The Catalyst - Chemistry and Biochemistry

Transcription

The
Catalyst
Chemistry and Biochemistry alumni magazine fall 2015
Ethylenedione Found!
Andrei Sanov and his team
observe and image the elusive
OCCO molecule using laser
spectroscopy
the
Catalyst
CBC alumni magazine
CBC@UA!
Dear Alumni and Friends of the
Department
I
t is our pleasure to introduce you to our
expanded Catalyst Alumni magazine, now with 24
pages in print, and nearly 60 pages in total available
online. The extended version is due in part to the fantastic alumni stories you have been sending to Olivia
Mendoza and Ellie Warder throughout the year, as well
as a full page announcement of two exciting initiatives
coming from the CBC department.
The first initiative is the CBC Alumni Reunion to celebrate “125 Years of Excellence in the Chemical Sciences; 1891-2016,” which is scheduled for November 3-5,
2016 on The University of Arizona campus (see page 7).
We are inviting all of our Chemistry and Biochemistry
alumni to join us next year in beautiful Tucson for two
days of celebration. The second initiative is described
on page 19 as the “Carl S. Marvel Laboratories Renovation Fundraising Campaign” headed up in the College
of Science by Dan Petrocelli, Senior Director of Development. The goal of this campaign is to raise funds for the
design and construction of three state-of-the-art named
research laboratories through a $1.8M effort that will
provide much needed laboratory space for CBC faculty.
Enjoy the Fall 2015 edition of the Catalyst Alumni magazine, especially the photos and stories from Wildcat
alumni around the world. We have two amazing faculty
profiles, one from Assistant Professor Elisa Tomat, and
the other from Professor and Associate Department
Head Andrei Sanov. Our featured alumna is Dr. Tori Hidalgo, who tells us about her journey to chemistry and
her outside life as a self-described fitness freak. Plenty
of other photo essays are included, such as memories
from the May 2015 CBC Commencement Ceremony, and
Andrei Sanov, Roger Miesfeld, and Zhiping Zheng
2
the 2nd annual White Lab Coat Ceremony at the Department Breakfast that was held in August 2015. Enjoy!
We once again invite you to join us in pushing the
boundaries of Chemistry & Biochemistry in the areas
of research, teaching, and outreach by helping support
CBC@UA! with your tax-deductible donation.
Roger L. Miesfeld
Andrei Sanov
Zhiping Zheng
Department Head
Associate Head
Associate Head
Table of Contents
Alumni News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Alumni Reunion 2016 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Running Towards Chemistry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Chemistry in Full Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Ethylenedione Found! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2015 Student Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2015 Commencement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
New Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Thank You to Our Retirees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Faculty and Staff Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
In Memoriam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
CBC and Tech Launch Arizona Connect for
Commercialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Industry Associates Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
RSS Profile: Fast Scan Force Microscope . . . . . . . . . 18
Carl S. Marvel Laboratories Renovation
Fundraising Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Student Adventures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Outreach Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
CBC Scrapbook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Be sure to see the full PDF version of the Catalyst magazine
posted on the CBC Alumni News website for Online Extras
where you see this icon. cbc.arizona.edu/alumni_friends
Alumni News
Charles Leftault BA Chemistry 1954; BS Chemistry 1955
At age 82, I am retired and spend time playing golf and bridge. I
was the first chairman of the UA’s CBC Advisory Committee.
1 Harold McNair BA Chemistry 1955
I will receive the 2016 American Chemical Society Award in Chromatography sponsored by Supelco/Sigma-Aldrich at the 251st ACS
National Meeting on March 15, 2016 in San Diego.
Philip Abbott BA Chemistry 1960
I volunteer with Sower Ministry doing maintenance, repairs and
light construction work in the Western States.
Roger Fellows BS Chemistry 1961
My hobbies are reading, golfing, walking and going to the beach.
My children are educators—one at a grade school on the Big Island
of Hawaii, the other a professor & department head at Weber State
University.
Jerry Gin BS Chemistry 1964
My wife and I recently celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary,
and we have 2 grandsons. Hobbies include tennis and carving in
wood. more
Lark PhD Chemistry 1965
2 Jake
Nanotechnology introduction into current areas of fiber and fabric
4 Mark Dewhirst BS Chemistry 1971
I completed a DVM and PhD at Colorado State University in 1979.
After 4 years at the UA College of Medicine, I was recruited by Duke
University where I have spent the last 31 years and currently hold an
endowed Professorship in Radiation Oncology. more
Alan Shapiro BA Chemistry 1973; MD 1975
I earned my MD degree from the UA in 1975. more
Richard Yost BS Chemistry 1974
I am the Head of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Florida,
where I also direct the Southeast Center for Integrated Metabolomics, and serve as Professor of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine. more
Dennis Dixon BS Chemistry 1976
I consult, speak and do business coaching at various architectural
and construction industry venues, such as JLC Live, Portland 2015
and NAHB 2016, Las Vegas. Youngest son Hunter is in Engineering
at the UA. more
Connie Pitman BS Chemistry 1978
I have been working at the University of Colorado for 30 years and
plan to retire in 2021.
5 Tim Krupa MS Chemistry 1979
Last year I returned to campus to honor my research advisor, Victor
Hruby, at the symposium held in his honor. To see Victor and a couple classmates, Don Upson and David Wright, was very enjoyable.
production.
Larry Fox PhD Chemistry 1966
I am consulting on fundraising and management to bring the first
true Alzheimer’s drug to market. I am active in Rotary, starting a
new electronic club, and lots more. more
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Harold McNair
Jake Lark
David Sakura
Mark Nupen BA Chemistry 1966
I spend my time playing golf and serving as president of a friends’
group for a wildlife area.
Sharon Ruble MS Chemistry 1967
I spend my time traveling, shoveling snow, gathering chicken eggs,
maintaining feeding area for birds and deer, rescuing dogs and cats,
playing bridge and euchre, and watching college football. more
Sakura PhD Chemistry 1970
3 David
I spent 20 years as an investment banker for biotechnology compa-
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nies. Now retired, my wife and I moved from Boston to the mountains of New Hampshire. more
Mark Dewhurst
We had so much Alumni News we couldn’t print it
all. See the Online Extras for their full stories where
it says more! cbc.arizona.edu/alumni_friends
Tim Krupa, Don Upson, and David Wright
at Hruby Symposium
Send your news to Olivia Mendoza at [email protected]
to be included in next year’s magazine!
department of chemistry and biochemistry | fall 2015
3
the
Catalyst
CBC alumni magazine
Alumni News, cont.
Matthew Grumbling BS Chemistry 1995
I am a registered patent attorney concentrating in the pharmaceutical industry. I have been married since 1985 and have 3 children.
more
Chris Stavroudis BS Chemistry 1979
I developed the Modular Cleaning Program, a tool to assist painting
conservators to create more tailored cleaning systems for works of
art. more
Brian Ralston BS Biochemistry 1997
1 Dan Villalanti PhD Chemistry 1980
Founder and President of Triton Analytics Corp, which for two
decades has collaborated worldwide with oil, chemical and environmental companies. I have a vested interest in Navy jet fuel, as son
Carl is a Naval Aviator. more
Tomi Sawyer PhD Chemistry 1981
Currently I am leading a worldwide drug discovery and innovative
technologies effort focused on the peptide modality at Merck Research Laboratories. more
Leo T. Kenny BS Chemistry 1983
I recently left my position at Intel to explore a new direction for my
career. I’m also writing several books. I expect to be back working
full time later this fall. more
Patricia Hill PhD Chemistry 1986
My husband and I have retired to Cedar City, Utah, where I have
joined the Southern Utah Rock Club and am teaching workshops on
chemistry and art. more
I am no longer in science. I now compose music for film and television in Los Angeles, California.
Gwen Gross BS Chemistry 1998
In January I was inducted into the Boeing Technical Fellowship as an
Associate Technical Fellow. My role there is to set technical direction
for Boeing and to resolve issues that arise with new products. more
Jessica Yingling BS Biochemistry 1999
I have spent the last four years establishing www.litldog.com, my
own biotech public relations and communication business.
LCDR Danny dj Morales BA Biochemistry 2000
I can be at sea in another hemisphere, I am never too far
5 Although
in spirit from my U of A. I recently crossed the equator on the USS
George Washington (CVN-73) and experienced a “monsoon” washdown of the salt-water variety. more
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Terry Matsunaga NIDA Postdoctoral Fellow in
Chemistry 1986-92
Continuing contrast agent research with ultrasound diagnostic and
therapeutic agents.
2 Scott Hertzog BS Chemistry 1987
I am employed by Chemical Abstracts Service, training users on
the tools I have used throughout my career. My wife and I recently
celebrated our 23rd anniversary. more
Dan Villalanti with family
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Scott Hertzog
David Benz
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Leavitt BS Chemistry 1988
4 Andrew
Recently was inducted as the 11th chancellor of the University of
Wisconsin Oshkosh.
David Benz PhD Biochemistry 1991
3 Now
“retired”, I spend much of my “free” time managing Caretaker
Farm, a non-profit animal rescue foundation located in southern
Oregon, and attending to the needs of the rescued animals.
Patrick Desrochers PhD Chemistry 1992
I recently assumed the position of department chair at the University of Central Arkansas, where I have served for 23 years as an
inorganic faculty member.
Michael Levine BS Chemistry 1993
I am working for RTI International as an Analytical Chemist. My research
revolves around trace metals analysis specializing in mercury analysis.
4
Andrew Leavitt
LCDF Danny dj Morales at the equator
on the USS George Washington
1 Linda Breci PhD Chemistry 2001
I am an Assistant Scientist focusing on biological mass spectrometry as well as Associate Director of Proteomics at the UA. My husband and I just spent 7 days backpacking in the high Sierras. more
Tim Sikorski BS Chemistry 2001
After completing my MS degree in Defense Analysis, I will move to
Fort Hood, Texas to work as an information operations planner on
the III Corps staff.
Birch BS Biochemistry 2008
2 Christina
I recently earned my PhD in Biological Engineering at MIT. I also
raced with the MIT Cycling Team, winning several team and individual collegiate National Championship titles. more
Erika Offerdahl PhD Biochemistry 2008
I recently had a paper make the “Top 8” list. more
3
5 Natasha Kong BS Biochemistry 2012
Since graduation, I have been pursuing a career in acting full time.
I spend most of my time auditioning or on sets doing small roles,
working my way up. In my free time, I play the ukulele, bake French
macaroons, leather craft, or go to the archery range. more
Nancy Leo BS Biochemistry 2012
After graduation I went on to earn a master’s degree in Molecular
and Cellular Biology. Currently I am a chemistry/biology tutor at
Chandler Gilbert Community College’s Learning Center. more
6 Sophie Hapak BS Biochemistry 2013
I am a third year medical student at the University of Pittsburgh. I
currently am part of a group that studies Alzheimer’s Disease and
schizophrenia. In what little free time I have, I enjoy horseback
riding, running and playing tennis. more
Yomi Ajulo BS Biochemistry 2009
I earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering and am now
working in the oil and gas industry. I got married earlier this year.
more
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Brianna Kolody Magnusen BS Biochemistry 2009
I got married in January 2015 to Drew Magnusen.
Emily Tenenbaum PhD Chemistry 2010
Currently I am a business development manager at Primus Green
Energy and live in New Jersey with my husband, Michele Pavanello,
and our son and daughter. more
Sterling Udom BS Biochemistry 2010
Linda Breci
4 I’m in my last year at the Medical College of Wisconsin and am
Christina Birch
currently applying to anesthesiology residencies. more
Amanda Davis Roca BS Biochemistry and MCB 2011
I am in my 4th year as a PhD student at Northwestern University
and was awarded an NSF graduate fellowship. I recently married
another UA alumnus, Antonio Roca.
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4
Yomi Ajulo
Sterling Udom
Ashley Head PhD Chemistry 2011
Ashley and Jeff Head have moved to the San Francisco Bay area
where Ashley has a new postdoctoral position at Lawrence Berkeley
National Lab, and Jeff is a service engineer for Shimadzu Scientific.
In July they welcomed a new baby girl to the world, Emma Rose
Head.
Jesse Caballero BS Biochemistry 2012
I have completed my first year of medical school at Indiana University, and I just was selected to research for the GEMS-HP program
at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus where I am
working on targeted liposomal delivery of an antioxidant enzyme
for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. more
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Natasha Kong
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Sophie Hapack
5
the
CBC alumni magazine
7 Sara Hall PhD Biochemistry 2015
Alumni News, cont.
Now employed at Ventana Medical Systems in Oro Valley, Arizona.
more
Stephanie Kha BS Biochemistry 2015
I am in my first year of medical school at Case Western Reserve
University. more
Deboleena Sarkar PhD Biochemistry 2013
I am employed at Ventana Medical Systems in Oro Valley, where I
work on cancer studies, and I am the mother of two baby girls, Aalo
and Aadi.
Clayton Lanham BS Biochemistry 2015
Currently I am earning my Master’s degree in Diagnostic and Laboratory Sciences here at the UA and TA/GA for two BIO 181L classes. I just took up Ballroom dancing, West Coast Swing and Polish
dancing. more
Aishan Shi BS Biochemistry and MCB and
BA in English 2013
I just finished my MBA with the Eller College of Management and
have started medical school at at UA College of Medicine – Phoenix.
8 Yvonne Ng BS Chemistry 2015
Kara Smith BS Chemistry 2013
I got married to Nadina Anderson recently, and I was selected as
one of the first females to integrate the Virginia class fast-attack
submarines. more
Catalyst
After graduation, I spent a month traveling in Asia. I am now in my
first year of Pharmacy School at the UA. more
9 Taylor Szyszka BS Biochemistry 2015
Luis Torres-Figueroa MA Chemistry 2013
I am working at Pima Community College as a Science Laboratory
Technician, and when not doing lab preps, I hike around Tucson and
take photographs.
1 Lauren Wugalter BS Chemistry 2013
I am a chemistry instructor at Tacoma Community College as well as
an instructor at the University of Washington-Tacoma, where I teach
courses on general chemistry as it applies to environmental science.
more
Atcherley PhD Chemistry 2014
2 IChristopher
am working for Dr. Frank Porreca as a Research Fellow at the Mayo
Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, where we are investigating the underlying mechanisms of headache. more
Eric Figueroa BS Biochemistry 2014
I just moved to Australia, where I am in the Biochemistry PhD
program at the University of Sydney. I am spending my time down
under to expand my structural biology skill set and check out some
of the wildlife. more
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Lauren Wugalter
Christopher
Atcherley
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Cheryl Cheah
Brittany Forte
Teryn Holeman
I am starting in the IGP PhD program at Vanderbilt University.
3 Teryn Holeman BS Chemistry 2014
This past summer I traveled to Peru on a UA medical campaign,
volunteering in rural hospitals and providing free health clinics. I am
applying to medical school now. more
4 Cheryl Cheah BS Biochemistry 2015
6
Forte BS Biochemistry and MCB 2015
5 IBrittany
just began my first year as a PhD student in the Arizona Biological
Ron Gonzalez
I am currently working as a Research Technician at the Arizona
Respiratory Center. I also am applying to Medical School. more
and Biomedical Sciences Program at the UA. My research will focus
on mechanisms of breast cancer invasion and metastasis. more
6 Ronald Gonzalez BS Chemistry 2015
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Sara Hall
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For the last three months, I have been working as a quality control
research associate at Accelerate Diagnostics in Tucson. more
Taylor Szyszka
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Yvonne Ng
Alumni Reunion 2016
Save the Date: November 3–5, 2016
S
ince 1891, research and education in the chemical sciences have
been an integral part of the University of Arizona. Next year, the
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry will celebrate 125 years of
Excellence in the Chemical Sciences. Please save the weekend of November
3-5, 2016, so that you can be part of this exciting event. We will have
informal group dinners on Thursday evening, followed on Friday by CBC
and UA tours, lunch with graduate students, a free afternoon to explore,
and a banquet on Friday evening. Finally, on Saturday morning we will
have a presentation of CBC research highlights given by a few of our newest
faculty, leaving the afternoon free to spend as you wish.
