Department of

Chemistry & Biochemistry

2010 Annual Report

Oberlin College

The cover image, which shows powder X-ray diffraction patterns collected using the variable temperature stage on Oberlin’s new Rigaku Ultima IV diffractometer, show the reversible dehydration of basic lead acetate. A structural change due to loss of water is observed upon heating, and the

original structure is regained in minutes when the cooled sample is exposed to laboratory air. The powder patterns were collected by

Brie White-Dzuro ’12, working in Katie Oertel’s laboratory during summer 2010.

Editors: Michael Nee and Patricia West Please visit our website at http://new.oberlin.edu/chemistry

Email: chemistry@oberlin.edu

If you would like to see the annual report in PDF format,please email chemistry@oberlin.edu with your request.

DE A R FRIEND S ,

Our department continues to thrive and evolve. This past fall, Drew Meyer took over Matt Elrod’s teaching assignment as a temporary replacement. In addition to his big move

across the country, closer to his Ohio roots, Drew finished and defended his PhD at Stanford. In the fall, he taught Chemistry and the Environment (Chemistry 050) and a section of Structure and Reactivity (Chemistry 101). This spring he is teaching Quantum Chemistry and Kinetics (Chemistry 339). Jesse Rowsell is in his second year of a two-year appointment. In the fall, he taught a section of Chemistry 101 and Materials Chemistry (Chemistry 323). This spring he is teaching Chemical Principles (Chemistry 102). Teraya Donaldson joined Sean Decatur’s lab as a postdoc last summer, having earned a PhD in microbiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. This academic year, Rob Thompson and Matt Elrod are on sabbatical, though only Rob has (partially) managed to escape the gravitational pull of Oberlin. This spring he is at the Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina.

Last year, efforts of the faculty were recognized in a variety of ways, both internal and external. Norm Craig was awarded the prestigious Morley Medal by the Cleveland Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS). The annual award recognizes significant contributions made to chemistry through research, teaching, and service by a scientist within 250 miles of Cleveland. In the 46-year history of the Morley Medal, Norm is its first recipient from a liberal arts college. It is a fitting recognition of Norm’s oeuvre and no small acknowledgement of his research accomplishments since his retirement in 2000. Many colleagues from the department attended the award presentation and Norm’s keynote address at the joint meeting of the Society of Applied Spectroscopy, the American Vacuum Society, and the Cleveland Section of the ACS in May 2010 at John Carroll University in Cleveland. As if the Morley Medal were not enough, Norm was also elected an ACS Fellow in the first round. He traveled to the national ACS meeting in Boston

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for the induction.Last year, Matt Elrod was awarded research status in an internal

competition to fund his sabbatical year. Last fall, in recognition of his sustained research productivity, effective teaching, and service to the department and the college, Matt was promoted to full professor. Both Norm and I were fortunate to receive research grants from the Dreyfus Foundation in support of student-faculty research, which has become an integral component of the major. The larger efforts of the department and the science division were the subject of the Spring 2010 Oberlin Alumni Magazine cover story.

This past year has seen a number of significant changes behind the scenes around the department. Cindi Manning, Rebecca Whelan, and Cortland Hill, with the help of several capable students, began a multiyear process to reorganize our chemical inventory, safety procedures, and the main stockroom. Among other things, all chemicals in the department are now tagged with a barcode, which allows for easy tracking and proper disposal. We are the first department on campus to have undertaken such reorganization. As such, other departments have begun looking to us for best practices that are also in compliance with OSHA and EPA regulations. Last summer, the new powder X-ray diffractometer was fully commissioned under Katie Oertel’s leadership. Very quickly, the instrument began seeing heavy use by students and colleagues in departments of chemistry, physics, and geology. A short article on the instrument and the development of X-ray use in the department appears later in this annual report.

Our department seminar series is as vibrant as ever. Last academic year, David Corey from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center gave a pair of Hirschmann Lectures titled “Building a Case for Unexpected Findings: New Roles for RNA,” and “Manipulating Gene Expression with Synthetic Oligomers that Target DNA or RNA.” We also had a pair of Blumeno Lectures exploring the connections between chemistry and art. Zhengwei Pan from the University of Georgia gave a seminar titled “Controlled Growth of ZnO One-Dimensional

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Nanostructures—The Art of Nanoscience,” and Michael Olivieri, also from the University of Georgia, gave one titled “Innerspace and the Aesthetics of Science.” Our students profit from the seminar series in multiple ways—attending the seminars, hearing about cutting-edge science, going to lunch with the speakers, and making connections with what they learn in the classroom. The speakers often tell us that meeting the students is a highlight of their visit.

Since the last annual report, the organic chemists for most of the 1950s through 1970s, Peter Hawkins and Bill Renfrow, passed away. Bill served on the Oberlin faculty from 1945 to 1978 and Peter from 1952 to 1984. Many will remember learning organic chemistry from at least one of them. Remembrances of Bill and Peter appear later in this annual report.

Though the effects of the recent economic recession still linger, the first-year student enrollment at the college is as robust as ever. Yet again, the enrollments in our introductory courses are at a 20-year high. This greater interest in recent years has translated into higher enrollments in our intermediate and advanced courses as well.

Our department has historically enjoyed loyal and generous support from our larger family of alumni and friends. Last year’s giving was on par with previous years, despite the current economic climate. We are grateful for such steadfast support. We aim to use this support wisely and efficiently toward the main goal of our mission: the quality of the students’ educational experience.

Best wishes,

Manish A. MehtaAssociate Professor and Chair

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NE w PO w DER X-R Ay DIFFR AC t OmE t ER

On-campus capabilities for studying the structures and properties of solid materials were greatly enhanced this year with the arrival of Oberlin’s new powder X-ray diffractometer.

The Rigaku Ultima IV instrument was purchased with the support of a National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation grant obtained by an interdepartmental group of faculty: Katie Oertel (chemistry and biochemistry), Manish Mehta (chemistry and biochemistry), Yumi Ijiri (physics and astronomy), Stephen FitzGerald (physics and astronomy) and Zeb Page (geology). The instrument was installed in February 2010 and is housed in a dedicated room on the ground level of the physics area of the Science Center. It is being used in student-faculty research projects in all three of the collaborating departments and by students in Inorganic Chemistry (Chemistry 213) and Intermediate Laboratory (Physics 314). It will also be used in Mineralogy and Optical Crystallography (Geology 201).

Josh Greenfield ‘11 and Katie Oertel using the new Rigaku Ultima IV diffractometer.

