USC CHEMIST
A Newsletter for Alumni and Friends of the Department
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of South Carolina
Fall 2003
IRIX Makes Equipment Donation,
Funds Graduate Student Fellowship
T
he Graduate Science Research
trometer to the department. “It is a
Center Room 101 will finally
modern high resolution broadband
have a name, thanks to the
system with variable temperature
generous donation by IRIX Pharcontrol, three axis field gradient
maceuticals. Room 101, which is
amplifier and an automated sample
commonly used as the conference
changer,” said Perry Pellechia, the
room, will be named the IRIX Phardirector of NMR services for the
meceuticals, Inc. Conference Room.
chemistry and biochemistry departThe room is named due to a generous
ment.
cash donation, which was given with
The spectrometer is capable of
the support of IRIX’s Chief Financial
performing state-of-the-art experiOfficer, Panos Kalaritis—who is also
ments. The system includes a three
the chair of the USC Department
axis pulsed field gradient ampliof Chemistry and Biochemistry’s
fier that is utilized for coherence
Industrial Advisory Board—and IRIX
selection in rapidly acquired mulPresident Guy Steenrod. The room
tidimensional experiments. Pulsed
was dedicated on October 24, 2003.
field gradients are also used for
Additionally, IRIX has also estabvery efficient sample shimming
lished a graduate fellowship, the
which compliments the included
From left to right: Dr. Dan Reger, IRIX CFO Panos Kalaritis, and Director of NMR
IRIX/David L. Coffen Fellowship
automated sample changer. When
Services Perry Pellechia.
Fund, which went to first year graducombined with the system’s software,
the potential to carry out high quality original
ate student Hannah Barnhill this year.
the instrument can perform unattended
research.
This fellowship will be awarded to an outstandroutine and sophisticated experiments on up to 60
IRIX Pharmaceuticals has also donated a
ing graduate student who has demonstrated
samples.
Bruker Avance/DRX 400 MHz. NMR spec-
Looking Back—Dr. Willard Davis
At the end of
World War II, the
Department of
Chemistry at the
University of South
Carolina offered
only the Bachelor
of Science degree.
We had no research
activity, shared space
Dr. Willard Davis
in LeConte College—now Barnwell—with pharmacy, geology,
and biology, and a faculty of four that included
our department head, Dr. Guy Lipscomb, Dr.
Willard Whitesell, Dr. James Earl “Copie”
Copenhaver, and me.
With the enrollment of many GIs and an
increase in civilians, we were swamped by
1946–47. We got some space relief by the
installation of some excess army buildings
behind McKissick Library, and in there we
had a lecture room, two offices, undergraduate
organic labs and a small research lab. However, expanding the faculty was more difficult.
We gained a little time by temporarily hiring
two of our graduating seniors as instructors—
Donald Kubler, who went on to get his Ph.D.
at the University of Maryland, and Joe Sam,
who later earned his Ph.D. at the University of
Kansas.
The American Chemical Society revived
its tradition of annual meetings in 1946. Joe
Bouknight and I attended regularly, frequently
traveling together. Sometime in 1946–47 when
I was preparing to attend one of the meetings,
Dr. Lipscomb told me to ask around and try to
find a faculty member or two. I identified two
or three people who I thought would make good
additions to our faculty. Early in our conversations each one asked, “How many graduate
students do you have at South Carolina?” My
response was, “None at the moment. We need
faculty like you so we can start one.” The conversations were always politely ended at this
point. I told Dr. Lipscomb, “This may sound
Looking Back cont. on pg. 6
From the Chair
This is now the third year that I have been writing this note
from the chair, and I am pleased to report that the Department of
Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of South Carolina is
still doing extremely well, despite the fact that budget cuts to the
University and department continue to occur. Three major events
regarding faculty have taken place this year.
First, two of our outstanding faculty, Cathy Murphy and Uwe
Bunz, received offers to move to other universities, actually the
same university. The good news is that we were able to retain Dr.
Murphy on our faculty, and she is now the Guy F. Lipscomb Professor of Chemistry. The bad news is we lost Uwe, an outstanding
organic chemist. His infectious love of chemistry will be missed.
Second, we have three new faculty coming on board as assistant professors this fall. As I outlined in last year’s message, one
hire is a USC undergraduate, Lee Ferguson, who just finished his
postdoctoral at the Pacific Northwest Laboratories with a worldrenowned mass spectroscopist. He is working in the new area of
proteomics, and will bring biological as well as environmental
projects to our department.
We also hired Paul Thompson, a biochemist with a Ph.D. from
McMaster University in Canada who did his postdoctoral research
at Johns Hopkins University, which was sponsored by the Medical Research Council of Canada/Canadian Institutes for Health
Research.
Both faculty members accepted new positions made possible
by a large statewide grant from the National Institute of Health,
a grant that has as its goal increasing the NIH funding in South
Carolina. This grant was written and is directed by Professor John
Baynes, a chaired professor in our department.
Our third hire is Qian Wang, an organic chemist who has recently developed an exciting new area of using virus shells as templates for organic syntheses and also to build new types of materials. Dr. Wang earned a Ph.D. at Tsinghua University in China and
has been doing postdoctoral work at Scripps for the past two years.
Third, Bruce Dunlap, a member of this department for 32 years
and the first “official” biochemist hired, accepted the position of
dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida International
University. Dr. Dunlap was chair of the department for six years
in the 90s, doing an outstanding
job of bringing in talented new
faculty. He also had an outstanding
research career with funding from
the NIH virtually his entire time at
USC. We wish him luck in his new
position.
In addition to a shaky financial situation, the University has
decided to make a number of
major changes in the way we do
business. Traditionally graduate
Dr. Daniel Reger
students did not pay full tuition, but
paid a “fee” instead, a fee that recently was about one-third the
cost of tuition. Starting this year, however, all graduate students
will pay full in-state tuition. As this represents a serious increase
in what graduate students must pay, grants and/or department
resources are being used to pay most of the tuition. The hope is
that in the long term, the funding agencies will increase the size
of our grants to cover this tuition, resulting in new funds that can
be used to improve what we pay our graduate students.
The University has also implemented a new way to build our
budgets called “value centered management” that is based on
the number of students that we teach. Right now we have lots of
students, so it may work out well for us, but the overall impact is
mainly unknown, at present.
As always, the strength of our program is based on outstanding
faculty, staff and students; we have all three at present and are
working on continuing to have the quality of our people as the
primary consideration in our actions. Our new building is clearly
helping our research programs, which are doing very well, at
present. Teaching evaluations in our undergraduate courses are
very high, so we feel we are succeeding in our joint mission of
outstanding teaching and world-class research.
USC CHEMIST
A Newsletter for Alumni and Friends of the Department
Web: www.chem.sc.edu/news/alumni/alumni.asp or follow the links
from the chemistry department homepage, www.chem.sc.edu.
USC Chemist is written and edited by Alice Hartzog, with help
on this issue from Willard Davis, Scott Goode, Stephen Morgan,
Barbara Wachob, and Roy Wuthier. To contribute alumni news or
feedback:
Or write: USC Chemist, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry,
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208.
E-mail: chemweb@mail.chem.sc.edu
2
Wuthier Develops New Cancer Drug
Dr. Roy Wuthier, G.F. Lipscomb Professor of Biochemistry at USC, has
been steadily working on a new cancer drug, Fusarochromanone (FC101),
which directly inhibits the growth of cells of several different kinds of cancer, and blocks development of new blood vessels needed for solid tumors
to grow.
“When we first discovered FC101, we thought its only action was to
block growth of new blood vessels,” said Dr. Wuthier. “We have since discovered that it has even greater ability to block the cancer cells themselves.
Melanomas, small-cell lung cancers, and colon cancers appear to be more
sensitive than other types, but examples of nearly every type of cancer have
been found to be sensitive to the drug.” FC101 appears to be a selective
inhibitor of specific cancer cell lines; it does not appear to be generally
toxic to normal cells.
FC101 has a simple, unique structure. “It should be relatively easy to
synthesize chemically,” Wuthier said, “but this has not proven to be the
case.” Studies need to be made of chemical derivatives of the drug to determine which parts of the molecule impart it potent activity. FC101 also has
a unique mechanism of action, although its molecular target has not yet
been discovered. Comparison of FC101 with more than 50,000 drugs and
chemicals tested in the NCI 60-cell line screens reveals that its pattern of
inhibition does not correlate closely with any known compound.
FC101 also should be easy to administer, according to Wuthier. It is orally available: based on studies in chicken and mice, it is readily absorbed
and is active when given by mouth. “Sixty percent of the cancer lines
tested at NCI showed 50 percent inhibition of cell growth when treated
with low levels of the drug (50 nM, i.e. 5x10-8 M),” said Dr. Wuthier.
