Department of Chemistry Gettysburg College

ALUMNI NEWSLETTER FALL 2013

Sally L. Abma

Mary Jo Boylan

Shelli L. Frey

Timothy W. Funk

Robert R. Garrity

Lisa I. Gregory

Joseph J. Grzybowski

Donald L. Jameson

Keneshia Johnson

Jeremy J. Kuhar

Koren A. Lipsett

Matthew P. Nelson

William E. Parker

Anthony J. Thoman

Lucas B. Thompson

Michael R. Wedlock, Chair

Donna Rae Plank

Office Administrator

The Year in the Chemistry Department 2012-2013 was another successful year for the Chemistry Department. We graduated twenty-two students last year, with eleven each in Chemistry and in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Three of our graduates were elected to Phi Beta Kappa and thirteen of the newly minted scientists finished with graduation honors. This year is Joe Grzybowski’s turn at a sabbatical leave. He is working on finishing up several projects that are near completion. We were fortunate to find a Visiting Assistant Professor who is able to cover Dr. Grzybowski’s wide variety of courses. Dr. Keneshia Johnson will be teaching both instrumental analysis and inorganic chemistry this year, as well as some introductory chemistry labs. Professor Daniel Nocera from MIT (but now Harvard) was the 34th

Musselman Visiting Scientist. He delivered an excellent series of lectures on his work studying the “artificial leaf.” His work focuses on self-repairing inorganic systems that mimic the photosynthetic systems of plants. They have developed systems that will robustly produce hydrogen gas from water without the need to purify the water beforehand. His hope is that these systems will be developed into systems that will allow for low-intensity lighting or refrigeration in countries without an adequate energy infrastructure. As I mentioned in last year’s newsletter, the College received a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to support a number of initiatives across the sciences at Gettysburg College. I am happy to say that a number of these initiatives are already in place. There were

an increased number of student researchers on campus this summer and we instituted a regular series of lunchtime discussions to bring all the science students together to learn about each others’ work, as well as holding discussions on ethics in science, graduate school, and communications in science. Science House is now a permanent part of the College’s theme house system and will be sponsoring a number of programs. There will also be new courses offered this year. The Physics of Life is being jointly offered by Shelli Frey and Kurt Andresen from the Physics Department. Dr. Frey is extra busy because she and Matt Kittelberger from the Biology Department will be offering an integrated introductory chemistry and biology course this spring.

Finally, the Chemistry Department was saddened to learn earlier this year that Wally Weber ’63 had passed away. The Wallburga Mank Weber ’63 Scholarship Fund has been established in memoriam by her husband Oscar and daughter Laura for a deserving student majoring in Chemistry. This wonderful new scholarship is a tribute to her teaching career, passion for chemistry and love of her alma mater.

