SUMMER 2019
CHEMISTRY NEWSLETTER
Our Department The Department of Chemistry collectively strives to expand the frontiers of chemical knowledge through innovative research and teaching. Understood as a community of scholars, the department houses multiple educational and scholarly activities by faculty, postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, all contributing to the advancement of the chemical sciences. Chemistry is often described as the Central Science, highlighting its importance to numerous scientific disciplines, such as Biology, Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, Forensics, Geosciences, Materials Science and Toxicology. Therefore, we aim to provide students a modern and well-rounded education in chemistry, which emphasizes its relevance to many other areas of knowledge. Our undergraduate education provides the best classroom and laboratory instruction in chemistry, and equips the student with a solid background for future studies in professional or graduate schools. The graduate program trains new generations of chemists to take on challenging research, teaching and administrative roles in the society.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE OUR DEPARTMENT DR. KATLYN MEIER NEW EPR INSTRUMENT SUMMER CHEMISTRY PROGRAM SPRING 2019 PH.D. GRADUATES ALUMNI ADVISING COMMITTEE J. OLEO SCI. IMPACT AWARD NEW 3-SEMESTER SEQUENCE FOR CHEMISTRY MAJORS CHEMISTRY TRAILBLAZER DUAL BS/M.S DEGREE SUPPORT CHEMISTRY AT UM
SUMMER 2019
Dr. Katlyn Meier Joins the Chemistry Department The Chemistry Department welcomes Dr. Katlyn Meier to Miami as a tenure-track assistant professor. Dr. Meier is coming from Stanford University where she was an NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow. Research in the Meier Lab at the University of Miami lies at the intersection of Physical Chemistry and Biological Chemistry and focuses on understanding the contributions of copper and iron to neurodegenerative disease progression, cancer proliferation, and drug resistance. This is a really exciting area of research that fills a gap between neuroscience, clinical medical research and Physical Chemistry. PHOTO BY MARTIN R. SMITH
Dr. Meier’s lab will use a range of spectroscopic and computational techniques to elucidate metal involvement in the proliferation of disease and will provide insight into the electronic and geometric structures of metalloproteins. Her ultimate goal is to better understand the associated mechanistic roles of these proteins in pathogenesis and to guide the development of efficacious therapeutic treatments.
Dr. Katlyn Meier
New Departmental EPR Instrument  The Chemistry Department has acquired a new electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) instrument, the Bruker EMXplus. EPR is a non-destructive analytical technique for the direct detection of paramagnetic species. EPR spectroscopy measures the absorption of microwave radiation corresponding to the energy splitting of an unpaired electron in a strong magnetic field. This state-of-the-art instrument will dramatically enhance the research potential of the chemistry faculty and researchers within the department. The Chemistry Department is grateful to Dean Leonidas Bachas and the College of Arts and Sciences for providing the funding to purchase the instrument.
The Bruker EMXplus mid-installation.
SUMMER 2019
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Summer Chemistry Program Our University of Miami, NSF-funded, Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site provides summer research opportunities for undergraduate students from across the United States. The students are offered a choice of research projects encompassing a range of topics related to our theme of the Interface between Chemistry and Biological sciences, which pays particular emphasis on collaborative research. A central idea is the notion that exciting new avenues of research are being realized when chemical principles are applied to problems in biological sciences. Research-active faculty supervise the students, with each project being a joint effort between at least two faculty members (one each in chemistry and biological sciences). Weekly seminars are conducted to stimulate discussion and provide information on career opportunities, current research issues, professional ethics, and effective communication skills. At the end Pof the summer, all students participated in our Research Symposium to present their research in both talks HOTO BY MARTIN R. SMITH and posters to the UM community. The participants are also given the opportunity to attend national or regional conferences to further present their summer research and meet with leaders in the field.
