August 2025<\/h2>\n
Drs. Leslie Frost (PI), Rosalyn Qui\u00f1ones (co-PI), Shin Moteki (co-PI), Lauren Waugh (Department of Forensics) (co-PI), Scott Day (Senior Personnel), Yongick Kim (Senior Personnel), Derrick Kolling (Senior Personnel), Eugene Shakirov (Senior Personnel) <\/strong>and Xiaoping Sun (Senior Personnel)<\/strong> have been awarded a $530,000 National Science Foundation MRI grant (MRI: Track 1 Acquisition of a Liquid Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer System to Enhance Multidisciplinary Research and Education at Marshall University) for the purchase of an Orbitrap Exploris 240 mass spectrometer (LC\/MS\/MS) to be housed in the College of Science at Marshall University. This instrument facilitates research across various fields, including organic chemistry, biochemistry, forensics, and pharmaceutics and enhances the capabilities for separation, quantification, and identification of both small and large molecules. The LC-MS\/MS system is a high-resolution, highly sensitive and precise instrument intended for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of diverse molecular classes. The instrument offers practical training and research opportunities for numerous senior personnel, graduate students, and undergraduates while also fostering collaborative research and educational projects with nearby institutions such as the University of Charleston, and many students in West Virginia and the surrounding Tri-State Area.<\/p>\n The National Science Foundation has awarded almost $570,000 to two chemistry faculty members, Drs. Shin Moteki<\/strong> and Scott Day<\/strong>, for their project on renewable polymer-based catalysts: The Chirality-Directed Self-Assembly: Application Toward Design-Flexible Renewable\/Recyclable Catalysts. The successful outcome comes from the preliminary results obtained by two talented chemistry students, Lauren Dunsmore (BSBME, Biomedical Engineering & ACS Chemistry, Moteki) and Cody Nantz (BS, Biological Science & Biochemistry, Day). Catalysts significantly lower production costs by accelerating the production rate while reducing the amount of raw materials and energy needed, enabling domestic industries to become highly competitive in the global market. Enhancing recyclability reduces a nation’s reliance on foreign industries for materials, creating a more self-sufficient and sustainable economy. The funds will be utilized to hire and train regional domestic students through cutting-edge research, preparing them to become highly skilled industry workers. The educational activities will also include student-led hometown outreach in West Virginia, inspiring the next generation of innovators, and focusing on the deployment of STEM outreach efforts to rural communities.<\/p>\n Dr. Madelyn Jackstadt<\/strong> has joined the Department of Chemistry. Her research applies metabolomics techniques to understand the systemic impact of diseases. She completed her undergraduate degree in chemistry at McDaniel College, and her PhD in biological chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis. Beginning with her graduate research and continuing in postdoctoral work, her research at WashU used the adult zebrafish as a model to study alterations to organismal metabolism due to cancer, off-target drug effects, and gut microbiome depletion. At Marshall, she plans to utilize whole-body metabolomics analyses in adult zebrafish to study obesity and related metabolic diseases.<\/p>\n Dr. Derrick Kolling<\/a>\u2019s lab, in collaboration with Prof. Leslie Hicks\u2019 (B.S. in Chemistry, ACS Certified, Class of 2001 )at UNC Chapel Hill, have a new publication in the Journal of Proteome Research: \u201cMitochondria-Derived Reactive Oxygen Species Regulation of Tardigrade Osmobiosis Revealed by Proteomics of Hypsibius exemplaris<\/a>.\u201d The (shared) first author, Brendin Flinn (M.S. Chemistry, 2024), is currently enrolled in the MD-PhD program at Vanderbilt University. Undergraduate Aaron Grimmett (ACS Chemistry, 2026) also co-authored the paper along with several students at the University of North Carolina. Tardigrades<\/a> are microscopic invertebrates well known for their ability to survive extreme environmental stress such as radiation, extreme temperatures, and desiccation. Yet, the biochemical mechanisms they utilize to survive these extremes are poorly understood. In this paper, they implement proteomics to investigate the biomolecular underpinnings of tardigrade osmobiosis \u2013 a survival state in response to large changes in osmotic pressure.<\/p>\n The Department of Chemistry is proud to announce its 2025 Award and Scholarship winners. Graduating students include:<\/strong><\/p>\n A complete list of our award winners and departmental scholarship recipients is provided on our Scholarship and Awards<\/a> webpage.<\/strong><\/p>\n We congratulate the graduates of the Spring 2025 semester!<\/strong><\/p>\n Catelyn Hughes B.S. Major in Forensic Chemistry<\/p>\n Haley King B.S. Major in Forensic Chemistry<\/p>\n Jaxon Smith B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Jessica Crowder B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Sarah Maddox B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Makayla Adams B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Madisyn Johnson B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Ubay Keblawi B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Chloe Cazad B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n Kameryn Larabee B.S. in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Sierra Lutz B.S. Major in Forensic Biochemistry<\/p>\n Hunter Mitchell B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Ava Hall B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Mia Jarrell B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Abigail Browning B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Cathy Dillingham B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Soren Tyree B.S. Major in Chemical Sciences<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n The faculty of the Department of Chemistry wish our graduates the best as they move on to the next phase of their lives and careers.<\/strong><\/p>\n Dr. Laura McCunn<\/span><\/b>\u00a0was the 2024 Winter commencement speaker.