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Powder X-ray diffraction has traditionally been used for phase identification of solid compounds, and this type of bulk powder characterization is fast and reliable with the new diffractometer. A ten-spot autosampler is convenient for sequential characterization of a group of samples. For example, Manish Mehta and Ben Altheimer ’12 have used this feature to screen for new and known peptide-containing co-crystalline phases in the products of their crystal growth reactions. The optics and detector on the Rigaku instrument also allow collection of such high-quality diffraction patterns as those needed to carry out Rietveld structural analysis. The Oberlin diffractometer is one of the few installations in the United States to include Rigaku’s medium- and low-temperature stage, which allows characterization of samples between approximately 100 K and 573 K. This accessory allows characterization of thermal properties of compounds and can be used under inert gases. Katie Oertel and Jesse Rowsell have each used this capability to study structural changes in hybrid inorganic-organic materials resulting from loss of water or other solvent molecules. Another unusual capability of the Rigaku instrument is in small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), which can be used to characterize sizes and long-range ordering in nanostructures. Yumi Ijiri and her students have used SAXS experiments to study magnetic iron- and cobalt-based nanoparticles prepared in their laboratory. A further accessory for materials characterization is a stage for conducting reflectivity and phase determination scans on thin films.

Powder X-ray diffraction has been in use at Oberlin at least since the 1960s, starting with a Debye-Sherrer camera housed in the physics department. A later diffractometer with a solid-state detector resided in the geology department. Frequent use of powder X-ray diffraction by Oberlin chemists began in 1996, when a Philips diffractometer was purchased with a National Science Foundation grant obtained by Sarah Stoll (chemistry and biochemistry) and John Scofield (physics and astronomy). The Philips instrument had capabilities for bulk powder characterization and was used heavily by students and faculty until the arrival of the Rigaku system.

In addition to providing excellent local access to routine and

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advanced diffraction experiments, the new instrument acts as an anchor for and complement to even more specialized data obtained through cooperation with laboratories elsewhere in the United States. For example, Yumi Ijiri and her students use SAXS data as a complement to small-angle neutron scattering data collected on research visits to NIST. Katie Oertel and Josh Greenfield ’11 have carried out phase identification and preliminary Rietveld structural analysis on materials synthesized through ion exchange prior to sending them to the 11-BM beamline at Argonne National Laboratory for high-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Manish Mehta, Katie Oertel, and Jesse Rowsell use powder diffraction as a complement to single-crystal diffraction data obtained in collaboration with Matthias Zeller at Youngstown State University.

Based on experiences in using the instrument during its first several months on campus, it appears to be ideally suited to faculty members’ increasing needs for routine and advanced powder X-ray diffraction capabilities for research and teaching.

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PE t ER J ACk H Aw k IN S

Peter Jack Hawkins died in Hillsboro, Oregon, on December 11, 2009. Peter was born on August 13, 1922, in Bradford, Yorkshire, England. His family moved to Hull, and he earned

a BSc at Hull Municipal Technical College in 1946, after spending most of the war years working as a chemist in a margarine factory. He earned a PhD in organic chemistry in 1950 for extensive research with George Janz at University College, London, the hotbed for developing the mechanistic theory of organic chemical reactions. After two years of postdoctoral research with D. Stanley Tarbell at the University of Rochester, Peter joined the Oberlin College chemistry faculty in 1952. That same year he married Patricia (Patsy) Barrett, whom he had met in Rochester. He remained a British subject in citizenship and in manner.

At Oberlin, Peter preferred to teach organic chemistry, in which he emphasized the modern mechanistic approach. Students held him in high regard and selected him to give a senior assembly talk in April 1963. His title, “A Chemist Reacts,” was a cover for

Peter Hawkins and Bill Renfrow in Kettering Hall, taken by Marty Ackermann in 1970.

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a colorful account of the game of cricket. Toward the end of the 1960s, he felt that general chemistry should be reshaped to prepare students better for organic chemistry and biochemistry. He also became interested in new pedagogical methods for securing wider and deeper learning. He persuaded his chemistry colleagues to participate in these educational experiments, which included team teaching, dividing the course into units, and using repeatable exams. He made videos showing laboratory methods. He taught general chemistry through the first half of the 1970s.

While at Oberlin, Peter was a major contributor to the Workshop Players theater group in nearby Amherst. He retired from the Oberlin faculty in 1984, moved to Tennessee, and married Marilyn Litterer. His lifelong interest in theater became his principal activity. Peter and Marilyn divided their time between Bell Buckle, Tennessee; Anna Maria Island, Florida; and a stone cottage in Sherbourne, Dorset, England.

Peter is survived by his second wife, Marilyn; son Michael of St. Petersburg, Florida; and son Derek of Nashville, Tennessee.

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w Il l I A m BuRN S RENFRO w JR

william Burns Renfrow Jr was born January 30, 1914, near Charlotte, North Carolina. He died at Kendal at Oberlin on December 10, 2010. After earning an undergraduate degree

in chemistry at Furman University in 1933 and a PhD in organic chemistry at Duke University in 1937, he taught for a semester at Florida State College before beginning research work at the United Gas Improvement Company in Philadelphia. A year of postdoctoral work in organic chemistry took him to the University of Minnesota in 1940, where he met Antoinette (Toni) Schoonmaker, a student in nursing education. They were married in August 1941. Bill began teaching full time at Occidental College near Los Angeles in 1941. In October 1944, he was recruited to the Oberlin College faculty, where he remained until retirement in 1978. A skilled experimentalist and a fine glassblower, he continued to do research throughout his career.

A year in England and a year in Australia were among Bill’s noteworthy leaves. He took a special interest in premedical students and helped hundreds gain admission to medical school. He is remembered affectionately by the many students of organic chemistry, especially for his attentive help in the laboratory. Imitating his deep southern drawl, students were fond of telling stories about him. Bill served several terms on the Committee on Professional Training of the American Chemical Society, an important committee that oversees approval of college and university chemistry programs.

Bill developed a love for tennis as a youngster and continued to play avidly. The tennis court that Bill and Toni had built at their Oberlin home was a focal point for tennis players in the community. The Renfrows were imaginative and gracious hosts and were remembered particularly for assisting new faculty members. After retirement, Bill participated in tennis tournaments around the country and spent winters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. When Toni developed Alzheimer’s Disease, Bill devoted his time to her care. He is survived by his son, Terry Renfrow of Wakeman, and two granddaughters.

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Cl A S S OF 2 010

Eighteen students graduated with majors in chemistry and/or biochemistry in the 2009-10 academic year. They are profiled below with an emphasis on their senior year and post

graduation plans.

Zachary Berman (biochemistry; California) planned to attend medical school at Case Western Reserve University, take additional nursing prerequisite classes, and earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Zachary participated in varsity baseball and was a residential assistant. He worked with Professors

Fuchsman, Belitsky, and Whelan, and he received the Merck Index Award. His fondest memory is of the popcorn provided by Mr. Hill at the teaching assistant meetings. He also enjoyed the “one million random topics” he and Professor Whelan talked about while working in front of the LC/MS. Topics ranged from how the LC/MS actually works to American literature.

Alex Chapman (biochemistry; Minnesota) planned to enroll in the University of Minnesota’s toxicology program. Alex was a member of the men’s lacrosse team. His fondest memory is Albert Matlin’s return from sabbatical.

