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Newsletter of the Westminster College Department of Chemistry, New Wilmington, PA 16172-0001 FALL 2009
Greetings from the Chair
Wow! Another fall semester brings another large
class of incoming students to Westminster. This time,
the 450 incoming first-year students bring 29 incoming
chemistry and biochemistry majors—a departmental
record. This number of students, when combined with
last year’s very large incoming class, is a tremendous
challenge that the Department of Chemistry is ready
to undertake.
The fruits of previous chemistry grads will help
us meet the needs of those who are here now. One
specific fruit is Sarah (Huffman) Kennedy ’02 who
is back as a visiting professor for the year. She joins
the tenured faculty, Drs. Boylan, Joseph, Smith (on
sabbatical) and myself, along with two other visiting
faculty, Drs. Miller and Viskari, to work with the
current students. Sarah, with her ready smile, brings
energy and creativity, along with her technical prowess
as a Ph.D. biochemist. Our goal is to help educate the
citizens and the scientists of tomorrow.
While the growing number of science majors on
campus brings certain pressures, the department still
focuses on experiential learning and undergraduate
research. Last year, six students presented research
at the Pittsburgh Conference in Chicago, and seven
students presented research at the national ACS
meeting in Salt Lake City. Over the summer, nine
students had internships or research positions.
Additionally, Drs. Boylan, Kennedy, Miller and Smith
were also busy working on research projects offcampus. We are very thankful for the College and the
alumni support of student travel and research. Please
remember that as alumni, you are always part of this
department and help us achieve these successes.
In closing, I wish to invite you to stop by and visit the
department. The rest of the faculty and I enjoy meeting
with you and touring the department whether during
homecoming weekend or some other day when you
come by New Wilmington.
Dr. Timothy Sherwood
Chair, Department of Chemistry
2009 chemistry graduates following commencement.
Department Welcomes
Dr. Sarah (Huffman) Kennedy
The department of chemistry welcomes
back Dr. Sarah (Huffman) Kennedy ’02 to
Westminster College as a visiting professor for
the 2009-2010 academic school year. Dr. Kennedy
received her B.S. in chemistry from Westminster
and in March 2009, she completed her Ph.D. in
chemistry at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill where she worked on protein
crystallography.
When Dr. Kennedy learned that Westminster was hiring, she was
instantly reminded of the small class sizes and the personal relationships
that are developed between professors and students. Dr. Kennedy is
teaching sections of organic chemistry, principles of chemistry, and
biochemistry this year. She is developing undergraduate research
projects related to wine chemistry and she plans to apply her expertise
in protein crystallography to determine the crystal structures of
enzymes related to the wine-making process.
Dr. Kennedy and her husband, Chris, reside in Meadville with their
two cats, Snickers and Velcro. When she is not teaching, Dr. Kennedy
spends her time hiking, backpacking, camping, and cooking.
Dr. Kennedy’s work can be found in the following references: J Mol
Biol. 2009 Sep 11;392(1):115-28. Epub 2009 Jul 1; J Mol Biol. 2009 Feb
20;386(2):554-68. Epub 2008 Dec 30.
Chemistry Awards and Scholarships for Academic Year 2008 –2009
DeWitt Scholarship Award
Dunlop Scholarship
Louis Skurcenski
Ken Long Book Award
Society of Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh
Analytical Chemistry
Penn-Ohio Border Section of ACS
Freeman Award
CRC Award
Nicholas Mizenko ’10
Christina Hamill ’10
Keri Biedka ’11
Andrew Brown ’09
Andrew Davic ’09
Gavin Buckholtz ’10
Natasha Kassim ’10
Nathan Barefoot ’11
Casey Schmidt ’12
Chemistry Award winners.
9 Majors Involved in Summer Research, Science in Motion Remains in Motion
Internships across the United States
Since the birth of Science in Motion (SIM) in 1987, it has become
Nine chemistry and biochemistry majors traveled outside of
their comfort zones to explore the glorious world of research
and possible future careers.
“Summer internships and research experiences open
doors for undergraduates that the classroom cannot and give
these students a competitive advantage,” said Dr. Timothy
Sherwood, chair of the department. The emphasis the College
places on getting involved in research puts Westminster
students ahead of many of their peers.
The National Science Foundation Research Experiences
for Undergraduates (NSF REU) program sponsored six
Westminster students at various universities.
Nichole Batey ’10 studied
sodium phosphate effects
on the helical structure of
a mainly alanine peptide at
Duquesne University.
Monica Hall ’10 traveled
west to the University
of Utah to study Suzuki
coupling and nanopore
Hall takes time away from research technology.
to hike.
Christina Hamill ’10
traveled south to continue
her research on the
synthesis of PNP
hafnium complexes at
Texas A&M University.
Natasha Kassim ’10
conducted clinical
research concerning
adenotonsillectomies
and pediatric sleep
apnea at the University
of Rochester.