\u00a0 This honor is bestowed on faculty members who win the\u00a0Marshall & Shirley Reynolds Outstanding Teacher Award<\/a>\u00a0in the year that they win the award.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Drs. Rosalynn Quinones<\/span><\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0Leslie Frost<\/b>\u00a0published a research article, \u201cQuantification of Iron(II) in Supplements Using Redox Titration and UV\u2013Visible Spectroscopy<\/i>\u201d in the December 10 issue of\u00a0Journal of Chemical Education<\/a>.\u00a0 Students\u00a0Heather Knott<\/b>\u00a0(M.S. in Forensic Science),\u00a0Megan Bartram<\/b>\u00a0(B.S., Biochemistry 2024),\u00a0Trace Clark<\/b>\u00a0(B.S., Biochemistry 2024),\u00a0Tamara D. Westfall<\/b>\u00a0(M.A. Leadership Studies), and\u00a0Jos\u00e9 A. Bux\u00f3<\/b>\u00a0(Major in Biochemistry) co-authored the paper.\u00a0 This study examined a comprehensive approach to quantifying iron in over-the-counter supplements through two laboratory experiments designed for undergraduate students in analytical chemistry and instrumental analysis courses. The experiments employed redox titrations and UV\u2013vis spectroscopy. In the first experiment, students prepared solutions and observed color changes, indicating the complete oxidation of iron II during redox titrations. In the second experiment, students utilized the Beer\u2013Lambert law to construct and analyze an external calibration curve with a UV\u2013vis spectrophotometer, enabling the measurement of iron levels in the supplements.<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Derrick Kolling<\/b>\u00a0and undergraduate students\u00a0Aaron Grimmett\u00a0<\/b>(ACS certified major<\/span>), Jaxon Smith<\/b>\u00a0(Biochemistry major), and\u00a0Sierra Lutz<\/b>\u00a0(Biochemistry major) conducted a tardigrade-themed outreach at Cross Lanes Christian School on December 12.<\/p>\n Aaron Grimmett\u00a0<\/span><\/b>(Kolling Lab, ACS certified major) and Eugene\u00a0Kim\u00a0<\/b>(Kim Lab, Biochemistry major) were awarded\u00a0<\/b><\/span>Creative Discovery and Research Awards for Spring 2025.\u00a0 These awards provide Marshall University students with a stipend and funds to support travel and\/or the purchase of materials on an original research project conducted under the mentorship of a full-time faculty member.<\/p>\n Dr. Rosalynn Quinones<\/span><\/b>\u00a0attended the 2024 American Society for Microbiology (Pittsburgh, PA; Nov 13-16) and served as a faculty mentor, judge and moderated a section.<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Derrick Kolling<\/b> was awarded a John Marshall Summer 2025 Scholar Award.\u00a0 This program provides full-time faculty members and librarians with a stipend to cover the time, and any other associated costs associated with pursuing original creative work, scholarship, or research.<\/p>\n Dr. Laura McCunn<\/strong> published a research article, “Thermal Decomposition of 2-Cyclopentenone,” in the\u00a0Journal of Physical Chemistry A<\/a>\u00a0with six Marshall undergraduate coauthors:\u00a0 Kathryn Narkin<\/strong> (B.S., Forensic Chemistry, 2021), Heather R. Legg<\/strong> (B.S., Biochemistry, 2021), Glenna J. Brown<\/strong> (B.S., Biochemistry, 2019), Khaled El-Shazly<\/strong> (B.S., Biochemistry, 2024), Thaddeus D. Martin<\/strong>\u00a0 (B.S., Biochemistry, 2019), and Mia Jarrell<\/strong> (senior Major in Biochemistry) and collaborators from the University\u00a0of Richmond (Prof. Carol Parish<\/strong> and undergraduate student Zhijian Chen<\/strong>).\u00a0 The paper is a combined experimental and computational study of the thermal decomposition of 2-cyclopentenone.\u00a0 This molecule occurs during the high-temperature processing of plant matter to create biofuels.<\/span><\/p>\n Undergraduate student Soren Tyree<\/strong> gave an oral presentation of her research titled \u201cStructural Analysis of a Metamorphic Protein using AlphaFold2\u201d in the Enzyme Mechanism and Chemical Biology of Protein Posttranslational Modifications session, under the Division of Biological Chemistry, at SERMACS 2024 in Atlanta, GA on October 26, 2024.\u00a0 She conducted her research in Dr. Yongick Kim\u2019s laboratory.<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Rosalynn Quinones<\/strong> presented an invited talk on cannabinoids consumer products at the\u00a04th International Caparica Conference in Translational Forensics 2024\u00a0meeting in Lisbon Portugal, October 20-24, 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Yongick Kim<\/strong> co-authored paper with undergraduate biochemistry major Eugene Kim, in collaboration with Wei Li (School of Medicine at Marshall University), titled “Thymidine Phosphorylase Mediates SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Enhanced Thrombosis in K18-hACE2TG Mice,” was published in\u00a0Thrombosis Research<\/a>.\u00a0 This research showed that thymidine phosphorylase mediates blood clot formation induced by the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Michael Wade Wolfe<\/strong> publication: Exploring the Reactivity of Electrophilic Organic Carbonates and Thiocarbonates as Vehicles to Convert Hydrosulfide into COS and CS2<\/sub>\u00a0in\u00a0Journal of Organic Chemistry<\/a>.\u00a0 Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and other reactive sulfur species are important small molecules with biological significance. In addition to common reactive sulfur species like H2<\/sub>S, polysulfides, and persulfides, both carbonyl sulfide (COS) and carbon disulfide (CS2<\/sub>) have been postulated to be potential sources of reduced sulfur. To better understand this possible connection, we demonstrate that H2<\/sub>S can be converted to COS and CS2<\/sub>\u00a0by reaction with simple organic carbonate and thiocarbonate electrophiles, respectively.<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Michael Wade Wolfe<\/strong> has joined the Department of Chemistry. His research focuses on the degradation and functionalization of polyfluoroalkyl substances, and he will teach the organic chemistry sequence.\u00a0 He received his Bachelor\u2019s of Science in chemistry with highest honors from Emory University in 2016. \u00a0He subsequently earned a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 2022. He completed postdoctoral training in Mike Pluth\u2019s lab in 2024. Dr. Wade Wolfe\u2019s research interests include organometallic chemistry, mechanistic studies, Lewis acids, fluoroalkylation, and fundamental chemistry. At Marshall, he plans to focus on degradation and functionalization of polyfluoroalkyl substances and will teach the organic chemistry sequence.