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The Department of Chemistry is proud of its graduates and the work that they do in the world. Please send us news about your accomplishments and awards for possible publication on our news website, Facebook, or Twitter. Read about two alumni who have been promoted to professors; an alumnus who created a scholarship in honor of a professor; and prestigious awards for two alumni. On Facebook, we feature a new book edited by an alumnus.
It is easy to participate. Answer these questions:
Send your responses and a photo to Eileen Harvala, Department of Chemistry communications coordinator, at harva015@umn.edu.
In memoriam: Alumnus Newman Bortnick, Ph.D., 1921-2015
Alumnus Newman “Newmie” Bortnick, Ph.D., died on Monday, April 20 (1921-2015), after a short illness. He was 93 years old. He received his bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1941, and his doctorate in organic chemistry in 1944 from the University of Minnesota. He received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the University of Minnesota in 2000 for his exemplary commitment and service.
He spent his entire career as a research chemist (1944-1990) with Rohm
and Haas Company in the Philadelphia area and remained an active
consultant after his retirement. His professional contributions led to
the discovery, development and manufacturing of plastics, which we see
and use every day such as polymeric resins used in paints, coatings, and
clear plastics known as Plexiglas. His discovery of Primene tertiary
alkyl-primary amines has been on the market for nearly 50 years. In
addition to his professional contributions, Dr. Bortnick served on
numerous boards and societies. His service as a volunteer statesman of
the American Chemical Society spanned 44 years.
Donations in his honor can be made to the Newman and Lillian Bornick Fellowship Fund (#1373). His obituary was published in the Montgomery Newspapers on May 3, 2015.
In memoriam: Lester C. Krogh, Ph.D., 1925-2013
Forty-four graduate students earn doctorates in 2013-2014
Forty-four graduate students earned their doctorates between June 2013 and May 2014, and include Evgeny Beletskiy, Andrew Bierbaum, Melissa Fierke, Nicholas Frost, Yuanyan Gu, Jaebeom Han, Jonathan Hinke, Ryan Hue, Elizabeth Jackson, David Josephson, Kyle Kalstabakken, Jun Sung Kang, Donghyuk Kim, Yong Wook Kim, Benjamin Manning, Kathryn McGarry, Audrey Meyer, Deanna Miller, Maria Miranda, Kaustubh Mote, Dawen Niu, Daniel O’Brien, Emily Pelton, Makenzie Provorse, Yuqiang Qian, Mohammad Rashidian, Naveen Rondla, Paul "Alex" Rudd, Chad Satori, Jacob Schmidt, Alireza Shokri, Joshua Speros, Jacqui Tehranchi, Rajan Vatassery, Bess Vlaisavljevich, Kelly Volp, Bo Wang, Patrick Willoughby, Gregory Wolken, Jing Yang, Yiyun Yu, Christopher Zall, Can Zhou, and Xu Zou.
Read MoreAlumnus Simon Shannon honored as TRIO Achiever
Alumnus Simon K. Shannon, Ph.D., was honored as a TRIO Achiever by the Mid-America Association of Education Opportunity Program
Personnel (MAEOPP). Shannon received his doctorate in organic
chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 2003, under the tutelage
of Professor George Barany.
Shannon is currently a product
developer in 3M’s Industrial Mineral Products Division. He holds 11 U.S.
patents, has nine peer-reviewed publications, and supports the
development of a number of products inspired by problems from
biotechnology, healthcare, and materials science.
Shannon thanked his mentor Professor Barany during his award speech,
“Thank you, Dr. Barany for appointing me to lead your lab as a senior
lab manager, and instilling in me the motto that ‘nothing is hard, but
everything takes time.’”
Alumnus Andrew Aspaas receives Educator of the Year award
Alumnus Arthur Coury receives Outstanding Achievement Award
Darrel Untereker receives Outstanding Achievement Award
The University of Minnesota Board of Regents has honored Alumnus Darrel F. Untereker, Ph.D., as a 2013 recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award (OAA). The OAA honors graduates who have attained unusual and noted distinction in their chosen fields, professions and public service, and who have demonstrated outstanding achievement and leadership.
Untereker is being honored for his outstanding contributions to and leadership of efforts to develop medical devices that improve the health of millions of people, his service to the University of Minnesota and its Department of Chemistry, and his expertise, problem-solving skills and management effectiveness that has been instrumental to the growth of Minnesota-based Medtronic, Inc.
