with mercury.
Fast forward 20 years and 50 compounds later, and Atwood is providing answers that have some far-reaching benefits.
Discoverer: David Atwood, department of chemistry, University of Kentucky
Discovery: Highly effective mercury chelator
Years in development: Six
Biological application: Antioxidant, under development as a mercury poisoning therapy
by Gail Hairston
(April 14, 2014) — University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto, as the principal investigator, will lead a multi-million-dollar initiative with Kentucky and West Virginia universities to increase underrepresented undergraduates studying in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The five-year, $2.5 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant establishes the Kentucky-West Virginia Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (KY-WV LSAMP) in the STEM disciplines. Coordinated by the UK Office for Institutional Diversity and UK’s co-PI and engineering Associate Professor Johné Parker, the alliance of nine institutions of higher learning includes UK, University of Louisville, West Virginia University, Western Kentucky University, Centre College, Marshall University, Kentucky State University,
by Whitney Harder, Whitney Hale
(March 27, 2014) — The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for the Humanities has chosen 12 outstanding undergraduates as new scholars for the university's Gaines Fellowship Program for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years. Gaines Fellowships are given in recognition of outstanding academic performance, demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, an interest in public issues and a desire to enhance understanding of the human condition through the humanities.
Gaines Fellowships are awarded for the tenure of a student's junior and senior years, or for the last two years of a five-year program; students in all disciplines and with any intended profession
by Whitney Harder
(March 24, 2014) — Students in introductory-level chemistry courses at the University of Kentucky now have a resource focused on their success.
The General Chemistry Learning Center at UK provides introductory assistance to any student taking the courses, including Chemistry 105, with its inaccurate reputation for being a difficult class that "weeds out" students. Lisa Blue, the center's coordinator, says students need to know that help is available.
"I don't want students to feel like Chem 105 is a weed-out course in the least," Blue said. "I want them to understand that there are certain critical thinking skills that, as a card-carrying chemist, we want them to walk out of that class having. So, we're going to do anything we can
By Dr. Steven Yates
William (“Bill”) Donald Ehmann was born on February 7, 1931 in Madison, Wisconsin, and died on December 17, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky. Bill received B.S. (1952) and M.S. (1954) degrees in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, and married Nancy Gallagher on July 16, 1955 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1957, he received a Ph.D. in Radiochemistry from (now) Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, working with Prof. Truman P. Kohman. After two years as a postdoctoral fellow with John R. Huizenga at Argonne National Laboratory, where Bill began using neutron activation analysis, he accepted a faculty position at the University of Kentucky (UK) in Lexington, Kentucky and quickly rose through the ranks to become a Professor of Chemistry.
Named a Fulbright Research Scholar in 1964, Bill traveled to Australia for a year where he completed
by Allison Perry
LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 17, 2014) — After 39 years of working in the University of Kentucky's Department of Chemistry, you might suspect one would get bored with the work. But professor Allan Butterfield describes his current project as "one of the most intellectually stimulating projects I've ever worked on."
Butterfield, whose many titles include director of the UK Markey Cancer Center's Free Radical Biology in Cancer Shared Resource Facility, studies oxidative stress in the brain. This includes the effect of oxidative stress on the development of Alzheimer's disease, and, in collaboration with Daret St. Clair, Markey's associate director for basic research, the study of chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI), known colloquially as "chemo brain" by the
The Department of Chemistry is pleased to welcome Professor Kenneth Graham, who will be joining the faculty in the summer of 2014. Professor Graham earned his Ph.D. at the University of Florida, and has been a postdoctoral research fellow at Stanford University. His research areas encompass the fields of organic light-emitting diodes and organic solar cells, and he will bring with him a very broad analytical/characterization skill-set and an interest in the study of interfaces that are present in devices, particularly those in photovoltaic devices. The Department is excited to have Professor Graham arriving this summer.
By Mary Venuto
(Lexington, KY) – The philosopher, Alkmeon, is said to have been the first to advocate that the brain was the site of the spirit. In the case of D. Allan Butterfield, he is being recognized for both his spirit and brain.
Butterfield, a professor in the Department of Chemistry, is being awarded the Alkmeon International Prize for his contribution to the progress in the science of Alzheimer's disease (AD). He will be presented the award in Rome, Italy by Professor Nistico, of the University of Rome, on April 3, 2014. Dr. Butterfield will also be giving a lecture at the University of Rome II (Tor Vergata) and a seminar in Biochemistry at the University of Rome I (La Sapienza) during this trip.
”It is fair to say that our
by Whitney Hale
Feb. 10, 2014 — Celebrated chemist, novelist and playwright Carl Djerassi comes to the Bluegrass this week. Known for his work in organic chemistry and as a father of insect and human birth control, Djerassi will take part in several events being held Feb. 13-15, at the University of Kentucky.