<\/span><\/p>\n David Neff<\/strong> (MU Chemistry), director at Marshall for the WV contribution to the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS under the CDC) presented at the NEHA (National Environmental Health Assn) meeting in Pittsburgh on Sept. 18, 2024.\u00a0 Along with Gabriel Zenny<\/strong> (WVU Engineering) and Judy Vallandingham<\/strong> (WV Office of Environmental and Health Services), Neff was granted an hour to present the surveillance work done in July of 2023 at the Summit Bechtel Reserve during National Boy Scout Jamboree 2023.\u00a0 10 days of sampling and genomic testing (Norovirus and SARS-CoV-2) was completed using the WVU mobile lab facility with personnel from MU Chemistry (Neff, Irtiza, Young, Markiewicz<\/strong>), MU Forensics (Cazad, Koepfler<\/strong>), WVU Biology (Driscoll<\/strong>), WVU Civil Engineering (Zenny, Anderson, Lemme, and Garner<\/strong>) and WV OEHS (Vallandingham<\/strong>). \u00a0Presentation Title: Wastewater Testing 2023 National Boy Scout of America Jamboree<\/span><\/p>\n Profs. Rosalynn Qui\u00f1ones, Michael<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Norton, and Shin<\/b>\u00a0Moteki<\/b>\u00a0were part of an interdisciplinary team led by Marshall Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Iyad Hijazi that was awarded nearly $340,000 by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to acquire a state-of-the-art Rigaku SmartLab SE X-ray Diffraction system, to be housed in the College of Science at Marshall University. This grant was awarded through the NSF’s Major Research Instrumentation Program, which supports faculty members in obtaining expensive, cutting-edge research tools that are also user-friendly. The X-ray diffraction system will significantly enhance structural characterization in critical fields such as energy materials, semiconductors, ceramics, minerals, organics, pharmaceuticals, and nanomaterials. Other members of the team included co-principal investigators Assistant Professor Dr. Kimberly S. Kunkler (Forensic Science), Assistant Professor Dr. Nasim Nosoudi (Biomedical Engineering), and Assistant Professor Dr. Mohammed Ferdjallah (Electrical Engineering). The team also includes Senior Personnel: Professor Dr. Asad Salem (Mechanical Engineering) and Professor Dr. Ali El-Shazly (Geology). Amber Adkins<\/span><\/b>\u00a0has joined our department as the new Administrative Assistant. \u00a0Amber is an alumna of Marshall University, where she earned her B.A. in Education. Before coming to Marshall, Amber spent five years working as an elementary teacher in Cabell County. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Sawyer, and her two labradors. She also enjoys reading, drawing, and cross stitching with friends.<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Michael Norton<\/span><\/b>\u00a0published a research article: Self-purging pyrolysis of silk sericin composite for producing high-performance adsorbents with Can Huang, Xiaoning Zhang, Jialong Wu, Zhenhua Li, and Hongmei Hu in\u00a0Separation and Purification Technology,\u00a0 2024,\u00a0 131024<\/a>.\u00a0 Dr. Norton\u2019s collaborators work at the Key Laboratory of Resource Insects, Southwest University, Chongqing, China and the Zhejiang Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Zhoushan, China.\u00a0 The role of purge gas in the preparation of bio-derived carbon remains unclear. This study explores the synergistic effects of pore structure and surface functional group changes induced by self-purging and nitrogen-purging carbonization methods on the adsorption performance of silk sericin-derived carbon. This work provides novel insights into the influence of pyrolysis atmospheres on adsorbent properties, advancing the design of sustainable bio-derived carbon.<\/span><\/p>\n On July 26th ten STEM student researchers presented summaries of their efforts performed over 10 weeks of the summer in a variety of laboratories on the Marshall campus. The objective of the SURE program is to enhance the intellectual infrastructure of the state by supporting undergraduates who are interested in performing research in any STEM field (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). This program has been conducted at Marshall since 2005. SURE awards are determined through a competitive process in which proposals are evaluated by a committee of STEM experts. \u201cWe want students to know how strongly Marshall supports learning through undergraduate research. This is the time when these young minds start exercising their research skills in preparation for graduate school\u201d said\u00a0Dr. Michael Norton<\/b>, who directs the program. Students receive stipends totaling $4,800 each for their research for a period of ten weeks uninterrupted by classes during the summer. \u00a0 Nine of the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Fellowship stipends were funded through the West Virginia Challenge Fund, which is administered by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, Science, Technology and Research Division. One of the SURE stipends was supported by the West Virginia Space Grant Consortium. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sophomore student\u00a0Eugene Kim<\/b>\u00a0(major: Biochemistry)\u00a0performing research with mentorship from\u00a0Dr. Yongick Kim<\/b>\u00a0received\u00a0Creative Discovery and Research Award for Fall 2024 ($1,750 (for student) + $750 (for faculty)) from Marshall University.\u00a0 They\u00a0<\/span>will investigate the effects of essential minerals on the circadian clock, which regulates the body’s physiology. Elderly individuals often experience deficiencies in various essential minerals, including magnesium, potassium, calcium, zinc, copper, and manganese. Each of these minerals plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health and physiological functions. Interestingly, these minerals may also influence circadian rhythms. Our research aims to uncover the biochemical mechanisms through which these minerals affect the circadian clock using\u00a0in vitro<\/i>\u00a0reconstitution.