Class of 2013 Eleven senior chemistry majors and eleven senior biochemistry/molecular (BMB) majors completed study at Gettysburg College this year. Twenty-one graduates received the B.S. degree and eight chemistry majors are ACS certified. Fourteen seniors were awarded Honors in their major, three were elected to Phi Beta Kappa, one graduated Summa Cum Laude, three Magna Cum Laude, and nine Cum Laude. Nine are pursuing graduate work this fall and four are attending medical school. R. Joseph Fortenbaugh (Lemoyne, PA) has headed to the west coast looking for work before applying to graduate or medical school and Diana Kao (Ashburn, VA) is attending graduate school at UNC Charlotte. Andrew D. Kotila (San Jose, CA) has returned to California to enroll at USC’s Chemical Engineering program, while Nikita L. LaCruz, (Matthew’s Ridge, Guyana), a Cum Laude graduate, is attending the U. of South Florida. Casina T. Malinchak (Stirling, NJ) is seeking employment and Jennifer M. Middlebrooks (West Chester, PA), a Cum Laude graduate, has enrolled at UNC Chapel Hill. Quyen T. Nguyen (Seven Valleys, PA) is looking for work, while Gabrielle J. Pros (Halifax, PA), a Cum Laude graduate, is attending Duquesne University. Molly A. Rincavage (Westminster, MD), a Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate and the Chemistry Banner Carrier at Commencement, is enrolled in the U. of Maryland School of Pharmacy. Justin R. Victoria III (Mendham, NJ) is working as an intern in a crime lab and Katherine M. Wilson (Gaithersburg, MD) is employed by Rexahn Pharmaceuticals. BMB graduate Avani T. Amin (Gettysburg, PA), a Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate, is enrolled at Temple Medical School, while Stephen J. Bilheimer (Bethlehem, PA), a Cum Laude graduate, is seeking employment. Jeremiah D. Johnston (Goose Creek, SC), a Cum Laude graduate, is attending Yale University and Emily A. Kohlbrenner (Acton, MA) is looking for employment in the Boston area. Elizabeth V. Miller (East Windsor, NJ), a Cum Laude graduate, is enrolled at the U. of Gottingen, Germany, while Caitlin E. Moss (South Windsor, CT) is seeking work. Cam T. Nguyen (Denver, CO), a Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate and the BMB Banner Carrier at Commencement, has returned to Colorado to work and then pursue a public health/Peace Corps program. Eric S. Noll (Vienna, VA), a Magna Cum Laude graduate, is attending Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine, while Amanda M. Orzechowski (Erie, PA), a Cum Laude graduate, has begun graduate work at the Mayo Clinic, MN. William G. Parkinson (Ambler, PA), a Cum Laude graduate, is enrolled at George Washington University Medical School and Olivia L. Ruth (Hermitage, PA), a Cum Laude graduate, is attending Drexel Medical School. Departmental Honors in Chemistry were awarded to Joe Fortenbaugh, Nikita LaCruz, Jenn Middlebrooks, Gabby Pros, and Molly Rincavage. Avani Amin, Stephen Bilheimer, Jeremiah Johnston, Elizabeth Miller, Cam Nguyen, Eric Noll, Amanda Orzechowski, Will Parkinson, and Olivia Ruth received BMB Honors. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Section of the American Chemical Society honored Molly Rincavage this past spring as the outstanding senior chemistry major. Molly also earned the Stine Chemistry Prize and the 2012 Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry. Gabby Pros received the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh Award. Jenn Middlebrooks was co-recipient of the John B. Zinn Chemistry Research Award and Nikita LaCruz earned the 2011 ACS Polymer Division Award for Achievement in Organic Chemistry and shared the 2011 and 2012 Couchman Diversity Awards. Avani Amin earned the Biochemistry/Molecular Biology Award. Steve Bilheimer was co-recipient of the John B. Zinn Chemistry Research Award as well as the 2010 Sceptical Chymists Achievement Award. Eric Noll received the 2011 Organic Chemistry Award and the 2013 Stoner Award. Amanda Orzechowski earned the 2010 Chemical Rubber Company Freshman Chemistry Achievement Award and Cam Nguyen shared the 2012 Couchman Diversity Award.

Staff Update We have one addition to our staff this year. Dr. Keneshia Johnson has joined the Department to fill in while Joe Grzybowski is on sabbatical. Dr. Johnson is a recent graduate from Howard University in Washington, DC where her thesis work involved the synthesis and purification of single-source precursors for thin films for microelectronics applications. Before studying at Howard, Dr. Johnson earned her BSc at the University of the West Indies. 34th