Neil Cole-Filipiak (chemistry and biochemistry; Michigan) is pursuing a PhD in chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley. Neil participated in the Bonner Scholars Program and the Center for Leadership in Health Promotion. He spent several semesters doing research with Professors

Nee and Elrod. Neil received the Analytical Chemistry Award and Hypercube Award.

Kaitlyn Gam (biochemistry; California) planned to attend graduate school in biochemistry, molecular biology, or epidemiology. Kaitlyn

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participated in a cappella, peer health education, and the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association. Her research included four semesters and two winter terms with Professor William Fuchsman. She was in Sigma Xi and earned American Chemical society certification. Kaitlyn has many fond memories,

including in-class demos in material chemistry, quenching with Professor Rowsell, and inorganic demos with Professor Oertel. Her favorites are the times spent with her research advisor, Professor Fuchsman, and the sometimes very lengthy but dense and information-filled talks about project trajectories.

Haley Gittleman (biochemistry; New Jersey) planned to attend Rutgers University and earn a master’s degree in biostatistics. She was a teaching assistant for Chemistry 101 and 102; cochair of ViBE, a tap and jazz dance company; an ExCo instructor, and a choreographer. She also took

harp lessons at the conservatory. She did research on campus

Class of 2010, first row: Zach Berman, Neil Cole-Filipiak, Haley Gittleman, Kaitlyn Gam, Miriam Vishniac. Second row: Michaela Hull, Joe Thome, Fall (Hengfeng) Tian, Clara Shaw, Elizabeth Huff. Third row: David Tran, Justin Lenhard, Shana Osho, Chris Lipski, Madeline Schultz.

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with Professor Thompson and at Rutgers University with George Carman. She spent summer 2009 at Pennsylvania State University doing research with Katharine Ross. Haley hopes to work in the pharmaceutical industry as a biostatistician. Her fondest memory is the forensics investigation in Analytical Chemistry with Professor Thompson.

Elizabeth Huff (chemistry; California) planned to take an epic bike trip during summer 2010 in Canada or Europe. Her subsequent plan was to return to Los Angeles and apply for a job at Occidental College or an internship with the National Park Service. Elizabeth was a member and

treasurer of Third World Co-op, chair and treasurer of the Filipino American Students Association, member, secretary, and historian of the Asian American Alliance, a liturgical coordinator, a Newman Catholic Community clerical intern, senior intern in the Office of Admissions, and a chemistry tutor. She hopes to teach religion in the public high schools and own her own vineyard. Elizabeth’s fondest memories are of Christopher Lipski ’10 and “how he is totally the only reason she survived Oberlin with a chem major, and Pat West for being the most amazing person ever.”

Michaela Hull (chemistry; Minnesota) is in the PhD program in chemistry at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. She hopes to be in chemistry research, industry, or academia. She did research with Professors Oertel and Thompson. Michaela says she has many, many fond memories of

her time at Oberlin.

Jarin Joyner (chemistry; North Carolina) planned to serve a fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control’s HPV lab. He would like to stay in pharmaceutical chemistry research. A violinist, Jarin played with the College Community Strings and the Oberlin Orchestra and participated in the Black Musicians

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Guild. He also was a track and field athlete. He worked in Emory University’s pharmacology department during the summers and in Professor Fucshman’s lab during winter term and the school year. His fondest memory is hearing Professor Thompson sing songs the last day of class in Chemistry 211.

Justin Lenhard (biochemistry, New York) planned to attend graduate or professional school. Justin participated in volleyball and the anime ExCo’s viewing events. He did his honors research with Sean Decatur, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and other research with Professor Fuchsman. He was

a laboratory intern at Eastman Kodak, where he worked with David Giacherio. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Justin received the Frank Fanning Jewett Award, Harrold and Virginia Baker Scholarship, and David A. Evans Chemistry Prize. His fondest memory is of his junior year, when a handful of the senior chemistry majors made his classes more fun.

Chris Lipski (chemistry; Oregon) is pursuing a PhD at Stanford University. Chris was a teaching assistant for Chemistry 102, 103, and 213, and he tutored for Chemistry 205. He was a cochair of the majors committee and a member of the marching band and water polo club. A member of Phi Beta Kappa

and Sigma Xi, Chris was also the recipient of the Frank Fanning Jewett Prize, the Harrold and Virginia Baker Scholarship, and the Harry Holmes Prize. Chris did his research with Professors Mehta and Compton. One of his fondest memories was doing the glove box experiment in synth lab with Lauren Cunningham ’09—he recalls that the lab was difficult, but that they had fun. He says he also has good memories of the lecture part of that class; of the students in organic singing “my activation hump,” and of all the banquets.

Asishana Osho (biochemistry; Nigeria) planned to attend medical school at Duke University. He participated in student government (as senior class president), Student Finance Committee, Oberlin

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College Dialog Center, Student Honor Committee, Residential Education (as a resident assistant), African Students Association, Development Committee, and intramural soccer and basketball. His did research with biology professor Laura Romberg, with French professor Libby Murphy at

the National Library of France, and with Sonia Napravnik and David Wohl in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s epidemiology department. Asishana was also in National Scholars Honor Society, Phi Beta Kappa, and received the Norman C. Craig ’53 Chemistry Award and the Harry Holmes Prize. His fondest memory is of the late nights spent working on chemistry problem sets and lab reports (sometimes until 5 a.m.) in the Mac lab.

Matthew Rumizen (biochemistry; Massachusetts) planned to seek a lab tech position at the Cleveland Clinic, then proceed to graduate school for mathematics.

Madeline Schultz (biochemistry; Massachusetts) planned to take part in the AmeriCorps City Year Cleveland program. Madeline participated in varsity track and field (indoor and outdoor), varsity soccer, and the writing associates program. Her research included a summer on-campus position with Professor Elrod. Madeline’s fondest memory is

the paragraph in Professor Fuchsman’s bioorganic textbook about “nucleophilic love.”

Clara Shaw (biochemistry; Minnesota) participated in cross country, track and field, the Oberlin Orchestra, Oberlin Student Cooperative Association, and Global Change Ecology Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU). As part of the REU, Clara worked in the field and the lab with the

University of Minnesota’s Deena Wassenberg and Jim Cotner on the effects of invasive earthworms on soil microbial diversity. She

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also worked as a forestry lab assistant for the United States Forestry Service and the University of Minnesota. At Oberlin, Clara did research with Professor Fuchsman on reducing sugars and did her honors project with Professor Whelan on uropygial secretions. A member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi, Clara received the CRC Freshman Chemistry Achievement Award (a copy of the current CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics) and the William and Helen Miller Scholarship.