Alumnus Xiaoli Wang receives CACA 2016 Young Investigator Award
Alumnus Gary Brudvig receives Outstanding Achievement Award
Alumnus Gary W. Brudvig (BS,'76), Ph.D., has received an Outstanding Achievement Award (OAA) from the University of Minnesota. He is being honored for the impact of his many scientific contributions to the field of energy conversion both in biological and abiological systems, his extensive service contributions to his field, his outreach to the science education community in New Haven, CT, and his effective mentoring of coworkers.
Professor Brudvig is chair of the Department of Chemistry at Yale University, and is also its Benjamin Silliman Professor. He has a joint appointment in the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, and is director of the Yale Energy Sciences Institute. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 1976, graduating with high distinction. He went on to earn his doctorate in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1981, and conducted post-doctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley. He began his career in academia at Yale University in 1982.
Read MoreRegister for ACS National Meeting Alumni & Friends Breakfast
ACS National Meeting Chemistry Alumni & Friends Breakfast
Laurie Breyfogle, Ph.D.
Mitchell Croatt, Ph.D.
Alumna becomes director of NSF Chemistry Division
Alumna Angela K. Wilson will become the new director of the National Science Foundation’s Chemistry Division in March 2016. She earned her doctorate in chemical physics from the University of Minnesota in 1995, under the tutelage of the late Professor Jan Almlöf. A computational chemist, Wilson is currently a Regents Professor of Chemistry and director of the Center for Advanced Scientific Computing and Modeling at the University of North Texas.
She is an award-winning scientist, and one of the editors of Computational and Theoretical Chemistry. She is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society, American Physical Society, and American Association for the Advancement of Science, and is a National Associate of the U.S. National Academies. Her research interests include the development and understanding of ab initio and density functional theory methods and basis sets, prediction of thermochemical and spectroscopic properties from main group to heavy element species, catalysis, and energy and the environment. She will be moving her research laboratory to the Michigan State University in January 2016.
Read MoreErtem receives Award for Doctoral Thesis Excellence
Alumnus James Phillips honored for mentoring excellence
Dave Giesen, Ph.D.
Thomas L. Guggenheim, Ph.D.
Ed Huttlin, Ph.D.
Heroes of Chemistry award honors alumni's innovation
Recent graduate Dawen Niu receives doctorate prize
Dawen Niu, Ph.D., has received a 2014 Reaxys PhD Prize. He was selected for his work on "the aromatic ene reaction." This research was published in Nature Chemistry in 2014. Niu worked with Professor Thomas Hoye at the University of Minnesota, earning his doctorate in 2014. He is now a post-doctoral associate, working with Professor Stephen Buchwald at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Niu has been invited to attend this year’s Reaxys Inspiring Chemistry Conference, September 21–24, in Grindelwald, Switzerland.
In memoriam: Alumnus Malcolm MacKenzie Renfrew
Alumna receives Best Paper Award for anti-cancer drug research
Alumna Yaohua Wang, who received her doctorate in analytical chemistry in 2010 under the tutelage of Professor Edgar Arriaga, has received the Best Paper Award 2012 presented by Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. She is a senior analytical chemist at Henkel of America.
According to the ABC website: "Wang is the lead author of a paper published in ABC
on a method to isolate peroxisomes with biological function from other
cellular organelles. Her research could lead to further developments in
the investigation of the anticancer drug doxorubicin. . . ."
Alumnus Scott Reeve named dean of Kettering Graduate School & Research
Kettering University in Flint, MI, has named University of Minnesota alumnus Scott Reeve, Ph.D., as the founding dean of its Graduate School and Research. In this new role at Kettering, Reeve will be responsible for revitalizing current graduate programs, creating exciting new on-campus graduate programs and providing leadership and oversight for the research mission of the University.
Reeve completed his doctorate in chemical physics at the University of Minnesota in 1992, under the tutelage of Professor Kenneth Leopold. Then he accepted an Office of Naval Research Postdoctoral Fellowship to study and characterize diamond thin film growth in a plasma jet at the Naval Air Warfare Research Center in China Lake, California.
Read MoreSimon K. Shannon, Ph.D.
Daniel Weston, Ph.D.