Musselman Visiting Scientist Professor Daniel Nocera from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (he is now at Harvard) was our 34th Musselman Visiting Scientist this past Fall. While at MIT, Nocera was the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy, Director of the Solar Revolutions Project, Director of the Eni Solar Frontiers Center and Professor of Chemistry. Professor Nocera's research focuses on energy conversion in both chemistry and biology with the primary focus in recent years on the generation of solar fuels. By combining multielectron chemistry and proton coupled electron transfer, Nocera’s lab has developed a solar fuels process that simulates photosynthesis. He has used this technology to construct an “Artificial Leaf”, which uses sunlight to directly produce the solar fuels of hydrogen and oxygen from water. This discovery of artificial photosynthesis sets the stage for a storage mechanism for the large-scale, distributed deployment of solar energy. Professor Nocera has won numerous awards including the ACS Award in Inorganic Chemistry and the United Nations Science and Technology Award. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. A 2005 PBS Nova episode on fuel cells, in which he featured prominently, was nominated for an Emmy Award. The short documentary “The Artifical Leaf” was a runner-up for the Focus Forward Filmmaker Competition at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Filmmakers recorded some of Nocera’s Gettysburg College visit in support of another documentary. Professor Nocera’s Thursday general lecture "The Global Energy Challenge" was delivered to an SRO crowd in Mara Auditorium. The lecture gave an overview of the frontiers of diagnostic technology and the challenges and rewards of bringing these technologies to market. The three technical lectures, "The Inorganic Chemistry of Solar Cells", "Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer" and "The Artificial Leaf" provided the scientific details behind these emerging technologies. Sceptical Chymists Under the presidential leadership of senior Eric Noll, the Sceptical Chymists enjoyed a year full of club activities including lectures by academics and government researchers, pizza parties, picnics, movie nights, a faculty-student beach volleyball smackdown, and an awards ceremony to mark the successes of graduating members and the initiation of new members. To ring in the new academic year, and to both reunite the group and welcome prospective new recruits, Scep Chym members and faculty hosted an ice cream social in Glatfelter Lodge. Dr. Christopher Anderton of the National Institute of Standards and Technology provided insight into the role of a national lab postdoctoral research fellow as well as the first lecture of the Fall semester, in which he discussed the characterization of collagen type 1 fibrile matrices. Moving into the realm of physical chemistry, Dr. Christopher Jarzynski of the University of Maryland reviewed his group’s research concerning the thermodynamics of microscopic systems, specifically with regard to the second law of thermodynamics. In the final lecture of the Fall semester, Dr. Elizabeth Boon traveled from Stony Brook University to share her discoveries with respect to nitric oxide signaling in bacteria, and how they relate to her group’s overarching goal of applying an increased understanding of that signaling to improve human health. A movie night, complete with a pizza party, wrapped up an informative semester of Scep Chym events on a light note. The College’s Spring Activities Fair marked the beginning of Scep Chym events for the Spring semester. Current members provided an informative table at the fair in an effort to spread the word about the club and garner interested prospective members. Inorganic chemist Dr. Scott Daly of George Washington University

offered the first lecture of the semester, in which he summarized his spectroscopic evaluation of the role of metal-ligand covalency in fuel cycle extraction processes. Drexel University’s Dr. Jun Xi continued the semester’s speaker series by addressing his chemical and molecular biological research, specifically with regard to mechanical sensing. An overview of the chemical processes behind vinification, or winemaking, was provided by Gettysburg’s own visiting professor Dr. David Horn. Finally, later in April, Dr. Alison Noble of Messiah College, and previously of Intel, concluded the lecture series for the academic year by discussing her research into the characterization of self-assembled monolayers. Sceptical Chymist members participated in the College’s Get Acquainted Day by offering information to interested upcoming classmates as part of the annual event’s Clubs Exposition. A club picnic, complete with a faculty versus students volleyball match, celebrated the end of the 2011-2012 academic year. The event included the Sceptical Chymists’ distribution of the year’s student awards, initiation of its 11 new members, and election of new officers for the upcoming 2012-2013 academic year.

A group of happy, smiling researchers!

Faculty/Student Research 2013

In LipidLab, Prof. Shelli Frey continued work on projects revolving around the theme of structure and dynamics of cell membranes with a particular focus on understanding biophysical interactions of proteins and particles with cells. While on her pre-tenure research leave, Frey worked on determining the surface activity and membrane interactions of the tropical frog surfactant protein, ranaspumin-2, and its engineered derivatives. Ranaspumin-2 is a surfactant protein identified as one of the major components of tungara frog foam nests which protects fertilized eggs from dehydration, temperature changes, and potential pathogens. Unlike chemical detergents, the protective surfactant protein does not disrupt cell membranes making it an ideal candidate for a non-disruptive crop adjuvant. During the summer, Katie Brennan (’14) explored the effects of nanoparticle exposure on membrane structure and stability, concentrating on how non-ionic surfactants work in conjunction

with nanoparticles to disrupt model cell membranes. Alex Campbell (’15 BMB) worked to understand the role lipid interface/protein interactions play in the aggregation of protein that leads to Huntington’s disease, specifically focusing on using a more physiologically relevant membrane system than previous work; preliminary results showing the protective nature of cholesterol are particularly promising.