Joseph Thome (chemistry and biochemistry; Ohio) is working as a tech at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He hopes to go to graduate school in immunology or biochemistry and focus on HIV asnd other infectious disease research. Joseph was an individual tutor, group

tutor, and teaching assistant for Chemistry 101, 102, 103, and 213. During his junior year, he was treasurer of the Class of 2010, and he was cochair in his senior year. He assisted with the department’s Elementary School Science Night and was a member of the Visiting Professor Selection Committee for two years. A member of the Oberlin College Choir, Joseph took part in the Oberlin in Italy summer program and was a vocal soloist for the Cleveland Museum of Art. He was a beginning instructor for the swing dance ExCo. His did research with Professors Whelan and Fuchsman. Joseph’s fondest memories are of the moments he was studying in the Love Lounge with his fellow chemistry majors. “We are a pretty tight-knit group, and I have made many great friends in the department.”

Hengfeng Tian (chemistry; Wuhan, China) is pursuing a PhD in chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Hengfeng participated in fencing and many semesters of research with Professors Oertel and Craig. He was in Sigma Xi and received the Frank Fanning Jewett Prize.

David Tran (biochemistry; Pennsylvania) is working in Dean Sean Decatur’s lab and taking further classes in the area. He plans

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to enroll in an accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program. David tutored Oberlin middle school children in math, worked in the college’s Center for Information Technology, and spent spring breaks volunteering. He did research with Professors Belitsky and Nee and honors with

Dean Decatur and Professor Smith-Gicklhorn. David received American Chemical Society recognition.

Miriam Vishniac (biochemistry; Canada) planned to travel around Europe, then move to Toronto and find a job in a bakery or a cooking internship while continuing to volunteer with children. Miriam participated in three co-ops—Pyle Inn, Old Barrows, and Kosher-Hallal—a chocolate ExCo, and America

Reads. A member of the Oberlin College Choir, she took voice and viola da gamba lessons in the conservatory. Miriam did summer research at Johns Hopkins. Her fondest memories are of Pat West and the Charles Martin Hall statue.

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S t uDEN t RE SE A RCH 2 0 0 9 -10

For details on these projects, please visit http://new.oberlin.edu/chemistry.

twenty-eight students participated in research activities with faculty during the 2009-10 academic year. Ten were part of the department’s honors program, which requires students to write

a formal thesis based on year-long work, present two public talks, and defend the thesis in front of chemists from outside Oberlin. The honors examiners this year were Jeffrey Weidenhamer from Ashland University and Patricia O’Hara from Amherst College. The students, project titles, and faculty research advisors are listed below.

Amy Austin ’11 Characterization of the Uropygial Secretions of the Gray Catbird, Advisor: Rebecca Whelan

Adam Birdsall ’13 Mechanistic Studies of the Atmospheric Oxidation of Aromatics, Advisor: Matthew Elrod

Dain Chatel ’11 What Happens To Reducing Sugars When They React With Oxidants? Advisor: William Fuchsman

Matthew Chaves ’11 Melanin-Inspired Lead-Binding Coatings, Advisor: Jason Belitsky

Neil Cole-Filipiak ’10 (Highest Honors in Chemistry) Synthesis and Acid-Catalyzed Reactions of Epoxides in Atmospheric Aerosols, Advisor: Matthew Elrod

Derrick Dennis ’11 Vibrational Spectroscopy of Amyloids, Advisors: Sean Decatur and Alice Smith-Gicklhorn

Micah Ellowitz ’12 Melanin Molecular Recognition, Advisor: Jason Belitsky

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Hannah Fuson ’11 NMR Studies of 15N Chemical Shifts in Alanine- and Glycine-Containing Tripeptides in Solution and Solid States, Advisor: Manish Mehta

Kaitlyn Gam ’10 The Stoichiometry of Hemoglobin- and Myoglobin-Catalyzed NAD(P)H Oxidase Reactions, Advisor: William Fuchsman

Haley Gittleman ’10 (Honors in Biochemistry) Metal-Binding Properties of a Melanin-Based Material, Advisor: Jason Belitsky

Alexandra Gould ’11 Colorimetric Determination of Capsaicinoids Content of Chili Pepper, Advisor: Robert Thompson

Laura Grossi ’12 What Happens To Reducing Sugars When They React With Oxidants? Advisor: William Fuchsman

Kevin Hu ’11 Development of an Immunoassay for Peptide Epitopes of CA125, Advisor: Rebecca Whelan

Michaela Hull ’10 (Honors in Chemistry) Analysis of Drywall for Mercury, Advisor: Robert Thompson

Jarin Joyner ’10 What Happens To Reducing Sugars When They React With Oxidants? Advisor: William Fuchsman

Nathaniel Kadunce ’11 Synthesis of Indole Oligomers, Advisor: Jason Belitsky

Justin Lenhard ’10 (High Honors in Biochemistry) Vibrational Spectroscopy of Amyloids, Advisors: Sean Decatur and Alice Smith-Gicklhorn

Chris Lipski ’10 (Highest Honors in Chemistry) Peptide Structure in Common Solvents and Precision Measurements of Magnetic Susceptibility, Advisor: Manish Mehta

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Zoë McLaughlin ’11 Exploration of an Alternative Path for Synthesizing Deuterium and Carbon-13 Isotopomers of 1,4-Difluorobutadiene, Advisor: Norman Craig

Eliza Milner ’11 What Happens To Reducing Sugars When They React With Oxidants? Advisor: William Fuchsman

Christine Moore ’11 Melanin Molecuar Recognition, Advisor: Jason Belitsky

Alison O’Connor ’12 Synthesis and Acid-Catalyzed Reactions of Epoxides in Atmospheric Aerosols, Advisor: Matthew Elrod

Shana Osho ’10 (High Honors in Biochemistry) Regulation of Bacterial Protein Polymerization, Advisor: Laura Romberg

Clara Shaw ’10 (High Honors in Biochemistry) Characterization of the Uropygial Secretions of the Gray Catbird, Advisor: Rebecca Whelan

Joseph Thome ’10 (High Honors in Chemistry) The Stoichiometry of Hemoglobin- and Myoglobin-Catalyzed NAD(P)H Oxidase Reactions, Advisors: William Fuchsman and Rebecca Whelan

HengFeng (Fall) Tian ’10 (High Honors in Chemistry) Synthesis of Deuterium and Carbon-13 Isotopomers of cis- and trans-Hexatriene, Advisor: Norman Craig

David Tran ’10 (Honors in Biochemistry) Vibrational Spectroscopy of Amyloids, Advisors: Sean Decatur and Alice Smith-Gicklhorn

Jaie Woodard ’11 Computational Studies of Peptide-Solvent Interactions, Advisor: Manish Mehta

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S t uDEN t SummER RE SE A RCH 2 010

twenty-five students and nine faculty members collaborated in research activities for eight to 10 weeks during the summer of 2010. Students were given stipends for their work, with

most funding coming from individual research grants and alumni donations to the department. The students, project titles, and faculty advisors are listed below.