“Most important, FC101 has caused significant inhibition (40–60 percent)
of tumor growth in all three of the cancer lines so far tested in vivo. Many
Dr. Roy Wuthier
drugs have been found to work well in vitro, but then are not effective
when given in vivo. The fact that FC101 works in vivo shows that it has
the potential to become an effective cancer drug.” These factors make
FC101 a highly attractive ‘lead compound’ for development as a selective
and non-toxic anti-cancer agent.
Wuthier has been granted two patents for this drug: U.S. Patent No.
5,932,611, “Use of FC101 as an Angiogenesis Inhibitor for the Treatment
of Cancer” in 1999, and U.S. Patent No. 6,225,340, “Angiogenesis Inhibitor for the Treatment of Endothelial Cell Proliferation” in 2001.
REU Students Earn Research Experience
When it comes to research experiences for
undergraduates, good lab experience can be pretty
hard to come by for a lot of students. At USC,
however, the faculty is committed to promoting
high quality research opportunities for undergraduates. Dr. Catherine Murphy, the winner of this
year’s Undergraduate Research Mentor award, is
just one of the faculty members who is working to
create outstanding opportunities for undergraduates.
Providing undergraduates the opportunity to be
directly involved in the research of nanoscience
is a primary objective of the Research Experience
for Undergraduates Program, which is supported
by the National Science Foundation. However,
it’s a great experience for everyone involved. “For
students, it’s their first research experience. They
turn in written reports, which is good for them,
and they get excited about research. For faculty,
they get a good summer student for free,” said
Dr. Murphy. “Also, grad students get mentor and
teaching experience.”
The REU program at USC, which is in its fifth
year, is one of 150 such programs in universities
across the nation. Every summer, there are approximately 50 REU students on campus—not only in
the chemistry department, but in other departments
such as psychology, engineering, and physics as
well. This year, nine students participated in the
program: Michelle Baron of King’s College, who
did research with Dr. Stephen Morgan; Julie Brennan of the University of Pittsburgh, who worked
with Dr. Catherine Murphy; Katarzyna Glab of
USC, who was in Dr. Hanno zur Loye’s lab; Brian
Goodfellow of Cornell University, who worked
with Dr. Wally Scrivens; Michael Macias of USC,
who was in Dr. Michael Angel’s lab; Stevan
3
Samuel of Benedict College, who worked with Dr.
Ken Shimizu; Lindsay Taylor of USC, who does
research with Dr. Michael Myrick; Kristin Thoreson of the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse,
who worked with Dr. John Ferry; and Robert
Whitesell of Erskine College, who worked with
Dr. John Lavigne.
Another philosophy of the REU program is
that exposure to research early in a student’s
undergraduate career will encourage the student to
pursue doctoral program opportunities and careers
as research scientists. Research can also encourage students to clarify their career goals and gain a
birds-eye view of how research science works.
Students chosen to participate in the program
receive a stipend and are provided on-campus
housing for the duration of the program, which
typically runs from June 1– August 3 of each year.
Department Welcomes New Faculty
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is pleased to welcome three
excellent new chemists to the chemistry
faculty. Dr. Lee Ferguson, who specializes
in environmental/analytical chemistry and
environmental
proteomics;
Dr. Paul
Thompson,
who studies
the molecular
biology of
nuclear proteins, and Dr.
Qian Wang,
who merges
biology and
nanosynthetic
Dr. Lee Ferguson
methods.
Lee Ferguson comes to us from the Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory in Richland,
Washington, where he was a postdoctoral
researcher. “I’ve worked with Dr. Richard
D. Smith this past year on development of
instrumentation for electrospray time-of-flight
mass spectrometry, as well as applications
of mass spectrometry to the emerging field
of proteomics,” said Ferguson. “Specifically,
I’ve been developing novel approaches for
increasing the attainable mass accuracy and
dynamic range of electrospray time-of-flight
mass spectrometry detection systems. Also,
much of my work has centered on improving
the ability to make quantitative measurements of protein abundance in cells and tissues using mass spectrometry. Both of these
research projects are ongoing and will be
continued through collaborations after I begin
at USC.”
Ferguson is one of our own undergraduates,
having earned a BS in marine sciences from
USC in May 1997, and his BS in chemistry in
January 1997, and became heavily involved
in research as an undergraduate. Ferguson
worked primarily with Tom Chandler in the
department of environmental health sciences,
but also with Tim Shaw, Bill Cotham, and
Mike Walla in the chemistry department.
Ferguson said, “This was an exciting time for
me and my successes—and failures—led me
to pursue a career as a research scientist. I am
fortunate now to have the opportunity to work
again with my former mentors at USC, not as
a student but as a colleague!”
As a doctoral student at the State University
of New York at Stony Brook, Ferguson studied environmental and analytical chemistry
with Dr. Bruce Brownawell until 2002. “My
Ph.D. research was on the development of
methods for analyzing polar organic contaminants in the marine environment. These methods were then utilized in detailed environmental fate and transport studies,” said Ferguson.
“Mass spectrometry was an important tool for
my work in graduate school, and I became one
of the first researchers to routinely apply the
technique of electrospray mass spectrometry
in analysis of organic contaminants in the
marine environment.”
At USC, Ferguson focuses on the application of high performance mass spectrometry
to environmental toxicology and chemistry.
“This is an area of tremendous growth currently and I believe there are many advances
to be made,” said Ferguson. “In general, I’d
say that students and researchers in my laboratory will be involved in a diverse range of
environmental application projects, but these
applications
will be built
on a fundamental
understanding of mass
spectrometry
principles
and practice.”
Ferguson lives
in Columbia
with his wife,
Mandy, and
Dr. Qian Wang
their two children, Kelsey
and Tommy.
The second new faculty member joining
us is Qian Wang, who originally hails from
Dunhua, China. Wang earned a BS in chemistry from Tsinghua University in Beijing,
where he worked with Professor Yong-de Li,
Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. “I was working on the
synthesis of liquid crystalline compounds with
pyrimidine ring,” said Wang. He also earned a
Ph.D. in chemistry from Tsinghua University,
where he worked with Professor Yufen Zhao
of Tsinghua from 1992–1995 and Professor
Manfred Schlosser of University of Lausanne,
Switzerland from 1995–1997. His research
4
there focused on new synthetic methodologies
of small molecules using organophosphine,
organofluorine, and organometallic reagents.
After that, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the
University of Lausanne, where he continued
working on the development of new methodology of small molecules synthesis.
Wang now comes to us from his post as a
postdoctoral fellow at the Scripps Research
Institute in La
Jolla, California, where
he worked
with Professor
M.G. Finn,
and then was
promoted to a
senior research
associate.
“I studied
the selective
modificaDr. Paul Thompson
tion of plant
virus based on
genetic mutagenesis and bioconjugation, and
developed non-infectious viruses as platform
for chemical reactions and drug delivery
vehicles,” said Wang.
At USC, Dr. Wang continues his synthetic
work. “Synthesis—organic or inorganic—is
an art to manipulate atoms. The key philosophy of my research is to learn the logic
of biology, and use bio-information, such as
genetic control, to fine-tune our synthesis,”
said Wang. “One of my projects is to employ
non-infectious viruses as platform to develop
new biomaterials. Another project is to apply
bacteriophage-displayed peptides to screen
and control the synthesis of new in vivo imaging fluorescent dyes.” Wang lives in Columbia
with his wife, Zaixiao Zhang, and their twoyear-old daughter, Florence. Their second
child, Leon, was born in Sept.
Paul Thompson, the third new faculty
member, did his undergraduate and graduate
work at McMaster University in Hamilton,
Ontario, Canada. “At McMaster, I studied
with Dr. Gerard D. Wright, where I studied
the molecular mechanism of aminoglycoside resistance in bacterial pathogens,”
said Thompson. “Specifically, these studies
involved the characterization of the aminoglycoside phosphotransferase type III which cata-
Reger Awarded Mungo Graduate
Teaching Award
lyzes the transfer of a phosphoryl group from
ATP to a hydroxyl group present on the antibiotic. Once these antibiotics are phosphorylated,
they no longer bind to their in vivo target and
are thereby ineffective as antibacterial agents.”
The goals for this project were to develop
inhibitors to render the resistance mechanism
ineffective and thereby ‘restore’ the activity of
the antibiotic.
During his post doctoral studies, Thompson
began to study the role of histone acetylation
in the regulation of gene transcription, studies which he will be continuing. “The inappropriate expression of genes is a common
occurrence in cancer and our goal is to stop
the expression of those genes by developing
inhibitors to an essential human histone acetyltransferase called p300.”