Prof. Tim Funk continued to focus on the development and applications of (cyclopentadienone)iron tricarbonyl catalysts. Gabby Pros (’13) synthesized a few new iron compounds bearing sterically bulky cyclopentadienone ligands and tested their catalytic efficiencies in a series of oxidative and reductive transformations. One the primary goals of this work is to determine how cyclopentadienone substitution affects catalytic activity. Gabby presented her results at the Intercollegiate Student Chemists’ Convention (ISCC) at Lebanon Valley College in April 2013. Becky Sponenburg (’14) continued her work on the same project during the summer of 2013 and examined how catalysts she made the previous summer compare to those synthesized by Gabby. She also worked on synthesizing a perfluorinated cyclopentadienone derivative and is continuing on with both projects during the academic year. Casina Malinchak (’13) explored the activity of these iron compounds as catalysts for the synthesis of lactones from diols. Her initial results suggest that 5, 6, and 7-membered lactones can be readily accessed from the corresponding diols. Casina presented her findings at the ISCC as well. Over the summer of 2013, Darcy Merrill (’14) developed a significantly improved procedure for the synthesis of α,β-unsaturated ketones from cyclopropanols using a palladium catalyst. Hopefully this methodology can be applied to kinetic resolutions of cyclopropanols when a chiral diamine ligand is introduced to the palladium catalyst. Travis Beard (’14) scaled up the synthesis of a monomer that could be used as a photocleavable cross-linking agent in polymethacrylates. He has started making molds of these polymers for tensile strength testing. Finally, Tim spent a week in Copenhagen in August attempting to purify nicotinamide riboside as part of his collaboration with a metabolic research group interested in understanding the aging process more thoroughly.

Professor Grzybowski and his students continued to look at various aspects of clathrochelate chemistry. Avani Amin (’13) explored the interaction of cobalt clathrochelates with DNA using differential pulse voltammetry and Diana Kao (’13) synthesized molecular squares using iron clathrochelates as end pieces and palladium and rhenium complexes as corner pieces. In addition Nikita La Cruz (’13) worked on a project that examined the levels of Pb in the soil around campus. Nikita’s project was a collaboration with Sarah Principato in the Environmental Studies Department.

Over the academic year, Dr. Koren A. Lipsett worked with four students. Miles Paszek (’14 BMB) and Stephen Bilheimer (’13 BMB) focused on characterizing the clones affiliated with developing a transcription assay to further understand the mechanism of pathology for the Rdy CRX gene mutation that causes blindness in a pedigree of cats. Kaytie Innamorati (’14) continued investigating the genetic link of deafness in a pedigree of Spanish Colonial Mustangs. Justin Victoria (’13) focused on identifying novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the peripheral sequences of the hypervariable region in the feline mitochondrial genome. Kaytie and Miles continued their work during the 2013 summer research program.

Research in Prof. Lucas Thompson’s lab continues to focus on the synthesis and applications of gold nanorods. Gold nanoparticles are of particular interest in the Thompson lab due to the unique way in which the absolute size of the particles dictates their optical properties and surface chemistry. Our research investigates how we can harness these properties to derive new functionalities for applications in drug delivery, sensing, and environmental toxicology. Jeremiah Johnston (’13 BMB) proceeded with his project from the previous summer, while Katie Wilson (’13) joined him to work on quantifying the uptake of small hydrophobic molecules by the bilayer of surfactant on the surface of gold nanorods. Additionally, the Nano Lab welcomed a few new faces in 2013 with the arrival of Ida DiMucci (’15), Bryan Stokes-Cawley (‘14), and Thomas Brock (’16 BMB). Bryan and Ida continued Jeremiah and Katie’s efforts on the uptake project and expanded its scope to include multiple shapes of nanoparticles, while Thomas assisted with the nanoparticles’ synthesis and characterization. Andrea Sitton (’14 BMB) returned for a second summer of research and continued her work on modifying the surface chemistry of gold nanorods to allow for their incorporation into pH sensitive hydrogel thin films. In addition to her research with the pH sensitive nanoparticles, Andrea synthesized an enormous quantity of nanoparticles for a new collaborative project, with Peter Fong and Gerardo Carfagno from the biology department, which aims to investigate the toxicity and fate of nanoparticles in freshwater ecosystems.