Visit with friends and
faculty
Attend short talks given
by current faculty about
exciting developments
the Chemica
n
l
ei
es
ienc
Sc
Tour CBC facilities to see
what research is being
done now
Excellen
c
Please visit www.cbc.arizona.edu/celebration to find out more about next
year’s reunion, and most importantly, take a short survey to provide us with
your feedback so we can best plan for the 2016 Alumni Reunion.
125
18
91–2016
Lunch with current
students
Take a guided walking
tour of campus
Tour the Tree-Ring Lab
and/or the Mirror Lab
Left photo: Chemistry class in Old Main, ca. 1899. Louise Foucar Marshall and Tom Marshall Collection, 1888-1972,
courtesy of University of Arizona Libraries, Special Collections.
Right photo: Chemistry class in Koffler Building, 2014. Photo by Mark Yanigihashi.
7
the
Catalyst
CBC alumni magazine
Running Towards Chemistry
by Dr. Tori Hidalgo | PhD in Chemistry 2009, CBC Lecturer
I
THEN
was born and raised in Hawai’i. I was not a scholastic child; in
fact, I did just about everything possible to get out of school
work and find my way to the beach.
I did head off to college at 18, like I was
“supposed” to, but it only lasted about
one semester before I found myself in
quite a bit of trouble with very poor
grades. I decided to go into the work
force and see what a high school degree
could do for me. I got bored fast and
started running marathons in my spare
time. Through the years of training and
running in races, I developed quite a
few injuries and decided to pursue an
education in physical therapy.
It was through my required curriculum
that I discovered I had a passion for
chemistry and eventually pursued my
PhD, which I earned from Dr. Dennis
Lichtenberger’s lab in 2009. It was
always my goal to do R&D work and become your quintessential “lab rat.” However, just as I had discovered chemistry
while seeking a physical therapy degree, I discovered
that I had a deep passion for teaching while earning my
chemistry degree and was lucky enough to find myself a
teaching position at UA after graduation.
Tori Hidalgo teaching
8
I have always been shy in front of large groups of people.
In fact, I took a drama class as an undergraduate knowing I would one day pursue a higher education degree
and be forced to speak in front of a large audience (it
didn’t help). Granted, giving seminars and being a TA
throughout my PhD program allowed me to gain confidence, but when I first saw 300 people—600 eyes—staring at me, I wondered what I had gotten myself into.
Although teaching a large lecture is substantially different from teaching a small lab, I found my groove and can
honestly say I love my job. I love chemistry, but I love
teaching it even more. I pride myself on getting some of
my freshman students to switch to a chemistry major,
my favorite comments being “You made chemistry bearable. I even found myself enjoying the subject when you
taught it.”
I moved here in 2000. My first job, out of necessity, was
at The Good Egg waiting tables, but I eventually found
a position as an analyst at an environmental lab. From
there I worked at Selectide, a pharmaceutical company,
but quickly found myself missing academia. I applied
and got a research specialist position in Dr. Ann Walker’s lab that led me to graduate school. From there I was
lucky enough to get an adjunct lecturer position and TA
NOW
job in the department, eventually becoming a full-time
lecturer and am now also
the general chemistry lab TA
manager. I have fallen in love
with Tucson and am very happy to raise my two daughters,
my “little electrons,” here.
During my time at UA I have
had many mentors, but I
really can’t express enough
how helpful Mr. Steve Brown,
my supervisor as a graduate
student TA, was to me. Not
only in the beginning, when
I was pretty sure I would faint or throw up while teaching, to now, the person to step into part of his responsibilities since his retirement. He has been an amazing
mentor to me and helped me flourish in the classroom.
I very much appreciate his encouragement to be myself
and run my classroom according to my personality—animated and verbose with little apology, a whole lot of
energy, and bad... often very bad... mnemonic devices I
am forever happy to entertain my students with.
I have heard throughout my life that to be truly happy
you should find good people to love and be loved by, not
be afraid to take risks, never give up on anything, find
your passion and figure out a way to get paid for it. I can
honestly say I have done all of the above to the best of
my abilities, and I strongly encourage my students each
semester to do the same. I am not shy about the fact
that my greatest triumphs have always followed a lot of
stumbling; they are the things I was the most afraid of
pursuing, and are the ones I worked the hardest to earn.
And my greatest lesson: Sometimes you don’t need a
plan, you just need the guts to try.
Dr. Tori Hidalgo, Fitness Freak
I am a fitness freak and don’t mind that this is fairly well
known. In fact, when I write letters of recommendations for
students the gifts that I receive have gone from candies and
chocolates to healthy treats, both handmade and purchased.
I have always been active. I could swim before I could walk, I
started doing competitive cross country running in 7th grade,
track and Outrigger canoe paddling (my favorite) in high
school, and after high school I started doing long distance
running. I have run 5 marathons, countless half marathons
and duathlons (run – swim – run), and I played roller derby
for years, only retiring from the sport after having my second
daughter.
I now do no form of cardio, unless lifting weights fast
counts. I have fallen in love with the sport of bodybuilding;
once I discovered what it felt like to be strong I became
passionate about becoming stronger. I have competed in one
bodybuilding competition and won 3 trophies, one in each
division I entered. I am now starting to pursue powerlifting
because I love seeing how much weight I can push or pull. But
my real love for the sport came through the realization that
you cannot build a strong body under the supervision of a
weak mind. It is this mental growth that keeps me motivated.
Lifting weights won’t make you manly, but it will make you
strong. And we all deserve to know what that feels like.
Roller derby
Visiting Hawai’i
Tori,
daughters,
and trophies
“It is impossible to live without failing at something,
unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not
have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default.”
—J.K. Rowling
It means a lot to me that these lessons resonate in the
minds of many of my students.
9
the
Catalyst
CBC alumni magazine
Chemistry in full color
by Dr. Elisa Tomat | Assistant Professor
I
f I look back and try to identify a young scientist in my previous
self, I find a child fascinated with colors. The colors in Nature,
their multitude and the reasons we have them in the first place,
are what drew me to science and art. These were the occupations of
my childhood, and I am very much interested in both. Colors still
speak clearly to me through many forms of visual art, and I have
continuously worked with brightly colored compounds for over 15
years in chemistry laboratories.
The pigment that makes our blood look red belongs to
one of the best-studied classes of metal-binding compounds. In these so-called porphyrins, a cyclic structure
of carbon and nitrogen atoms forms a framework that
can bind many metal ions. For their rich reactivity and
optical properties, metalloporphyrins are employed and
studied in many fields, including medicine, catalysis for
chemical synthesis, and photovoltaics.
Having worked with several compounds related to
porphyrins when I was a graduate student, I recently
became interested in the chemistry of smaller fragments
of the well-known cyclic structures. Such fragments,
which are sometimes called biopyrrins, are produced in
biological environments after the degradation of iron
porphyrins (for instance, heme cofactors of oxygencarrying protein hemoglobin) in red blood cells, and
they were initially isolated from human urine.
What is the chemistry of biopyrrins? Do they bind metals? Do they retain the ability of porphyrins to exchange
electrons with other compounds? In my laboratory here
at the University of Arizona, we have started to answer
these questions. We now know that these small pigments interact with several metals and that they engage
Structure of urinary pigment tripyrrindione
bound to a palladium center.
10
in electron transfer reactions. We are now investigating
the biological implications of our chemical findings,
and we are also planning to explore the reactivity of
these compounds to develop new methods in chemical
synthesis. Our first report on the palladium complexes
of a biopyrrin fragment will appear in an international
publication this fall.
Earlier this year, I received the Faculty Early-Career
Development (CAREER) Award from the National
Science Foundation. This federal program, which will
support my research and educational work for five years,
recognizes the dual role of academic scientists as research scholars and educators. I am particularly honored
to be involved in a program that supports this unique
aspect of our professional environment.
A portion of the NSF CAREER funding will enhance
the reach of the Chemistry Discovery program, which
is both a chemistry course and an outreach initiative.
I launched Chemistry Discovery in 2012 with the goal
of engaging UA students in the communication of
science. The main objective of the course is the development and presentation of educational workshops
for middle-school students visiting our campus at
the Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium. Every
year we host more than one hundred students from
local middle schools, and we have received extremely
rewarding feedback.
Several Chemistry and Biochemistry colleagues contribute their expertise and participate in the development of engaging activities on a broad range of topics
from protein science to the properties of metals to
diagnostic tests for forensics and many others. Chemical transformations associated with color changes
are always effective visual tools, and this year will
have a whole section of the workshops devoted to the
theme of Color. The students enrolled in the Chemistry
Discovery course are the energetic presenters of the
workshops; they provide not only educational content
in the chemical sciences but also tremendous role
models and a school-to-college message for an audience in a critical age group. Middle school is a time in
which many students appear to opt out of the physical
sciences, so we are committed to revealing the excitement of chemistry and perhaps keeping them engaged
a little (or a lifetime) longer.
Are you really Italian?
An Italian last name lacking a final vowel does not sound
completely legitimate. Indeed my last name is pretty common
in my home region of Friuli, in the Eastern Alps. This area
used to be tucked between two borders and is now enjoying a
border-less proximity to our Slovenian and Austrian neighbors
in the European Union. Our native language is Friulian, which
is recognized as a minority language by the Italian government
and is spoken by approximately half a million people (who also
speak Italian of course).
I am from a small town that sits in a beautiful position between
an Alpine stream and a lake. The population is about 1,000
residents, which means that there are no strangers in town.
My uncle Decio is interested in genealogy and has found
written records (in religious and land registry archives) of our
ancestors living in town continuously since 1505. I have at
least a dozen ancestors named Stefano Tomat, which is also
my brother’s name, and one of them had a house built in the
heart of town in 1732. In spite of a major earthquake, the old
family house is still standing; Stefano’s initials and the date of
construction are engraved on the keystone of the gate.
Every summer I enjoy meeting family and friends in town,
swimming in the frigid waters of the stream, and taking
pictures of the beautiful natural scenery. Sometimes I mount
vintage lenses from the 50s and 60s on my modern digital
camera, a combination of old and new that matches the spirit
of the town and gives interesting visual effects.
Elisa’s hometown of Alesso in the Friuli region in Italy
I believe that science, particularly scientific research,
and art have a lot in common; although tools and methods may be very different, they both rely on human
creativity to yield progress. With my research work and
my involvement in teaching and outreach activities, I
enjoy every day the excitement and the creative effort
that characterize careers in science.
Elisa Tomat (center) and graduate students Ritika Gautam (left)
and Eman Akam (right) in their chemistry laboratory
A splash
of color
in the
summer
sunlight
captured
through
a vintage
lens
11
the
Catalyst
CBC alumni magazine
Ethylenedione Found!
Chemistry through the Eyes of
by Dr. Andrei Sanov | Professor, Associate Department Head
Schrödinger’s Cat
“W
ould you like to see an electron?”
Silence and blank stare.
“I bet you’ve never seen one before. I can show you s, p,
d, sigma, pi, delta—any type you want!”
Rapid blinking of the eyes, followed by an amused expression, as the person I am talking to begins to realize
that I am joking.
I am not.
There is a good chance that you, too, have not seen an
electron. People know they exist but few have actually seen one. They are quantum entities, mysterious
products of Schrödinger and his infamous cat. They also
inspire art. So, would you like to see an electron? Here:
Electrons emitted from the anions of nitric oxide (NO), a rendering based on electron images. Artist: Luis Velarde, former
graduate student in the Sanov lab (PhD 2008), now Assistant
Professor at SUNY Buffalo.
My students and I are electron hunters. We tiptoe
around in vacuum, looking for interesting molecules
or assembling them on the spot. When the moment
is right, we spray them with beams of photons from
rapid-fire lasers and evict electrons from their natural
molecular habitats—all to take a photo. Smile!
Some photoelectron images (as we call the photographs)
are stunningly beautiful, some are a complicated mess,
but all contain rich information about the molecular
bonds and interactions with the surroundings.
We have many tricks in our arsenal. One is starting
measurements with negative ions. Unfortunately, you
cannot buy a bottle of ions at your local pharmacy or a
chemistry stockroom, so we have to make them on the
fly. Once we eject an electron, it leaves behind a neutral
12
molecule. As always in spectroscopy, we observe a transition between the initial (anion) and the final (neutral)
states. Hence, our electron images reflect the properties
of both the anions and the neutral molecules.
The molecules that we produce by this technique are
not of a pedestrian type. We design the experiments to
target exotic species in elusive states. We study radicals, diradicals, and other reactive intermediates. Such
species control the deciding steps of chemical reactions,
but they are difficult to isolate. Rapid spectroscopy is
usually the only way to study them.
This was the key to our recent discovery of OCCO.
The discovery was made on the heels of a century-long
history of this mysterious, “exceedingly coy” molecule
(E. G. Lewars, in Modeling Marvels, Springer, Berlin,
2008, p. 131)—history filled with controversy and failed
attempts to observe it. Also known as ethylenedione,
OCCO had eluded chemists since 1913. At one particularly controversial turn in its history, in the 1940s, it
was claimed to be the active component of Glyoxylide,
a purported antidote for a long list of afflictions, from
exhaustion to cancer. The claims were classified as fraud
by the FDA, after the wonder drug was found to contain
nothing but water. For this, conspiracy theorists were
quick to blame the government, and to this day the myth
of Glyoxylide as a “lost” cancer cure continues to be
perpetuated on the Internet.
We came to the scene without prior knowledge of the
controversy, motivated only by the elegant puzzle that the
molecule presented. Anyone with elementary education
can draw the O=C=C=O structure. And yet, all past studies
had failed to produce conclusive experimental evidence
of the molecule’s existence—and therein lay the puzzle.
Theorists long ago predicted the unstable nature of
OCCO: it splits into two carbon monoxide fragments
in a nanosecond or so. Thus, if the 1940s Glyoxylide
ever existed, it was not “lost” by the government, but
decayed on its own faster than a Schrödinger cat’s
sneeze. Although short by human standards, it is still
a long lifetime in the molecular realm, leaving OCCO
with no good reason to evade detection. The fact that it
remained unobserved had understandably frustrated
chemists and even temporarily landed OCCO on Wikipedia’s “Hypothetical Compounds” page.
And then my graduate student Andrew Dixon and
undergraduate student Tian (Chris) Xue approached the
problem from an angle overlooked by others. Foregoing
the strategies that relied on neutral species, they used
laser pulses to remove excess electrons from the anion
of ethylenedione and captured photoelectron images of
OCCO at the very beginning of the molecule’s lifespan.
The experiment involved first stripping hydrogens off
the precursor glyoxal molecule. Glyoxal has two carbon
atoms bonded together and an oxygen and a hydrogen
attached to each of them. The initial idea to use glyoxal
belonged to Dmitry Khuseynov, a 2014 PhD graduate
from my group, but it was Andrew and Chris who made
it happen. They attacked glyoxal with atomic oxygen
radical anions, known for their eagerness to strip off
hydrogens and protons from organics. By losing H2+,
glyoxal yielded OCCO−. And then the real fun began.
Once the lasers were unleashed, the anions had no
choice but to neutralize. The electrons emitted in the
process bore the fingerprints of the neutral ethylenedione molecule. The images indicated the bound triplet
and dissociative singlet states, which are responsible,
respectively, for the very existence and the short lifespan
of OCCO. The results matched very well what theorists
had been predicting for a hundred years, and provided
the first definitive proof of OCCO’s existence.