Benjamin Altheimer ’12 Solid-State NMR and Crystallographic Study of Interactions in Cocrystals of Peptides and Denaturants, Advisor: Manish Mehta

Amy Austin ’11 Analysis of the Uropygial Secretions of Sparrows, Starlings, and Robins: Effect of Species, Age and Identity, Advisors: Rebecca Whelan and Mary Garvin

Adam Birdsall ’13 Mechanistic Studies of the Atmospheric Oxidation of Aromatics, Advisor: Matthew Elrod

Eliot Bixby ’13 Mechanism of γ-D-Crystalline Aggregation, Advisor: Sean Decatur

Dain Chatel ’11 Reducing Sugar Assays: Ferricyanide, Advisor: William Fuchsman

Christopher Chu ’11 Understanding the Colorimetric Reactions of the Capsaicinoids, Advisor: Robert Thompson

Adam Darer ’12 Kinetics Studies of Acid-Catalyzed Reactions of Epoxides in Atmospheric Aerosols, Advisor: Matthew Elrod

Micah Ellowitz ’12 Melanin Moleculer Recognition, Advisor: Jason Belitsky

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Emerson French ’12 Synthesis of Isotopomers of cis- and trans-Hexatrienes for Use in High-Resolution Infrared and Microwave Spectroscopy, Advisor: Norman Craig

Hannah Fuson ’11 Determination of Chemical Shift Tensor Orientation of Small Peptides Using Rotational Echo Double Resonance NMR, Advisor: Manish Mehta

Joshua Greenfield ’11 Ion-Exchange Synthesis of Complex Niobium and Tantalum Oxides, Advisor: Catherine Oertel

Erik Hernandez ’11 Synthesis of Isotopomers of the cis,cis- and trans,trans-1,4- Difluorobutadiene for Use in the Determination of Semiexperimental Equilibrium Structures, Advisor: Norman Craig

Nathaniel Kadunce ’11 Synthesis of Indole Oligomers, Advisor: Jason Belitsky

Alexander Kilbo ’11 Melanin Molecular Recognition, Advisor: Jason Belitsky

Diane Lye ’11 Melanin Molecular Recognition, Advisor: Jason Belitsky

Emmanuel Magara ’11 Vibrational Spectroscopy of Amyloids, Advisor: Sean Decatur

Melanie Malinas ’13 Investigating Reducing Sugars Using the Dinitrosalicylate Spectrophotometric Assay, Advisor: William Fuchsman

Naoimi Onsongo ’12 Investigating Reducing Sugars Using the Dinitrosalicylate Spectrophotometric Assay, Advisor: William Fuchsman

James Pressley ’12 Pressurized Denaturing of a β-Hairpin Folded Tryptophan Zipper: AWAWENGKWAWK,” Advisor: Sean Decatur

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Laura Rios ’11 Understanding the Colorimetric Reactions of the Capsaicinoids, Advisor: Robert Thompson

Jordan Rutter ’12 Cross-Species Comparison of the Composition of Avian Uropygial Secretions, Advisors: Rebecca Whelan and Mary Garvin

Sophia Toraby ’11 Selection of a DNA Aptamer with Affinity for the Peptide Epitope of Ovarian Cancer Biomarker CA125, Advisor: Rebecca Whelan

Chiemela Ubagharaji ’12 Investigating Reducing Sugar Mechanisms Using a Ferricyanide Assay, Advisor: William Fuchsman

Inyang Udo-Inyang ’12 Reactions of Reducing Sugars with Dinitrosalicylate, Advisor: William Fuchsman

Gabrielle White-Dzuro ’12 Hydrothermal Synthesis of Network Compounds Containing Main Group Ions, Advisor: Catherine Oertel

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2 010 CHE mIS t Ry A ND BIOCHE mIS t Ry AwA RD S

f irst-year awardsCRC Press Chemistry Achievement Award: sponsored by the CRC Press and awarded to first-year students for high achievement in general chemistry.Yihui Chen, Charles Colwell, Melanie Malinas, Oluchi Okoro, Elizabeth Roberts, Cassandra Zentner

second-year awardsFrank Fanning Jewett Prize: awarded to second-year students for unusual promise in chemistry ($2,000 book prize).Benjamin Altheimer, Alison O’Connor

junior awardsHarrold and Virginia Baker Scholarship: awarded to an outstanding chemistry or biochemistry major for his/her senior year ($5,000 each). Clay Easterday, Emmanuel Magara, Gabrielle White-Dzuro

William B. and Helen Miller Scholarship: awarded to a worthy chemistry or biochemistry major for his/her senior year ($1,000).Jesse Yukimura

The Norman C. Craig (’53) Endowed Chemistry Scholarship Fund: awarded to a worthy student who is majoring in chemistry or biochemistry with an outstanding academic record ($2,000 each).Christopher Chu, Eliza Milner

Analytical Chemistry Award: sponsored by the Division of Analytical Chemistry of the American Chemical Society and awarded to an outstanding analytical chemistry student.Benjamin Jakubowski

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senior awardsHarry N. Holmes Prize: awarded to senior chemistry or biochemistry majors for high achievement in chemistry (Holmes medal, plus $1,000 each),Christopher Lipski, Asishana Osho

David A. Evans (’63) Chemistry Prize: awarded to a chemistry major, with a preference for a student interested in organic chemistry ($500).Justin Lenhard

Merck Index Award: awarded to an outstanding senior chemistry or biochemistry major with interests in medicine or biological chemistry.Zachary Berman

Hypercube Scholar Award: sponsored by Hypercube, Inc., and awarded to an outstanding senior chemistry or biochemistry major interested in computational chemistry.Neil Cole-Filipiak

American Chemical Society Certified Bachelor’s Degree: awarded to students who complete the rigorous ACS undergraduate curriculum.Neil Cole-Filipiak, Kaitlyn Gam, Haley Gittleman, Jarin Joyner, Justin Lenhard, Christopher Lipski, Asishana Osho, Clara Shaw, Joseph Thome, Hengfeng Tian, David Tran

college-wide awards Sigma Xi:Kaitlyn Gam, Christopher Lipski, Clara Shaw, Joseph Thome, Hengfeng Tian

Phi Beta Kappa: Justin Lenhard, Christopher Lipski, Asishana Osho, Clara Shaw

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mINORS IN CHE mIS t Ry 2 0 0 9 -10

Connie Chin, Biology

Daniel Grosser, Biology/Physics

Meredith Hickson, Biology

Jessica Judson, African American Studies

Valerie Karuzis, Neuroscience

Andrea McQuate, Neuroscience

Julia Metzner, Biology

Karen Plass, Biology

Tammela Platt, English

Emma Ross, Biology

Elizabeth Sanders, Biology

Jennifer Sees, Biology/History

Jessica Ullman, Biology

Jamie Wagner, Biology/Neuroscience

Vicki Ning Wang, Biology/Piano Performance

Clare Webb, Biology

Dayna Wick, Neuroscience

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2 0 0 9 -10 SE mIN A R PROGR A m

Fall 2009Aaron Wheeler, University of Toronto, “Hybrid Microfluidics for

Integrated Proteomics”

Paul Rablen, Swarthmore College, “Computational Investigation of the Mechanism of Addition of Singlet Carbenes to Cyclopropenes and Bicyclobutanes”