<\/p>\n Amy K. Lester<\/span><\/b>\u00a0has joined our department as its new stockroom manager.\u00a0 She is a Huntington native and an alumna of Marshall University, graduating with a B.S. degree in Biology.\u00a0 Amy has spent most of her career working in the wastewater field, most recently as a Laboratory Manager at a wastewater treatment plant in Columbus, Ohio. \u00a0She loves all things Marshall and is excited to return to campus in her new role.\u00a0 Outside of work, Amy enjoys reading, gardening, and spending time outdoors appreciating nature, especially on her small farm in Cabell County.<\/span><\/p>\n In a third summer program, focused on the development of STEM student capability, two high school students began an\u00a0Army Educational Outreach Program\u00a0(AEOP) sponsored research program in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Norton.\u00a0\u00a0Working as part of a team, their project is to develop arrays of single molecule sensing devices based on DNA Origami constructs. The Marshall site is funded through a grant from the AEOP with Dr. Shelvy Campbell as the Principal Investigator. As a part of this program, four other students are working in other labs on campus this summer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Nathan Ming<\/strong>, a high school student supported by an\u00a0Army Educational Outreach Program grant\u00a0to\u00a0Dr. Michael Norton<\/a> for the summer of 2023, presented a paper titled \u201cComparison of Reaction Kinetics of Three Reducing Agents Used for Synthesis of Gold Nanotriangles\u201d on June 24th, 2024, at the 98th\u00a0ACS Colloid & Surface Science Symposium<\/i><\/a> held on the campus of the University of Washington.\u00a0\u00a0The paper was authored by Nathan Ming and Dr. Michael Norton.\u00a0\u00a0The objective of the study was to find alternative approaches for the rapid production of plasmonic structures with potential use as single molecule sensor devices.\u00a0 Plasmons are the excited wavelike states of electrons in metallic particles enabling photons to reside in particles which are much smaller than the wavelength of the light they absorb.\u00a0 Because the light is now in a smaller space (for example 500 nm light in a 100 nm triangular particle in the reported studies), one might think of the light as more concentrated by the particles.\u00a0 In a way the particles act like a lens or magnifier.\u00a0 In the case of triangular particles, the intensity of the light (the electric field intensity) is greatest at the vertices (tips) of the particles.\u00a0 By creating binding sites at these vertices, binding of an analyte (target molecule) will maximally impact or perturb the wavelike states of the particle, causing a shift in the resonance frequency of the waves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Professor Laura McCunn<\/a>\u00a0received a three-year, $75,000 grant from the\u00a0American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund<\/a><\/i>\u00a0to study \u201cPyrolysis Reactions of Polyvinylchloride Derivatives.\u201d\u00a0 The objective of this project is to elucidate how chemical structure affects the pyrolysis reactions of chlorinated hydrocarbons that are produced during the pyrolysis of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a plastic derived from petroleum.\u00a0 (Pyrolysis involves heating compounds to decomposition in the absence of oxygen.)\u00a0 A specific aim of the proposed work is to identify the thermal decomposition products of several chlorinated aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, including (2-chloroethyl)-benzene, 2-chlorophenol, 2-chloro-2-methylpentane, and 3-chloro-3-methylpentane.\u00a0 A second specific aim of the proposed work will examine high-temperature reactions in a mixture of furan and chlorobenzene, representative of chemical species produced from pyrolysis of biomass and PVC, respectively.<\/p>\n The Department of Chemistry conducts an annual Chemistry Research Summer Program (CRSP) that serves to strengthen the culture of research among our student scientists. It serves as an opportunity to meet new people, enhance scientific presenting skills, and have fun! The Program includes educational as well as recreational activities. This year, student scientists participated in a Kick-off Symposium, during which they presented slides that outlined their summer research project. In addition, they took part in a tour of the WV State Forensic Lab and canoed at Carter Caves State Resort Park. Pictures shown are from the CRSP Tournament, during which research labs compete with one another to win a trophy; this year’s theme was Chemistry Olympics, and the victors were the McCunn Group. At the end of this week, formal presentations on science completed over the summer will be presented at Chemistry’s 2024 CRSP Final Symposium.<\/span><\/p>\n Dr. Michael Norton<\/a>\u00a0administers the\u00a0<\/span>WV Higher Education Policy Commission, Science, Technology and Research Division<\/span>\u2019s SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research Experience) Program at Marshall.\u00a0\u00a0Ten students, in STEM areas ranging from Chemistry to Bioengineering, began this year\u2019s 10 weeklong program in May and ends with a public presentation of the student research on July 26th.<\/span>\u00a0Four of the students work with Chemistry faculty (Drs. Kim, Kolling, Markiewicz, and McCunn).\u00a0 Preference is given for distribution to faculty early in their time at Marshall and students who have not been supported by the SURE program previously.