Andrei grew up in an isolated town, Gorodets, in Russia. In the
8th grade, he came across the do-at-home entrance test for
the Correspondence School of Physics and Technology (CSPT),
an extracurricular organization for high-schoolers run by the
Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT). The test
was published in a youth science magazine, to which Andrei
subscribed for the science fiction stories included in every
issue. He was intrigued and solved the test, just to see if he
could. That proved to be the single most important event that
defined his future.
All the way through high school, in addition to regular
schooling, he studied physics and math at the CSPT. The
curriculum was very challenging, given his provincial
background, but he pressed on and soon was hooked.
After high-school graduation, he took the entrance exams
and was admitted to the MIPT. The credit for that belongs
completely to the CSPT. Had it not been for the preparation
he received through this school, he would not have stood
a chance. In the pre-Internet world, it was a truly unique
organization, and it still exists today: www.school.mipt.ru.
At a farm in the Soviet
Union, where Andrei (far
right) and his college
classmates picked beets as
their required annual farm
labor, 1986
He graduated from MIPT and came to the US in 1992 to the
PhD program at the University of Southern California. Little
practical information about America was accessible in the
collapsing Soviet Union; hard currency was even harder to
come by. His airfare to Los Angeles was paid by USC. On
arrival, he had no credit cards or bank accounts of any sort.
One of his professors in Moscow had given him 6 (yes, six) US
dollars and that was all he had. It was the sort of adventure
that requires one to close the eyes and … jump, hoping it
would all work out okay.
It did.
POTENTIAL ENERGY
A “simple” molecule, 102 years in the making, was
finally revealed.
From Russia with Six Dollars
GROUND STATE
Sanov group 2015 in the excited state
Andrei Sanov and Laura Van Dorn in Moscow, 2013
13
the
Catalyst
CBC alumni magazine
2015 Student Awards
Undergraduate
Awards
CBC Outstanding Freshman
Jean-Laurent Blanche - Chem
CBC Outstanding Sophomore
Elise Noelle Munoz - BIOC
CBC Outstanding Juniors
Kexin Li - Chemistry
Nicole C. Schwalbe - BIOC
CBC and Chemistry
Outstanding Senior Fall 2014
Teryn Holeman
Chemistry Excellence in
Research Spring 2015
Yvonne Wing-Yee Ng
Chemistry Outstanding Senior
Spring 2015
Joseph Patrick Marshalek
CBC and Biochemistry
Excellence in Research Spring
2015
Brittany Leigh Forte
CBC and Biochemistry
Outstanding Senior Spring
2015
Stephanie T. Kha
Biochemistry Outstanding
Senior Thesis Spring 2015
Kaitlyn McLeod
American Chemical Society
Hach Scholar
Karey M. Armenta
Charles Hoyt Scholar
Taylor Szyszka
Lela E. Booher Memorial
Scholar
Taylor Szyszka
Excellence in Biological
Sciences Scholars
Trace Bartels
Ali Icenogle
Nicole C. Schwalbe
Benjamin Van Maren
Michael A. Wells Memorial
Research Scholars
Ali Icenogle
Elise Noelle Munoz
Benjamin Van Maren
HyperCube Scholars
Tian (Chris) Xue
Kexin Li
The Ronald Gonzalez Wildcat
Spirit Award 2015
Ronald Gonzalez
14
Galileo Circle
Scholars
Eman Akam
Benton J. Anderson
Rafaela Arroyo-Vallejo
Trace Bartels
Jean-Laurent Blanche
Javier Castillo-Montoya
Philip Dirlam
Andrew Dixon
Brittany Leigh Forte, Michael
Cusanovich Scholar
Axel Gomez Casarez
Mahsa Ghaffari
Leo Marc Hamerlynck
Shaina H. Hasan
Ali Icenogle
Stephanie M. Jensen
Flora Kimani
Tam Le
Kexin Li
Andrew McDonald
Yvonne Wing-Yee Ng
Nicole C. Schwalbe
Eric A. Simental, Gilbert R.
Escalante Scholar
Daria Timonina
Graduate Awards
Outstanding CBC Graduate
Students 2014 - 2015
Outstanding Scholarship
Edon Vitaku
Outstanding Service
Eman Akam
Outstanding Teaching
Mahsa Ghaffari
Industry Associates
Program Graduate Research
Assistantship 2015
Cody Corbin
Brandon Smith
GIGA Graduate Research
Assistantship 2015
Andrew Dixon
Nicholas Pavlopoulos
John Hostetter Scholar 20142015
Matthew Swan
First Year Excellence in
Graduate Research
Adam Meier
Second Year Excellence in
Graduate Research
Brandon Smith
David O’Brien Graduate Fellow
Andrew Dixon
Carl S. Marvel Scholar
Christopher Atcherley
Special Recognition
College of Science & Molecular
& Cellular Biology Outstanding
Senior Spring 2015
Shaina H. Hasan
Robie Gold Medal, UA Senior
Award 2015
Stephanie Zawada
Robert Logan Nugent UA
Senior Award 2015
Stephanie T. Kha
Murray DeArmond Mind, Body
and Spirit Award 2015
Stephanie T. Kha
Thomas R. Brown Foundation
Distinguished Scholar in
Entrepreneurship 2014-2015
Stephanie Zawada
Beckman Scholars 2015-2016
Jordan Barrows
Ben Wu
Marshall Foundation
Dissertation Fellow 2014- 2015
Sara M. Hall
UA Graduate College, UA
Fellows Award 2015
Postgraduate Research
Excellence Award University
of Sydney
Taylor Szyszka
Paul G. Koch & Elsie M. Koch
Memorial Scholar 2015
Guadalupe Davila
Newell A. Younggren Scholar
in Biological Sciences 20142015
Tam Le
TRIF Imaging Fellowship 2015
Adam Wallace
Bret Maughan
Stephanie Kha with her parents
and Dr. David Alberts
American Chemical Society
Undergraduate Award in
Analytical Chemistry 2014
Stephen Merchant
Biological, Engineering &
Chemical Undergraduate
Research Conference 2015
Bennett Adamson
Meagan Bethel
Austin Brown
Carl Buchholz
Pearl Dixon
Morgan Fitzpatrick
Shaina Hasan
Jason Kronenfeld
Gloria Le
Kendra Liu
Kyle Lopez
Corina Maclsaac
Anna Villas
CBC Poster Fair 2015
Senior Thesis
1st: Taylor Szyszka
2nd: Brittany Leigh Forte
Biological Sciences Advanced
1st: Gloria Le
2nd: Kassidy Tompkins
Biological Sciences Emerging
1st: Katherine Burrell
2nd: Spencer Escobedo & Salil
Kalarn
Physical Sciences Advanced
1st: Ronald Gonzalez
2nd: Sona Avetian
Physical Sciences Emerging
1st: William Bahureksa
2nd: Alina Kraus
2015 Commencement
T
he 2015 CBC Awards and Commencement
Ceremony was held on May 14, 2015 at the Student Union
Memorial Grand Ballroom. The 400 guests included 2014-2015
graduating students, student award recipients, student ambassadors,
faculty, staff, family members, and friends of the department.
Elyse Harris and Sara Herman
Shaina Hasan (holding flowers) and family
The program began with Dr. Roger Miesfeld, CBC Department Head, who
welcomed everyone to the event, followed by the Keynote speaker, Dr.
Philip Miller, President/Consultant from Miller Consulting. Dr. Andrei
Sanov presented the undergraduate awards; Dr. Oliver Monti, Chair of
the CBC Graduate Program Committee presented the Graduate student
awards; College of Science Dean, Dr. Joaquin Ruiz, presented the Galileo
Circle Scholars; the calling of the CBC Graduates was given by Drs. Roger
Miesfeld, Andrei Sanov and Zhiping Zheng. Dr. David Alberts, UA Regents
Professor and Director Emeritus, UA Cancer Center, introduced Stephanie Kha, CBC/Chemistry Outstanding Senior, who provided the closing
remarks.
The 2016 CBC Awards Commencement Ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 12, 2016 at the Student Union Memorial Grand Ballroom approximately from 10:30 am – 12:30 pm.
CBC PhD and MS graduates
Rachel Burnett (in cap and gown) and family
Katrina Farrell (red dress) and family
Danny and Dago Robles (at side ends)
and family
15
the
New staff
Catalyst
CBC alumni magazine
UA Faculty
Awards 2015
Bobbi Anglin, Instructor
Megan Cunnington, Academic Advisor
Adam Daly, Instructor
Christopher Lundin, Accountant Associate
Brian Zacher, Instructor
Dr. Craig Aspinwall IUPAC Young Observer Award
2015, IUPAC; Honors Professor 2015, UA Honors
College
Dr. Pascale Charest ACS Research Honor, American
Chemical Society
Dr. Indraneel Ghosh Honors Professor 2015, UA
Honors College
Dr. Jim Hazzard Distinguished Career Teaching
Award 2015, UA College of Science
Bobbi Anglin
Megan Cunnington
Adam Daly
Dr. Victor J. Hruby Innovator of the Year Award
2015, Tech Launch Arizona; Governor’s Celebration
of Innovation Academia 2015, Arizona Governor’s
Office; Bures Lecturer, 2015, Bures International
Lecture
Dr. Megan McEvoy Distinguished Advising Award
2015, UA College of Science
ChristopherLundin
Dr. John Pollard Honors Professor 2015, UA Honors
College
Brian Zacher
Learn more about the new staff in the Online Extras!
cbc.arizona.edu/alumni_friends
Dr. Robin Polt Catapult Award 2014, Tech Launch
Arizona
Dr. Vicente Talanquer Distinguished University
Professor 2015, University of Arizona
Thank you to
Our Retirees
Dr. Elisa Tomat Faculty Early-Career Development
(CAREER) Award 2015, National Science Foundation
Dr. Lucy Ziurys Barbara Mez-Starck Prize 2015, Barbara Mez-Starck Foundation
Ua Staff
Awards 2015
Mary Flores
Amy Morris
Roger Sperline
Mary Flores
Neil Jacobsen is the 2015 College of Science Award
of Excellence winner representing CBC
Michael Morris and Beth Vinson, 2015 McNair
Awardees
The Teaching Support Office in the Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry won the UA 2015
Team Award for Excellence
Amy Morris
16
CBC and Tech Launch Arizona
Connect for Commercialization
U
A researchers in CBC and across the
University of Arizona make important discoveries
every day. Tech Launch Arizona helps the University’s
brightest minds put their best breakthroughs to work for a
better world. How?
The UA created TLA to move inventions, technologies, and
intellectual property from the laboratory out into the marketplace. The UA unit brings together faculty and researchers
with the business community to maximize the impact of
research and innovation, and connects the University to the
resources and interactive ground of Tech Parks Arizona.
Over the last three years, CBC had the highest level of commercialization activity of any department in the College of
Science, and one of the highest in the entire university. For
example, CBC increased its number of US patents filed from
five in fiscal year 2013
(FY13) to 36 in FY15, a
nearly six-fold increase.
Over the same three-year period, four start-up companies
came out of CBC. To incentivize this activity going forward,
the 2015 CBC Catalyst Award was initiated through a partnership with the Nguyen & Tarbet Patent Law Firm and the
College of Science Dean’s Fund.
A total of $10,000 in prize money will be awarded in January
2016 at the annual CBC Faculty Retreat to the five CBC faculty
(or labs) with the most impactful applied science as measured
by commercialization activity through TLA.
Successfully Growing an Ecosystem of Invention and
Commercialization
A few of our TLA superstars
TLA Metric—UA
FY13
FY14
FY15
Invention Disclosures
144
188
213
Exclusive Licenses/Options
22
39
45
Startup companies
3
11
12
145
167
200
$1.3 M
$1.6 M
$2.4 M
Provisional/utility patents filed
Income from royalties and
patent reimbursements
Dr. Victor J. Hruby
Dr. Jeffrey Pyun
Dr. Jon Njardarson
CBC had the highest level of TLA activity of any department
in the College of Science.
In Memoriam People We Lost in 2014-2015
Herbert Craig, BS
Chemistry 1965,
d. 1/5/2015
Melissa (Missy) Farrow Klute, BS
Chemistry, 1992, d. 8/9/2015
Martin (Marty) Krevitz, BS Chemistry
1941, d. 11/3/2014
Stephen Newcomb, BS Chemistry,
1989, d. 9/16/2015
Fredrick Stong, BS
Chemistry 1960,
d. 6/8/2015
Elizabeth Willott, PhD
Biochemistry 1989,
d. 5/2/2015
Marian (Sally)
Lounsberry Storch,
BS Chemistry 1947,
d. 7/18/2015
Margaret (Pinkie) Ban
Wong, BS Chemistry
1947, d. 5/30/2015
Thomas (TK) Waddell, BA Chemistry
1950, d. 2/13/2015
Ron Workman, BS Chemistry 1968,
d. 7/8/2015
Read more about those we’ve lost in the Online
Extras. cbc.arizona.edu/alumni_friends
17
the
Industry
Associates
Program
T
he Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is excited
to develop closer relationships with small
businesses and large corporations that are seeking
ways to interface with leading academic researchers
and highly trained students in the fields of nanomaterials, synthetic organic chemistry, polymer chemistry, biochemistry, protein structure and function,
computational biophysics, and drug design. These
corporate relationships are fostered through our Industry Associates Program (IAP), which provides an
opportunity for companies such as yours to become
partners with a top tier Department of Chemistry &
Biochemistry at a world class Research I University
located in beautiful Tucson, Arizona. Receipt of
your company’s annual gift of $5,000 initiates your
IAP partnership. Visit us on the web at cbc.arizona.
edu/iap.
A primary benefit of an IAP partner company is
preferred technical access and consultation services
with our CBC scientific staff in the Research Support
Services (RSS) unit, which includes expertise in 15
specialized areas of chemistry and biochemistry.
Up to six employees of your company may become
University of Arizona Designated Campus Colleague
(DCC) associates of CBC, which includes online
access to all electronic journal subscriptions and
library databases. Join our growing list of IAP partner companies and begin to build your company’s
relationship with The
Sponsors:
University of Arizona!
Catalyst
CBC alumni magazine
RSS Profiles
Fast Scan Force Microscope Capabilities
Introduced into Keck Facility
T
he Department of Chemistry
and Biochemistry was recently
awarded a National Science Foundation MRI
grant for the purchase of a unique, state of the art
fast scan Atomic Force Microscope. With matching
funds provided by the university, an Asylum Cypher
ES system was purchased and installed and is now
being used by students to support the nano-tech, bio,
and thin film research projects in the department and
across campus. The new microscope is located in the
CBC Keck Center for Nano-Scale Imaging in the Chemical Sciences Building. Utilizing the latest in innovations in acoustical and thermal isolation, the scope
enables the user to scan up to 20x faster than previous
instruments over a wide range of spatial resolutions.
Coupled with an environmental module that allows
precisely controlled gas/liquid dosing as well as integrated temperature control, the new system puts the
Keck lab at the forefront of force imaging capabilities
in the Southwest. The new equipment joins an array
of co-located instruments dedicated to the imaging
and analysis of materials from the micro to the
nano-level. The facility is directed by Dr. Brooke Massani, who is an expert and campus leader in imaging
methods and their applications. Training is available
for any university personnel who require these techniques for their research and education programs.
For more information, contact:
Brooke Beam Massani, PhD
W.M. Keck Center for Surface and Interface Imaging
Chemical Sciences Building 135
(520) 621-3395
[email protected]
www.cbc.arizona.edu/facilities/keck_center
Topographical Image of
Perovskite
cbc.arizona.edu/iap
Roger L. Miesfeld, PhD
Professor and Department Head
Director, Industry Associates Program
Tel. 520.626.2343 [email protected]
18
CARL S. MARVEL LABORATORIES RENOVATION FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN
YOU CAN BE A MARVEL, TOO!