At USC, Thompson continues his postdoctoral research carried out at Johns Hopkins
on the histone acetyltransferase p300 with the
goal being the understanding of its molecular
mechanism. “I will also be studying the molecular mechanisms of a number of other human
proteins involved in regulating human transcription which can also often be found to be
inappropriately regulated in human cancers,”
said Thompson. ”The goals for these studies
will be the development of small molecule
inhibitors which could be used either as drugs
or as pharmacological probes to study the roles
of these enzymes in vivo.” Thompson lives in
Columbia and enjoys playing golf.
The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is pleased to have these outstanding new
chemists join our faculty, and we look forward
to their long and prosperous future here.
During his time at the University of South
Carolina, Dr. Dan Reger has been dedicated
to working with graduate students. “I really
enjoy working with my students and watching
them develop,” said Dr. Reger.
Now Dr. Reger has been acknowledged for
his longtime dedication to graduate teaching
with the Michael J. Mungo Graduate Teaching
Award for spring 2003, which recognizes and
rewards excellence in graduate teaching on the
Columbia campus. “In South Carolina, I’ve
spent most of my time working with graduate
students and research. It’s so very fulfilling to
be recognized for that.”
Reger’s formula for teaching and mentoring
graduate students includes formal teaching,
mentoring of graduate students in the research
environment, and teaching incoming science
and engineering graduate students how to
teach and give presentations. “My philosophy
is always the same: do anything I can to help
the growth and development of the students so
that they reach their fullest potential.”
Dr. Reger asserts that the personal, one-onone mentoring of Ph.D. students is teaching
that is just as important as formal classroom
instruction. “The one accomplishment that I
am probably most proud of in my career at
USC is that of the 29 graduate students who
have started working in my laboratories on
the Ph. D. degree, 24 have received the degree
and four more are well on their way toward
that accomplishment. This success record is
remarkable–I have read that the national average is closer to 60 percent.”
Reger not only interacts daily with each
student, but also allows them to grow into
research at their own rate. “I am always trying
to get them to see for themselves solutions to
problems and the next logical experiment to
do to expand the research. I have never lost
my enthusiasm for new results in the lab and
try to infect my students with this same ‘disease,’” said Reger. “I love the excitement of
working with students to successfully execute
new forefront chemistry and write it up for
publication, the whole time watching the student doing the research grow into an outstanding researcher and scientist.”
Reger keeps in close contact with his former
students, and sees them periodically. “All
but a couple came back for a 50th birthday
reunion,” he said. “And my first five students
5
Dr. Daniel Reger
with families get together each year to go to a
USC football game. All were at my son’s wedding in May.”
The quality of the science carried out with
these students has been very high, as demonstrated by the high quality journals in which
Dr. Reger and his students have published
their 150 papers and the success of Dr. Reger’s
research funding—which includes many major
grants from NIH, NSF, DOE and other agencies totaling over three million dollars. “The
key to getting grants funded is an outstanding
track record of research,” said Dr. Reger.
Dr. Reger was also one of the founding
teachers in the University program for improving the teaching of our graduate student teaching assistants and new faculty. “I give presentations on how to prepare and deliver lectures. I
also spend time outlining methods for positive
interactions with students. In addition, I discuss
how to give graduate seminars on research
topics, helping new graduate students coming from all areas of science and engineering
develop their presentation skills. This program
has recently been expanded to include a separate session with new faculty at USC.”
Over the years, Dr. Reger has been awarded
the USC Educational Foundation Research
Award for Science, Mathematics and Engineering, the Mungo Award for Excellence
in Undergraduate Teaching, and the Amoco
Outstanding Teacher Award. His dedication to
his students—helping them discover the joys
of chemistry, and watching them develop into
excellent scientists—is one of the reasons why
he has been honored many times over by the
USC community.
Bouknight Auditorium Chairs Named
In October 1998, the Department of Chemistry
and Biochemistry dedicated the largest teaching
auditorium in the College of Science and Mathematics to the memory of Dr. Joseph W. Bouknight.
Dr. Bouknight taught thousands of students during his tenure at the University. Not only was he
remembered as an extraordinary teacher, but he
also, quite remarkably, remembered thousands of
students by name.
Shortly before his death, one of Dr. Bouknight’s
former students, Dr. Thomas Stokes, established
a fund in Dr. Bouknight’s name. Dr. and Mrs.
Bouknight designated this fund to support the educational expenses of students who intended to teach
chemistry in high school. Dr. Bouknight felt that the
quality of our students and the long-term development of our profession started before they reached
the University.
Donors who gave more than $250 have their
names inscribed on a plaque at the rear of the
Joseph W. Bouknight Auditorium, Room 210 in
the Jones Physical Science Center. Donors who
give at the $500 level were designated “Bouknight
Chairholders” and have their names installed on a
particular chair in the auditorium. The plaque at the
back of the room identifies these donors and their
chairs. Whenever you’re in the area, please drop by
and see the plaques and chairs.
The Bouknight Scholarship fund has supported
six students who have graduated, as well as a seventh student who was awarded the scholarship on
Awards Day and is currently being supported for
2003–2004.
The list of patrons is extensive, but there are still
many chairs waiting to be named. If you would like
to contribute, please use the card enclosed to let us
know.
Chair Names for Bouknight Auditorium
Seat Numbers
Dr. Joseph W. Bouknight
A6
Julia L. Bouknight
A7 - A14
Julia L. Bouknight
B6 - B11
Hiram Allen
H15
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Dr. A. Ray Ballentine
In Memory of Mattie Koon Ballentine
Dr. William D. Bailey
Dr. John W. Baynes
Irene Herty Blackmon
Robert S. Bly
Robert S. Bly
Ruta K. Bly
Kerry Bowers
Dr. Wilson W. Bryan
In Honor of Mrs. Jackie N. Byrd
Tom Cantrell
Robert L. Cargill Jr.
Dr. Kent L. Cipollo
Dr. Gerard M. Crawley
In Honor of Dr. H. Willard Davis
Dr. John H. Dawson
In Honor of Edward J. Dunlap
Dr. R. Bruce Dunlap
F12 - F16
G6 - G16
H6 - H13
E8 - E9
E10
H16
H17
J6
C13 - C15
D6
D7 - D8
F8
J7 - J8
K12
F7
F10
J9 - J11
J12
K7
E11
D10
D9
Bouknight Auditorium cont. on pg. 11
Looking Back, from pg. 1
crazy, but we won’t get the faculty that we want
until we get some graduate students.” I also suggested that we convert the money used for the
two instructors into six graduate assistantships
and start offering a master’s degree that specialized in organic chemistry. Joe Bouknight and
Willard Whitesell joined me in this effort, and
Dr. Lipscomb got the president’s approval. We
started the fall semester in 1948 with six assistants and two more on the GI bill.
We had some additional help in the organic
area. Dr. Atherton Whaley, a 1937 USC graduate
with a Ph.D. from Ohio State University, was
living in the Columbia area and running a small
laboratory in which he prepared select organic
compounds on order. He also spent some time
in the department helping with our research program. His participation was a great help at this
stage of our development.
In the 1930s, The American Chemical
Society (ACS) started a program of accrediting
undergraduate chemistry programs. It was no
surprise that the University of South Carolina
was not on the list of approved schools. In the
fall of 1948, I recommended to Dr. Lipscomb
that we apply and he got the necessary administrative consent. We had no expectation of
approval, but we thought we would get some
leverage for improvements we wanted. And
that is exactly what happened! The ACS did not
pull any punches—in 1949 they sent Dr. Conrad
Fernelius, the head of the chemistry department
at Penn State, to check us out. His report duly
mentioned our lack of faculty, heavy teaching loads, and inadequate facilities, which was
exactly what we expected. He did, however, give
us encouragement to keep working and to look
forward to re-applying.
Early in the spring of 1949, Dr. Lipscomb,
who had carried a substantial part of our general chemistry load, told us that he intended to
retire at the end of the semester. This meant that
we had a vacancy to fill without much time to
spare. While Dr. Fernelius was here, he told us
about Dr. Grover Chandlee, who was retiring
from their chemistry department. He thought Dr.
Chandlee would fit well into our situation and
recommended that we contact him. He joined us
for 1949–50.
Although he never mentioned it to Bouknight, Whitesell, or me, Dr. Lipscomb wrote
a letter to President Smith on Feb. 16, 1949
regarding his retirement. He included a recommendation for his successor as head of the
department. Through the kindness of Guy Lipscomb Jr., I now have President Smith’s reply
in which he expressed appreciation for Dr. Lipscomb’s service to the University and promised
to give serious consideration to Dr. Lipscomb’s
recommendation for the headship of the depart6
ment. At the departmental level there was very
little discussion—none officially—of the headship vacancy. On July 14, an announcement in
the newspaper confirmed my appointment by
the Board of Trustees on the recommendation
of President Norman M. Smith. Obviously Dr.