Alexa Riddle (‘14) worked in the Wedlock lab over the summer. She worked on a project studying the photodissociation dynamics of ethylene sulfide and propylene sulfide that had started several years ago when

Krista Kane ('07) worked in the laser lab. New research published by a group in Australia has made it easier to interpret the molecules' spectra. Alexa will continue to work in the laser lab during the school year. Publications Dr. Shelli Frey and Ka Yee Lee had a paper “Number of Sialic Acid Residues in Ganglioside Headgroup Affects Interactions with Neighboring Lipids” accepted by the Biophysical Journal. It is currently in press. Karlina Kauffman (’12) published with Dr. Frey and her colleagues at West Virginia University a research article titled “The Interaction of Polyglutamine Peptides with Lipid Membranes is Regulated by Flanking Sequences Associated with Huntingtin” in Journal of Biological Chemistry, 288, 14993-15005. “Quantitative Reflection Imaging of Fixed Aplysia californica Pedal Ganglion Neurons on Nanostructured Plasmonic Crystals”, was co-authored by Dr. Luke Thompson and his colleagues at the University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign. This article is currently found “ASAP pre-published” (online) in the J. Phys. Chem. B, DOI: 10.1021/jp402731f. Dr. Koren Lipsett was a co-author of a book chapter titled “Cats: A Gold Mine for Ophthalmology” with NCI and University of Missouri colleagues. It can be found in the Annual Review of Animal Biosciences, 1, 157-177 (2013). Poster Presentations “Resonance Raman Spectroscopy of Dimethyl Disulfide” was presented by Jennifer M. Middlebrooks ’13, R. Joseph Fortenbaugh ’13, and Dr. Michael R. Wedlock at the 245th ACS National Meeting in New Orleans this April. Also at the 245th ACS National Meeting in New Orleans, Dr. Don Jameson and his colleagues from the College of Holy Cross and the University of Akron presented “Rhenium(I) compounds bound by tripodal ligands of pyridine and N-methylimidazole.” In February, Dr. Frey presented “Surfactants alter nanoparticle - model cell membrane interactions,” at the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA. Luke Cuculis ’12 and Nicole Meredyth ’11 were student co-authors. Last March, Nikita LaCruz ‘13 presented a poster entitled “Assessing the impact of industrialization on lead levels in soils on the Gettysburg College Campus: A chemical and spatial analysis” at the NE Geological Society of America meeting in Bretton Woods, NH. Nikita’s poster was the result of an interdisciplinary project with Professors Grzybowski and Principato (Environmental Studies). Several students also presented their research work at Gettysburg’s Celebration at the end of the Spring semester. Chemistry and BMB students presenting at Celebration this year included: Avani Amin, Casina Malinchak, Jenn Middlebrooks, Jeremiah Johnston, Katie Wilson, Nikita La Cruz, Olivia Ruth, Joe Fortenbaugh, Cam Nguyen, Elizabeth Miller, and Emily Kohlbrenner. Seminar Presentations In July, Dr. Frey presented a talk titled “The interaction of polyglutamine peptides with lipid membranes is regulated by flanking sequences associated with Huntingtin,” at the Snowmass (Colorado) Summer Biophysics Workshop – Biological Membranes and Membrane Proteins: Challenges for Theory and Experiment. Karlina Kauffman ’12 and Alex Campbell ’15 were student co-authors for the talk. Dr. Tim Funk presented two seminars this year. “Developing Inexpensive Iron-Based Catalysts for Alcohol Oxidations and Carbonyl Reductions” was presented to the Chemistry Department at Lebanon Valley College in