“THE University of Arizona
Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry is a triple threat.
They are successfully creating
new knowledge, transferring
that knowledge to the community,
and their commitment to students
is unparalleled. They are
leaders in enzyme research and
analytical chemistry.”
Joaquin Ruiz
Dean, University of Arizona
College of Science
I
F YOU WERE AROUND CAMPUS IN THE EARLY 1970s, you may remember
the beautiful new lab building going up just west of the Old Chemistry
Building. Originally called the New Chemistry Building, it was renamed
in 1984 in honor of Carl Shipp "Speed" Marvel, a UA Chemistry faculty
member from 1961 to 1988, and one of the world’s leading organic polymer
chemists. While some of the Marvel labs were recently renovated, three more
labs are in desperate need of updating in order to relocate CBC faculty from the
Old Chemistry building, which is slated for partial demolition (the back half
eventually will be replaced with new space).
Funds are not available for new building projects at this time, so it is
up to the CBC Department and the College of Science to partner in their
fundraising efforts to meet this critical need. We are looking for individuals or
corporations who are interested in making a significant impact on chemical
sciences by donating funds toward three state-of-the-art named research
laboratories in the Marvel Building. Our goal is to raise $1.8M over the next
two years to renovate three labs.
For more information on how you can have a laboratory named for you,
please contact College of Science Senior Director of Development
Dan Petrocelli at [email protected] or (520) 621-1215.
Old lab
NEW lab
CARL S. MARVEL
1894-1988
Photo courtesy of the
University of Illinois Archives
19
the
Catalyst
CBC alumni magazine
Student Adventures in Research,
Internships and Study Abroad
Jasmine Acfalle—Germany
Sona Avetian—University of Illinois, UrbanaChampaign
Alex Aydt—Washington University School of
Medicine, St. Louis
Courtney Collingwood—Guatemala
Sona Avetian
Melissa Harnois—Sanofi, Tucson
Stefan Hinote—Carnegie Mellon University
Teryn Holeman—Peru
Efren Ibarra—Mexico
Tyler Kennedy—India
Jasmine Acfalle and a Berlin Bear
Alex Aydt
Lauren Koch—University of Arizona
Carline Newmann and Global Medical Brigade
– Panama
Elizabeth Nguyen—Aramco Research Center,
Houston
Courtney Collingwood
See the Online Extras for the student stories!
Melissa Harnois
Tyler Kennedy and his cousin
Kendyl Brown in traditional
Indian clothing
20
Carline Newmann
Elizabeth Nguyen
Efren Ibarra, Jose Angel and
Efren A. Ibarra
Outreach Activities
by Melissa Harnois | 2015-16 ASBMB Club President
ASBMB Biochemistry Club
Visiting Scholars
The UA Biochemistry Club is an affiliated Student Chapter
The Visiting Scholars Program was established in 2011
of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular
by the UA Biochemistry Club and is now offered in the
Biology (ASBMB). Our main goal is to provide the comFall semester as a one-unit class through the Chemistry
munity, specifically middle and high school students,
and Biochemistry Department. Under the guidance of
with exposure to opportunities in scientific research and
Drs. James Hazzard and Andy Hausrath, students prepare
careers. Our club received the 2015 Outstanding Student
presentations which focus on their research and/or their
Chapter Award from ASBMB at the ASBMB National Meetcollegiate experiences and present to juniors and seniors at
ing in Boston where we were recognized for our leaderTucson-area high schools. The Visiting Scholars gain expeship and commitment to science education in the Tucson
rience presenting and actively engaging with an audience,
community. In addition, the
while the high schoolers have
Biochemistry Club worked
the opportunity to ask questions
2
9
very hard helping the
about university life. The aims of
6
Department gain ASBMB acthis program are to evoke inter3
11
5
13 est in pursuing higher education
7
creditation for the Universi1
4
12
10
8
ty of Arizona’s Biochemistry
among high school students as
degree—equivalent to the
well as to provide them with
ACS certification for Cheminsights into the transition from
istry. Starting in Fall 2015,
high school to college.
UA students who graduate
ASBMB: 1 Thy Tran, 2 Greg Lyons, 3 Danny Robles, 4 Chris Chan,
with a major in Biochemistry 5 Katie Burrell, 6 Ben Rounseville, 7 Paula Mendoza, 8 Cheryl
will have an ASBMB-certified Cheah, 9 Melissa Harnois, 10 Shaina Hasan, 11 Dago Robles,
More photos in the Online Extras
degree.
12 Angel Soto, and 13 Pablo Hernandez.
BECUR
BlastOff!
In February 2015, the UA Biochemistry Club hosted its
sixth annual Biology, Engineering & Chemistry Undergraduate Research (BECUR) Conference. The BECUR
Conference focuses on the outstanding research being
conducted by undergraduates at the University of Arizona
across a wide variety of scientific disciplines. The purpose of this conference is to provide participants with the
opportunity to present their research in a professional
yet comfortable environment. BECUR serves as excellent
preparation for future attendance and participation in
larger and more competitive national scientific meetings.
The 2015 BECUR Conference was the largest yet, with a
total of 55 abstracts.
Each summer the UA Biochemistry Club hosts BlastOff!, a
week-long summer camp offered free of charge to middle school students from low-income areas of Tucson.
BlastOff! engages students in various activities aimed
at fostering and enriching their interest in science. The
summer 2015 camp hosted fifteen middle schoolers and
allowed them to experience the thrill of scientific exploration through field trips, and the chance to conduct their
own experiments under the guidance of Biochemistry Club
members. On the last day of camp, family members were
invited to an informal poster session so they could see
what their campers had accomplished and learned.
The seventh BECUR Conference will be held on
February 20, 2016, and
the Biochemistry Club
is honored to welcome
Purdue University’s Hanley
Distinguished Professor
Nicholas Everetts, Nathaniel
Michael Rossmann as the
Napierski, Melissa Harnois, and
2016 Keynote Speaker.
Dr. Bill Montfort
Middle school students visit Charles Amling’s glass shop at BlastOff!
21
the
Catalyst
CBC Scrapbook
2015 Poster Fair winners
CBC alumni magazine
CBC Poster Fair
Salil Kalarn, Spencer Escobedo and
Kassidy Tompkins
Nicholas Everetts and Dr. Steven
Schwartz
BECUR
Dr. James Hazzard and Cheryl
Cheah
Rahik Mazumder, Leo Hamerlynck, and
Ron Gonzalez
Justin Lopez
Salsa
Challenge
Hruby
Symposium
Front: Alicia Cool, Gloria Le
Back: Justin Lopez, Meredith
Larabee, Robin Rarick,
Douglas Starkey, Jennifer
Sanchez and Katie Burrell
Dr. Victor J. Hruby
BlastOff!
Ugly Holiday Sweater Day
BlastOff! participants and Biochemistry Club counselors
CBC Faculty, staff, students and alumni in their holiday finest
22
See more photos in Online Extras, and on CBC
Facebook at: www.facebook.com/chembioc.dept
Kaitlyn Griffin, Morgan Berryman-Macie
and Sarah Pattengale
Welcome Back CBC Students Ice Cream Social
and Balloon Toss
CBC Breakfast
(Clockwise, starting at front left) Tristan Kleine, Matt 2015 first year CBC PhD and MS students
Humphries, Jacob Marx, Dr. Dennis Lichtenberger,
John De Lorenzo, Nick Pavlopoulos, Sona Avetian,
and Philip Dirlam
Trace Bartels, Cheryl
Tomoeda and Olivia
Mendoza
Chemistry
Show
Sona Avetian
Research Symposium
Lunch
Drs. Michael Heien, Megan
McEvoy and Andrew Hausrath
Rachel Utterback, Alyssa
Ellsworth and Dr. Anne Padias
AXS student group. Front row: Guadalupe Davila, Matthew Posnansky,
Madison Dawn, Taylor Szyszka, Sara Herman, and Keeper Sharkey.
Middle row: Iman Daryaei, Christy Warner, Ron Gonzalez, Andrew Dixon,
and Matt Bucchino. Back row: Jessica Gardin, Michael Williams, Jeff Ivie,
and Calley Eads.
23
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91–2016
the Catalyst Editor in Chief: Olivia Mendoza Associate Editors: Ellie Warder and Roger L. Miesfeld Design/Production: Lisa Stage
Contributors: Tori Hidalgo, Elisa Tomat, Andrei Sanov, and Melissa Harnois
520.621.6354 | [email protected] | www.cbc.arizona.edu/alumni_friends | Chemistry and Biochemistry at The University of Arizona on Facebook
Online Extras
Alumni News
Jerry Gin BS Chemistry 1964
Just celebrated 50th wedding anniversary. New: 2 grandsons—ages 1 and 6. Hobbies: Still playing tennis,
into sculpture and carving in wood. Passions: Study and investigations in the science of consciousness;
understanding cosmology. Companies: Founder in Nuvora—technology in area of oral drug delivery.
New products in the market: Salese for dry mouth and Dentiva for oral health and fresh breath. Founder
in Livionex—new technology to remove biofilm. New product in market: Livionex Dental Gel—removes
plaque 2.5 times better than any other toothpaste.
Larry Fox PhD Chemistry 1966
I am consulting on fundraising and management to bring the first true Alzheimer’s drug to market. I am
active in Rotary, starting a new electronic club, and serve as President of the Board of a regional water
and wastewater utility and a local municipal utility district. I also serve on the Lecture Committee for
an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UT Austin and as a board member for a local equity actors stock
company, Austin Playhouse.
Sharon Ruble MS Chemistry 1967
I spend my time traveling, shoveling snow, gathering chicken eggs, maintaining feeding area for birds
and deer, nurturing house plants, rescuing dogs and cats, playing bridge and euchre, and watching
college football. I also play in a pool league.
David Sakura PhD Chemistry 1970
I spent the last 20 years working as an investment banker where I was involved with financing and advising start-up biotechnology companies in both the US and in Europe. I’ve enjoyed watching many of
these start-ups grow to become billion dollar companies and leaders in the field of biotechnology. After
retiring in 2008, my wife and I moved from Boston to the mountains of New Hampshire, where I enjoy
building a Japanese style stroll garden and fly fishing. I serve on several non-profit boards, and over the
years I have lectured on the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II to high school and
college students.
David Sakura
Mark Dewhirst BS Chemistry 1971
I completed a DVM and PhD at Colorado State University in 1979. From 1979-1984, I was an Assistant
Professor in the School of Medicine at the U of A. In 1984, I was recruited to Duke. I have been on
the faculty of Duke University for the past 31 years and currently hold an endowed Professorship. My
primary appointment is in Radiation Oncology, with secondary appointments in Biomedical Engineering
and Pathology. Since 2011, I have also held the position of Associate Dean for Faculty Mentoring in the
School of Medicine. My research focuses on oxygen and drug transport in cancer, angiogenesis and
tumor metabolism. I have published over 600 peer-reviewed papers in my career. Much of my success
harkens back to my training in Chemistry that I got during my undergraduate experience at the UA.
Mark Dewhurst
Alan Shapiro BA Chemistry 1973; MD 1975
I was admitted to medical school after three years. I was one lab short of a B.S. I was able to get a BA in
chemistry because ASU gave credit for the first year of medical school for degree credits. I got my MD
degree in from UA in 1975.
Richard Yost BS Chemistry 1974
I am the Colonel Allen R. and Margaret G. Crow Professor and Head, Analytical Chemistry at the University of Florida. I direct the Southeast Center for Integrated Metabolomics, a new NIH national center,
and serve as a Professor of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine as well as a Professor in
the School of Natural Resources and Environment. I recently co-chaired the search for a new President
for the University of Florida; I also completed terms on the UF Board of Trustees and the State of Florida
Board of Regents (Governors).
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CBC alumni magazine
Dennis Dixon BS Chemistry 1976
I consult, speak and do business coaching at various architectural and construction industry venues,
such as JLC Live, Portand 2015, and NAHB 2016, Las Vegas. Publishing Finding Hidden Profits, 2nd edition, in December 2015. My wife, Jan, is working with the NAU Lady Lumberjacks Basketball Team as an
announcer and press contact. Our youngest son, Hunter, is in Engineering at the UA.
Chris Stavroudis BS Chemistry 1979
I have developed the Modular Cleaning Program, a tool to assist paintings conservators to create more
tailored cleaning systems for works of art. The MCP is a FileMaker Pro database that performs ionic equilibria calculations for aqueous systems and works in Hansen solubility space for solvent-based cleaning
systems. I have been teaching workshops on the system to professional art conservators domestically
and internationally—most recently at a private conservation studio in Paris.
Dan Villalanti PhD Chemistry 1980
Dan Villalanti with family
Founder and President of Triton Analytics Corp. For two decades
Triton Analytics has collaborated worldwide with over 250 oil,
chemical, and environmental companies and has solved significant
problems by first listening, then together with the client formulating
a set of analytical solutions focused on providing the best value in
laboratory data. Also Chair of ASTM D02.04 Section K Correlative
Methods. My wife and I are very proud of our son Carl, who is a
Naval Aviator. I have a vested interest in Navy jet fuel as our son
is a Naval Aviator in Squadron VAQ-132 flying the EA18G Growler
Electronic Attack fighter.
Tomi Sawyer PhD Chemistry 1981
I have now passed my 33+ year as a pharma/biotech scientist with concurrent academic appointments
at several major universities. I’m currently leading a worldwide drug discovery and innovative technologies effort focused on the peptide modality at Merck Research Laboratories. This is an exciting time
in peptide science, and reminds me of my PhD graduate studies in the late ‘70s at the UofA. My sons,
Thomas and Jonathon, are now amidst their PhD graduate studies at the University of Massachusetts
(structural/cellular biology) and the University of Arizona (chemical/cellular biology), respectively. This
is a special time for my wife, Constance, and me, to witness our sons building the foundations for their
careers!
Leo T. Kenny BS Chemistry 1983
I recently left my position at Intel, taking my sabbatical and a voluntary separation package, to explore
a new direction for my career. I’m also writing several books and continuing with a number of external
engagements that I had been involved with previously. My expectation is to be back working full-time
soon.
Patricia Hill PhD Chemistry 1986
My husband and I have retired to Cedar City, UT where our daughter Jessica Gerlach (MFA from UofA) is
an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Southern Utah University. I have joined the Cedar City Arts
Council and the Southern Utah Rock Club and am teaching workshops on chemistry and art both as part
of an NSF grant and a local Cedar City Arts grant.
Scott Hertzog BS Chemistry 1987
I am recently re-employed by Chemical Abstracts Service, now training users in the tools (STN, SciFinder
and AnaVist) I have been using throughout my career in scientific information retrieval and as a patent
examiner. I am loving being able to travel to clients and share how these tools can help them be more
efficient in their performing their jobs and pursuing answers to research questions. My wife and I recently celebrated our 23rd anniversary. Our daughter is just about to turn ten and wants to be a veterinarian, loves Pokemon and video games.
Scott Hertzog
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Matthew Grumbling BS Chemistry 1995
I am a registered patent attorney; my practice is concentrated in the pharmaceutical industry, representing both specialty pharma and generic interests. I have been married since 1985 and have 3 children,
one girl (age 15) and two boys (age 17 and 5).
Gwen Gross BS Chemistry 1998
In January of 2015, I was inducted into the Boeing Technical Fellowship as an Associate Technical Fellow.
The role of the engineers and scientists serving as Technical Fellows is to set technical direction for Boeing and to resolve issues that arise when the company creates new products. To become a member of
the Fellowship, a candidate must go through a formal nomination, vetting and review process. Thus the
members of the Technical Fellowship comprise only about 1.5% of the Boeing work force.
