C
hemistry
NEWS
Otterbein University
Winter 2015
From the Chair
The 2014-2015 academic year marks the forty-third and final
year in the Department for Dr. Jerry Jenkins. Jerry came to
Otterbein in the fall of 1972 after completing an NSF PostDoctoral Fellowship at Yale. His teaching responsibilities
have focused on organic chemistry and biochemistry. In
2010, Jerry published his Workbook for Organic Chemistry, a
500+ page workbook containing supplemental problems for
students taking Organic Chemistry. His research, supported
by sabbatical leaves at Ohio State (Leo Paquette), Oxford
University (John Brown), and Batelle (Robert Schwerzel), has
included investigations of oxidative decarboxylations, orbital
symmetry controlled reactions, immobilized micelles, chiral
resolving reagents, and nonlinear optical effects.
Jerry has served both Otterbein and the greater chemistry
community through his involvement with the American Chemical Society (ACS). He served as the Chair of the Columbus
Section of the ACS in 1982 as well as serving as an ACS
Councilor for many years. At Otterbein he served as Chemistry Department Chair from 1988 through 2013,
doubling the number of faculty and guiding the Department through the ACS-approval process that was
finalized in 1994. Together with Dr. Philip Barnhart, Chair of Physics, Jerry created the Science Lecture
Series in 1987 with funding from the Westinghouse Educational Foundation. Jerry has also served on numerous campus-wide committees including Personnel and Honors.
Through it all, Jerry has maintained an enthusiasm for me chanistic organic chemistry, a high standard for
excellence, and a commitment to all of his students. We wish Jerry (and Carol) all the best in his retirement!
Dean Johnston
A Molecular Playground in the Science Building
This past year saw the installation of a “Molecular Playground” on the third floor of the Science Building. The
playground (http://www.molecularplayground.org/) is a system designed for the large-scale display of interactive molecular structures and animations. In this way we can communicate the beauty and complexity of everything from the
vibrational modes of an organic molecule to the structure
of the ribosome. Structures are shown in a continuous
presentation, but an observer can take control and change
the orientation of the current molecule simply by walking
back and forth in front of the display. So if you are around,
make sure to stop by the third floor of the Science Building
and see what’s on display!
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Department of Chemistry
SLS 2014
Professor Robert Grubbs, Nobel Laureate in
Chemistry and Victor and Elizabeth Atkins Professor
of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology,
visited Otterbein University in February 2014, as the
keynote speaker at the Science Lecture Series
(SLS).
Dr. Grubbs, along with Dr. Yves Chauvin and Dr.
Richard Schrock, received the 2005 Nobel Prize for
the development of alkene metathesis chemistry.
His general lecture, entitled “Green Chemistry: Lessons from Catalysis,” was open to the public and
held in Riley Auditorium at the Battelle Fine Arts Center on Thursday, February 20. Dr. Grubbs discussed
the advances made in transition metal-catalyzed metathesis reactions and the applications these reactions have in the area of sustainability. A reception
followed in the Battelle lobby, giving Dr. Grubbs the
opportunity to meet Otterbein students, faculty, and
alumni, as well as university administrators and
members of the local science community. The following day, Dr. Grubbs provided a technical lecture
to chemistry students and faculty, entitled “Design
and Applications of Selective Olefin Metathesis Catalysts, and he concluded his visit with a lunch attended by several Otterbein science students.
The SLS was established in 1987 by Dr. Jerry Jenkins, of the Department of Chemistry, and Dr. Philip
Barnhart, of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and facilitates campus-wide lectures from nationally-renowned scientists. Hosting duties circulate
annually among the Otterbein science departments;
the 2015 lecture will be hosted by the Department of
Biology and Earth Sciences on Thursday, March 26,
and will feature Professor Steven Nowicki of Duke
University.
The SLS program is sustained by the George W. and
Mildred K. White Seminar Science Fund, and the
SLS 2014 was supported in large part by a generous
gift from The Lubrizol Foundation.