April. In addition, he presented “Developing Cheap, User-Friendly Redox Catalysts Out of Iron” for our BMB seminar series at Gettysburg College in April. Two of Dr. Joe Grzybowski’s students presented talks at the 77th Intercollegiate Student Chemist’s Convention which was held at Lebanon Valley College last April. Avani Amin ‘13 presented “DNA Binding of Cobalt Clathrochelates” (First Place – Biochemistry Division) and Diana Kao ’13 presented “Building Blocks: The Molecular Square” (Second Place – Inorganic Division I). Two of Dr. Funk’s students also presented at the 77th Intercollegiate Student Chemist’s Convention at Lebanon Valley College in April. Gabrielle Pros ’13 presented “Altering the Cyclopentadienone Coordinated to an Iron Catalyst and Testing for Oxidative and Reductive Activity.” In addition, Casina Malinchak, ’13 presented “Iron-Catalyzed Oxidative Cyclizations of Diols.” Gifts to the College Many Chemistry Department alumni and friends have made gifts to the College through the Gettysburg Fund over the past year. Donors to the Gettysburg Fund include: Albert B. Accettola, Jr., Frank F. Barr, Wendy Patterson Barr, MaryAlice Dress Baumgardner, Jennifer J. Becker, Dennis M. Bleile, Mary E. Botterbusch, Robert N. Britcher, Timothy D. Calamaras, Benjamin M. Chaloner-Gill, Robert M. Clontz, II, Dorothy E. Croall, Luke W. Cuculis, John D. DeVido, Maureen Sheehan DeVido, Robert J. Drawbaugh, Nancy Baumgardner Dress, Maureen Miller Elliott, George E. Farley, Jr., Anne M. Forney, Marilyn Winter Garten, Robert L. Garten, Monica Tonn Gicking, Robert S. Gicking, Nicholas A. Giorgio, Jr., Eric W. Grotzinger, Joanne Hill Heller, Angela Mendel Hunter, Amy Dickerson Johnson, Craig P. Johnson, David W. Jones, Richard L. Keeports, Kimberly Rain Kelly, Darby K. Kiley, Anne Heckler Kline, Jack A. Kline, Barbara L. Knisely, Robert J. Knopf, Emily A. Kohlbrenner, Winifred Shearer Kost, Gordon J. Kotora, George B. Krone, Diane Lazarus, Constance Hedland Lee, Debra Shinsky Montgomery, David R. Musselman, Inga Holl Musselman, Cynthia Bergman Myers, M. Lynn Myers, Ronald E. Myers, Carol Gosnell Niegisch, Robert W. Niegisch, James L. O'Brien, Margaret Kilpatrick O'Brien, Erin E. Podlesny, Paige G. Phillips, Pauline Dale Platt, Jeanne Scott Robinson, Cynthia LeCompte Salisbury, David W. Salisbury, Steven B. Schram, Doris Pickel Schumacher, John R. Socey, Robert M. Stevens, Justin R. Victoria, III, Jon P. Wagnild, Alison Kranitz Walsh, Wallburga Mank Weber, Kenneth C. Wurtzel, Lenore H. Wurtzel, M. LeRoy Zeigler, Jr. If you designate your gift for the Chemistry Department – Special Gifts Fund, it will directly support the Department and help pay student stipends for summer research. The Department received gifts to the Special Gifts Fund from Ali Craig, Angela Mendel Hunter, Deborah E. Otis, Donald L. Oakley, and the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh. In addition, we received a number of gifts to the Special Gifts Fund in memory of Wally Weber. Those giving in her memory include: Betsy Adams, Patricia J. Bressler, Barbara Goodrich Clark, James M. Dahl, Scott Emerson, Carol S. Goguts, Peter Goguts, George W. Hain, III, Mary B. Hain, Barbara Baker Happer, Janet Kratavil Hathorn, Josephine R. Helleskov, Ole Helleskov, Frederick L. Homsher, H. Barbara Homsher, Lawrence Jones, Jean-Marie Kneeley, Richard J. Kneeley, Gerald P. Malick, Sydney B. Malick, Jeanette M. Miller, Lynden E. Miller, Kirk Morganson, Judith A. Nichol, Coldualdo S. Orquiza, Kaaren B. Orquiza, Diane M. Payne, Jestyn G. Payne, Martha C. Rask, Norman Rask, Larry E. Rentschler, Linda Rentschler, John P. Schueller, Linda A. Schueller, Evelyn Miller Swarts, Jean R. Sweigart, Richard J. Sweigart, Elizabeth A. Thyrum, Mary L. Young, and the Conrad Weiser Sunshine Club. News from Our Graduates 60’s ANNE KUHLMANN TAYLOR ’66 was elected a Fellow of the American Chemical Society last year. Last fall TOM GEORGE ’67 delivered the commencement address at the Gulf University of Science and Technology in Kuwait. Tom continues to publish prolifically while at the same time carrying out his duties as Chancellor of the University of Missouri at St. Louis. 