LCDR Danny dj Morales BA Biochemistry 2000
Although I can be at sea in another hemisphere, I am never too far in spirit from
my UA. I recently crossed the equator on the USS George Washington (CVN-73)
and experienced a “monsoon” washdown of the salt-water variety. Congratulations to all recent grads and CBC majors. Keep leading our nation’s biosciences!
Linda Breci PhD Chemistry 2001
I’m a backpacker. Have been since the 80’s. One step in front of another. ComLCDF Danny dj Morales at the equator
fort? Phooey! Sleep on the ground, eat dried food, and carry your house like
on the USS George Washington
a turtle -- tough stuff! That might be one way to explain how I could give up a
decent career in Advertising and Public Relations and return to school for nine
years to ultimately get my PhD in Chemistry at the University of Arizona. And why would I do it? My
goal was to learn, to understand, and to contribute to the world of biological science in a meaningful
way. And so I left my favorite place, Phoenix, Arizona, to go to Missouri State University for my BS in
Chemistry and found my calling: research and working with faculty and students. This in turn brought
me to my new favorite place, Tucson, Arizona, as a graduate student in the Chemistry Department.
Here I studied under Dr. Vicki Wysocki and discovered the power of mass spectrometry in today’s
research lab. After graduating with a focus in Analytical Chemistry, I had many opportunities in the
private sector: companies specializing in drug delivery, ag research, even a research firm in Iceland.
However, I chose instead to stay in Arizona and live the University life by taking a new position
as an Assistant Scientist focusing on biological mass spectrometry. I’m now Associate Director of
Proteomics, meaning I am doing mass spectrometry in a shared-resource facility and am involved
in many fascinating research projects with the common theme being the identification or characterization of proteins from many sources: plants, spiders, cows, bacteria, rats, humans and so on.
I am very fortunate to spend a good deal of time working directly with students to help them plan
their experiments and train them in sample preparation, instrument use, and data analysis. Now I’m
still a backpacker, and in fact I am just back from a 7-day trip in the high Sierras. I also enjoy books,
playing classical guitar, and hiking with my husband, NMR Facility Director, Dr. Neil Jacobsen.
Linda Breci
Christina Birch BS Biochemistry 2008
I graduated with a BMB BS degree (before the department change) and Math BS degree in 2008. I went
directly to graduate school at MIT to pursue a Ph.D. in Biological Engineering. I recently successfully defended my thesis on “Identification of Malaria Infected Red Blood Cells by Inertial Microfluidics SELEX.”
My time outside lab was spent racing with the MIT Cycling Team, winning several team and individual
collegiate National Championship titles. Now, I am looking to continue my passion for science (and
cycling) outside of MIT, and hopefully I will move back west to warmer weather!
Erika Offerdahl PhD Biochemistry 2008
I recently had a paper make the “Top 8” list. http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-professor-blog/best-list-celebrates-scholarship-teaching-learning/
Christina Birch
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Yomi Ajulo BS Biochemistry 2009
While I was at the UA, I was involved in the university community like many of my peers. However,
while my peers were certain of the futures as MDs, I was always uncertain. Although I prepared myself
for a future as a medical doctor, I decided to take a break from studies after graduating. While traveling in 2009, I made a friend who became my husband earlier this year, and I also got clarity on how
to proceed with my life. In the fall of 2011, I went back to school to earn a master’s degree in chemical
engineering. Upon finishing, I have been working in the oil and gas industry. I thank all the CBC professors for instilling in me a desire to learn and the biochemistry ambassadors program for keeping me
engaged. Most especially, I am grateful to Prof. William Grimes for always encouraging me.
Emily Tenenbaum PhD Chemistry 2010
Yomi Ajulo
I am Business Development Manager at Primus Green Energy, an exciting Princeton-based company
that makes systems to convert natural gas into gasoline. I live in NJ with my husband, Michele Pavanello (UA PhD 2010), an assistant professor at Rutgers Newark, and our two children Antonio (2 yr) and
Francesca (6 yr).
Sterling Udom BS Biochemistry 2010
I’m in my last year at the Medical College of Wisconsin and currently applying to anesthesiology residencies. I am very grateful for the high quality education I received at the UA, and it was so much fun!
CBC is my home away from home.
Sterling Udom
Jesse Caballero BS Biochemistry 2012
Hi. I’m Jesse, don’t stress me. Stress can cause headaches, increase your heart rate, or cause you to
sweat excessively. Since I began as a freshman at the University of Arizona I have been learning how to
balance the weights of reverse. The pressure of stress can be deleterious, however, it can also be quite
the contrary. Stress is a physiological response which helps you to perform under pressure. The tricky
part is recognizing stress and using it to accomplish your goals rather than allowing the pressure to
overcome you. As an aspiring physician I have been under a lot of stress, and as I continue to reach my
goals, I am learning to use stress to my advantage.
I entered the UA as a business major, and at the time I held little interest in science. However, after
taking classes in general chemistry and biology, I decided to change my major to Biochemistry and
Molecular Biophysics (this was also in part because of my appreciation for mathematics). Eventually I
joined the exceptional lab of Dr. Patricia Stock, where I worked to characterize secondary metabolites
of an entomopathogenic, or insect killing, bacterium. Working for Dr. Stock was an experience that
propelled my interest in research. Altogether, I was sure I would pursue a career in science. In fact, I
began this pursuit by working as a teaching assistant for general chemistry labs for the Department of
Chemistry and Biochemistry (CBC).
In the spring of 2014 I was accepted to the Indiana University School of Medicine. My first year was fulfilling, to say the least, and I developed wonderful relationships with my classmates. Studying medicine
is a privilege and I have vowed to apply the knowledge I gain to break down the barriers between a
patient, a disease, and a treatment. This summer I was accepted to research for the GEMS-HP program
at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. As a part of the program I am working on a
project involved with targeted liposomal delivery of an antioxidant enzyme, Extracellular Superoxide
Dismutase, for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. My work has been conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Eva Grayck, another outstanding lab where the research is focused on understanding molecular mechanisms to treat human pulmonary vascular diseases. My project will reach its completion in
early August and shortly thereafter I will begin the second round of medical school. Thus far, I have my
sights set on practicing orthopedic surgery. The path to becoming a physician is rigorous, and I couldn’t
have made it to where I am without the guidance from the impactful personnel at the UofA and the
department of CBC. As always, BEAR DOWN!
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Natasha Kong BS Biochemistry 2012
Since graduating college, I’ve been pursing a career in acting full-time. It seems way out
of left field, but before graduation, several CBC professors encouraged me to look for
what I was passionate about. Interestingly enough, that led me to acting. Since then,
I’ve graduated from a longform improv program at The Torch Theatre, been part of a
dinner theatre show, been in a YouTube webseries, and am currently a standardized patient at St. Joseph’s medical center. I’m currently in a Sanford Meisner technique acting
program. I spend most of my time auditioning or on sets doing small roles, working my
Natasha Kong
way up. It’s been a blast! People ask me all the time if I regret not being a theater or
film major in college, and I tell them not at all! I really believe God had me where I was
for a reason. Getting a Biochemistry major taught me excellent work ethic and research skills (completely applicable for character research). Most importantly, if I had not been in CBC, I wouldn’t have
met all the amazing classmates, professors, and staff that I formed relationships with. So now, I’m just
living life as it comes at me, learning incredible amounts of social and networking skills and having fun
while doing it! When I have free time, I love to play ukulele, bake French macarons, leather craft, or go
to the archery range.
Nancy Leo BS Biochemistry 2012
As an incoming freshman in 2004, I was ecstatic to surround myself with an academic community always at the forefront of great scientific discoveries. I knew that the department would foster my intrinsic desire to ponder a world full of unknowns, allowing me to one day excel in the fields of biochemistry and molecular sciences. And so my journey began with great explorations of the intricacies between
protein structure and function in metabolic pathways and in overall cellular pathophysiology. I joined
the research lab of Dr. Miranda K. Adelman after my return from a year of study abroad in Orvieto, Italy.
Her lab examined the role of endogenous retroviruses in the pathogenesis of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and other related autoimmune diseases. My exposure to working with numerous cellular and
molecular biology techniques incited my desire to pursue a master’s degree in Molecular and Cellular
Biology following my undergraduate graduation in December 2012.
After graduating with my degree in December of 2013, I took an unforgettable trip back to my family’s
homeland—Italy. By way of recommendation from Dr. James Hazzard, I was able to meet one of the
most renowned agricultural molecular scientists in the world, Dr. Augusto Marchesini, one of whose
many discoveries included the crystallographic study of ascorbic acid oxidase in green zucchini squash.
Touring the city of Torino, Italy and exploring the numerous scientific libraries there was an experience
of a lifetime!
Upon my return home to the States, I decided to apply my love of learning and knowledge to help others! I am currently a chemistry/biology tutor at Chandler Gilbert Community College’s Learning Center.
It is an honor to be a part of the wonderful team that provides intellectual counsel and guidance to
students who enter into the center feeling defeated by a subject or concept. By encouraging critical
thinking and proper question asking, I yearn to help students build an inherent love for learning that
supersedes any quest for success solely for the grade!
Currently, my extracurricular activities include being an active volunteer member for The Grove
Christian church in Chandler, Arizona. I serve on the worship ministry as a computer tech, and I am a
member of the meals ministry, providing meals to families experiencing loss or illness. Additionally, I
am actively involved in the church’s LiveLove ministry, a non-profit organization aimed to build on the
strengths and assets of neighborhoods, in order to promote stronger caring communities. In my free
time, I enjoy the company of my loved ones and the wonders of a stunning world!
Sophie Hapak BS Biochemistry 2013
I’m currently a third year medical student at the University of Pittsburgh. Right now, I’m interested in
internal medicine/GI, but that could easily change as I go through my rotations and experience different aspects of medicine. I have no idea where I’ll go for residency yet, but I hope to end up somewhere
west eventually. I am just as interested in research now as I was when I was a biochemistry undergrad,
and I’m currently part of a group that studies Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. In my free time
(the little that I have), I enjoy horseback riding, running, and playing tennis.
Sophie Hapack
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Deboleena Sarkar PhD Biochemistry 2013
A fearless mission to change the fate of the 1620 people expected to die of cancer every day this year
in the United States alone, and each and every individual afflicted with cancer in the years to come,
working tirelessly to develop cutting edge tools that’ll shape the future of medicine- otherwise lofty
goals that have become my everyday reality thanks to the fascinating line of work I embarked upon
since my graduate tenure at the University of Arizona. As a graduate student, I had had the express
opportunity to pursue the Bio5 Internship (extended by the University of Arizona) in the Cytology
group at Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. This opportunity was extremely insightful in the organizations’
mission and work ethic. The internship reinstated my belief that research in diagnostic and pharmaceutical industry is an environment where I can thrive and be extremely productive. Within a short span of
working with the group, I was granted the responsibility to undertake a pilot project to aid the development of diagnostics for selecting pre-cancerous cervical diseases compared to existing HPV and Pap
detection. Upon completion of my Ph.D in Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology in November 2013, I joined the Companion Diagnostics group of Ventana Medical Systems, Inc., a member of the
Roche Group, a global leader in developing cancer diagnostic solutions. I am part of a pioneering group
developing diagnostic solutions to identify whether an individual’s cancer expresses the specific biomarker, or molecular target, of a specific tailored, targeted treatment. This futuristic healthcare method
takes advantage of today’s advanced knowledge of molecular mechanisms of cancer and is a step
above the “one size fits all” approach that dominates current cancer care. As a Scientist in the Roche
Group, I particularly enjoy the global access it provides to give patients suffering from this dangerous
disease a real chance to live a longer and more fruitful life and for my own professional development.
I have made it a personal mission to empower cancer patients by awareness by being a part of FORCE,
an organization working to support patients suffering from breast and ovarian cancer by create awareness and providing easily accessible information.
As a wide-eyed student joining graduate school in the Fall of 2007 with a background in Genetics, Biotechnology, Chemistry and Microbiology, I was always inclined to study complex diseases from a biochemical point of view. I had the opportunity to be part of research teams studying DNA damage and
repair in ovarian and breast cancers in humans in top-notch research laboratories during my rotations
and I joined Dr. Tsu-Shuen Tsao’s laboratory whose focus was to study obesity associated diabetes. As
part of my PhD dissertation, I studied the insulin resistance-inducing treatments that altered endoplasmic reticulum (ER-the organelle involved in protein folding) redox state in cultured adipocytes and
developed and characterized a redox sensitive GFP probe (roGFP-iL) for use as a tool to study ER redox
conditions. I demonstrated that glutathione; the primary redox buffering peptide mediates formation
of disulfide bonds in the ER in an enzyme independent fashion. My work has been published in part
in the peer-reviewed journal Biochemistry. As any graduate student worth his money would say, my
publication and dissertation ‘story’ didn’t come easily either. With its arduous ‘ups and downs’ it was a
journey that led me to my most valued personal discovery—that I can persist no matter what and that
that is all I need to see things through. I owe this self-discovery to Dr. Tsao’s guidance that no decision
is right or wrong—what matters is how you work on the decision made! This is advice that I will hold
close as a mother of two baby girls, Aalo and Aadi, as well as a professional in a highly ambitious and
innovative industry.
Kara Smith BS Chemistry 2013
I recently got married to Nadina Anderson in Saratoga Springs, NY. She is currently a PhD student at the
UA finishing her degree in Sociology, specializing in sex and gender. She is currently working/teaching/
doing research in Kyiv, Ukraine under a Fulbright Scholarship. I have recently moved from New York to
Connecticut to take new orders. I was selected as one of the first females to integrate the Virginia class
fast-attack submarines.
Lauren Wugalter BS Chemistry 2013
As a senior at the University of Arizona in the CBC program, I was making final decisions about which
graduate school chemistry program to attend after graduation. My first choices were the University of
North Carolina-Chapel Hill, University of Texas-Austin, University of Oregon, and University of Washington. I made my final decision to attend UW because of the research opportunities and the amazing city
of Seattle.
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Lauren Wugalter
Because of this realization, I decided to leave the UW graduate program with an MS in chemistry, and
pursue teaching opportunities at the college level. Currently, I am a chemistry instructor at Tacoma Community College in Tacoma, WA. I am also an instructor at the University of Washington-Tacoma, teaching
courses on general chemistry as it applies to environmental science.
I hope to continue to bring my love of chemistry and my passion for science education to each student I
encounter throughout my teaching career, as I believe that success in chemistry begins with a desire to
learn and an excitement for science that a teacher’s enthusiasm can inspire.
Christopher Atcherley PhD Chemistry 2014
Since graduation last December, I have started working at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona as a Research Fellow. I am working for Dr. Frank Porreca, and we are investigating the underlying mechanisms
of headache. I am also working in Dr. Porreca’s lab at the UA where I continue to collaborate with my
PhD advisor, Dr. Michael Heien. Michael and I have started a company called Knowmad Technologies,
LLC, and we have had several sales and are off to a good start. I am starting to get used to the commute
between Scottsdale and Tucson and am truly enjoying my new position.
Teryn Holeman BS Chemistry 2014
Since graduating in December of 2014, I have been teaching general chemistry lab classes at the UA and
have helped design the new chemical thinking curriculum that will be implemented this year. With my
ultimate goal of attending medical school, I have focused on expanding my clinical skillset by obtaining
my national EMT certification and volunteering in the UMC emergency department as a clinical researcher. Completing numerous applications to medical schools around the nation, I hope to continue
my career in medicine. This summer, I traveled to Peru on a UA medical campaign, volunteering in rural
hospitals, hosting health education sessions, and providing free health clinics.
Christopher
Atcherley
Online Extras
When I arrived at the University of Washington to begin research a few months early, I realized
that the city of Seattle exceeded all my expectations, while the research seemed to fall short.