During his visit to the Bluegrass, Djerassi will participate in three events. He will first serve as the featured speaker at a luncheon for business and academic leaders. The talk, "Academic Entrepreneurship: Facts through Fiction," will feature his perspective on academic-business relationships in science and technology and will be followed by a question and answer session. The luncheon is Feb. 13, at the Hilary J. Boone
By Mary Venuto
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a nonprofit organization of geophysicists with over 62,000 members from 144 countries. At their most recent meeting last December, 24,000 people presented and discussed the newest interdisciplinary and international research in geophysics, which makes Liz Pillar’s accomplishments all the more impressive.
Pillar, a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry at UK, received the “Outstanding Student Paper Award” (OSPA) at AGU’s fall 2013 meeting. Only the top 3% of presenters are awarded an OSPA. This award recognizes the quality research that Pillar has conducted in atmospheric chemistry.
“I was shocked to win,” said Pillar “I had no
by Whitney Hale
(Jan. 28, 2014) — Renowned chemist, novelist and playwright Carl Djerassi, known for his work in organic chemistry and as a father of insect and human birth control, will take part in several events being held Feb. 13-15, at the University of Kentucky.
During his visit to the Bluegrass, Djerassi will participate in three events. He will first serve as the featured speaker at a luncheon for business and academic leaders. The talk, "Academic Entrepreneurship: Facts through Fiction," will feature his perspective on academic-business relationships in science and technology and will be followed by a question and answer session. The luncheon will begin at noon Thursday, Feb. 13, at the Hilary J. Boone Center. Cost for the
Video by UK Public Relations and Marketing
by Keith Hautala
(Jan. 22, 2014) — More than 5,000 individuals have signed up to take a free college-preparatory chemistry course online through the University of Kentucky.
The "Advanced Chemistry" course, beginning Jan. 27, will be the university’s first to use Coursera, a leading platform for MOOCs (massive open online courses). The non-credit course is designed to prepare incoming and current students for college-level chemistry classes, and to provide supplemental material for students already enrolled in chemistry classes for credit.
The 10-week course is made up of five two-part units, with each part intended to be completed in a week. Each
by Allison Perry
(Dec. 2, 2013) — A new study led by University of Kentucky researchers suggests that a diet low in vitamin D causes damage to the brain.
In addition to being essential for maintaining bone health, newer evidence shows that vitamin D serves important roles in other organs and tissue, including the brain. Published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, the UK study showed that middle-aged rats that were fed a diet low in vitamin D for several months developed free radical damage to the brain, and many different brain proteins were damaged as identified by redox proteomics. These rats also showed a significant decrease in cognitive performance on tests of learning and memory.
"Given that vitamin D deficiency is especially widespread among the elderly
by Keith Hautala
(Nov. 20, 2013) — Darrell Taulbee, a longtime scientist with the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER), was named incoming president to the Institute for Briquetting and Agglomeration (IBA) at its 33rd biennial conference, held earlier this month in San Francisco.
Taulbee has been involved in the organization for the past decade, and has served as its vice president and a member of the board of directors.
Taulbee also was chosen to receive the
video courtesy of UK Public Relations & Marketing
article by Jenny Wells
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 7, 2013) — In addition to research presentations, the 2014 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) will offer numerous volunteer opportunities for the entire campus community when the University of Kentucky hosts the conference April 3-5, 2014. From helping direct traffic, to managing technology, to just helping students find where they need to go, there will be a variety of positions available to students, faculty and staff.
Students will have even more flexibility to get involved, as the University Senate has given permission for faculty to redirect their classes April 3 and 4 so students can attend conference events and presentations.
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Burt Davis, longtime associate director for the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research's Clean Fuels and Chemicals Group, has been selected as the 2013 American Chemical Society's Energy & Fuels Division Distinguished Researcher Award in Petroleum Chemistry. Criteria used for the award include excellence in research in the broadly defined area of petroleum chemistry, as evidenced by publications, patents, invention or commercialization of new technologies, and leadership in the research area. Dr. Davis is also a former ACS Storch Award recipient from 2002. One of the ACS top awards, the Storch Award recognizes distinguished contributions to fundamental or engineering research on the chemistry and utilization of all hydrocarbon fuels,
by Whitney Hale
(Oct. 29, 2013) — In celebration of the University of Kentucky's upcoming sesquicentennial in 2015, the 68th of 150 weekly installments on the university looks back at the construction of the Chemistry-Physics Building.
On Nov. 11, 1960, construction began on the Chemistry-Physics Building. The current site of the building once was occupied by the president’s garden and tennis courts.
Physics once occupied 33,600 square feet of Pence Hall and chemistry used 41,500 square feet in
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 25, 2013) — The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences Department of Chemistry will host the 17th annual Lyle Ramsay Dawson Lecture today, Oct. 25, at 4 p.m. in Room 139 of the Chemistry-Physics Building. This year's speaker will be Yury Gogotsi, professor of materials science and engineering at Drexel University, and director of the A.J. Drexel Nanotechnology Institute. The lecture is named after Dawson, a former UK distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry.
Gogotsi will provide an overview of research activities in the area of nanostructured carbon and carbide materials used for capacitive storage of electrical energy. Electrochemical capacitors or “