Ryan Konik ’11 focused Hamill helps install a glove box in her
research mentor’s lab.
on the mechanical
unfolding of G-Quadruplex/i-motif using laser tweezers at Kent
State University.
Nicholas Mizenko ’10 studied beta-lactamases using
bioanalytical chemistry at Case Western Reserve University.
Three students held internship positions in industry and
government.
Eric Cargal ’11 interned at the Food and Drug Administration,
Center for Device and Radiological Health, Office of Science
and Engineering Laboratories, Department of Chemistry and
Materials Science, White Oaks Campus outside of Washington,
D.C., to study drug elution and polymer matrix degradation
from absorbable stent coatings.
a state-funded program that provides science and technology labs for
elementary, middle and high schools. There are 12 colleges in the state of
Pennsylvania that have their own SIM division to provide these services
to more than 200 schools. Westminster College’s division of SIM serves
53 schools in its neighboring counties. Last year, 101 teachers worked
with the mobile educators from Westminster’s SIM program to reach
14,630 students with various labs and scientific equipment.
Mobile educators travel from school to school in order to meet the
requests of the teachers by providing labs in chemistry, biology, physics
and elementary science. The labs allow students to use LabQuests
and diode-array spectrometers, along with many other instruments,
to conduct protein electrophoresis, to study rocks and minerals, or to
investigate water cycles. One lab even utilizes UV lights and Glowgerm
soap to teach elementary students the importance of hand-washing.
Through partnerships between Westminster College and the
neighboring area school teachers, schools have access to equipment
that no one teacher would have. Mobile labs make lesson planning
and preparation easier and more diverse for the teachers because
they do not have to do
any lab preparation and
are not limited to the
instrumentation within
their school district.
Workshops are held by the
Science in Motion staff to
familiarize teachers with
what the mobile educators
have to offer and how the
traveling labs can be used
in the curriculum.
For information on
SIM visit www.westminster.edu/acad/sim/sim_overview.cfm.
Analytical Chemistry, Environmental
Science Students Investigate Fish Kill
Last September, a mysterious odor permeated Westminster’s
campus via the waters of McClure’s Run, the stream that runs
through the College. Shortly after the odor was reported,
fish began appearing belly-up. Dr. Helen Boylan of the
chemistry department and Dr. David Swerdlow of the English
department brought the students together to investigate and
report the cause of the environmental disturbance.
Eight analytical chemistry students and 17 students from
the environmental science/studies cluster teamed up to collect
and analyze samples of contaminated water, dead fish, other
stream-dwelling organisms, and sediment for chemical and
biological analysis. Instrumentation in Westminster’s chemistry
department was used to test for the presence of volatile organic
compounds in the stream.
Linda Farnham ’10 worked as an environmental specialist at
AGX, Inc. in Wexford. She monitored air particulates associated
with asbestos abatement, conducted lead surveys of houses,
and monitored arsenic levels at local power plants.
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
confirmed that propylene glycol had been released upstream
from the College. Since propylene glycol is water soluble, no
remediative action could be taken, but a company responsible
for the release was fined, according to the DEP.
Stephanie Gollos ’10 conducted an internship with the
Department of Laboratory Animal Resources (DLAR) at the
University of Pittsburgh where she worked with veterinary
technicians and assisted with surgical research.
“This has been a wonderful collaborative experience involving
numerous faculty members, students, and community residents.
This project confirms that environmental issues require
interdisciplinary perspective,” said Boylan.
‘48 Hours’ Film Crew Visits Chemistry Department
A producer and camera crew from CBS News’ “48 Hours” investigative
program shot footage in Westminster College’s chemistry department in
September. Two brief clips from the filming session aired as part of the Oct. 17
“48 Hours Mystery” coverage of the Caylee Anthony murder case in Florida.
Additional footage may be used next summer when the case goes to trial. Dr.
Helen Boylan and the Westminster College Department of Chemistry were
included in the show’s credits.
Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) was used for forensics
analysis related to the Anthony investigation, but those involved in that case
could not discuss it. A “48 Hours” producer found the research abstract of 2009
Westminster biochemistry graduate Mallory Lichwa’s LIBS project online. The Boylan and Lichwa during “48 Hours” film shoot.
project, which Lichwa presented at Pittcon, involved the forensics analysis of
fingernail polish using LIBS. The producer contacted Lichwa’s research mentor, Dr. Boylan, to discuss the technique and later arrange
a visit.
The film crew created a set surrounding the LIBS instrumentation, supplied by Dan Willoughby of D&N Scientific, in a laboratory of
the chemistry department and shot footage of Boylan and Lichwa using it. Boylan and junior chemistry major Nathan Barefoot also
demonstrated headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, another technique related to the Anthony case, on film.
Faculty and Student Publications and Presentations for Academic Year 2008-09
Note: only Westminster authors are listed.
Faculty publications:
• Sarah A. Kennedy. Crystal Structure of the HEAT Domain from the Pre-mRNA Processing Factor Symplekin. Journal of
Molecular Biology (2009) 392: 115-128.