Lipscomb had recommended me, but I never
had any contact with the president about the
appointment.
We had another position available and I felt
that we should fill it with an organic chemist.
We hired a recent graduate of Northwestern
University, who stayed only one year by mutual
agreement. The faculty in September of 1949
included Willard Whitesell, Joe Bouknight,
Grover Chandlee, the new organic man, and me.
In the spring of 1950, an inquiry was received
from Peyton Teague—then on the faculty at the
University of Kentucky—that led to an offer
which was accepted. He joined us in September
of 1950, and soon after got our first research
grant—$2,000 from Research Corporation.
I spent the summer of 1950 in the carbon14 lab at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
as a research participant, which was a program
designed to bring academic scientists to Oak
Ridge to learn the techniques of working with
radioactive isotopes. This experience was the
beginning of a long and fruitful association with
Oak Ridge.
Murphy Named USC’s First Outstanding
Undergraduate Research Mentor
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We had approval for another position for 1950
and it was time to do more in the area of physical
chemistry. An application was received from Dr.
William Marshall, who had a Ph.D. from Ohio
State and was working in the National Laboratory at Oak Ridge, but had spent the war years in
military-related research at one of the major universities. Dr. Marshall came to visit and I escorted
him to the office of the president, Admiral Norman Smith, who was retired from the U.S. Navy.
The first question the president asked was, “What
branch of the service were you in during the war?”
Dr. Marshall answered, “None,” but explained his
situation. For all practical purposes, that was the
end of the interview. I started all over again trying
to find us a physical chemist interested in an academic situation, preferably some one with military
experience, ideally the Navy. Dr. Joe Burkhalter,
a USC alumnus on the faculty at the University of
Kansas, notified me that they had a man there, O.D.
Bonner, nearing the end of his Ph.D. work that they
recommended highly and that he had served as a
lieutenant commander in the navy. His appointment
was readily approved to begin in January 1951. We
were able to arrange for him to go to Oak Ridge in
the following summer, a connection that provided
him with support for his ion-exchange work for
several years.
In 1952 we moved into part of the third and all
of the fourth floors of the new LeConte College.
“The best way to learn science, and to get excited about science,
is to do it—for real,” said Professor Catherine Murphy. “As a faculty member, I’ve taken this philosophy to its extreme, and essentially
take as many undergraduates into my lab as it can physically hold.”
Dr. Murphy’s dedication to undergraduate chemistry education
has earned her accolades in the department—and now on a university-wide level as well. On April 26, Murphy was named USC’s
first Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor. The award was
announced as part of Discovery Day, the first annual showcase
event for Columbia campus undergraduate research activities. The
award provided a $2,500 stipend for Murphy, but the real reward is
Dr. Catherine Murphy
in nurturing her students’ passion for science.
“Undergraduates contribute meaningfully to my research,” said Dr. Murphy. “They do wonderful
work, which has led to 11 publications in the scientific literature so far, and they bring enthusiasm
and energy to the lab that reinvigorates my graduate students—and me!”
Students in Dr. Murphy’s lab are required to orally present the results of their research and write
a formal report describing their results at the end of each term, giving undergraduates much-needed
experience in writing and speaking to a scientific audience. “The projects the undergraduates work
on are smaller in scope, but equal in rigor, to what I expect my graduate students to do. I am happy
to say that they rise to the challenge beautifully.”
With new quarters and an expanded faculty, we
decided to make another application to the ACS for
accreditation and we did, successfully this time. We
also thought that we were ready to initiate a Ph.D.
program, with concentrations in organic and physical chemistry. The university gave its approval for
the program to begin in 1953.
By this time, I was contributing little to the
organic program and decided that we needed a
person in that area, preferably a physical-organic
specialist. I went to the spring meeting of the ACS
with the hopes of finding one. At one of the big
receptions I met up with a former student who
was then in graduate school at Cornell University.
I told him about our progress and about my desire
to find a physical-organic chemist. He told me to
get in touch with Dr. Del DeTar of their faculty,
who could give me some suggestions. About that
time Dr. DeTar appeared and wanted to know more
about the situation and more about the department. He ultimately visited, accepted our offer, and
joined us in September of 1953. Not only did he
come, but one of his students came as well. The
student, Douglas Relyea, received our first Ph.D.
degree in 1954.
Even before offering the Ph.D., we started a
seminar program. It was purely a local affair at
first. In 1953, we expanded it by bringing wellknown chemists to come for a visit and a seminar
talk. We asked them to come for two days so that
7
in addition to a talk about their work, our faculty
could have one-on-one discussions with them.
Dr. Paul Barlett of Harvard was one of the first to
come. Mary and I had Barlett, President Donald
Russell, and Dr. DeTar to our house for lunch, an
enjoyable event that paid later dividends. The seminar program was very beneficial—it allowed us
to exchange technical information, and spread the
word that there was an active chemistry program
at the University of South Carolina.
By 1956 the faculty included Dick Gilkerson, a
physical chemist who got his Ph.D. at Kansas, and
John Kice, an organic chemist with a Ph.D. from
Harvard who had been a student of Paul Barlett.
The number of graduate students had increased
significantly, and research activity was placing a
stress on space. We had acquired an infrared spectrophotometer, had three post-doctoral fellows, and
even had a secretary and a stockroom manager.
The time spent in the chemistry department was
the most productive of the 36 years that I worked
for the University, and I have enjoyed writing
about them. I am especially grateful to Dr. Guy
Lipscomb for his guidance, assistance, and for giving me the opportunity to undertake the challenge.
I am also grateful to those who worked so hard
and effectively with me in the early years, and to
those who have carried on since and brought the
department to the high level that it now enjoys.
Department Supporter
Granted Honorary Doctorate
ALUMNI NEWS
Nefertiti Brown (BS, 2000) is completing her first year at the University of
President Andrew
Sorensen granted
an honorary doctor
of science degree
at the May 2003
commencement
ceremonies to one
of the pioneers in
the development
of bioinorganic
From left to right: Dr. John Dawson, Dr. Harry Gray,
chemistry, Professor
and Dr. Jerome Odom
Harry B. Gray from
the California Institute of Technology. Professor Gray has been a guest
of the chemistry department on several occasions, and was the keynote
speaker at the GSRC dedication ceremony in 2001. Professor John Dawson, who did his postdoctoral research with Professor Gray, initiated his
nomination for the honorary doctorate.
Professor Gray is the Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry and
the founding director of the Beckman Institute at the California Institute
of Technology. He received his BS in chemistry from Western Kentucky University in 1957, and earned his Ph.D. in 1960 at Northwestern
University with Ralph Pearson and Fred Basolo, where he performed
research on inorganic reaction mechanisms. After a year of postdoctoral
research in Copenhagen, Denmark, with Professor Carl Ballhausen, he
joined the chemistry faculty at Columbia University where his research
emphasis was on the electronic structures and reactions of inorganic
complexes. In 1966, he moved to CalTech where he focused on the
solar photochemistry of metal complexes that mimic early events in photosynthesis and on the role of metal ions in biological systems. Over the
past two decades, much of his research has been aimed at understanding
the mechanism of electron transfer involving metalloproteins.
For Professor Gray’s contributions to chemistry, which include more
than 650 papers, 17 books and over 100 named lectures, he has received
numerous awards including the Bailar Medal (1984), the Pauling Medal
(1986), the Linderstrom-Lang Prize (Copenhagen, 1991), the Basolo
Medal (1984), the Gibbs Medal (1994), the Chandler Medal (1999), the
Harvey Prize (Haifa, 2000), the Nichols Medal (2003) and 16 honorary doctorates. He has received six national awards from the American
Chemical Society including four for research, the Pimentel Award given
for outstanding contributions to chemical education, and the Priestley
Medal (1986), the Society’s highest award, given for outstanding service
to chemistry. In 1986, he received the National Medal of Science from
President Reagan. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences,
the Royal Society of Great Britain, a foreign member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters and the Royal Swedish Academy
of Sciences, and an honorary member of the Italian Chemical Society.
He was California Scientist of the Year in 1988 and was the George
Eastman Professor at the University of Oxford in 1997–98.
The citation read at graduation recognized Professor Harry Barkus
Gray for “his commitment to knowledge and scientific endeavor; for his
pioneering research in bioinorganic chemistry and inorganic photochemistry; and for his dedication to and concern for helping students understand complex scientific principles.”
Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She was recently selected to receive a 2003
Summer Research Fellowship from the Endocrine Society.
Tonya Bunn (BS, ’98) is currently working at the Getty Conservation Institute as a conservation scientist, working with artificial and historical adobe
substrates from the southwestern United States.
J. Chance Carter (BS ’91, Ph.D. 2000) and Kimberly Pierce Carter (BS
‘90) announce the birth of a daughter, Kyndal Nicole, born on August 2, 2003
in San Ramon, California.
Shalawn Kirkland Jackson (Ph.D. ’01) was recently promoted to senior
research engineer with ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company. She and
her husband, James L. Jackson (BS ’96) became the parents of a daughter,
Jaysha Annette, born April 10, 2003.
Michael Junker (Ph.D. ’73) is the DSM Elastomers Americas’ Quality
Service Manager for North America. He intends to retire in 2004, and has a
small ranch near Clinton, Louisiana, where he plans to spend his time raising
Charlois cattle for the beef market. He currently lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Dr. David Mitchell (MS ’82) is an orthopedic surgeon in Spartanburg,
South Carolina, where he lives with his wife, Tonya, and their four children. “I
am grateful for the knowledge and friendship acquired in Dr. Sodetz’s lab,”
Mitchell writes.
Susanne Catharine Moyer (BS ’97) recently completed Ph.D. in physi-
cal chemistry from Johns Hopkins University and is currently a postdoctoral
fellow in Catherine Costello’s laboratory at Boston University School of Medicine working on High Pressure MALDI FT-ICR Mass Spectrometry.
Sean OʼConnor (MS ’78) is currently working at ATK Tiokol in northern
Utah as the company’s HPLC/MS expert. The company makes solid rocket
boosters for the space shuttle. He has been married to Julya Rose for 27 years;
his daughter is a law student and his son is a junior in college. He lives in
Ogden, Utah.
Ronald Shin (Ph.D. 2000) is currently a research associate at the University
of Alabama—Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, where he manages
the NMR Core Facilities.
Jerri Warren, a former staff member, lives in Spartanburg with her husband, Larry, who practices radiology there.
Nancy Watkins (Ph.D. ’84) currently resides in Hong Kong.
Muhammed Yousufuddin (BS 2000) is completing his third year at the
University of Southern California, where he is currently studying crystallography under the tutelage of Dr. Robert Bau.
Byung-chan Yu (Ph.D. ’93) has been teaching in the Department of Chemistry at Mokwon University in Daejon, Korea since 1994. He also served the
chairperson of the department for two years. He is now the father of three
children, ages 12 and two-year-old twins. His wife teaches Korean literature
and language in a nearby university.
8
Ph.D. Alumni Named
Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Winthrop
When most
graduate chemistry
students begin their
Ph.D. education,
they usually anticipate the career of
research ahead of
them—and, if they
plan to become professors, perhaps a
Dr. Tom Moore
long and successful
career in teaching. But for Dr. Tom Moore (Ph.D.
’78), the academic career that he had trained for
ended up having unexpected benefits.
Dr. Moore, who is in his 25th year as an educator in higher education, has just begun his duties as
the vice president for academic affairs at Winthrop
University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Prior to
his appointment, Dr. Moore was the dean of the
College of Arts and Sciences at Winthrop. He has
also held a variety of other administrative and
academic positions at Winthrop, including being
the director of the Master of Liberal Arts (MLA)
program, serving for four years as the faculty
representative to Winthrop’s Board of Trustees,
and being the chemistry department chair. He also
provided leadership in Winthrop’s adoption of its
new general education program, in developing a
pre-engineering agreement with Clemson University, and in systemic efforts to increase student
engagement in the learning process.
In his newest position, Moore will oversee six
deans—arts and sciences, business administration, the library, performing arts, education, and
University College. “It’s a long way from being a
chemistry professor,” said Moore. “I wasn’t planning on it, it just happened that way.”
After finishing a BA in chemistry at Huntingdon College, Moore came to USC in 1973. “My
favorite part about the chemistry department at
USC was the fellow students, the people I was
there with in Odom, Reger, Ellis, and Dunlap’s
research groups. I am forever grateful to Jerry
Odom for his support and tolerance. It was a very
good place for me, and a very good educational
experience.”
After finishing a Ph.D. in 1978, Moore went to
Georgia Southern University from 1978–1981,
and then to Birmingham-Southern College from
1981–1986. He joined Winthrop as the chairman
of the department of chemistry and physics in
1986, and held that position until 1993. While he
was at Birmingham-Southern, Moore did a summer seminar at Yale through the National Endowment for the Humanities in the summer of 1984,
and a second one in the philosophy of science at
Northwestern University in 1987. “It stimulated a
liberal arts approach to understanding chemistry.
I got some insight into what history and philosophy of science reveal about the endeavor, and
the nature of the knowledge that we learn. That
led me to all kinds of issues and questions about
how we teach science to scientists and to nonscientists,” said Moore. “When I came to Winthrop, there was a committee developing a MLA
program. I got engaged in that process, and I
ended up directing that program for 10 years and
learned a heck of a lot from my students. While
I was directing that program, I was elected chair
of the faculty conference and faculty representative to the board of trustees. In that position, I
was in touch with the president and the Board of
Trustees and worked to build mutual understanding. I think that was some of the best training that
I could have had for the administrative position
that I have now.”
Moore praises the USC chemistry department
for doing an exceptional job at training chemists
for faculty positions. “We hired Christian Grattan
(Ph.D. ’00) and Chasta Parker (Ph.D. ’02) here,
and the fact that we have hired two recent Ph.D.s
of the department who are doing exceptionally
well at Winthrop indicates that the department is
doing a great job at educating people for faculty
membership,” said Moore. “They’ve engaged
our students in a lot of research, and are doing a
great job.”
Moore looks forward to the challenges that
being a top university administrator will bring.
“I’m excited about my job, and look forward to
what I will have an opportunity to learn over the
next few years.”
Dewar at the University of Texas, Austin. In 1971, Kohn became National
Research Council postdoctoral research associate at the U. S. Naval Undersea
Center, Pasadena, CA, where he studied energy storage in polymer solutions.
In 1973 he joined the research staff of the Department of Computer and Information Science of the Moore School of Electrical Engineering, University of
Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. During his long association at Penn, Kohn became
an internationally known expert in mathematical modeling and analysis of
complex metabolic networks, the area he would lead for the rest of his life. In
1984 he moved to Durham, NC, where he became research professor of medicine with the National Biomedical Computer Simulation Resource at Duke
University. In 1991, Kohn joined the staff of the Laboratory of Computational
Biology and Risk Analysis, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) at Research Triangle Park. He is survived by his wife, Lynn.
ALUMNI OBITUARIES
Dr. Betty Sams Roof Fudenberg (BS, ’44) died on May 14, 2003. She
was a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, as well as a professor of
medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina and assistant dean for
student progress. Previously she was on the staff of The University of California, San Francisco. Betty was a member and past President of Pilot Club, and
was a Woman of Valor of the American Diabetes Association. She is survived
by four sons: Drew Fudenberg and his wife Geneen O’Brien of Lexington,
MA, Brooks Roberts Fudenberg of Charleston, SC, David Melton Fudenberg
and his wife Kim Atkinson of Palo Alto, CA, Hugh Haskell Fudenberg of
Spartanburg, SC, and five grandchildren.
Dr. Michael C. Kohn (Ph.D., ’69) died of brain cancer December 20,
Guy White Jr. (MS ’29), the oldest alumni of the chemistry department,
2002. He was 61. Kohn received his BS in Chemistry from M.I.T. in 1964. At
USC he was a student of Dr. Robert Bly and Dr. Ben Gimarc, working on a
project in computational organic chemistry involving molecular mechanics
calculations of strained organic intermediates. He continued work in computational organic chemistry performing structural studies with semiempirical
molecular orbital methods as a postdoctoral research associate with M. J. S.
died on Monday, April 28, 2003. Dr. Bruce Dunlap said of White, “He was a
true gentleman and a strong supporter of the department. I truly enjoyed getting to know him. I will never forget that he drove himself to our lunch at the
Faculty Club when he was 93! He had a remarkable clarity of mind for a man
of his age, to say nothing of his zest for life.”