2018 REU Participants Gabriel Blanco – Florida International University Bianca Combe – Florida International University Anastasiya Dyagileva – Miami-Dade College Christian Falgons – Johns Hopkins University Corey Fehlberg – University of Miami Kishan Ghodasara – University of Pittsburgh Melanie Gonzalez – Florida International University Jose Miguel Hernandez – Florida International University Caroline Johnson – Worcester Polytechnic Institute Chevine Johnson – Barry University Andres Perez – University of South Florida Lauren Sanchez – Villanova University Alvin Soto Soto – University of Puerto Rico, Arecibo Samuel Thompson – University of Kentucky J. Tyler Wagner – Georgia Southern University
Congratulations to our Spring 2019 Ph.D. Graduates Brian Doherty Randy Lawerence Angeliki Moutsiopoulou Catherine Munro Yiqun Zhou
SUMMER 2019
Alumni Advising Committee Three alums of the University of Miami Chemistry Department will serve on the inaugural Alumni Advising Committee. These members will guide the Chair of the Department, Dr. Roger Leblanc, to ensure that current UM students are receiving the best possible education to prepare them for careers in both chemistry and health-related sciences. The three members are: Herb Borroto (B.S. ‘83) – A partner in The Alvarez Law Firm, Dr. Borroto heads the firm’s Medical Negligence Division. Dr. Borroto possesses both M.D. and J.D. degrees, making him uniquely qualified to handle complex medical malpractice cases. Michael Gold (B.S.’82, M.S. ’84, M.D. ’88) – Vice-President, Development Neurosciences, AbbVie. Dr. Gold has extensive experience in drug discovery working at multiple pharmaceutical companies, including GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson and Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Allon Therapeutics, and UCB. Ileana Piña (B.S. ’72, M.D. ’76) – Heart failure and transplant cardiologist at DMC Medical Group. Dr. Piña was the PHOTO BY MARTIN R. SMITH first Hispanic and woman to win the Chairman’s Award for volunteerism from the American Heart Association and in 2017 received the Wenger Award for Excellence in Women’s Heart Research.
Roger Leblanc Receives the J. Oleo Sci. Impact Award Dr. Roger Leblanc, Chair and Professor, of the Chemistry Department was selected to receive the “J. Oleo Sci. Impact Award” of the year 2019 by the Journal of Oleo Science Committee. A certificate of merit and prize will be presented to Dr. Leblanc during the 58th Annual Meeting of Japan Oil Chemists Society on September 25, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan.
Dr. Roger Leblanc
New 3-Semester Sequence for Chemistry Majors Beginning Fall 2019, all new chemistry majors (B.A. and B.S.) and minors will take a 3 semester General and Organic Chemistry sequence and their corresponding labs, resulting in a full 16 credits of course and lab work. A highlight of the new courses is that all students will now take part in discussion/recitation sections throughout the semester for each course to reinforce course content in a smaller class size compared to the main lecture. The previous four semester sequence will be phased out, but will continue for one year to allow for existing chemistry and other science majors to complete their course requirements. The new sequence will provide chemistry majors all of the necessary topics in the discipline to be successful in upper divisional courses. This curriculum transition will allow for students to take new advanced-level courses and electives relevant towards pursing graduate and professional degrees using modern topics in chemistry as the course content. More information can be found in the 2019-2020 UM academic bulletin.