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Drs. Rosalynn Qui\u00f1ones<\/a>\u00a0and John Markiewicz<\/strong> have published a paper titled \u201cBiocompatible antibiotic-coupled nickel-titanium nanoparticles as a potential coating material for biomedical devices\u201d in the\u00a0Heliyon<\/i>\u00a0(2024,\u00a010<\/i>, e31434<\/a><\/b>) with Sarah McGlumphy (B.S. Major in Forensic Chemistry, Marshall University Master\u2019s in Public Health program), Aakriti Damai (B.S. Major in Biochemistry, MU School of Medicine MD program), Lena Salameh (B.S. Major in Chemical Sciences, M.U. School of Pharmacy Pharm.D. program), Gabriell Corbin (B.S., Major in Biochemistry student), professors Dr. Jennifer Mosher and Dr. Nadja Spitzer (Marshall University Biological Sciences department), and Qiang Wang (Shared Research Facility, West Virginia University). Dr. Robert J. Morgan<\/strong>, a retired esteemed Professor of Chemistry at Marshall University, passed away at St. Mary\u2019s Hospital. He received a Ph. D. in chemistry from Queen\u2019s College in 1992, and he taught college classes at Long Island University for four years. He moved to Huntington West Virginia in 1997 and began a career at Marshall University. He did research on fluorescent molecules, and he was awarded two patents for his work. He involved many students in his research, and he helped them with them prepare for their careers with a chemistry Ph. D. or in medicine. He also took students to conferences, sometimes taking them on their first flight or trip outside of West Virginia. He participated in sports, including tennis, softball, golf, target shooting and bicycling. He also enjoyed watching baseball, soccer, hockey, NASCAR, basketball, and football. His primary passion was fishing, with fly fishing being his favorite. In addition to his love for sports, he had a passion for building railroad cars and accessories for his train track, meticulously airbrushing them for hours on end. Not one to limit himself, he embarked on learning to play the guitar and piano, showcasing his eclectic taste in music. When it came to leisure time outdoors, he took pleasure in gardening, whether it was planting fruit trees, constructing grape trellises, nurturing grapes, or assisting with the vegetable garden. He did many home renovation projects, including building two greenhouses, an outdoor patio, and he designed and built his own koi pond. He also was an avid photographer and bird watcher. Bob enjoyed traveling across the US by car, especially his annual post-Christmas vacations to the sunny beaches of Florida. He enjoyed making his own beer, wine, cheese, and fermented foods, such as sauerkraut and kombucha. He is survived by his wife, Oma. He also has a mother-in-law, Soomatee Persad, sister-in-law Sheena, brother-in-law Seunarine from Trinidad. Sister-in-laws Jenny and Sandra Persad from New York, and sister-in-law Betty Bennett from Florida. The Department of Chemistry is proud to announce its 2024 Award and Scholarship winners. Graduating students include:<\/strong><\/p>\n A complete list of our award winners and departmental scholarship recipients is provided on our Scholarship and Awards<\/a> webpage.<\/strong><\/p>\n Dr. Laura McCunn<\/a> won Marshall University\u2019s Marshall & Shirley Reynolds Outstanding Teacher Award<\/a>. The award is presented to a faculty member who demonstrates superior teaching and is Marshall\u2019s highest award for instruction. The process of selecting the winner is comprehensive and intense. Each applicant fills out a multipage questionnaire about their teaching practices, philosophy, and provide both self-reflections and external evaluations. The selection committee observes the candidates on multiple occasions, receives letters of recommendation from colleagues, and meets with the departments for additional information. The committee then selects the year\u2019s best instructor. Laura\u2019s approach to teaching can be summed up from her application: \u201cThe chemist within me wants my students to understand, both qualitatively and quantitatively, how matter and energy are transformed in chemical systems. The teacher within me wants my students to recognize what is true and how we know it is true. \u2026 I also want my students to understand the limitations of our knowledge and our abilities. \u2026 Finally, I want my students to be in awe of how the universe works. I love seeing my students peer into a beaker full of newly formed purple crystals with a sense of pride in what they made.\u201d An enormous strength of Laura is her adaptability. As with almost all teachers everywhere, the COVID pandemic moved students out of classrooms and behind computer screens for an extended period of time. Laura showed how she was able to turn that difficult situation into a way to increase her interaction with students in office hours and improve her instruction by creating out-of-the-classroom videos to enhance her instruction. Laura has taught in our freshman sequence of courses, including all four lectures and laboratories and both physical chemistry courses. She was a leader in the redesign of those courses when the one-semester physical chemistry course was deleted. She also co-developed, with biochemistry professor Derrick Kolling, a senior level special topics course: Brownies, Beer, and Bacon Chemistry. To summarize, in the words of one of her colleagues \u201cFifteen years ago, we had a large retirement coupled to the departure of a few junior faculty members and we set out to create a nationally competitive Department of Chemistry. To do that, we examined the best departments and the practices they employed. In doing so, we found a type of faculty member upon which to build our future. That required effective classroom instructors who would also be both excellent researchers and mentors to our students. In recruiting Laura to Marshall, we found a major piece of that future. We could not be more pleased with her.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Rosalynn Qui\u00f1ones<\/a> won Marshall University\u2019s Distinguished Artists and Scholars Award for senior faculty<\/a>. This is the university\u2019s most prestigious award recognizing research or scholarship. In her 11 years at Marshall, she has amassed 17 peer-reviewed publications in three distinct areas of research: surface science, forensic chemistry, and chemical education. Successfully pursuing three lines of inquiry at a university like Marshall is nearly unheard of. Her research has brought over $700,000 in external funding to Marshall. As a primarily undergraduate institution, involving students is central to our mission and Dr. Qui\u00f1ones has had 25 different Marshall undergraduate students providing 33 co-authorships, six different Marshall graduate students with nine co-authorships, and several with local high school students and teachers. Dr. Qui\u00f1ones has established a large number of external research collaborations with colleagues at Washington & Jefferson College, WVU, Amherst College, California State University at Stanislaus, University of Charleston, and Duquesne University as well as colleagues in other departments at Marshall University. Dr. Qui\u00f1ones and members of her research group have made 29 presentations at professional meetings and at universities. Of these, 12 were invited presentations and 13 were presentations by her students. We congratulate the graduates of the Spring 2024 semester!