I realized that I felt completely unfulfilled working in a laboratory. Although my main goal in
graduate school was to be a researcher, I felt most inspired and fulfilled working in the classroom
and lab as a teaching assistant, working with students to help them learn chemistry concepts
and to strengthen their critical thinking skills. I loved the feeling of walking into a classroom
and knowing it was “gas laws day,” or going to lab and being the students’ guide through every
experiment, all the while being a mentor to the students who continually came back after class
for questions about their future in science.
The UA Chemistry and Biochemistry Department has prepared me for my life in the biomedical sciences.
Even when I didn’t know what I wanted to do with Chemistry, I enjoyed every facet; from the physiological aspect of organic and biochemistry, the tedious nature of analytical, the precision and accuracy of
the innovative instruments in instrumental analysis, to the challenges that the characterizations project
posed. Every class was so different that it brought out different personal strengths and weaknesses. I
learned to adapt quickly and adjusted to my strengths. The UA Biochemistry curriculum taught me the
scientific knowledge and skills that are applicable to any type of lab. After working as an undergraduate
researcher in the department of neuroscience pharmacology under Dr. Theodore Price for three years, I
was pleased to be accepted to a volunteer position in the Mass Spectrometry Department working under
Dr. Arpad Somogyi. The research opportunities at the UA are endless.
This year I am teaching general chemistry lab full time while completing my SCUBA diving instructor
certification. I am excited to give back to the UA CBC community and share my passion and enthusiasm
for Chemistry with my students, showing them that the application of chemical thinking is everywhere,
from the exothermic nature of my hot Starbucks coffee to the intricate details behind the BP oil spill! We
are surrounded by Chemistry!
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Cheryl Cheah BS Biochemistry 2015
Cheryl Cheah
In addition to preparing me for my future career goals, the Biochemistry program at the University of Arizona enhanced my college experience in more ways than I could have imagined. In a comparatively challenging degree program, the faculty members are easily accessible and eager to share words of wisdom,
while the advisors are always on hand to offer valuable insight and support. There are also numerous ways
to get involved and interact with like-minded peers such as student clubs, undergraduate research and exciting social events. The Biochemistry Club serves as a platform for peer-mentoring opportunities and for
students to exchange and discuss ideas. More importantly, the club connects with the Tucson community
through outreach events that include summer camps and mentorship opportunities. As a former member
and president of the Biochemistry Club, I was also able to acquire professional skills that are translatable
to multiple career fields. All in all, the Biochemistry program hosts a diverse group of students who are
passionate about science!
Brittany Forte BS Biochemistry and MCB 2015
I have begun my first year as a PhD. student in the Arizona Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program here
at the U of A! I will be majoring in Cancer Biology with a minor in Pharmacology, and my research will focus
on mechanisms of breast cancer invasion and metastasis. Following obtaining a PhD., I plan on pursuing a
post-doc to prepare myself for a long-term career goal of tenured professorship studying cancer immunology.
Brittany Forte
Although now confident in my future path as a professor and cancer biologist, the road to graduate school
was not straightforward. When I began college in the fall of 2012, I was a pre-Pharmacy major with intentions to apply to Pharmacy School. However, after spending two summers working as a pharmacy technician, it was evident I was not meant for a career as a pharmacist. This revelation devastated me. I told
myself I would never change my major or career path, so when I found out my life’s plan was falling apart
during my first few weeks of college, I felt like a failure. I instantly knew I needed to change my major, and
immediately switched to Biochemistry because I had such a great experience in both my AP Biology and
AP Chemistry classes in high school. The day I stepped into the CBC Advising Office to meet with Olivia
Mendoza, I knew my life would be forever changed.
I was extremely encouraged to become involved in research, something I had, until that point, never
thought of pursuing. Only a month later I became involved in research under the direction of Dr. Todd
Vanderah in the Department of Pharmacology. During the three years of my undergrad career, I studied
novel therapeutics in treating cancer-induced bone pain, a severe chronic pain state experienced by 7590% of late-stage metastatic cancer patients. Although in a pharmacology lab, I worked hard to integrate
my research subject with my major, and through this balance, was able to present a poster and give a talk
at the 2015 Experimental Biology Conference in Boston this past March.
I became involved as a CBC Ambassador, a College of Science Ambassador, and a Biochemistry Mentor.
Through these leadership roles, I was able to spread my passion for the STEM fields, encourage high
schoolers to pursue challenging majors in science, and inspire my peers to engage in opportunities
around campus such as internships or research.
My undergraduate research and time as a CBC ambassador and mentor, all opportunities given to me by
the CBC department, have fueled my passion for knowledge, scientific discovery, and mentoring, and led
me to discover my passion to remain in academia. I am forever grateful for the experiences I had as an
undergraduate at the U of A, particularly as a part of the CBC Department and College of Science, as they
have allowed me to grow as a scientist, mentor, and adult!
Ronald Gonzalez BS Chemistry 2015
Ron Gonzalez
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For the last three months, I have been working as a quality control research associate at Accelerate
Diagnostics in Tucson. Accelerate Diagnostics is an in vitro diagnostics company dedicated to providing
solutions to the global challenge of drug-resistant organisms and hospital-acquired infections. My main
duties include analytical testing of the various reagents used in the company’s rapid identification and
antibiotic susceptibility testing (ID/AST) instrument. Recently, I have been involved in the biological
testing while being trained in various microbiological techniques. In the coming months the company is
looking to enter clinical trials for the ID/AST system. As part of the quality control team, I am working to
improve and develop testing techniques that guarantee the effectiveness of reagents used in the system.
I finished my PhD in Biochemistry the middle of August 2015 and was very fortunate to be offered a job at
Ventana Medical Systems in Oro Valley, AZ, which I started 1 week after graduating. Although I now work
for a tissue diagnostic company, which is different than the drug discovery I learned in graduate school,
the skills I obtained helped prepare me for this job. Learning techniques in biochemistry and organic
chemistry were important but the extensive collaborations I made within CBC as well as with groups in
other departments across campus proved very beneficial in my development as a scientist. Being able to
work with other groups efficiently is pivotal for my new job, and I’m glad that I learned this skill at the UA.
Stephanie Kha BS Biochemistry 2015
Greetings from Ohio—Land of the Buckeye Trees! My name is Stephanie Kha, and I am a proud - and
recent - alumna of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Arizona. I graduated just three months ago with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and a Minor in Sociology. After
the firework celebration from the 2015 Commencement ceremony, I packed up my belongings, sold my
textbooks back to the bookstore, ate as many cups of Eegee’s and Beyond Bread sandwiches as physically
possible, and then moved from sunny Tucson, Arizona—which has been my wonderful home for the past
four years—to Cleveland, Ohio to begin my first year of medical school at Case Western Reserve University. Classes began in the second week of July, along with the marvelous White Coat Ceremony—a formal
traditional event where students receive their white coats, which symbolizes our inauguration into the
study of clinical medicine. Since July, my brain has been inundated with oceans of knowledge from various fields—epidemiology, population health, health systems, bioethics, genetics, endocrinology, anatomy,
etc. Fortunately, following a routine to balance school time with non-school time keeps me sane.
In fact, if you flew to Cleveland right now, the odds are high that you could find me doing one of three
activities: (1) attentively sitting in the middle row at the left-handed desk in the lecture hall at school, (2)
drinking a foamy café latte with a buttery croissant in hand at my favorite coffee shop called Luna’s Bakery, or (3) hitting and digging [passing] volleyballs on the court during club practice at the gym. School
and studying remain top priority over all of my extracurricular activities, but I am happy to report that
the medical school here at Case Western really emphasizes the pursuit of personal hobbies and personal wellness for its students. All in all, I am honored to have this remarkable opportunity to train into a
physician at a phenomenal school. Furthermore, I am honored to have had my undergraduate education
at the University of Arizona, because the CBC Wildcat experience prepared me exceptionally well for a
career that combines science with medicine.
Sara Hall
Online Extras
Sara Hall PhD Biochemistry 2015
I chose to major in Biochemistry because I wanted to know why and how we—as living humans—can
live as we do. As a first year medical student, I discovered that having this background in biochemistry
is extremely advantageous, especially since the clinical manifestation of diseases can often be rooted
in abnormal processes occurring at the molecular and cellular level. Concepts that I learned from the
faculty in the CBC Department are absolutely applicable to the study of medicine—from Dr. Zheng’s
Intro to Chemistry lecture on osmotic pressure and Dr. Ghosh’s Organic Chemistry lecture on keto-enol
tautomers to Dr. Hazzard’s laboratory lecture on avidin binding and Dr. Horton’s lecture on ratcheting
ribosomal subunits. When I connect the dots of the past material to the present material while sitting in
class, the nerd inside of me can’t help but smile (a secret smile, of course, to avoid funny looks from my
classmates). Active learning is bliss.
I anticipate a challenging and exciting four years here in Cleveland. I also hope that Lebron James will
show up at my favorite coffee shop, give me a high-five, and chat with me about his next movie venture in his post-basketball career. In the meantime, I will continue to Bear Down with Wildcat pride in
the Buckeye state! One interesting thing to note: the phrase “Bear Down” takes on an entirely different
meaning in medical school. I realized this when a fellow classmate responded with, “…as in a prostate
exam?” The expression on his face was priceless.
Clayton Lanham BS Biochemistry 2015
Currently I am earning my Master’s degree in Diagnostic and Laboratory Sciences here at the UA and
TA/GA for two BIO 181L classes. I have recently taken up Ballroom dancing, West Coast swing and Polish
dancing with my girlfriend. It is quite fun, and I’d recommend it to anyone who had the time.
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Yvonne Ng BS Chemistry 2015
After graduating in Spring 2015 from University of Arizona, I spent a month traveling in Asia. I am
starting my first year of Pharmacy School at University of Arizona. I appreciated how the UA Chemistry
and Biochemistry Department prepared me for my career as a pharmacist. The UA Chemistry curriculum
taught me scientific knowledge that I am able to apply to my pharmacy career. I learned how to manage
time effectively while taking multiple labs and upper division classes. Completing the senior thesis had
prepared me the necessary skills and foundation for research. I appreciated the various instruments that
we were able to use in lab and completed a comprehensive analysis on commercial products. I enjoyed
the various resources and chemicals that we were allowed to use for designing our own synthesis project. The advisors at the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department were supportive and always provided a
bowl of candy that gave me the extra energy boost in the middle of the day. I am really grateful for the
relationships I formed at this university and the continual support they gave me throughout my undergraduate career.
Yvonne Ng
Taylor Szyszka BS Biochemistry 2015
I can say with absolute certainty that my time at the UA completely changed the course of my life. When
I came to the university as a freshman I was a timid pre-med who really didn’t know the first thing about
science. Once I joined the Chemistry Club (SMACS) I realized that my true passion did not lie in medicine, but rather biochemistry. I then joined the CBC department as a biochemistry major and the rest is
history.
I spent 4 years in SMACS holding an officer position for 2 years and this helped to establish my position
as a leader in the department. I also used my connections in SMACS to get involved in undergraduate
research under Dr. Matthew Cordes where I discovered that I am a structural biologist at heart. While all
of these wonderful things were happening, I was also meeting my best friends and entrenching
myself in the CBC family.
Taylor Szyszka
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In my junior year I looked at graduate programs abroad on a whim and found the lab of Prof. Joel
Mackay at the University of Sydney in Australia. I contacted him and after 6 months, countless
email exchanges, and multiple skype sessions, I was admitted to the Biochemistry PhD program
and offered full funding for the length of my degree. In mid-August of this year I made the move
to Sydney, and have started working toward my degree. Every day is filled with new and exciting
experiences, and I am steadily rising to the challenge of this program. Had I not been a part of
this department, I never would have dreamed of moving to Sydney and without my leadership
positions and support network I never would have had the courage or confidence to make that
move. This department and this university have changed me in countless ways, and my life is so
much richer for it!
Bobbi Anglin, Instructor
Megan Cunnington, Academic Advisor
Megan Cunnington
I graduated from the UA in 2012 with my Bachelor’s degree in History, and
I completed my Master’s in Education from Ashford University Spring
2015. I began working with CBC in June 2015, but I have a few years’ experience working in higher education. In my spare time, I write and spend
time with my friends and family. I have 4 nieces, a nephew, and a ginger
cat who enjoys knocking over glasses of water and hot coffee with his tail.
I am only a successful advisor because of Olivia Mendoza, who is perfection personified.
Bobbi Anglin
Adam Daly, Instructor
My name is Adam Daly, and I am a new instructor for the Chemical Thinking curriculum at
the University of Arizona. After I graduated with a PhD in 2010 from the U of A, I spent two
years working in Spain and two years working in Los Angeles at the Jet Propulsion Laboratories while teaching part-time at CSU-Los Angeles. I am very happy to return to Tucson and
teach full time using the exciting Chemical Thinking curriculum.
Adam Daly
Online Extras
New staff
Christopher Lundin, Accountant Associate
My name is Chris Lundin and I am the new Accountant, Associate for the
CBC department. I was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona and attended
Adams State University in Colorado. The campus atmosphere here is very
energizing, and I am fortunate to work with great people. I am excited to
continue my career with an institution that makes such a positive impact.
I enjoy sports and being with family in my free time.
ChristopherLundin
Brian Zacher, Adjunct Lecturer
It has become clear that I am unable to remain apart from Tucson or the University of Arizona. I initially departed from the UA in 1999, after obtaining my BS in electrical engineering, to work in the semiconductor industry. Ten years later I returned and obtained a PhD
in physical chemistry (2013) under Dr. Neal Armstrong. After two years in New York City,
the allure of Tucson and the University of Arizona could no longer be ignored- enticing the
wife, hound dog, and I to again return. As a new lecturer in the CBC department, I am already
achieving great fulfillment in my position, a role in which my “job” requires of me to engage
in daily interactions with passionate and scholarly students, faculty, staff, and community.
Brian Zacher
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In Memoriam
People We Lost in 2014-2015
Herbert Craig, BS Chemistry
1965,
d. 1/5/2015
Herb passed away unexpectedly
at the age of 70, leaving behind
his wife Emerald and two young
children.
Melissa (Missy) Farrow Klute, BS Chemistry, 1992,
d. 8/9/2015
After graduation, Missy worked as a research chemist for a biotech company in San Francisco. Later
she and her family spent 13 years living in the U.K.
and Australia, where she earned a degree in Science
Education.
Martin (Marty) Krevitz, BS Chemistry 1941,
d. 11/3/2014
An amazing gardener and tennis player, Marty
passed away in Sherman Oaks, California. He is
survived by his daughters, grandchildren, and
great-grandchildren.
Stephen Newcomb, BS Chemistry, 1989, d.
9/16/2015
Steve went on to earn an MS and a PhD degree in Material Science from Penn State University. He loved
hiking and shared that passion with many students
at the UA’s hiking club.
Fredrick Stong, BS Chemistry
1960, d. 6/8/2015
Fred worked for General Electric,
where he designed radiation
monitoring equipment. After
retiring in 1989, he spent his time boating and building and flying radio-controlled model airplanes.
Marian (Sally) Lounsberry Storch, BS
Chemistry 1947, d. 7/18/2015
Sally worked as a chemist at Eastman
Kodak and Colgate Palmolive before
deciding to be a stay-at-home mother.
An avid gardener and reader, she enjoyed hiking, exploring antique shops and being the
swimming pool lifeguard for her family and friends.
Thomas (TK) Waddell, BA Chemistry 1950,
d. 2/13/2015
An Arizona resident since 1933, TK was a son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather,
friend, soldier and educator.