80’s KEITH McDANIEL ’80 stopped by the Department for what has become an annual fall visit. Keith continues to work at Abbott Labs in Chicago. ALLISON CAMPBELL ’85 was elected a fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science and received the College’s Distinguished Alumni Award last spring. She was honored for her work in thin films for ceramics and biomaterial development. Allison is the Director of the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, WA. 90’s BILL SHOEMAKER ’96 stopped by the department for a visit last spring. Bill is currently the Director of Environmental Health and Safety at Dickinson College. KERRY PICKEN PAUMI ’98 has accepted a tenure-track faculty position at Centre College in Danville, KY. Kerry and her husband CHRISTIAN PAUMI ’98, who is a professor at the University of Kentucky Graduate Center for Toxicology, live in Lexington, KY with their twin daughters. MAUREEN MILLER ELLIOTT ’99 was married last fall to Jaime Elliott. Maureen and Jaime celebrated their honeymoon in New Zealand. Maureen continues to teach at the Westminster Schools and lives in Smyrna, GA. 00’s ADAM SAMUELSON ’02 and his wife Lisa had a baby girl, Cora Mae, last April. Adam lives in Durham, NC where he works in the pharmaceutical industry. JOHN YOUNG ’03 wrote that he is working for Gelest in Morrisville, PA. John and his wife recently purchased a new home in Richboro, PA. KATHRYN HAAS ’04 is teaching at St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN. MIKE HAMILL ’04 is currently leader of the analytical sciences team at Pronutria in Cambridge, MA. Mike completed his Ph.D. in 2010 at Boston University. TINA TAO MAYNES ’05 has moved to Canton, NY where she and husband Jeff teach at St. Lawrence University. LINDA FORT HOOPER ’06 has left her teaching career and taken on the job of being a mother to Russell William Hooper who was born on December 16. Linda and her family reside in Seneca, SC. After completing his Ph.D. at Rutgers, ERIC KLAUBER ’06 began work at BASF. Eric has since moved to Germany where he is a process chemist for BASF’s agricultural products. ERIN PODLESNY ’07 stopped by the Department last summer. Erin is currently a postdoc at MIT after having completed her Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania last year. ANNE MARIE FORNEY ’08 is working in Greece at the University of Ioannina studying close-ended carbon nanotubes for radiation delivery to cancer patients. Anne Marie is funded for the next three years through an EU grant that is part of a seven-country consortium. MEGHAN STOUFFER ’09 stopped by the department last summer. Meghan is a graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis. TOM WILKS '09 is now a Senior Principal Scientist at DioGenix. DAN ZIEGLER ’09 has been in contact and is starting his likely final year in graduate school at Cal Tech. DAVID NEAGLEY '09 stopped by at graduation last year and is now Instructional Lead Teacher and Science Department Teacher Coordinator/Department Chair for the Prince George's County Public Schools. ROB KOWTONIUK ’09 is currently working in medicinal chemistry at Merck and applying to medical school this year. ROB WERK ’09 stopped by for a visit and dinner while passing through Gettysburg. He has taken up rock climbing but has not broken anything more serious than his ankles. Yet. 10’s SARAH FRITZ ’10 came back to campus for the alumni x-country race and made a visit to the department. Sarah is a graduate student at Ohio State University. MONICA SCHMIDT ’11 completed her MS at Boston University and began her studies at the Boston University School of Dental Medicine this past summer. JESSICA DRAKE '11 stopped by the Department for a visit last summer. Jessica is a 3rd year graduate student at Boston College. AMANDA PELLOWE ’12 started graduate school in the biomedical engineering program at Yale this Fall. MINH AN NGUYEN ’12 and LUKE CUCULIS ’12 visited the department last May and presented their research to the summer research students and led a discussion of how to survive the first year of graduate school. An is attending Penn State and Luke is attending Illinois. KATHLEEN HILLERY ’12 is working as a R&D research technician at Atrium Medical Corp in Hudson, NH and on the weekends she is a road manager for a rock band. TAYLOR PLANK ’12 recently started graduate school at the University of Maryland. HANNAH LOCH ’12 is working at PPG Industries in Pittsburgh and putting her music talents to work playing with the band The Masters Of The Universe. KELLY SHORT ’12 wrote that she is teaching algebra and calculus at St. Margaret's School in Tappahannock, VA. Keep  those  cards,  letters  and  e-­‐mails  coming  -­‐  we  enjoy  hearing  from  you!    If  you  can  provide  information  about  your  classmates,  we  like  that,  too.    For  those  who  prefer  to  correspond  electronically,  you  can  find  

our  email  addresses  through  the  departmental  web  page:  http://www.gettysburg.edu/academics/chemistry/