9
Forensic Analytical Group
at USC Conducts Research
A hit-and-run driver smashes into a parked car. Can paint chips transnarrow the focus of a forensic investigation. Morgan hopes that the USC
ferred from the driver’s car to the rear bumper of the parked car help to
fiber database will play a future role in forensic laboratories.
identify the car? In an office across town, a white-collar criminal photocopThe efforts of the Morgan group have produced both published forensic
ies sensitive documents worth thousands of dollars on the industrial blackresearch and recent graduates. Consider the paint chips in the hit-and-run
market. When copies of
example. When a single
the stolen documents are
fleck of automobile
recovered, can analysis
paint is placed in a
of the copy toner link the
chamber and pyrolyzed
documents to a specific
at 800 degree Celsius,
copier type? Clothing
a mixture of volatile
fibers are found at the
products is created that
scene of a violent crime.
can be analyzed by gas
Can the fibers be linked
chromatography/mass
to the assailant? All these
spectrometry to identify
examples involve minute
the paint. Former Morgan
traces of material, or
graduate student Brian
trace evidence, that may
Kochanowski (Ph.D.,
provide leads for foren1999; now at Waters
sic investigators.
Corporation) worked on
Professor Steve
matching paint patterns.
Morgan initiated his
Bill Egan (Ph. D., 1998),
research on forensic
who performed pattern
trace evidence in 1997
recognition research on
with $210,000 in conFTIR spectra of copy
tracts and grants from
toners, is now working
The Morgan group with the Craic UV-Vis microspectrometer. Top row: graduate students Alex Nieuwthe FBI Laboratory and
in drug discovery with
land, Brandi Clelland, and Chris Mubarak. Bottom row: undergraduates Jennifer Kennedy, Liz Enlow, and
the National Institute of
Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
Shana Burnett.
Justice. A $100,000 grant
Randy Galipo (Ph.D.,
from the Office of the
1997; Kodak) and KrisVice President for Research, along with donation of a forensic microscope
ten Sellers (Ph.D., 2000; Veridan) worked on a collaborative project with
from the State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Forensic Laboratory,
a former Jim Durig Ph. D. student, Dr. Bill Brewer, to analyze cocaine
enabled acquisition of a FTIR microspectroscopy system in 2001. During
and metabolites in human hair. Research in fast chromatography for forenthe past year, Morgan and his students have worked on a $272,316 contract sic toxicology started by Tricia Williams (MS, 1999, Milliken), Steven
from the FBI Laboratory to build a library of dyed textile fibers and to test
DuBose (Ph.D., 2002, International Paper), and Naren Meruva (Ph.D.,
discrimination of those fibers by UV-Vis and fluorescence microspectros2002, Phillip Morris) is being continued by current graduate student Alex
copy. A second $300,594 FBI contract, in collaboration with spectroscopist
Nieuwland.
Professor Mike Angel, was also funded to evaluate protocols for use of
Work on the Raman microscopy of fibers started by Bill Pearman (MS,
Raman microspectroscopy for forensic analysis of fibers. To create the
2003; now teaching at West Point) in the Angel laboratory has been taken
fiber and fiber dye library, Morgan and textile chemist Dr. Jim Hendrix,
over by current student Brandi Clelland. Chris Mubarak (Hewlett-Packard)
a USC research assistant professor, enlisted the assistance of textile and
obtained his Ph.D. in summer 2003 working on UV-Vis and fluorescence
fiber companies in South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, and Tennesmicroscopy of fibers. Undergraduate students that have been involved
see. Samples of undyed fibers, dyed fibers, and dyes make up the current
in forensic research in the Morgan lab include Liz Enlow (USC, senior),
library of 500 acrylic, cotton, polyester, and nylon fibers.
Brian Vasser (USC, junior), Jennifer Kennedy (USC, senior), Katherine
“Forensic scientists look for patterns in the chemical analyses of eviRobinson (Duke, junior), Shana Burnett (USC, BS, 2003), Martha Miller
dence. However, that can be like looking for a needle in a haystack,”
(USC, B.S., 2002), Sara McFadden (USC, BS, 2002), Angela Powell
Morgan said. “What we’re trying to do is develop improved analytical
(USC, BS, 2002), and Lindsay Revere (USC, BS, 1999). Enlow and Vasser
techniques, provide tested protocols, and validate the achievable discrimiwill be presenting papers at the upcoming FACSS 2003 and PittCon 2004
nation of fibers—all with a new generation of spectroscopic instruments
conferences.
that permit microspectroscopic examination of samples.” Traditionally,
Steve Morgan holds a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry and joined the USC
FTIR spectroscopy is used for identification of the polymers used for texDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistry in 1976. In addition to forensic
tile fibers. However, the additional information on fiber dyes provided by
analytical chemistry, his other research interests include chemometrics and
molecular spectroscopy offers additional discriminating power. Recognizthe development of analytical methods in chromatography, mass spectroming that an acrylic fiber has been treated with a specific colored dye can
etry, and analytical pyrolysis.
10
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Salutes Departing Faculty
This year, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry said goodbye to two
of its distinguished faculty members, Dr. Bruce Dunlap and Dr. Uwe Bunz.
Dr. Dunlap is moving on to pursue the deanship of the College of Arts and
Sciences at Florida International University in
Miami. Dr. Bunz will assume the position of
professor of chemistry at the Georgia Institute
of Technology in Atlanta.
Dunlap had a long and distinguished career
at the University of South Carolina starting
in 1971, after earning a BS in chemistry from
Beloit College, a Ph.D. in biochemistry from
Indiana University, and completing postdoctoral research at the Scripps Clinic and
Research Foundation. In addition to being
the Weissman Professor of Chemistry and
Dr. Bruce Dunlap
Biochemistry, he was the associate director for
administration for the USC Nanocenter. Among his many accomplishments at
USC were earning a Faculty Research Award from the American Cancer Society from 1976–1980, being an elected Fellow of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science in 1986, receiving the Russell Research Award
for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering in 1987, and being named director
of basic research at the Center for Cancer Treatment and Research at Richland
Memorial Hospital from 1990–1996.
He has also served as an adjunct professor with the Department of Pediatrics
at the USC School of Medicine from 1991–present, and received the Basic
Science Research Award from University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 1992. He was named the R&D 100 Award for Innovations in Science
and Technology in 1993, and earned the Governor’s Award for Excellence
in Science Awareness in 1994. He is the recipient of the Outstanding South
Carolina Chemist Award, South Carolina Section, American Chemical Society,
1998, and earned the South Carolina Alliance for Minority Participation Outstanding Research Mentor Award with postdoctoral John G. Moore in 2000.
Dunlap was the chairman of the department of chemistry and biochemistry
for six years, from 1995–2001. His laboratory was involved in two major
research areas: the mechanism of action of selected folate enzymes, and the
exploitation of the properties of selenium and
tellurium to facilitate the X-ray crystallographic
and nuclear magnetic resonance studies of protein structure and function.
In his new position at Florida International
University, Dunlap says that he looks forward
to partnering with faculty and staff, and serving
as liaison to higher administration. “Having
been a faculty member for 32 years, I’m well
aware of where the strength of an educational
institution lies.” Some of Dunlap’s goals at FIU
include targeting undergraduate and graduDr. Uwe Bunz
ate education, increasing external funding for
research and training, and participating in development work for programs and
scholarships within the college.
Of his years at the University of South Carolina, Dunlap said, “I enjoyed the
opportunity to participate in the growth and development of the department, to
teach undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, and to train many doctoral and master’s degree students. It’s been a terrific experience.”
Dr. Bunz, who had been on the faculty since 1997, has pursued research in
organometallic chemistry, materials, polymer synthesis, alkynes, and modular
and DNA chemistry. The overall goal of his group was to design and synthesize novel and unique molecular architectures based on organometallic and
acetylenic or Oligonucleotide building blocks displaying specific properties or
structure/property relationships. He was awarded the Camile Dreyfus Scholar
award in 2000, as well as an NSF Career Award.
The department will greatly miss these two scholars, who contributed a great
deal to the department of chemistry and biochemistry. The legacy that they
leave at USC will not soon be forgotten.
Bouknight Auditorium from pg. 6
In Memory of Robert J. & Carol Dunlap
William T. Fetner Sr.
In Honor of Dr. Carolyn Fisher
Dr. & Mrs. Joseph H. Gibbons
Dr. & Mrs. William R. Gilkerson
Jules E. Goldberg Esq.
Scott and Regis Goode
In Honor of Lester Gross
Dr. William C. Harris
In Memory of Dr. Frederick R. Holland
William C. Holley
In Memory of
Mrs. Carolyn Haigler Husbands
Donald G. Kubler
Victor W. Laurie
In Memory of Dr. Guy F. Lipscomb Sr.
Kathryn E. MacLeod
D12
J13
E7
J14
F11
H14
E12–E14
K18
Q8
P17
Q9
J15
J16
J17
K6
K8
In Memory of
Arthur Riley Macon, Ph. D.