Elizabeth Willott, PhD Biochemistry 1989, d. 5/2/2015
During the 5 years prior to her
death, Elizabeth served as the
curator of the Tucson Botanical
Garden’s Butterfly Magic exhibit,
where she was known to all as the
Butterfly Queen. A memorial bench will be installed
at TBG in her memory.
Margaret (Pinkie) Ban Wong, BS
Chemistry 1947, d. 5/30/2015
After graduation, Margaret married
and moved to Flagstaff where she
became an interior decorator for their
new family business, June’s Custom House. She was
a member of the Soroptomists, where she held many
offices over the years. She is survived by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Ron Workman, BS Chemistry 1968,
d. 7/8/2015
Ron went on to graduate first in his medical school
class at the University of Minnesota and became a
practicing pathologist and physician executive. He
wrote two published novels and is survived by his
wife, daughters, brother, and grandchildren.
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Jasmine Acfalle—Germany
This past year, I was given a wonderful opportunity to spend a whole year in
Heidelberg, Germany! It was like living in a place one could only imagine seeing
in fairy tales. Germany has always been a second home to me, due to the fact that I
attended an American high school there. Coming to college, I knew I was going to
return to Germany eventually. One day in March, as I was walking to class I came
across the study abroad fair on the Mall. I was able to talk to one of the study abroad
coordinators and just the conversation sparked my interest to study abroad. I had
visited Heidelberg once before and I was just so amazed by how beautiful it was.
Once I started to look for a program, I knew exactly where I wanted to go, because
this city just seemed to give such a good impression.
Studying abroad is not cheap. Just thinking of the exchange difference from euro to
dollar is where a lot of money is lost. I had to make sure I had the funds for studying
Jasmine Acfalle and a Berlin Bear
abroad by applying for and checking my own scholarships. I came to find out my
scholarship would support my stay in Germany, plus I also received a scholarship from the state of
Baden-Württemberg where Heidelberg is located. Now financially I seemed to be squared away.
Online Extras
Student Adventures in
Research, Internships
and Study Abroad
Traveling and living abroad was totally a different experience for me than when
I lived here with my parents. I had never felt so independent. Germany was
everything and more than I hoped it would be. I had this opportunity to learn
the language, the culture, and the traditions first hand. I didn’t only learn about
the German culture, but cultures from around the world such as China, Spain,
England, Thailand, Brazil and so on. This experience broadened my horizons.
I had to learn do things I never knew one had to do. I had to apply for a living
permit, learn the new school system(which is totally different from the US),
and so much more! Living abroad has opened many opportunities to grow
independently as individual. Just figuring out the public transportation system,
going out of my comfort zone to travel to new places and speaking in a different
language; this life experience was just incredible.
My time over here has influenced my dreams and goals for the future. I was so influenced, that
I decided to pick up a BA in German Studies as my second major. This decision came easily as I
came to love everything about Germany and its culture more and more.
When it came to school, I decided to challenge myself. I took every single class in German.
It helped with my comprehension splendidly; even if I still may not be considered fluent, I
am conversationally competent. I used my time abroad to fulfill my Gen. Ed. requirements
and my German major requirements, since the classes needed for Biochemistry degree were
not transferable, but I did challenge myself even more to take a Biomedical/medicine class in
German, and not only did I learn new vocabulary in German, but also in English. There is no
better way to just challenge yourself than with everything you come across. Studying abroad
has taught me that everything is possible and challenging yourself makes life exciting and
worthwhile. But as for all of my fellow science majors, I know we are also challenging ourselves
with every step closer that we get to our goals.
In Heidelberg
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Even though my time abroad did not have to do anything with my major as a Biochemistry
student, I used my free time to study and do the best I could with my academics. I wanted to
take every opportunity I could, such as traveling to other countries, staying in hostels (where
you bunk with other travelers), becoming more assertive and confident with myself. I would
recommend everyone to take a little time, whether it is during the summer or a semester
abroad, to adventure around the world on your own. It is a great opportunity to get to know
yourself, while traveling the world.
Sona Avetian—University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Sona Avetian in front of the
Morrow Plots
This summer I was given the incredible opportunity to participate in the Research Experience
for Undergraduates (REU) program at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This was
a 10-week program in which I and 16 other students from Universities across the United
States conducted research in various different disciplines within chemistry. We were all
fortunate enough to have been selected to work in research groups at UIUC, which not only
has a prestigious chemistry program but also a beautiful campus! The campus is actually
built directly between the two towns, with half the campus in Champaign and the other half
in Urbana while the student union sits on the border. Though miles and miles of cornfields
surround the towns, within the towns there are a lot of fantastic restaurants, with live music
and a vibrant downtown area.
The campus has several attractive landmarks that provided for an interesting and exciting
experience, especially in exploring the campus. The library is one of the largest university
libraries in the nation, second only to Harvard University. Also located on campus is the
Morrow Plots, the oldest experimental cornfield in the United States and the second oldest in
the world. In order to ensure that the Morrow Plots had enough sunlight, the University was
careful in placing buildings so no shadows would cast on the field—even part of the library
is underground! Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) was first applied at UIUC for chemical
analysis, and faculty member Paul C. Lauterbur shared the Nobel Prize in 2003 for his research
in NMR.
UIUC is an amazing school with phenomenal professors and students conducting cuttingedge research. This summer I worked in Professor Rodriguez-Lopez’s electrochemistry group,
conducting research in non-aqueous redox flow batteries. I explored the electron transfer
kinetics of redox active polymers for use in flow batteries. It was an awesome experience
working hands-on in a new environment while learning new techniques and methods.
Working in a lab full-time gave me the opportunity to realize that research is my passion and
has made me incredibly excited for graduate school. I strongly encourage anyone interested in,
or even just considering conducting research to apply—the REU is a fantastic program!
Alex Aydt—Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis
Alex Aydt
38
Hi, my name is Alex Aydt, and I am a junior Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology
Major here at the UA. This past summer, I went back home to St. Louis where I did research at the
Washington University School of Medicine. There I worked in the Optical Radiology Lab under
Dr. Mikhail Berezin. The ORL’s purpose is to develop novel contrast agents, allowing doctors to
effectively image the body, aiding in both early detection and treatment of various maladies.
My project specifically was to attempt to find a compound capable of emitting light with a
wavelength around 1300 nanometers. 1300 nanometers is a notable wavelength as it represents
one of the recently discovered “Optical Windows.” These windows occur in places along the
electromagnetic spectrum where water has a low absorbance. As the body is mostly water, we
can utilize these windows to image more deeply into tissue than many conventional techniques.
Online Extras
In looking for a compound capable of emitting at this range, I chose to investigate a
nanoparticle known as the quantum dot. Quantum dots are miniscule spheres made of a
semiconductor coated in an interchangeable ligand coating. They are far smaller than even the
smallest cells. There are multiple reasons why quantum dots were chosen for this experiment.
Quantum dots are extremely bright. Where a conventional dye typically emits far less than 1%
of the energy it absorbs as light, quantum dots have been synthesized that convert higher than
30%! The method by which quantum dots emit light is also strikingly different than that of
dyes. Due to their nature, dyes emitting over 1000 nanometers are very difficult to create. As
quantum dots do not behave similarly, they will not run into this problem. Also, as I mentioned
earlier, the surface coating can be easily interchanged. The implications of this is that we can
easily stick some sort of targeting molecule to the surface of the quantum dot, allowing them
to seek out tumors or bacteria, and then the fluorescent signal can be used to find the site. Over
the course of the summer, I made great progress with this work. I successfully synthesized
the quantum dots emitting at the correct wavelength and managed to perform a secondary
reaction allowing these quantum dots to be dissolved in water. This is one of the first and most
important steps to making a new targeting agent available for use in the human body. I am
excited to see how the project progresses in the future and grateful to have been a part of it.
Also over this summer, I was fortunate enough to be able to mentor Shane Blair, a high
school student. Shane was selected for Washington University’s Young Scientist Program,
a program devoted to promoting diversity in research by helping juniors in high school
to enter labs. I myself am an alumnus of this program, and I never would have expected I
would one day become a mentor to the next generation of scientists. Mentoring was an eyeopening experience. It reminded me that science is a collaborative effort and showed me
the enthusiasm of a new scientist. All in all, my summer was an exciting and productive
experience, and I am glad to have had this opportunity.
Courtney Collingwood—Guatemala
Every summer since I started college, I have been traveling down to Guatemala. I intern with a
group called Los Patojos, which serves as an alternative school, health clinic, youth group, after
school program, sports team, hiphop crew, occupation training center, English school, night
school, and much more in its community of Jocotenango. My position at the program changes
every year. This past summer my plan was to run a shoe drive for three months in Wisconsin
(during a different internship), then transport the shoes to Guatemala to help start a youth
athletic program. It seemed simple enough.
“I’m sorry miss, you can only bring two bags.”
Courtney Collingwood
“I mean, I’ll pay more.”
“There’s an embargo. You can’t pay more.”
This was really just the beginning of the twists and turns. I had spent all summer running four
shoe drives. I had coordinated with area gyms/businesses to hold the drives, and I had done so
while playing a club sport and working 40+ hours a week. So when I landed in Tucson the night
before flying out for Guatemala, the last thing on my mind was checking for an embargo in
Guatemala. Lesson learned.
“Why is there an embargo?”
“It’s a highly traveled place during the summer season.”
“When does it end?”
“Next week, but it says that may change.”
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the
CBC alumni magazine
I was a week late. I called my friend to pick up one of my suitcases, and I moved on. I would
figure out how to get it down to the kids later. I thought things were looking up when I breezed
through security, only to have the flight attendant at the gate tell me I had two carry-ons. I was
only permitted one carry on and one “personal item,” which was neither a duffle bag nor a
suitcase. However, I couldn’t check one of them because I had exceeded my two-bag limit. After
some pleading I was allowed on the plane and all went well. I even had an entire row of seats to
myself.
“Tiene zapatos. Why do you have so many shoes?” The security guard asked me in Spanish at
the Guatemalan customs. The security was unusually tight that night. I had never seen so many
guards. I had definitely never scanned my bags before leaving the airport. The guard questioned
me again, but in English. I stammered something about the children, and he begrudgingly let
me move on. The driver met me outside, and we flew to my host parent’s house in Antigua. I worked with the program director to find a truck to bring the suitcases to the school. Once
there, I told them about the missing suitcase, but I assured them I would find a way to get it to
them. The teachers took the shoes into an auditorium and laid them out across the first row of
benches. Groups of kids soon came filing in, and like kids in an unbelievably large candy store,
their faces lit up and their jaws dropped. They were grabbing the brightest ones, the biggest,
or the most stylish. They were trading cleats for Keds or Nikes. There wasn’t an argument over
a size or shoe. Children of all ages were trying on shoes, comparing with their friends, and
searching for the perfect pair. The smiles on their faces were unreal, and their gratitude was
profound. Twenty minutes in that room made the countless hours, meetings, fundraisers, and
airport confrontations worth every minute.
I would do it again and a hundred times over, just to be in that room again. My host mom
managed to help me find another University of Arizona student that would be coming down to
study abroad over the school year. And on the day of my departure, Michael Chikos saved the
day by bringing down the last suitcase.
Melissa Harnois—Sanofi, Tucson
Melissa Harnois at Sanofi
Over the summer I had the opportunity to conduct pharmaceutical research as an intern at
Sanofi’s Tucson Innovation Center in Oro Valley. I applied to the internship through Bio5
early last spring and was accepted to work on a project related to diabetes. I have always been
interested in the disease, and it was part of the reason why I became a Biochemistry major so
needless to say, I couldn’t wait for the summer to start. On my first day, I drove up to Oro Valley
only to arrive far earlier than necessary, full of anticipation, adrenaline, and excitement, but
slightly tired all at the same time.
After the eight other interns and I received our temporary badges and an overflowing folder
of safety information and agreements to sign, we were taken into our first safety meeting
and orientation. At the beginning of the meeting the site’s Safety Manager informed me that
he wasn’t sure who I would be working with because my original mentor was no longer with
the company. This took me by complete surprise—my first hour in the building and already I
wasn’t sure what the rest of my summer was going to look like. Was I going to have a project?
Who would I work with? Were they even going to keep me on board as an intern? All of these
questions had my mind racing during our orientation, but my biggest fear was that any second
someone would walk in and tell me that they could no longer offer me an internship. Luckily, that was not the case and I found out later on the first day that I would be working
between three different mentors—Teri Suzuki, Vasu Badarinarayana, and Mark Pincus. None
of them were expecting to have another intern but all of them agreed to take me in on the first
day, really without having even met me before. I was immediately impressed by the openness,
40
Instead of working on a diabetes project, I spent my summer primarily conducting gene
expression studies related to Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). I also worked on various
biochemical assays and teamed up with biomedical engineers to help develop a method
for measuring muscle contractility. These were all completely different projects than I was
originally expecting to take part in, but this taught me another important lesson about the
reality of working in industry: the uncertainty of the duration of any given project.
Reflecting on my experience at Sanofi this summer, I believe that what was initially an
unfortunate event turned out to be a blessing in the end. The opportunity to work between
three mentors exposed me to multiple projects which really forced me to expand beyond my
comfort zone. My biochemistry knowledge provided a solid foundation for all of the lab work I
did this summer, but due to my unique situation I was able to gain experience in many areas—
such as biomedical engineering—that I have never been exposed to before.
Aside from the experience I gained in lab, I think the most important lesson I will take with
me after this summer is the importance of being able and willing to adapt to new situations.
Through this internship I learned a lot about my own ability to adapt, and I believe that
whether a situation takes a turn for better or for worse, the way that a person chooses to receive
the change can make all the difference in the world.
Online Extras
positivity, and willingness to help that my three mentors exuded on my first day, and these
were all things that I continually witnessed throughout the summer among the scientists and
other employees at the site as well. Constant exposure to such positive personalities made
me realize how crucial that type of team-oriented attitude is to maintaining a successful work
environment—especially in research-based fields.
My summer at Sanofi provided some truly invaluable experiences and insights into the world
of pharmaceutical research. I learned far more than I could have ever anticipated and had a lot
of fun along the way, which is why I am thrilled to be continuing my gene expression research
with them throughout the academic year as my Honors Senior Capstone.
Stefan Hinote—Carnegie Mellon University
This past summer I had the wonderful opportunity to work with The Yaron
research group based out of Carnegie Mellon University. The project was
focused on using machine learning to create low-level models that replicate
high-level data corresponding to the electronic structure of functional groups.
The first half of the internship focused on learning the programming language
Python and the Hartree-Fock method which approximates a solution to the
time-independent Schrödinger equation. The second half of the internship
was spent studying the effects of swapping out certain elements in the highlevel data with low-level data to determine what portions of the model would
Stefan Hinote rock climbing
be suitable for machine learning. I hadn’t taken physical chemistry yet, but
fortunately I had taken Professor Sanov’s chem 380 course which proved to help tremendously
with the mathematical aspect of the project. Since the project was computational in nature
it allowed me to work from anywhere. Group meetings and daily communication was done
through Skype while results and data was shared through GitHub.
With the flexibility of the internship I traveled to Sedona and Flagstaff for rock climbing. I
camped with a group of friends and periodically went into town for Internet to check in with
the research group and upload data results. This may be the most unconventional internship
heard of, but I learned a lot while still being able to enjoy the summer. I’d like to thank
Professor Yaron and his graduate students Christopher Collins and Matteus Tanha for their
willingness to teach, as well as for their insight and patience.
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CBC alumni magazine
Teryn Holeman—Peru
This summer I was afforded the opportunity to embrace a new Latin American culture working
in Peru as a clinical medicine volunteer, working alongside Peruvian medical staff in the local
hospitals and clinics in some of the poorest regions of Peru. I was able to observe numerous
surgeries, administer vaccinations, start IV’s, assist in childbirths, in addition to holding
medical campaigns and diagnose patients. This experience also forced me to practice my
medical Spanish with patients.
