HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS WORKSHOP EACH YEAR THE CHEMISTRY
Allen received a monetary award,
of the late Professor Ron Ragsdale,
DEPARTMENT HONORS A
certificate, and a “silver flask” made
Allen was also cited for bringing
REGIONAL HIGH-SCHOOL
by the department’s own in-house
science to all students in his high
TEACHER SELECTED FOR THEIR
glassblower Jeff Statler.
school by giving large-scale chemical
EXEMPLARY TEACHING.
demonstrations to enhance general Allen was cited at the event for
interest in science. Eileen Ragsdale,
The Ron and Eileen Ragsdale
his dedication and enthusiasm for
Ron’s widow, was hosted at the event
High School Teaching Award was
teaching, including using varied
as a special guest. <
presented March 18 to Marc Allen
teaching methods and taking the
from Woods Cross High School during
initiative to continually adapt new
the department’s semi-annual High
ideas to improve the success of all his
School Teachers Workshop.
students. Following in the footsteps
KECK FOUNDATION AWARD U CHEMISTS MICHAEL
chemistry. The group aims to create
the crystal structure favored by
GRÜNWALD, RYAN LOOPER,
a set of tools to help other chemists
thermodynamics, this process instead
AND RODRIGO NORIEGA
select the crystal structures they
follows crystallization pathways that
RECEIVED A $1 MILLION
want and produce them quickly and
are favored kinetically, essentially
GRANT FROM THE W.M. KECK
purely, leading to more accurate
choosing the fastest one.
FOUNDATION, FUNDING
models and faster development of
STUDIES OF CURRENTLY
new pharmaceuticals and industrial
Continues Looper, “The Keck
UNPREDICTABLE ASPECTS
materials. Rather than predicting
Foundation’s support of our research
OF THE PROCESS OF
the crystal structure favored by
is essential to provide new evidence
CRYSTALLIZATION.
thermodynamics, this process instead
to convince scientists to think a
follows crystallization pathways.
different way.” <
The interdisciplinary team brings together expertise from diverse
“The idea that thermodynamics might
branches of chemistry: Grünwald
not accurately predict crystallization
in chemical theory, Noriega in
is quite controversial in the field,”
spectroscopy, and Looper in medicinal
says Looper. Rather than predicting
This article is an abbreviated version of an @TheU article by Paul Gabrielsen. Longer versions of many of the articles in Catalyst can be accessed at chem.utah.edu
RECOGNITION & OUTREACH | 2023
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