In Honor of Mrs. Arthur Riley Macon
Fred M. McLean ’85
Carol A. Mercer
Dr. Edward E. Mercer
In Honor of Nelson M. Mercer Family
Lynda D. Moates
Linda D. Morgan
Stephen L. Morgan
Richard Craig Morris, M.D.
In Honor of J. Ward Nolan Family
Jerome D. Odom
In Honor of Heather D. Pace
Cathleen Gross Pailet
In Memory of Janel Lynn Pailet
Rhodia Incorporated
11
Q10
Q11
K9
D13
E6
D15
K10
K14
K13
K15
D14
K16
D11
L6
K17
L7–L18
Rhodia Incorporated
Rhodia Incorporated
Rhodia Incorporated
Tom Sayetta
John W. Schofield
Connie & Wally Scrivens
Drs. Don and Mary Ann Sens
Kathryn Shaw
Col. H. Kirby Smith
Thomas W. Stokes
Thomas W. Stokes
In Honor of Peyton Teague
Stephen W. Trewhella
Phil Colin Wunder ’65
Harriette Derrick Wunder ’67
M6–M18
N6–N19
P6–P16
F6
Q12
P18
P19
Q6
F9
B12–B14
C6–C12
K11
Q7
E15
E16
2001–2002 Academic Year Highlights
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Appointment of New Faculty
Dr. Lee Ferguson, assistant professor,
biochemistry
Dr. Paul Thompson, assistant professor,
biochemistry
Dr. Qian Wang, assistant professor, organic
chemistry
Promotions of Current Faculty
Dr. Michael Myrick, associate professor,
promoted to professor of chemistry
Dr. Ken Shimizu, assistant professor, promoted
to associate professor of chemistry, awarded
tenure
Retirements
Dr. Bruce Dunlap, professor
Stephanie Wilson, administrative assistant
2002 State Service Awards
Dr. Tom Bryson, 30 years
Dr. Dan Reger, 30 years
Dr. George Handy, 20 years
Dr. Lukasz Lebioda, 20 years
Editorial Board Appointments
Dr. Timothy Shaw, associate editor,
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta.
Dr. Roy Wuthier, editorial board member,
Annexins, published by Landes Biosciences.
External Faculty Appointments
Dr. Hanno zur Loye, chair of the Solid State
Chemistry Subdivision of the Inorganic Division of the American Chemical Society.
Faculty Awards and Honors
Dr. Rick Adams, 2003 recipient of the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Scientific
Research.
Dr. George Handy, named as a “Favorite Professor” by residents of South Quadrangle.
Dr. Catherine Murphy, 2003 recipient of the
USC Outstanding Undergraduate Research
Mentor Award.
Dr. Daniel Reger, recipient of the Michael J.
Mungo Graduate Teaching Award.
Dr. Hanno zur Loye, summer 2003 visiting professor at the Institut de Chimie de la Matiere
Condensee, CNRS, Bordeaux, France
Student Highlights
Organizations
Students for the Advancement of
Chemical Sciences (SACS) 2002–2003
Officers
Andrea Goforth, president
Robert Osborne, vice president
Ryan Priore, treasurer
Jonathan Scaffidi, secretary
Fred Parsons, safety officer
Judy Mwamuka, social coordinator
2002–2003 Fellowship
Recipients
College of Science and Mathematics
Incentive Fellowships
Chris Mubarak
Alex Nieuwland
Dean’s Fellowships
Second-Year Students
Andrea Goforth
Robert Osborne
Fred Parsons
David Perkins
Third-Year Students
Daniele Andreatta
Ashley Greer
2002 Teague Fellowships
Elizabeth Deemer
William Gemmill
Bryant Nelson
Daniel Slade
2002 Murtiashaw Fellowships
Derek Elgin
Tara Hansen
Copenhaver Fellowships
Summer 2002
Will Gemmill
Tara Hansen
Kelly Hasty Hefner
Jessica Iseman
Ryan Kinloch
Wilfried Kipre
Yunhui Li
Tripp Morris
Bryant Nelson
John Stone
12
Summer 2003
Erin Boswell
Brandon Cash
Nelroy Jones
Marion Lawrence
Tanesha Osborne
Sam Mugavero
Garrison Reese
Brooke Steinbock
Other Fellowships
Environmental Chemistry Graduate Student
Award: Spencer Walse
2003 American Vacuum Society Graduate
Research Award: Jing Zhou
National Science Foundation Fellowship (2nd
Year): Paula Colavita
Honorable Mention for the National Science
Foundation Fellowship Program:
Andrea Goforth
Raymond Davis Scholarship for Imaging
Science and Technology: Ryan Priore
Student Highlights
Graduate Student
Competitions
2003 Graduate Seminar Competition
Guy Lipscomb Award for Excellence in Chemistry and Biochemistry: Tom Metz
Oakwood Products Award for Chemistry and
Biochemistry: Jon Scaffidi
IRIX Pharmaceuticals Award for Chemistry and
Biochemistry: Chris Mubarak
2003 USC Graduate-Student
Day Competition
Third Place, Oral Competition in Physical and
Life Sciences: Chris Mubarak
Poster Presentations Scholarly Works-II
winner: Lori Metz
Graduate Student Presentation Awards
Outstanding Student Paper Presentation at the
Boston American Chemical Society Meeting:
Spencer Walse, winner
J.R. Durig Student Travel
Awards 2002–2003
Kui Chen
Shengxi Jin
Thomas Metz
Roshan Perera
Holly Ricks
Bouknight Outstanding Teaching
Assistant Awards
Fall 2002
Greg Burns
William Gemmill
Tara Hansen
Gina Iacovella
Jessica Iseman
Toby Nelson
Spring 2003
Greg Burns
Chris Dockery
William Gemmill
Kelly Hefner
Bryant Nelson
Maxcy Stroman
2002–2003 Academic-Year Ph.D. and MS
Graduates
Ph.D. Graduates
August 2002
Rosemarie Chinni
Delia Ciurtin
Steven DuBose
Thomas Duncan
Michael Doescher
Christopher Dyke
Jeffrey Fiscus
Wei Fu
O-Sung Kwan
Narendra Meruva
Eric Ortlund
Bo Qu
Ruya Ozer
December 2002
Glen Brizius
Burjor Captain
Yizhao Chen
Matthew Laskoski
Primrose Musingarimi
Chad Nivens
Allison Oxsher
Mark Somoza
Katharine Stitzer
Andrea Thomas
May 2003
Heather Voegtle
Spencer Walse
MS Graduates
August 2002
Lori Amato
Heather Freyer
December 2002
Della Smith
May 2003
Bill Pearman
Undergraduate Student
Highlights 2002–2003
American Chemical Society Officers
Lonnie Spires, president
Brooke Gay, vice president
Heath Catoe, treasurer
Monica Kim, secretary
13
Chemistry BS Graduates
August 2002
Shane Breeden
Michael Johnson
Tiffiani Miller
Carrie Sanders
Claude Sapp
Dirreck Williams
December 2002
Michael Bachmeyer
Sheena Benson
Kelvin Billingsley
Brantley Busbee
John Dantzler
Edith Gadsden
Rachel Hollowell
Andrew Hughes
Agatha Lynn
Sara McFadden
Martha Miller
May 2003
Michael Bloom
Emma Broom
Dakarai Brown
Kimberly Bryson
James Byrd
Umaran Choudry
Maribeth Coleman
Jessica Craft
Jennifer Crain
Sanford Dinkins
Shereef El-Ibiary
James Emery
Brian Furmanski
Matthew Gainey
Patricia Grantham
Omar Hussain
Bryan Knuckley
Charles Lansing
Kanika McAlpine
Ryan Miles
Jason Morton
James O’Reilly
Mehul Patel
George Schilling
David Smith
Jeanietta Terry
Jason Vanlerberghe
Alisha Wildeman
Mohammed Zeeshan
Student Highlights
Undergraduate Awards
Spring 2003
American Institute of Chemists Foundation,
Inc. Award: Marion Lawrence
American Chemical Society, Division of
Analytical Chemistry Award: Lindsay Taylor
CRC Press Freshman Chemistry
Achievement Award: Kathleen Mahan
CRC Press Freshman Chemistry
(Honor) Achievement Award: Eugenia Senn
The Harper Award: Ross Nesbit
Hiram and Lawanda Allen Award and
the S. C. Section of the American Chemical
Society Award—Outstanding Undergraduate: James Emery
Merck Index Award: Melanie Williams
National Science Foundation Fellowship:
Jason Morton
Joseph W. Bouknight Chemistry Scholarship: Daniel Stevenson
Victor Laurie Junior-Year Scholarship:
Brian Gander
Victor Laurie Senior-Year Scholarship:
Elizabeth Enlow
College of Science and Mathematics SeniorYear Scholarship: Phillip Mason
Undergraduate Scholarships
2002–2003
Alumni Scholarships
Christopher Anderson
Stephen Barr
Stephen Bennett
James Byrd
Heath Catoe
Anne Ellefson
Omar Hussain
Sally Stephens
Michael Verenes
Athletic Scholarship
Michael Bachmeyer
Adam Landy
Ashley Jones
Elizabeth Sutton
Chem Scholarship
Clyde Purcell
Chemistry Discretionary Scholarship
Jessica Craft
Marion Lawrence
Ross Nesbit
Hiram and Lawanda Allen Scholarship
James Emery
Jason Morton
Chemistry Federal Traineeship
Clyde Purcell
CS/Athletic Dept. Scholarship
Emma Broom
Dean’s Scholarship
Charles Lansing
Sara McFadden
Brian Shiels
Jason Vanlerberghe
Estimated Scholarship Assistance
Holly Barron
Andrew Spencer
Marcus Wiggins
Faculty/Staff Dependents Scholarship
Quintus Young
Hope Scholarship
Jesse Childers
Cameo Green
Amanda Lance
Samuel Lawton
Cynthia Sparta
Junior Civitan International Scholarship
Phillip Mason
Bouknight Scholarship
Aldophus Spigner
Regina Wragg
Legacy Scholarship
Mary Jo Manuse
Martha Miller
Douglas Robinson
Demetria Strauch
Carolina Scholars
Emma Broom
Library Scholarship
Jacob Minskey
14
Life Scholarship
Ashley Avinger
Kristen Ballard
Stephen Barr
Rakiya Bearden
Stacey Braxton
Brantley Busbee
Alison Bush
Jacqueline Campbell
Kristen Corum
Brent Dial
Shayla Dorsey
Shereef El-Zbiary
Tamar Flowers
Robert Garrett
Jonathan Hebda
Hoa Ho
Thuy Ho
Mallory Hodgkinson
Nicole Jackson
Oscar Judd Jr.