<\/strong><\/p>\n Julia Barnes B.S. Major in Forensic Chemistry<\/p>\n Megan Bartram B.S. Major in Forensic Chemistry<\/p>\n Jacob Blizzard B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Yilin Cai B.S. Major in Forensic Chemistry<\/p>\n Robert Carter B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Trace Clark B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Mary Combs B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Skyler Dean B.S. Major in Forensic Chemistry<\/p>\n Khaled El-Shazly B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n Brendin Flinn M.S. in Chemistry<\/p>\n Austin Gordon B.S. Major in Forensic Chemistry<\/p>\n Nevaeh Harmon B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Alexander Laverty B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Brooke Powers B.S. Major in Forensic Chemistry<\/p>\n Isaak Ross B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Peregrine Schray B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Jana Sherif B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n Jadyn Simon B.S. Major in Biochemistry<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n The faculty of the Department of Chemistry wish our graduates the best as they move on to the next phase of their lives and careers.<\/strong><\/p>\n Dr. Rosalynn Qui\u00f1ones<\/a>\u00a0has published a paper titled \u201cAn Evaluation of the Cannabinoid Content of the Liquid and Thermal Degradation Analysis of Cannabis-Labeled Vape Liquids\u201d in the\u00a0Journal of Forensic Sciences<\/i>\u00a0(2024,\u00a069<\/i>, 905-918<\/a><\/b>) with former chemistry undergraduate forensic chemistry major and current student in the Marshall University Forensic Science Master’s program Sara Moreno and professors Lauren Richards-Waugh (Marshall University Forensic Science department) and Ashley Trouten-Ebert (a forensic science graduate student at Duquesne University).\u00a0 This paper examined nine CBD vaping pens sold commercially in the US for cannabinoid content.\u00a0 The amounts and identities of the component cannabinoids were studied using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.\u00a0\u00a0 The study found that long term storage can lead to varying cannabinoid content and that, even new, the samples showed significant differences in composition as compared to the labeled amounts.<\/p>\n Dr. Michael Norton<\/a>\u00a0will lead one of three sub-projects funded by an award from the\u00a0Army Educational Outreach Program through an agreement with the Marshall University School of Medicine with Shelvy Campbell-Monroe as Principal Investigator. Awarded March 6, the $36,000 program will support a total of 6 AEOP High School Internships, with two of the students studying DNA based nanostructures with Dr. Norton this summer.\u00a0 This program is designed to increase participation in STEM college majors by students in historically underrepresented groups, which includes the children of military personnel.\u00a0 Participation in this program continues a long-running tradition in Dr. Norton\u2019s lab of mentoring high school students doing research during the summer as a way to increase their interest in science.<\/p>\n Dr. John Markiewicz, Dr. Rosalynn Qui\u00f1ones, and Perin Schray (biochemistry senior) each ran a section of Science Olympiad.<\/p>\n Dr. John Markiewicz and AXE (professional chemistry fraternity) ran a Boy Scout Merit Badge session.<\/p>\n Dr. Rosalynn Qui\u00f1ones was named treasurer of the ACS Colloid & Surface Division.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Dr. Rosalynn Qui\u00f1ones<\/a>, students from her research laboratory and volunteers from First2Network and AXE participated as judges for a science fair in Lawrence County, OH.<\/p>\n Chemistry staff member David Neff and Holden Young (Specialty Agriculture major) presented at Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol (URDC). At URDC, Holden presented an evaluation of three distinct methods of virus particle enrichment with subsequent amplification of virus genome by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).\u00a0\u00a0 Ultimately, the PCR data are compiled weekly into a report that goes to CDC and WVBPH and local partners including the Cabell County Health Dept.\u00a0\u00a0Holden and David are the longest serving members of the MUIDSL (Marshall University Infectious Disease Surveillance Lab) which was founded in 2020.<\/p>\n Dr. Michael Wade Wolfe will join the Department in August of this year.\u00a0 He will teach in our organic course sequence.\u00a0 Dr. Wade Wolfe has a Bachelor\u2019s degree in Chemistry with Highest Honors from Emory University in 2016 and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 2022 under the direction of Prof. Nathaniel Szymczak.\u00a0 His dissertation was titled \u201cAdvancing Boron Medicated Fluroalkylation Reactions.\u201d\u00a0 After completing his doctorate, he moved to the University of Oregon for a post-doctoral fellowship working with Prof. Michael Pluth.\u00a0 Dr. Wolfe has published five papers in major research journals.\u00a0 At Marshall, he plans to conduct research in areas such as degradative functionalization of polyfluoroalkyl substances and C-F bond activation.<\/p>\n Dr. Derrick Kolling<\/a>\u00a0and researchers from his group, Kara Joseph, Hayden O\u2019Dell, Trace Clark, Jessica Crislip, and Brendin Flinn published an article with their collaborators in PLOS One titled \u201cChemobiosis reveals tardigrade tun formation is dependent on reversible cysteine oxidation<\/a>.