William McHarris ’59, Michigan State University, “Chaos and the Quantum”

Helen Leung, Amherst College, “How Changes in Molecular Electronic Environments Affect Intermolecular Interactions: A Case Study Using Halogen Substituted Ethylenes”

David Corey, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, “Building a Case for Unexpected Findings: New Roles for RNA”

David Corey, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, “Manipulating Gene Expression with Synthetic Oligomers that Target DNA or RNA”

Zhengwei Pan, University of Georgia, “Controlled Growth of ZnO One-Dimensional Nanostructures—The Art of Nanoscience”

Spring 2010Michael Oliveri, University of Georgia, “Innerspace, and the Aesthetics of Science”

Jason Belitsky, Oberlin College, “Melanin: Fundamental Chemistry and Environmental Applications”

Rebecca Whelan, Oberlin College, “Synthesizing a Cancer Marker and Investigating Avian Scent: Two Projects in Bioanalytical Chemistry”

Kent Kirshenbaum, New York University, “Designing Sequence-Structure-Function Relationships in Biomimetic Polymers”

Jeff Long, University of California, Berkeley, “Hydrogen Storage in Metal-Organic Frameworks”

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FACult y AC t I V I t IE S

Jason Belitsky returned from his pre-tenure leave re-energized to teach biochemistry, the general chemistry lab, and the seminar Chemical Biology. Jason’s research continues to focus on melanins. His lab aims to gain a greater understanding of these pigments through the synthesis of chemical

analogs, and also to develop environmental applications for the natural biomaterial and related synthetic analogs. In an exciting and unexpected development, one of the analogs changes color upon binding lead, which could potentially be useful as a sensor. This year a related project in inhibition of melanin formation was initiated, rapidly yielding a publication in Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters.

The year has been exceptional for Norm Craig. He was selected as a Heritage Guardian by the Oberlin Heritage Center for his work on the legacy of Charles Martin Hall, appeared with Manish Mehta on

First row: Cindi Manning, Tess Guino-o, Katie Oertel, Robert Thompson. Second row: Jason Belitsky, Albert Matlin, Bill Fuchsman. Third row: Marty Ackermann, Cortland Hill, Alice Smith-Gicklhorn. Fourth row: Manish Mehta, Matt Elrod, Sean Decatur, Pat West. Back row: Jesse Rowsell, Rebecca Whelan, Dennis Bescak, Norman Craig.

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the cover of the Oberlin Alumni Magazine, received the Morley Award of the Cleveland Section of the American Chemical Society, and became a Fellow of the American Chemical Society. Chemistry colleagues at Oberlin submitted his nomination for the Morley Award, which recalls the outstanding contributions Edward W. Morley

of Western Reserve University made to chemistry at the turn of the 20th century. Colleagues in the Cleveland section spearheaded his nomination for Fellow of the ACS. Research activity continued to be Norm’s principal activity, as he works with Oberlin students and cooperates with a number of scientists elsewhere. He helped out with teaching the laser-Raman investigation of model membranes in the biochemistry laboratory in the fall and filled in for part of a week in Chemistry 102 in the spring. He is energized by his ongoing association with the chemistry department and with participation in the biennial Symposium on Molecular Structure at the University of Texas, which has been directed by James Boggs ’43 for many years, and the annual Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy at Ohio State University. A big change occurred in Norm’s family when his daughter, Mary, and her family moved from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Germany. Their 11-year-old granddaughter, Miriam, is having to learn German quickly, and Ann and Norm will have to find opportunities to visit Germany again. Mary’s family is living close to where Norm’s son-in-law, Markus, grew up.

During the fall semester, Matt Elrod taught the environmental chemistry course aimed at science majors (Chem 208) and introductory chemistry (Chem 101). In the spring, Matt taught Quantum Chemistry and Kinetics (Chem 339). He completed his last year as chair of the department and served on the Library and Environmental Studies

committees. On the research front, Matt continues his unexpected evolution into a physical organic chemist with work on projects

28

concerning the reactivity of epoxides thought to contribute to the growth of tropospheric aerosols. He also continued work on a National Science Foundation-funded project concerning the production of ground-level ozone and aerosol pollution from the oxidation of aromatic hydrocarbons. Several students spent the academic year working on these projects, and two students continued research in these areas during summer 2010. Matt’s family took a break from Great Lakes-oriented vacations last summer, and instead visited North Carolina’s Outer Banks. They learned that the Wright Brothers did a lot of kite flying at Kitty Hawk before their famous first flight and tried to show the other non-Ohioan tourists how it was done!

During fall 2009, William Fuchsman taught two lecture sections and one laboratory section in Chemistry 101 (General Chemistry); in spring 2010 he taught Chemistry 254 (Bio-organic Chemistry), including three laboratory sections. Throughout the academic year Bill worked with research students

on two projects: (1) oxidations of NADH and NADPH, both those catalyzed by hemoglobin and myoglobin and those occurring at low pH in the absence of any proteins, and (2) reactions of reducing sugars with oxidizing agents. During winter term 2010 Bill sponsored the Guatemala Delegation project, supported by the Oberlin human rights organization SEPA, but he stayed in Oberlin to work with almost 20 (!) research students on the reactions of reducing sugars with oxidizing agents. During the summer of 2010 he worked with five research students on the reducing sugars project. In August, after the summer research season, he spent two weeks in rural indigenous Guatemala helping prepare for the next winter term trip. On Saturday mornings from May through October, Bill helps raise funds for SEPA’s work in Guatemala by selling locally grown produce and baked goods and Guatemalan textiles at the Oberlin Farmers Market.

Cortland Hill continued his management of the laboratory

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program for Chem 101 and 102, teaching two lab sections of Chem 101 in the fall and three sections of Chem 102 in the spring. He also teamed with Albert Matlin and Rob Thompson to teach a week of chemistry to high school science teachers in Oberlin’s Summer Workshop for High School Chemistry Teachers. He also continued his tradition

of having his students over for dinner. Thirteen students joined him in canning 36 gallons of grape juice in early September. He also sent seven students to Florida for winter-term projects. Cortland continues to play on the Oberlin Plague team and organized the Fifth Alumni Ice Hockey Games weekend in which 13 alumni participated. Cortland joined his Oberlin roommate, Russ Walker ’77, in May for their fourth four-day Lake Powell kayaking trip.

Albert Matlin returned from a medical leave to teach Chem 205 (Organic Chemistry, lecture and two labs) in spring 2010. In the summer he attended the 33rd Reaction Mechanisms Conference held in Amherst, Massachusetts. During the rest of the summer, Albert divided his time between working on a computational paper examining the cyclization

reactions of various 5-hexenyl radicals and relaxing with his family.