Faculty Updates
Fall 2013 to Fall 2014 has been a busy time for Dr. Joan Esson. After taking Otterbein University’s Center
for Teaching and Learning Course Transformation Institute, Joan flipped her analytical and general chemistry
lectures. Flipped learning is a pedagogical approach in which direct instruction moves from a group learning
space to an individual learning space, which transforms the group space into a dynamic, interactive learning
environment. She presented the results of this work at the 2014 Biennial Conference on Chemical Education
held in Grand Rapids, Michigan in August. Joan has also continued her work with the Cardinal Science
Scholars, a National Science Foundation funded program that provides scholarships and co-curricular programming for students in a variety of STEM majors. Eight new scholars were welcomed to Otterbein in Fall
2014, including three chemistry majors, Elizabeth (Liz) Isaac ’18, Lance Taylor ’18, and Tyler Thompson
’18. Joan also continues her investigation of STEM student learning and persistence in science and math
gateway courses as part of the Widening the Implementation and Demonstration of Evidence-Based Reforms
(WIDER) program, which is another National Science Foundation funded project. She presented the results
collected to date at the 2014 Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia and
co-sponsored by the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) and Project Kaleidoscope
(PKAL). Additionally, during the 2013-2014 academic year, two students worked in the Esson laboratory,
Kevin O’Neil ’14 and Adrienne Bradley ’16. Kevin successfully defended his Distinction thesis, Analysis of
Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products Using Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy, in May
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Department of Chemistry
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2014. Adrienne is continuing her work on developing a colorimetric nanoparticle-based heparinase assay this
year, while Liz and Tyler are beginning research that will extend Kevin’s work.
Dr. Carrigan Hayes teaches Physical Chemistry, General Chemistry, and
Integrative Studies coursework; her research involves computational
chemistry and areas of interdisciplinary interest. At the 2014 Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, Carrie presented a project developed collaboratively with Dr. Jennifer Bennett (Department of Biology and Earth
Sciences) and Dr. John Tansey, in which enzyme kinetics, protein structure, and gene expression pertaining to the bacterial species Streptomyces
coelicolor were explored across multiple biochemistry and molecular biology (BMB) lab classes. Two chemistry majors, Melissa (Mel) Lucius ’14
and Jared Swartzentruber ’14, completed projects in the Hayes laboratory during the 2013-2014 academic year. Using computational chemistry
methods, Mel examined bond dissociation enthalpies in small oxygenated
compounds that serve as models for species involved in second-generation biofuel combustion. Mel presented a poster at the national American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting and the Cardinal Colloquium in Spring
2014; she also defended her work in an Honors Thesis, for which she was awarded one of four universitywide Honors Thesis Awards. Jared developed a lab activity for Dr. Hayes’s Integrative Studies (INST)
course, which examines the overlap of chemistry and art. Jared designed an experiment wherein INST students could investigate paintings with an infrared camera, to identify whether or not a painting had an IRvisible underdrawing; as the teaching assistant for the INST course, he then implemented this innovative experiment into the associated lab. Jared also attended the national ACS meeting and presented his project
both there and at the Cardinal Colloquium, in Spring 2014. As of Autumn 2014, BMB student Amy Siebold
’15 has begun work in the Hayes laboratory, developing a computational chemistry tutorial for use in future
physical chemistry courses and related research.
Dr. Robin Grote is currently in her third year in the Chemistry Department at
Otterbein University. She teaches Organic Chemistry and General Chemistry for
chemistry and other science majors as well as an Integrative Studies course for
non-science majors. She worked with Otterbein students Katherine (Katie)
Childers ’15 and Alexandria (Allie) Weber ’15 on their senior research projects. Katie’s research project focused on cyclization reactions to make nitrogencontaining heterocycles. A computational aspect of this project was also developed in collaboration with Dr. Carrigan Hayes. Allie’s research project focused
on gold- and palladium-catalyzed organic reactions to make nitrogen-containing
heterocycles. In the summer of 2014 Robin worked with a Westerville high
school student, Hartlee Johnston, on her International Baccalaureate project.
During this time a new reearch collaboration was started with Dr. Jennifer Bennett (Department of Biology and Earth Sciences) in which compounds
synthesized in the Grote laboratory were tested as biofilm inhibitors on the
bacterial species Streptomyces coelicolor. The work completed by Katie
and Allie was accepted to be presented at the March 2015 National Conference of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Denver, Colorado.
Pedagogical research done in collaboration with Dr. Paul Wendel
(Department of Education) in the area active learning strategies utilized
in Robin’s Integrative Studies course was accepted to be presented at
both the 2015 ACS National Meeting and the 2015 Ohio regional meeting
of the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) and Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL).
Department of Chemistry
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Students participate at the 247th ACS National Meeting & Exposition Dallas, TX
In March 2014, three Otterbein Chemistry students, along with Dr. Johnston, travelled to Dallas, Texas for the
247th American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition. Melissa Lucius, Jared Swartzentruber, and
Nathan Grider each presented posters on their undergraduate research projects. They also found time to attend other talks on topics ranging from environmental chemistry to biodegradable electronics and even enjoyed a bit of the local Tex-Mex cuisine.