Teryn Holeman
Our group organized educational sessions for elementary school students and a local medical
campaign for poor local families who are unable to purchase health care. We gathered with
local doctors at Jardin Angelitos de Jesus in Pacasmayo, Peru to prepare and were quickly
overwhelmed with the number of patients that arrived. My background as a certified EMT and
studying Spanish in Costa Rica benefited me greatly as I interacted with patients. It made me
realize that the lack of health care education was a much larger problem than I had expected.
Expectant mothers did not have support with prenatal care; therefore, the rate of birth defects
was very high. Poor public hygiene (such as proper trash disposal) has even resurrected
diseases such as the bubonic plague. I went to Peru thinking lack of resources was the problem,
and discovered that basic education about contracting parasites, malnutrition, and teeth
brushing could drastically improve health care. The doctors are treating the diseases as they
would arise, but the initial problem still exists.
Traveling to countries such as Peru and Costa Rica has significantly changed my views on
education. Seeing first-hand the restriction of limited resources, I am even more passionate
about giving back to underserved communities: with the consideration of volunteering time
to organizations such as Doctors Without Borders. With extreme differences in the healthcare
systems of the U.S. and Peru, the effects of education are huge. Even in America, science
is constantly providing new information that we can incorporate into our lives. Cigarettes
went from being “cool” to being deadly. Societal changes with long-term transformation have
been the result of years of education. Teaching the population about these simple things
in disadvantaged areas of the world such as Peru could mean the difference between life
and death. My desire to make a larger impact is one of the main reasons I want to become a
physician.
Efren Ibarra—Mexico
I am currently an undergraduate majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular
Biology and minoring in Mathematics and Physics. I am currently involved in biomedical
research where I use stem cells to help treat patients with arthritis. Although my research and
academics keep me engaged, I struck time (not gold) and had the opportunity this summer to
immerse myself in deep rural territory.
I spent this summer doing volunteer work at a ranch. Now colloquially you may be thinking,
“dude ranch” but this was very much unlike that. As a livestock-raising operation, there was no
room for catering to tourists. There was plenty of work to be done.
The ranch was located in Cuchuveracho, Sonora, MX, about 10 miles outside the major city
Agua Prieta, Sonora, MX. The ranch was open range, meaning cattle were allowed to graze the
lands mostly unsupervised. The ranch, like many others in Mexico and Southwestern US, had
diversified operations which included farming. Seasonal crops and those for feeding the cattle
are grown in arable land, and making sure the crops are healthy and hydrated was one of my
main duties.
Efren Ibarra, Jose Angel and
Efren A. Ibarra
42
Jose Angel Ibarra, my grandfather and proud cattleman (vaquero), headed the operation.
With decades of experience in open range livestock raising, his instructions were followed
One evening, an unbranded calf managed to stray from the corral close to headquarters. Luis,
a vaquero at the ranch, and I rode out on horseback to find the calf. We had to make sure it did
not venture onto another proprietor’s land for unmarked cattle could be wrongfully seized by
other landowners. Luis rode inexhaustibly. Although the sun was slowly waning, he refused
to return back to the homestead. I respected his decision and followed wearily. We searched
for hours, buoyantly looking for a calf with one distinct mark under its belly. When all hope
seemed lost to me, Luis was calm, and in this poised manner he and I finally found the calf
stranded on a cliffside late that evening.
This instance in particular left a profound impression on me regarding the work vaqueros
do and the care they exercise for their cattle. Not only did it ignite a retrospective look at the
time-oriented world I find myself in day to day, but it reminded me of the interest and care we
should practice towards other beings, both human and not.
Gladly, only a minor part of my summer was spent planning for the upcoming year. Instead,
I turned my desk-slaved world upside down and took a chance to step out of my shoes.
Toiling under the heat of summer and plunging into an unfamiliar culture only bore fruits of
gratitude and perspective.
Tyler Kennedy—India
Online Extras
meticulously and religiously. The cattle grazing his land was surveyed and checked for
branding, a process that is arduous and time consuming, but with my help and the other
vaqueros’, we were able to survey a considerable number of cows.
In the bustling city of Hyderabad, I found myself awoken at 6 AM as the cooks outside my
door banged pots and pans in preparation for breakfast. The meal would feed roughly 50
people including caregivers, cleaning women, volunteers, and 32 children. This was day
two of my summer trip to India where I volunteered at Sarah’s Covenant Homes. SCH is an
organization dedicated to giving high quality care to abandoned children with special needs
including medical/surgical care, education, physical/speech therapy, and even vocational
training. The organization is split into six homes, and each home is named for the quality it
strives to represent. I lived in Rescue Home. The children in Rescue Home have been taken in
from the streets, hospitals, or government orphanages where they were in desperate need of
medical care that no one else could provide. As a volunteer, medical care was not in my job
description, but therapy, playing, and education were all part of my daily duties.
But let me start with the original story. I first went to SCH last summer after a friend, Jasmine,
invited me to go with her for a month and live in a small town in Andhra Pradesh. Prior to
this trip I had never intended to go abroad, in fact I feared it! But Jasmine was persuasive and
I ended up in India. The experience was, to say the absolute least, incredible. I fell so in love
with India and the children that I couldn’t think about much else until I returned in June.
While the experiences were vastly different, the daily activities were similar. Here’s a snapshot
of my most recent trip.
Each day started as late as possible, usually around 9:30 AM. Once I was up I walked to one
of the other homes to help with special education classes. At different points I worked with
different children, but most of my students had autism and several were blind. After two hours
of class, I would return to Rescue Home to play with two of the older boys who suffer from a
chronic illness as well as some emotional and behavioral issues. After about an hour we would
break for lunch and a much needed nap. At 3 PM therapy time began, working with either
the toddlers at Rescue with cerebral palsy or the boys at Courage Home with developmental
delays. Evening brought me home for dinner with the boys and some late-night shenanigans
including Netflix, Uno, and sometimes a trip to the store or the closest Starbucks.
Tyler Kennedy and his cousin
Kendyl Brown in traditional
Indian clothing
43
the
CBC alumni magazine
While these days could seem monotonous or plain after months of repetition, each day felt
like an adventure. And, as with all great adventures, my time taught me some valuable lessons.
The first is common amongst world-travelers: humility. Amidst such extreme poverty and
brokenness, I obviously learned to appreciate what I had, but that wasn’t all. If anything, India
taught me that I couldn’t do everything. There were children that I couldn’t help and jobs that
I lacked the skills or time to accomplish. I wanted to travel to make a difference, but what I
really did was learn that making a difference is hard. Next I learned that my culture is neither
the only one nor the best. While Indian culture undoubtedly has its flaws, there is so much in it
that I wish I saw more of in America. And finally I learned that there are people in real need. It’s
easy to know this intellectually, but it took meeting them for me to actually understand it deep
down. And while it was hard to accept what their need actually meant, I am a better person
because of it.
Lauren Koch—University of Arizona
Hello, my name is Lauren Koch, and I am a junior dual majoring in Biochemistry and
Molecular & Cellular Biology. After I graduate in May 2017, my current goal is to become an
optometrist and perhaps also pursue a PhD in ophthalmology. For now, though, I am interested
in participating in research and volunteer work on campus. I had my first experience with
research this summer in a lab studying lung diseases, and I look forward to continuing and
expanding my knowledge through scientific research.
As an out-of-state student from Detroit, Michigan here at the University of
Arizona, this was my first summer in Tucson. While it has been the hottest
summer of my life, it was more than worth it thanks to what I’ve learned
from my principal investigator, Dr. Kwang Chul Kim. Dr. Kim’s research has
implications for treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),
which is the third leading killer in the United States with no known treatment.
Another relevant application of Dr. Kim’s research is fibrosis, predominantly
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which also has no known cure.
The Kim Summer Lab Group. Back row from left
to right: Dr. Rick Chen (postdoc), Dr. Kosuke Kato
(postdoc), Alec Hanss, Kevin Granger. Front row
from left to right: Dr. Kwang Chul Kim, Audriana
Hurbon, me, Nicole Morgan.
I am not a member of the Undergraduate Biology Research Program (UBRP)
through the University; however, Dr. Kim created his own new personal
laboratory program. As a part of his new program, I took on a project in which
I tested fibroblast cells for gene and protein expression of MUC1, an antiinflammatory lung mucin whose overexpression or under-expression may
play a role in the development of these lung diseases. Three other students
participated in the program as well: two worked on a similar project with
macrophage and inflammasome cells, and the other worked to test small
molecules that work to inhibit MUC1 expression for future potential drug
development. The Kim lab hopes to hire more student researchers in the future
to continue this research and develop new projects.
Overall, my summer research experience was very rewarding. I was able to get a glimpse at
the research world and how scientific thinking actually works. I love my courses in both
Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, but some things cannot be taught in a lecture
hall or a structured lab course. I developed many laboratory techniques and learned how to
conduct research and ask questions. I’m thankful to have been given this opportunity and
look forward to continuing research and learning new techniques, skills and approaches to
scientific thinking.
44
This spring break I joined U of A’s Global Medical Brigade’s [“GMB”]
chapter on a trip to Cocle, Panama. I had never been out of the
country, so this was a leap of faith for me as my family has always
been a little skeptical about international traveling. Thankfully, GMB
is an incredible organization that does everything in its power to
ensure their travelers have safe and memorable experiences, and they
definitely accomplished their goal.
Over the course of our six-day trip, we had jam-packed days full of
preparation, clinic days, and an adventure day so we could explore.
The purpose of our trip was to go into a small, rural community and
provide basic healthcare to its residents. With us came three doctors
(two were Panamanian), a dentist and a paramedic.
Carline Newmann
The clinic was set up in their town’s elementary school where they
had canceled school for three days due to our arrival. The clinic was organized as any standard
American clinic would be. Patients would go from intake to triage to consult and finally to
the pharmacy. There were also three supplemental stations, dental, adult charla and kids
charla. The purpose of the charla rooms was to try to teach the citizens about proper hygiene,
in this case oral health. All of the 34 brigaders had the opportunity to work in every station.
Personally, my favorite station within the clinic was consult. In consult, students were able to
watch the doctor diagnose and treat patients while also being able to interact.
Although most of us undergrads who were there didn’t have much experience or
qualifications, we were still able to do some basic procedures such as listening to the heart or
taking blood pressure. In the kids charla station we taught the children how to brush and floss
their teeth, how to use mouthwash, and then we would apply a fluoride treatment for them.
This was an intimate, but fun way to interact with some of the locals. The three days spent at
the clinic went by so quickly but it was an invaluable experience for which I couldn’t be more
thankful.
Online Extras
Carline Newmann and Global Medical Brigade—Panama
45
the
CBC alumni magazine
For the many CBC students who are hoping to go in to some form of health care after
graduation, I would highly suggest taking a trip like the one Global Medical Brigades offers.
It provides a true representation of what it means to provide service, especially to those who
have nothing to give in return except appreciation. Although my trip was brief, the inspiration
I brought home with me was unparalleled and reminded me what the long nights at the library
and virtually non-existent social life are for. Given the opportunity, I would embark on another
Brigade or medical service trip in a heartbeat, and I would hope my CBC peers would seize the
opportunity too!
The Chemistry and Biochemistry students that were in Panama for the Global Medical Brigades
during Spring Break 2015 included Rushabh Daulat, Kelechi Abarikwu, Shaina Hasan, Joseph
Marshalek, Carline Neumann and Ashley Oesterle.
Elizabeth Nguyen—Aramco Research Center, Houston
Elizabeth Nguyen
This summer, I worked with the Research and Development department
of Aramco Services Company (Aramco Research Center - Houston) as a
summer intern for nine weeks in Houston, TX. During this time, I worked
my mentor, Dr. Oliverio Alvarez, in the Sensors Development team to assist
in experimental design and performing high-quality data acquisition for
microwave characterization of reservoir fluids. I expanded my learning
opportunities throughout the summer by participating in a hazardous
waste presentation for the team with our safety personnel, improving the
safety in our team’s lab, collaborating with neighboring scientists, attending
seminars, and presenting my experimental developments to the company.
In this process, I learned about the measurement of different electrical
properties of brines, geochemistry and its applications of analytical
characterization as well as the development of drilling fluids. Throughout
this experience, I was able to apply the practical knowledge I had gained
from my previous research experience with the Hruby group as well as
research projects from chemistry lab courses.
Outside of the internship, I explored most of Houston and Austin every other weekend to go
on mini-foodie and downtown adventures. I was also able to briefly meet up with fellow CBC
ambassador and good friend Lucy Hyatt in Austin during one trip to visit food trucks and
explore the town.
Overall, my internship experience was enriched by active communication, taking the initiative
to participate in side experiments in addition to my major project, and taking advantage of
every second I had to learn from others. This was all made possible by the recommendations
from Dr. Aspinwall and Dr. Belle-Oudry. I was able to improve as a scientist and a leader
through Dr. Oliverio Alvarez as well as team leads and researchers from neighboring groups.
46
Online Extras
Scrapbook, cont.
Visiting Scholars Group
Front row: Christie Nguyen, Stephanie Navarro, Adrianna Pulver, and Priscilla Riveria. Middle row: Vanessa
Fernandez, Brian Ortega, Benton Anderson, Adrian Falco, and Greg Lyons. Back row: Lindsay Hansen (OIA),
Chris Chan, and Dr. Andrew Hausrath.
BECUR
BECUR award recipients
BlastOff!
Dr. Matt Cordes, Cheryl Cheah and Dr. Bill
Montfort at BECUR
UA Chemistry Club
9
2
1
Dr James Hazzard, Christina Kelso, and Melissa Harnois at
BlastOff!
3
7
5
4
11
6
10
8
13
12
15
16
14
2014–15: 1 Katie Durham, 2 Leo Hamerlynck, 3 Matthew Posnansky, 4 Sara
Harrow, 5 Justin Lopez, 6 Taylor Szyszka, 7 Ron Gonzalez, 8 Sara Herman, 9 Ivan
Garcia, 10 Christy Warner, 11 Anmol Singh, 12 Destinee Ogas, 13 Mark Delaney,
14 Sona Avetian, 15 Leah Homad, 16 Matthew Chuang, 17 Matthew Porter
See more photos on CBC Facebook at:
www.facebook.com/chembioc.dept
47
17
the
Scrapbook, cont.
2015 Commencement
(Left to right) Kaitlyn Griffin, John Heydorn, Katie
Burrell and William Bahureska, assisting at 2015
Commencement
Current and Graduating Ambassadors
2015 – 2016 CBC Graduating Students
2015 CBC Welcome Event
Chemistry Presentation
Laura Lustro and Beth Vinson serving Ice Cream
Sara Herman and Sona Avetian
48
CBC alumni magazine
(back row, left to right) Ron Gonzalez, Clay Arrington, Dago Robles, and Kristie Mgbara. (midde row, left to right) Elise Munoz,
Bailey Lahtinen, Cheryl Cheah and Ambjorn Brynell. (front, left to right) Karla Peralta, Guadalupe Davila, Summer Gardner, Brittany
Forte and Ali Icenogle
Online Extras
CBC Ambassadors
CBC Breakfast
Keith Olson and Dr. Pascale Charest
(Left to right) Kara Saunders, Mark Burton, Sara
Zachritz, Meghan Talbot, Kayla Bates, James
Siegenthaler, Kristen Watts and Alicia Swain at
White Coat Ceremony
2015 CBC Research Symposium Poster Fair Winners
2015 CBC Undergraduate Poster Fair
Jessica Wales, Maggie Scavello, Lindsay Guzman and Mahsa Ghaffari
Christopher Gomez, Nathaniel Napierski and Si’Ana Coggins
49

The Catalyst - Chemistry and Biochemistry

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