Manish Mehta was on family leave in fall 2009. He and Radhika spent last fall learning to become parents to Aarohi. Alice Smith-Gickelhorn taught Chemical and Statistical Thermodynamics (Chem 349) in Manish’s place. In spring 2010, Manish taught Chem 102 and Chem 050. During the school year he supervised three student research

projects (Jaie Woodard, Hannah Fuson, and Chris Lipski), and in July, he moved to the chair’s office down the hall. He reports that his first semester at the Chairship College is going well so far, though he is showing early signs of being labsick.

Michael Nee was on sabbatical in 2009-10, working in the Green

30 31

Chemistry Centre of Excellence at the University of York, England. Mike worked with Duncan Macquarrie on two projects, each blending aspects of Mike’s previous research with some of Duncan’s. Most of Mike’s time was spent investigating how cucurbiturils bound to amylose and starch. While

in York, Mike learned a lot about the characterization of non-molecular materials. His wife, Alice, joined him for the ten months in England, studying the medieval buildings and streets of the York city center. Both became very “green” during their leave and were able to make their way around York, England, and Europe using only public transport. In addition to longer trips visiting parts of Italy, France, and Germany, Mike and Alice visited many country houses (Mike now knows about Robert Adam interiors).

Catherine Oertel was on research leave in 2009-10, and spent the fall semester working in the lab of Ram Seshadri in the Materials Research Laboratory at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She returned to Oberlin for the spring semester, where a highlight was overseeing delivery and installation of

Oberlin’s new powder X-ray diffractometer. Katie has been enjoying the ability to do variable-temperature diffraction experiments with the new instrument and is delighted with the high-quality powder patterns that can be collected rapidly. During summer 2010, Katie resumed her regular role, working with two students in the research laboratory. She also presented a poster at the Gordon Conference on Solid State Chemistry in New Hampshire and returned to UC Santa Barbara to present a tutorial talk as part of the Summer School on Preparative Strategies in Solid State and Materials Chemistry. Just before the start of the new school year, Katie moved into a house she bought a few blocks away from campus.

For Jesse Rowsell, the 2009-10 academic year involved an exhilarating plunge into lecturing and laboratory instruction at all levels of the curriculum. From motivating a class of CHEM

30 31

101 students to arrive promptly at 8:30 a.m. (and keeping their eyelids open for 75 minutes at a stretch), to directing a large class of sophomores, juniors, and seniors to complete ACS-style review articles for their term projects in Materials Chemistry (CHEM 323), Jesse guided a diverse group of students through their studies. During

this time, he continued to supervise part-time student interns working with Nanotech Innovations, a local start-up company that he has been consulting for since 2008. Jesse supervised two winter-term projects wherein students learned crystal-growing methods for single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. These studies yielded several exciting discoveries, including a new molecule with a modulated packing (a project that will require collaboration with a world expert in crystallography to fully unravel) and new knowledge of the disordered packing of a well-loved target in the undergraduate organic laboratory curriculum, meso-1,2-dibromo-1,2-diphenylethane. Additionally, Jesse continued his ongoing collaboration with Stephen FitzGerald of the physics department, examining the adsorption behavior of H2 in the pores of potential storage materials. They published a second article from this project in Physical Review B, detailing their low temperature (~30 K) infrared spectroscopic analyses of this typically IR-inactive molecule. And all of this while caring for and preserving his 140-year-old home with Rebecca Whelan on South Professor Street!

Robert Thompson taught Analytical Chemistry (211) and Trace Analysis (341), along with Chemistry and Crime (045). The 211 laboratory included an investigative instrumental project at the end with a forensic flavor, while the 341 laboratory had an environmental focus throughout. Rob worked in

the research laboratory with students to complete his projects on capsaicinoids, the hot agents in chili pepper, and to explore metals in the environment, an area of interest that he will carry forward to his sabbatical in 2010-11. Rob completed a six-year stint as

32

chair of the General Faculty Athletics Committee and as faculty athletics representative, and he also chaired the Committee on Environmental Sustainability. Graduations dominated the spring—his middle son from Ohio Wesleyan University and his daughter from Oberlin High School. Rob also enjoyed his second year as “catcher” (helping students off the stage) at Oberlin College’s commencement ceremony.

During fall 2009 Rebecca Whelan taught the lecture and lab components of Topics in General Chemistry (Chem 103) and a biochemistry (Chem 374) lab. It was an unexpected delight to work closely with both first semester students just getting acclimated to Oberlin and with seniors looking

toward the future, many of whom were working on medical and graduate school applications. In the spring, she taught two full-to-capacity sections of Chem 102. Research activities continued apace, with a total of five research students working in the lab during the academic year and three working full-time over the summer. The research focus of the Whelan lab continues to be the development of analytical tools for detecting ovarian cancer biomarkers. Collaborative work with Mary Garvin of the biology department continues to be stimulating and fruitful. Rebecca and honors student Clara Shaw presented talks at the annual Meeting in Miniature in Cleveland. In addition, Rebecca gave invited talks at Case Western Reserve University, Wright State University, Ashland University, and Oberlin College. In May, she returned to Stanford University to participate in the Distinguished Alumni Scholars Program. Professional service included serving as an invited reviewer for the NSF Major Research Instrumentation Panel in Washington, D.C. and reviewing articles for Analytical Chemistry, Journal of Chemical Education, Journal of the Royal Society Interface, and Analytica Chimica Acta. Service to the local community involved the Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid, the Quantitative Proficiency Committee, and as the departmental safety officer.

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PRE SEN tAt ION S

(*Oberlin Undergraduate) (Underline indicates presenter other than faculty members.)

J.M. Belitsky, “Synthetic Eumelanin and Related Materials as Lead-Binding Agents,” Presentation, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, August 2009.

J.M. Belitsky, “Eumelanin Molecular Recognition: Toward a Fundamental Understanding and Environmental Applications,” Presentation, Pan American Society for Pigment Cell Research Annual Meeting, Memphis, TN, September 2009.

J.M. Belitsky, “Melanin: Fundamental Chemistry and Environmental Applications,” Presentation, John Carroll University, Cleveland, OH, January 2010.

J.M. Belitsky, “Melanin: Fundamental Chemistry and Environmental Applications,” Presentation, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, February 2010.

J.M. Belitsky, “Synthetic Eumelanin and Related Materials as Lead-Binding Agents,” Presentation, Kent State University, Kent, OH, February 2010.

J.M. Belitsky, “Melanin Molecular Recognition,” Presentation, Northwestern University Center for the Chemistry of Integrated Systems Symposium, Evanston, IL, May 2010.

J.M. Belitsky, H. Gittleman*, M. Chaves*, C. Moore*, M. Ellowitz*, W. C. Boyd*, K. Sono*, T. A. Gorlin*, A. N. Gorham*, “Melanin Molecular Recognition” Poster, Bioorganic Gordon Conference, Andover, NH, June 2010.

Norman C. Craig, “Semi-Experimental Equilibrium Structures of Molecules: A Closer Look at the Structural Consequences of Electronic Effects,” Presentation, Hood College, Frederick, MD, February 2010.