\u201d \u00a0The work was conducted in collaboration with Prof. Leslie Hicks and her students at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. \u00a0(Dr. Hicks (Prof. of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) and one of her research students, Amanda Smythers, are graduates of Marshall University with degrees in chemistry.). Tardigrades, commonly known as \u2018water bears,\u2019 are eight-legged microscopic invertebrates renowned for their ability to withstand extreme stressors, including high osmotic pressure, freezing temperatures, and complete desiccation. Limb retraction and substantial decreases to their internal water stores results in the tun state, greatly increasing their ability to survive. Emergence from the tun state and\/or activity regain follows stress removal, where resumption of life cycle occurs as if stasis never occurred. This paper reports the mechanism(s) through which tardigrades initiate tun formation. It describes the use of chemobiosis to demonstrate that tardigrade tun formation is mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Tuns are dependent on reversible cysteine oxidation, and that this reversible cysteine oxidation is facilitated by the release of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Dr. Leslie Hicks<\/a>\u00a0(B.S. in Chemistry, ACS Certified, Class of 2001) won the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill\u2019s\u00a0William C. Friday\/Class of 1986 Award for Excellence in Teaching<\/a>.\u00a0 \u201cThe award, created by members of the class of 1986, recognizes one member of the faculty per year who has exemplified excellence in inspirational teaching. The winner is selected from all full-time faculty who teach undergraduates.\u201d\u00a0 Dr. Hicks is a bioanalytical chemistry faculty member in the Chemistry Department at UNC.\u00a0 In her award interview, she credited Bill Price of this department as being the best teacher she has had.<\/p>\n Prof. Rosalynn Qui\u00f1ones<\/a> was a participant in the (West Virginia) Women & Technology Conference held in Charleston on October 21 at the Embassy Suites Hotel.\u00a0 This year’s conference addressed “the under-representation of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), while also encouraging women to excel in these fields.”\u00a0 Rosalynn was one\u00a0 of only four faculty members selected to make a presentation.\u00a0 More information about the conference and a list of all 25 presenters may be found at West Virginia Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n Professor emeritus Gary D. Anderson<\/a> was named an American Chemical Society<\/em> Fellow<\/a>.\u00a0 The ACS Fellows<\/a> program \u00a0recognizes members of ACS for outstanding achievements in and contributions to science, the profession, and the Society.\u00a0 Gary\u2019s accomplishments are incredible both in sheer number and in importance.\u00a0 For example, he has occupied every senior role in the chemistry professional fraternity Alpha Chi Sigma<\/a> and won its lifetime achievement (John Kubler) award.\u00a0 He has played a senior role at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. Gary has chaired and been a member of numerous ACS committees as well.\u00a0 At Marshall, Gary was the first chemistry faculty member to win the university\u2019s Distinguished Service Award and was instrumental in introducing electronic courses on campus.<\/p>\n Jessica Crislip and Yiannakis Lysandrou are two of ten Marshall undergraduates selected to participate in its Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Fellowship program.\u00a0 Each year, ten students are selected for this program, which is sponsored by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission\u2019s Division of Science and Research<\/a>.\u00a0 The students spend 10 weeks working in the laboratory of a faculty member (Profs. Derrick Kolling and John Markiewicz, respectively) to better develop their scientific skills.\u00a0 The Huntington Herald Dispatch covered this with an article<\/a>.<\/p>\n Prof. Rosalynn Qui\u00f1ones<\/a> was granted tenure and was promoted to Associate Professor.\u00a0 Rosalynn has accomplished quite a lot as an Assistant Professor.\u00a0 She has mentored 17 different undergraduate students on research projects over the past six years, more than half of whom have presented their work at professional meetings.\u00a0 She and her students have published an amazing 7 papers earning her Marshall\u2019s junior faculty member Distinguished Artists and Scholars Award.\u00a0 Her service has likewise been recognized through consecutive Faculty-in-Residence Awards from Marshall.\u00a0 She routinely does national service as well, for example being a member of the Chemical Heritage Foundation<\/em>\u2019s content committee for their You Be the Chemist<\/em><\/a> national competition for children since 2013.<\/p>\n This month, Profs. Laura McCunn<\/a>, Bob Morgan, Mike Norton<\/a>, and Rosalynn Qui\u00f1ones<\/a> and John Rakus led groups of students to the American Chemical Society\u2019s National Meeting in New Orleans and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology\u2019s national meeting in Orlando, respectively. In all, 12 undergraduate and 4 Masters students traveled to these meetings, nearly all of whom presented their work as part of the trip.<\/p>\n Prof. Laura McCunn<\/a> was awarded a 2-year, $100,000 grant by the US Department of Energy to study the thermal decomposition of cyclic, oxygenated hydrocarbons.\u00a0 These molecules frequently occur in the processing of plant material into biofuels, so it is important to understand how they react at high temperatures in order to predict the efficiency and environmental impact of biofuels. \u00a0She and her students will also construct a quadrupole mass spectrometer to expand their capabilities in detecting thermal decomposition products.\u00a0 The grant provides funds to hire two undergraduate students, in addition to purchasing supplies.\u00a0 The Huntington Herald-Dispatch wrote an article<\/a> on this grant.<\/p>\n Prof. Derrick Kolling published a paper in the journal Chemosphere<\/a> titled \u201cCharacterizing the effect of Poast on Chlorella vulgaris, a non-target organism<\/a>\u201d (Vol. 219, pp. 704-712).\u00a0 Amanda L. Smythers, Armin Garmany, Nicole L. Perry, Ethan L. Higginbotham, P. Ethan Adkins were student co-authors.\u00a0 Smythers et al. determined that recommended applications of a commercially available herbicide, Poast\u00ae, result in catastrophic damage to the photosynthetic machinery of algae. Interestingly, the active ingredient, sethoxydim, in the herbicide formulation does not by itself induce this damage.