Sonia Karamchandani
Erin Kastenschmidt
William Klauber
Adam Landy
Jo Ann Lavender
Christopher Lee
Christina Lockhart
Phillip Mason
Ryan Merchant
Lavetta Milton
Maria Morozowich
Lynette Morrison
Eddie Nance
Jason Neal
Zachary Nichols
Justin Nunley
April Parker
Kishan Patel
Sharlee Reed
Samantha Roberson
Tiffany Ross
Michael Shade
Da’Trice Sims
Sally Stephens
Daniel Stevenson
Lisa Stone
Demetria Strauch
Danielle Sweetapple
Gregory Thompson
Jane Tuten
John Tyler
Chris Vaigneur
Student Highlights
Tuminh Vo
Carlos Washington
Parker Watts
Amber Yarbrough
Quintus Young
Shannon Young
Mattie Lee Jones Memorial Scholarship
Phillip Mason
McNair Scholarships
Jennifer Kennedy
Ross Nesbit
Music TFW Scholarship
Jesse Childers
National Merit Scholarships
James Byrd
Ashley Jones
Ross Nesbit
Jason Vanlerberghe
Navy ROTC Scholarship
Eddie Nance
Non-University Scholarships
Rakiya Bearden
Michael Bechtold
Emma Broom
Jennifer Crain
Susan Dukes
Elizabeth Enlow
Matthew Gainey
Robert Garrett
Monica Gaynor
Katarzyna Glab (2)
Andrea Gooden
Amber Hatfield (4)
Thuy Ho
Mallory Hodgkinson (2)
Sonia Karamchandani
Valerie Kennedy
Adam Landy (2)
Kathleen Mahan
Saif Maheed
Perry McGriff
Amy McIver
Ryan Merchant
Lavetta Milton
Jacob Minskey
Jason Morton
Melissa Oliveros
Nathan Paulich
Douglas Perkins
David Powell
George Reed
Michael Shade
Carlos Washington
Marcus Wiggins
Amber Yarbrough
Shannon Young
Quintus Young
Shereef El-Zbiary
Brian Gander
Katarzyna Glab
Jonathan Hebda
Brystol Henderson
Melanie Hough
Sonia Karamchandani
Erin Kastenschmidt
William Kendrick
Charles Lansing
Marion Lawrence
Mary Jo Manuse
Sara McFadden
Martha Miller
Kishan Patel
Brian Shiels
Daniel Stevenson
Demetria Strauch
Lindsay Taylor
Jason Vanlerberghe
ROTC Scholarship
Jonathan Coe
Monica Gaynor
Eddie Nance
SCAMP Grant Scholarship
Brent Dial
Jovan Wright
Shannon Young
Science & Math Scholarship
Emma Broom
SFAC/Abney Scholarship
Brent Dial
Trustees’ Endowment Scholarship
James Emery
Matthew Skiles
University Scholarship
Kimberly Bryson
Brantley Busbee
Alison Bush
Jessica Craft
Jennifer Crain
15
University Scholarships/Fellowships
Amber Hatfield
Zachary Nichols
Nathan Paulich
Samantha Roberson
Christa Siebenburgen
Andrew Spencer
Elizabeth Sutton
Lindsay Taylor
Jason Vanlerberghe
Christina Young
USC Employee Assistance Scholarship
Brian Hann
Valedictorian Scholarship
Michael Bechtold
Elizabeth Enlow
Saswat Kabisatpathy
Kathleen Mahan
Jason Morton
Douglas Robinson
Danielle Sweetapple
2002-2003 Donors
Friends of
Chemistry and
Biochemistry
$500 – Corporation
$150 – Individual
$50 – Retiree
William D. Bailey
John W. Baynes
Robert & Ruta Bly
Julia L. Bouknight
William E. Bucy
Syderis D. Burkett
William R. Cook
John H. Dawson
John & Marcia Duffy
R. Bruce Dunlap
James R. Durig
Daniel G. Dyer
Steven R. Earle
John and Marcey
Edwards
Travis W. Ellison
Joe N. Emily
William T. Fetner
Kermit P. Floyd
Benjamin M. Gimarc
Scott and Regis Goode
Hope & Ronald Grey
Norah T. Grimball
Gregory L. Hillhouse
Todd J. Hizer
IRIX Pharamceuticals
Inc.
M. Stuart Jelenick
Kathryn M. Jernberg
Ralph H. Johns Jr.
Robert D. Johnson
Donald G. Kubler
Victor and Donna Laurie
Scott T. Little
Jay A. Markwalder
Elaine S. Mayhall
Ross S. McKenzie Sr.
Fred M. McLean, M.D.
Charles M. Miller Sr.
David & Tonya Mitchell
Mary A. Mullen
New York Times
Capital, Inc.
Oakwood Products Inc.
Sean O’Connor
Edgar H. Peacock Jr.
Darren L. Pearson
Procter & Gamble Fund
Jeffrey S. Queen
Daniel L. Reger
Steven Riethmiller
Virginia H. Rogers
William W. Rutledge Sr.
John W. Schnofield
Lois Q. Semmens
Harry E. Shealy Jr.
Robert L. Smoak
James M. Sodetz
Zvi Szafran
Suzanne R. Thorpe
Richard Tracey
Ruilian Wu
Harriette D. Wunder
John H. Yamamoto
Patrick P. Zarrinkar
Other Donors
Richard D. Adams
Alliant Techsystems
Elisabeth T.
Bell-Loncella
Anthony Boccanfuso
Olevia Broadwater
Susan E. Butts
Peter F. Carr
Clariant Corporation
Wanda H. Cockrell
Berryman E.
Coggeshall III
Cognis Corporation
Helga J. Cohen
William E. Cotham Jr.
Raymond D. Dyer III
W. Cary Eaton
William J. Egan
Donald F. Elias
Joe N. Emily
Kira Fisher
Dennis J. Gerson
Sandra H. Greenwood
Elizabeth H. Griffith
Harrison White Smith
Hayes & Coggins
Stephen D. Hudson
I.P. Research Inc.
IBM Corporation
Greg and Shannon Kaul
William S. Kistler Jr.
Mary C. Kochansky
Gail A. Metz
A. K. Miller
William A. Munroe
Alycen Nigro
Charles W. Pigg
Michael P. Pompeo
Procter & Gamble Fund
T. C. Register
Robert C. Shofner
Sangeeta S. Sohoni
Deborah Stevens
Barbara A. Wachob
Michael D. Walla
Lisa T. Winn
Wyeth-Ayerst
Pharmaceuticals
John H. Yamamoto
03346 University Publications 10/03
University of South Carolina
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Columbia, SC 29208
NON PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT #766
COLUMBIA, SC
16