SUMMER 2019
Supporting a Chemistry Trailblazer: The Graduate School’s First Dissertation Fellow By Laura Elena Lopez Ramos A typical day in the lab for Brian Doherty involves analyzing huge data sets with supercomputers to improve machine learning for quicker and more precise calculations. However, Brian is not a data or computer scientist, Brian is a chemist. Trailblazing with innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, Brian studies a relatively unknown branch of chemistry, called computational chemistry, which uses computer simulation, algorithms, statistics, and large databases to analyze chemical reactions. This branch of chemistry allows for more sustainable and eco-friendly lab practices, reducing the need for “trial and error” experimentation, saving lab materials and ingredients, and expediting calculations and results. Brian, the Graduate School’s first Dissertation Fellow, was one of the first students to study machine learning for computational chemistry at the University in the lab of Dr. Orlando Acevedo, Associate Professor at the Department of Chemistry. His research made strides in improving not only the speed but also the accuracy of chemical calculations by PHOTO BY MARTIN R. SMITH supercomputers. “Calculations that would take a supercomputer six months to complete, now can be done in as little as two weeks,” he explained. “This allows us to explore more accurate chemical information at a faster rate.” Being at the forefront of this burgeoning field helped Brian land a postdoc at New York University funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Immediately after graduating in May, Brian relocated to New York contributing his knowledge in computational chemistry and solvents to NYU’s Tuckerman Research Group to the study of liquid electrolytes inside batteries of renewable energy sources to make them more efficient. Brian credits the Dissertation Fellowship as one of the main factors that contributed to his academic and professional successes of the past year. The Graduate School’s Dissertation Fellowship, established in 2018, awards $27,225 to one doctoral candidate in their final year of study so they can focus on writing and defending their dissertation without the obligation of a teaching, research, or graduate assignment. The creation of the Dissertation Fellowship couldn’t have come at a better time for Brian. Towards the end of his fourth year in spring 2018, Brian had become increasingly worried as the NSF grant which provided funding for him as a research assistant had come to an end. Thanks to the Fellowship, he was able to fully dedicate himself to his research instead of relying on funding options like a teaching assistantship. With his full focus on research, Brian was able to stay on track in the dissertation writing process and finish in a timely manner, as well as dedicate time to related projects which resulted in published work. He has already published four papers, three of them as first author, and he has three more publications pending approval. The most recent of these is a paper on applying a first of its kind machine learning technique to study a unique environmentally friendly solvent system.
To make a gift online, visit: “In general, the Dissertation Fellowship helped me in so many ways. Doctoral students go through so much stress, miami.edu/SupportChemistry especially during the final year when we are writing the dissertation, looking for a job, and, for some, serving as a teaching assistant. Faced with so many competing responsibilities, in many cases I think the research ends up suffering since they do not have enough time to deepen their research or attempt to publish a paper. I am grateful to have had this opportunity,” reflected Brian.
Brian was fortunate to get a head start on the searching job process during the first semester of this final year, securing his dream postdoc in January, months before defending his dissertation. “It was a huge weight off my shoulders. It was better to manage that stress early on instead of at the end when graduation is looming,” he admitted.
SUMMER 2019
Brian Doherty, Ph.D. ’19 was the recipient of the 2018-2019 Dissertation Fellowship.
New Dual B.S./M.S. Degree in Chemistry A new program of study featuring a dual B.S./M.S. degree in Chemistry begins in the Fall of 2019. Students enrolling in the program will earn both a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Chemistry in a reduced time frame of 5 years. Chemistry’s dual B.S./M.S. degree will improve the academic foundation of undergraduates in the chemical sciences and allow them to become more competitive for employment and/or admission into Ph.D. graduate programs and health professional schools, such as medical and dental programs. Highly qualified job applicants in the chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing fields often begin by earning an undergraduate degree and then completing a master’s degree, which generally requires a minimum of 6 years of total training. Students can earn these same academic credentials in 1-2 years less time due to the integrated and focused nature of the B.S./M.S. degree. Students will learn to operate state-of-the-art instrumentation, develop analytical skills, improve their written and oral presentation skills specific to the chemical sciences, and receive the professional training necessary to advance their careers. Students may do research with any of the graduate Chemistry faculty, in any field of chemistry, including cross-disciplinary studies. The research must be with a faculty member in Chemistry, and does not include sponsored research activities that are centered outside the department, e.g., in the medical school.
Support The Chemistry Department! I would like my gift of: $ _________________ to benefit The Chemistry Department Fund. Name: ___________________________________ To make a gift online, visit: Address: _________________________________ miami.edu/SupportChemistry City/State/Zip: _____________________________ Phone/Email: ______________________________ Please make check payable to: University of Miami Write “Chemistry Fund” in the “For:” section Mail your gift to: Department of Chemistry Cox Science Center 1301 Memorial Drive | Coral Gables, FL 33124