<\/p>\n Professor Derrick Kolling and Ms. Amanda Smythers participated in Mad Scientist Day at Southside Elementary School on March 22, 2019. They edutained ~500 K-5 students during a morning assembly and ~100 1st graders in afternoon sessions. Students were shown and participated in chemistry demonstrations and activities, informed about research at MU, and which organizations support this research (NSF). The event was covered and photographed by the Herald Dispatch<\/a>.<\/p>\n Prof. Emeritus Joseph L. Roberts passed away at his home in Amity, GA.\u00a0 He was 89 years old.\u00a0 Joe received his bachelor\u2019s degree in chemistry from Oglethorpe College in 1953, an M.S. in Chemistry from the University of South Dakota in 1955, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati in 1964.\u00a0 He was a faculty member in chemistry at Marshall from 1966 until his retirement in 1997.\u00a0 After retirement he split his time between Huntington and Amity.\u00a0 Joe had longstanding interests in music (he played for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in college), firefighting, and computers.\u00a0 He was an avid Marshall sports fan as well.\u00a0 Joe is survived by his wife June, children Darryl and Mike, and grandchildren Chris, Sarah, Evy, William, and Thomas.\u00a0 We will miss him.<\/p>\n Annual Newsletters 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 August 2025 Drs. Leslie Frost (PI), Rosalyn Qui\u00f1ones (co-PI), Shin Moteki (co-PI), Lauren Waugh (Department of Forensics) (co-PI), Scott Day (Senior Personnel), Yongick Kim (Senior Personnel), Derrick Kolling (Senior Personnel), Eugene Shakirov (Senior Personnel) and Xiaoping Sun (Senior<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":662,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2060","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/662"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2060"}],"version-history":[{"count":40,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2060\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3206,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2060\/revisions\/3206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/chemistry\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}July 2025<\/h2>\n
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\n<\/span>Although the primary focus of the new X-ray diffraction equipment is research, it will also be integrated into teaching laboratories, benefiting at least 60 students annually.<\/span><\/p>\nJuly 2024<\/h2>\n
June 2024<\/h2>\n
May 2024<\/h2>\n
\nThe challenges facing metallic implants for reconstructive surgery include the leaching of toxic metal ions, a mismatch in elastic modulus between the implant and the treated tissue, and the risk of infection. These problems can be addressed by passivating the metal surface with an organic substrate and incorporating antibiotic molecules. Nitinol (NiTi), a nickel-titanium alloy, is used in devices.\u00a0 However, unmodified NiTi carries a risk of localized nickel toxicity and inadequately supports angiogenesis or neuroregeneration due to limited cell adhesion, poor biomineralization, and little antibacterial activity. To address these challenges, NiTi nanoparticles were modified using self-assembled phosphonic acid monolayers and functionalized with antibiotics via the formation of an amide. Modifications were stable for more than a year.\u00a0 B35 neuroblastoma cells exhibited no inhibition of survival and showed high biocompatibility. The ability to support neural cell growth and differentiation makes modified NiTi nanoparticles a promising coating for surfaces in metallic bone and nerve implants.<\/p>\n
\nRobert J. Morgan Tribute Wall & Obituary<\/a><\/p>\nApril 2024<\/h2>\n
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\nIn Dr. Qui\u00f1ones\u2019 research in surface science, she has coated nanoparticles with specialized acids, which may provide a new delivery system for therapeutic. In forensic chemistry, she has analyzed the cannabinoid content of some consumer products. Her work has shown that quality control of some of these products needs to be improved. Finally, in educational research, her group has merged scientific inquiry with traditional instructional approaches to develop engaging and novel experiments that may be conducted in analytical teaching labs. Describing her research goals, she wrote \u201c\u2026 my main objectives are being an excellent mentor, to stimulate students\u2019 curiosity, and to create and publish world-class scientific research. In addition, I want students to step out of their comfort zones and adventure into research and have laboratory experience while they learn how to navigate into their future careers. I have promoted this kind of interaction in my research by having open communication, \u201chands-on\u201d experiences, and by encouraging the exploration of chemistry.\u201d<\/p>\nMarch 2024<\/h2>\n
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\nThis paper is a major advance in the field of understanding tardigrade cryptobiosis and has been summarized in a variety of popular science publications for the general public such as\u00a0Scientific American, the\u00a0New Scientist, and\u00a0Science News.\u00a0 Even the major chemistry trade publication,\u00a0Chemical and Engineering News\u00a0devoted a page to this important paper.<\/p>\nFebruary 2020<\/h2>\n
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\nThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated 2019 as the International Year of the Periodic Table in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the formation of the modern periodic table by Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869. \u00a0\u00a0The American Chemical Society held a national contest for groups to represent the periodic table in ways they thought would be interesting. \u00a0A student, Amanda Smthyers, suggested that we create a large, human periodic table.\u00a0 The Department brought together faculty from across the College of Science and School of Medicine, students, administrators on the main basketball court in the Cam Henderson Center to accomplish this.\u00a0 Joining us were President Gilbert, Provost Taylor, and Vice-President for Research Maher (who is also a chemist).
\nIt was an amazingly fun event, which was sponsored by Contemporary Galleries of Charleston.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"