Class of 2015
Katherine Childers is from Bellefontaine, Ohio. She
is a member of the Otterbein student chapter of the
American Chemical Society, and has been a member of the Otterbein Cardinal Marching Band while at
Otterbein. She has worked on organic synthesis research projects under the supervision of Dr. Robin
Grote. Katie plans on attending graduate school for
nuclear chemistry, and hopes to pursue research in
the field of nuclear energy. During the summer of
2014, Katie spent six weeks at Brookhaven National
Laboratory attending the Nuclear Chemistry Summer
School. This program is designed to give undergraduates a chance to explore topics in nuclear chemistry
both in the classroom and in the lab. She was able to
meet several graduate professors and other professional in the field, and visit some amazing places,
such as the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York
City, and several of the labs around Brookhaven.
She learned a lot from this program, and it also
helped her solidify her decision to pursue nuclear
chemistry after Otterbein.
Alison Coleman is from Powell, Ohio. I am a Biochem major. For the past two years, I have been
working as a technician for Dr. Ronald Gaudio at
Delaware Vision Care in Delaware, Ohio. After graduation, I plan on attending optometry school to become an optometrist.
Devon Fitzgerald is from St. Mary’s, Ohio. He conducted research in Dr. Esson's lab both his freshman, and sophomore year. His research included
work on developing a colormetric assay for detection
of heparainase activity using gold nanoparticles.
This summer he had an internship at Lubrizol Additives in Wickliffe, Ohio. Devon worked in the chemical synthesis department in the blend sciences
group. His group was the midway point between full
scale manufacturing, and small scale lab practices.
This work included work on optimizing the blend template for gear oil as well as monitoring the particulate
dropout of antifoam in full engine oil blends. Through
this experience Devon learned a lot of information
about engine additives, chemical industry, as well as
lab practices in a real world setting. After graduation
he plans to work for a year and return to grad school
to pursue his PhD in analytical chemistry.
Stephanie Gnewuch is a Chemistry major and music minor from out of state. Her decision to come to
Otterbein was largely influenced by the opportunity to
study both chemistry and the violin during her time
here. Since February 2014 she has been conducting
research in Dr. Jonhston's lab studying using salts
with low melting points for synthesizing networks
composed of inorganic and organic components. In
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Department of Chemistry
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Graduating Class of 2015
addition to her studies at Otterbein, during the summer of 2013 she completed an internship at BASF in
coatings research and development; and during the
summer of 2014 she studied gas adsorption to metal
-organic materials as part of the National Institute of
Standards and Technology's Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. She is
applying to Ph.D. programs in inorganic chemistry on
the east coast.
During the summer of 2014 Stephanie had the opportunity to conduct research at the National Institute
of Standards and Techology (NIST) in Gaithersburg,
Maryland as part of their Summer Undergraduate
Research Fellowship (SURF) program. She worked
in the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR)
studying gas adsorption to metal-organic materials. Her mentor taught her everything from synthesizing the materials, to preparing the samples for data collection, to analyzing the data using several software programs. In addition to her work there, she
also enjoyed the program's weekly seminar series
and meeting other undergraduate students from
across the country.
Jessica Hollenbach is a chemistry major from
Worthington, OH. During her time at Otterbein University she has been involved in community service
and is currently working in Dr. Tansey’s biochemistry lab, researching induced pluripotent stem cells.
After graduation she plans to apply to medical
school, while continuing to gain experience in the
medical field.
Alexandria Weber is a senior chemistry major from
Chillicothe, OH. She began working in the organic
chemistry research lab of Dr. Robin Grote in May
2013 on a project that involved the goldcatalyzed synthesis of six-membered heterocycles
via the cycloaddition of 1,3-dipoles and allenes. She
is currently working toward the completion of her
second research project, which involves the use of
Suzuki cross-coupling reactions to synthesize large
cyclic molecules to be tested for their ability to inhibit
biofilm formation. Aside from preparing her Senior
Chemistry Thesis from this research, Allie is also
preparing an Honors Thesis to defend for completion
of the Otterbein University Honors Program, and a
poster which will be presented at the American
Chemical Society 249th National Meeting in Denver,
Colorado in late March 2015. Upon graduating, she
will be attending graduate school in pursuit of a
Ph.D. in Chemistry with specialization in synthetic
organic chemistry and catalysis with the goal of
working as an organic chemistry professor and
researcher.
Undergraduate Chemistry Awards 2014-15
Adrienne Bradley was awarded the CRC Achievement Award, given to an outstanding
freshman Chemistry major.
Callan Molle was the recipient of the Kekule Award, presented for academic excellence to a
sophomore Chemistry major.
Stephanie Gnewuch received the Dalton Award for academic excellence, given to a junior
Chemistry major.
Melissa E. Lucius was granted the Mendeleev Award for academic excellence, given to a
senior Chemistry major.
Katherine Childers received the ACS Undergraduate Award in Inorganic
Chemistry.
Department of Chemistry
1 South Grove Street
Westerville, OH 43081
Phone: 614-823-1316
E-mail: cchoufong@otterbein.edu