• Sarah A. Kennedy. A Novel Fold in the TraI Relaxase–Helicase C-Terminal Domain Is Essential for Conjugative DNA
Transfer. Journal of Molecular Biology (2009) 386: 554-568.
• Timothy A. Sherwood and Peter M. Smith. Synthesis and Evaluation of Inhibitors for Mushroom Tyrosinase in The
Integrated Approach to Chemistry Laboratory: Selected Experiments. DEStech Publications: Lancaster, PA, 2009.
Presentations at the American Chemical Society National Meeting. Salt Lake City, UT. March 22-26, 2009:
• Gavin Buckholtz, Emily Landis, and Peter M. Smith. Using microwave heating to promote the Heck reaction.
• William M. Kochemba and Peter M. Smith. Synthesizing and characterizing lanthanide complexes containing tripodal
Schiff-base ligands.
• Spencer Rohrbacher and Martha Joseph. Pseudo rate law determination of FD&C green No. 3.
• Brandi Weigand and Peter M. Smith. Luminescence of lanthanide complexes containing novel macromolecular Schiff-base
ligands.
Presentations at the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy. Chicago, IL. March 8-13, 2009.
• Helen M. Boylan. What Works: Assessment of a Watershed Service Learning Project.
• Andrew Brown. 2D NMR technique for detecting multiple quantum coherences using projective measurement.
• Andrew Davic. Trace detection of converted and fluorescently tagged primary fatty acid amides (PFAMs) using HPLC
coupled with fluorescence detection.
• Mallory Lichwa and Helen M. Boylan. Forensic analysis of fingernail polish using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy:
A preliminary investigation.
• Leah Maxwell. Effects of anti-diabetic drug, Rosiglitazone, on mesenchymal stem cell differentiation to adipogenic and
osteoblastic phenotype.
• Tara Pregibon. Validation of green tea extracts by liquid chromatography-particle beam/electron ionization mass
spectroscopy.
• Theresa Swanson. Kelvin probe microscopy on graphene.
Other presentations:
• Nichole Batey, Gavin Buckholtz, Linda Farnham, Stephanie Gollos, Monica
Hall, Christina Hamill, Natasha Kassim, Nicholas Mizenko, and Kimberly Worst.
Passive treatment system at Erico Bridge. Slippery Rock Watershed
Coalition Meeting at Jennings Environmental Education Center. Slippery Rock,
PA. October 9, 2008.
• Brittany Bivens, Keri Biedka, and Helen M. Boylan. Qualitative analysis
and prospective quantification method for laser induced breakdown
spectroscopy (LIBS). American Chemical Society Student Affiliates “In
Miniature” Symposium. Pittsburgh, PA. April 20, 2009.
• Helen M. Boylan. The Dual Role of Academic Motherhood: A Woman
Scientist’s Perspective. Guest lecture at the University of Pittsburgh. February
25, 2009.
• Peter M. Smith. Collaborating at a liberal arts college. American Chemical Society Meeting. Washington, DC. August 19, 2009.
Department of
Chemistry
Timothy A. Sherwood, Chair
Biochemistry
Martha R. Joseph
Physical Chemistry
Helen M. Boylan
Analytical Chemistry
Sarah Kennedy
Larry Miller
Organic and Biochemistry
Peter M. Smith
Inorganic Chemistry
Pera Viskari
General Chemistry
Department of Chemistry
Westminster College
New Wilmington, PA
16172-0001
(724) 946-7294 (phone)
(724) 946-7158 (fax)
www.westminster.edu
chemistry@westminster.edu
Long Chemistry Lecture Honors Dr. Terrence Collins
This year, on Nov. 3, the Department of Chemistry hosted Dr.
Terrence Collins for the second annual Ken and Nancy Long Chemistry
Lecture. Dr. Collins spoke about “Green Chemistry: Sustaining a High
Technology Civilization.”
Professor Emeritus Ken Long and his wife, Nancy, fund this chemistry
lecture series.
“Many years ago the Chemistry Department was able to use modest
amounts of budgeted funds to invite outstanding chemists to speak to
our students. Unfortunately, this did not continue and we think that our
students were deprived. We decided to create this lectureship to meet
this need,” said Dr. Long.
Dr. Terry Collins
Dr. Collins is the Thomas Lord Professor of Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)
where he has been teaching since 1987. He is an honorary professor and distinguished alumnus at
the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Dr. Collins holds the position of director of the Institute
for Green Science at CMU and has won the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award
for a catalyst that uses naturally occurring oxidants to clean water systems. Dr. Collins works
with students to emphasize the importance of reducing or eliminating harmful waste from their
methodologies and inventions.
Chemistry Professor Elected to National Office
Dr. Peter Smith, associate professor of chemistry, was elected to a two-year term as treasurer
of the American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Professional Relations. Smith, who has been
a member of ACS for 11 years, will be responsible for tracking and reporting finances.
Newsletter edited by Helen M. Boylan and Linda Farnham ’10.
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