Norman C. Craig, Deacon J. Nemchick*, Clay C. Easterday*,

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Ethan C. Glor, Drew F. K. Williamson*, Thomas A. Blake, Robert L. Sams, “Rotational Analysis of Bands in the High-Resolution Infrared Spectra of trans,trans- and cis,cis-1,4-Difluorobutadiene-2-d1 ,” Poster, 23rd Austin Symposium on Molecular Structure and Dynamics, University of Texas, March 2010.

Norman C. Craig, “A Proposal for a General Method for Determining Semi-Experimental Equilibrium Structures of Carbon Atom Backbones,” Presentation, 23rd Austin Symposium on Molecular Structure and Dynamics, University of Texas, March 2010.

Hengfeng Tian*, Hannah A. Fuson*, Norman C. Craig, “Progress toward Semi-Experimental Equilibrium Structures for cis- and trans-Hexatrienes,” Presentation, Meeting-in-Miniature of the Cleveland Section of the American Chemical Society, Cleveland State University, March 2010.

Norman C. Craig, “New Practical Applications of Theory in Vibrational and Rotational Spectroscopy,” Presentation for the Morley Award, John Carroll University, Cleveland, May 2010.

Norman C. Craig, Deacon J. Nemchick*, Clay C. Easterday*, Ethan C. Glor, Drew F. K. Williamson*, Thomas A. Blake, Robert L. Sams, “Rotational Analysis of Bands in the High-Resolution Infrared Spectra of trans,trans- and cis,cis-1,4-Difluorobutadiene-2-d1 ,” Presentation, 65th International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy, Ohio State University, June 2010.

Catherine M. Oertel, “Hydrothermal Methods for Preparation of Inorganic and Hybrid Materials,” Presentation, Summer School on Preparative Strategies in Solid State and Materials Chemistry, International Center for Materials Research, University of California, Santa Barbara, August 11, 2010.

Catherine M. Oertel, Joshua T. Greenfield*, Joshua A. Kurzman, “Hydrothermal and Ion-Exchange Syntheses of Nb and Ta Defect Pyrochlores,” Gordon Research Conference on Solid State Chemistry, Poster, New London, New Hampshire, August 1-6, 2010.

34 35

Catherine M. Oertel, “Corrosion Chemistry of Historic Lead-Tin Alloy Organ Pipes,” Presentation, Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, December 4, 2009.

Catherine M. Oertel, “Materials Old and New: Solvothermal Synthesis of Hybrid Inorganic-Organic Compounds,” Presentation, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA, October 13, 2009.

Catherine M. Oertel, “Corrosion Chemistry of Historic Lead-Tin Alloy Organ Pipes,” Presentation, Chemistry and the Arts Lecture Series, ACS Rochester Section, Rochester, NY, September 3, 2009.

Rebecca J. Whelan, “Development of New Tools for Ovarian Cancer Detection,” Invited Presentation, Ashland University Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ashland, OH, July 2010.

Rebecca J. Whelan, “Synthesis and Structural Characterization of a Cancer Biomarker Peptide,” American Chemical Society Local Meeting, Cleveland, OH, March 2010.

Rebecca J. Whelan, “Synthesizing a Cancer Marker Mimic and Investigating Avian Scent: Two Projects in Bioanalytical Chemistry,” Invited Presentation, Oberlin College Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Oberlin, OH, February 2010.

Rebecca J. Whelan and Robert Clements, “Uropygial,” (science-influenced art installation), York University, Toronto, ON, November 2009.

Rebecca J. Whelan, “Analytical Approaches to the Characterization and Use of an Ovarian Cancer Biomarker,” Invited Presentation, Case Western Reserve University Department of Chemistry, Cleveland, OH, October 2009.

Rebecca J. Whelan, “Analytical Approaches to the Characterization and Use of an Ovarian Cancer Biomarker,” Invited Presentation, Wright State University Department of Chemistry, Dayton, OH, October 2009.

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PuBl ICAt ION S

(*Oberlin Undergraduate)

Jason M. Belitsky “Aryl boronic acid inhibition of synthetic melanin polymerization,” Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters 2010, 20, 4475-4478.

Norman C. Craig, Matthew C. Leyden*, Michael C. Moore*, Amie K. Patchen*, Titus van den Heuvel*, Thomas A. Blake, Tony Masiello, Robert L. Sams, “A Reevaluation of the Assignment of Vibrational Fundamentals and the Rotational Analysis of Bands in the High-Resolution Infrared Spectra of trans- and cis-1,3,5-Hexatriene,” J. Mol. Spectrosc. 2009, 262, 48-60.

Donald C. McKean, Benjamin Van Der Veken, Wouter Herrebout, Mark M. Law, Michael J. Brenner*, Deacon J. Nemchick*, Norman C. Craig, “Infrared Spectra of 12CF2=

12CH2 and 12CF2=

13CH2, Quantum Chemical Calculations of Anharmonicity, and Analyses of Resonances,” J. Phys. Chem. A 2010, 114, 5728-5742.

Donald C. McKean, Mark M. Law, Peter Groner, Andrew R. Conrad, Michael J. Tubergen, David Feller, Michael C. Moore*, Norman C. Craig, “Infrared Spectra of CF2=CHD and CF2=CD2: Scaled Quantum-Chemical Force Fields and an Equilibrium Structure for 1,1-Difluoroethylene,” J. Phys. Chem. A 2010, 114, 9309-9318.

Neil C. Cole-Filipiak,* Alison E. O’Connor,* and Matthew. J. Elrod, “Kinetics of the Hydrolysis of Atmospherically Relevant Isoprene-Derived Hydroxy Epoxides,” Environmental Science and Technology 2010, 44, 6718-6723.

Emily C. Minerath,* Madeline P. Schultz,* and Matthew J. Elrod, “Kinetics of the Reactions of Isoprene-Derived Epoxides in Model Tropospheric Aerosol Solutions,” Environmental Science and Technology 2009, 43, 8133-8139.

36 37

Hengfeng Tian*, Hadley A. Iliff*, Lee J. Moore*, Catherine M. Oertel, “Structure and Polymorphism in M(ethylenediamine)3MoS4 (M = Mn, Co, Ni),” Cryst. Growth Des. 2010, 10, 669-675.

Catherine M. Oertel, Shefford P. Baker, Annika Niklasson, Lars-Gunnar Johansson, Jan-Erik Svensson, “Acetic Acid Vapor Corrosion of Lead-Tin Alloys Containing 3.4 and 15 at.% Tin,” J. Electrochem. Soc. 2009, 156, C414-C421.

S. A. FitzGerald, J. Hopkins, B. Burkholder, M. Friedman, and J. L. C. Rowsell, “Quantum Dynamics of Adsorbed Normal- and Para-H2, HD, and D2 in the Microporous Framework MOF-74 Analyzed Using Infrared Spectroscopy,” Physical Review B 2010, 81, 104305-104313.

Rebecca J. Whelan, Tera C. Levin*, Jennifer C. Owen, and Mary C. Garvin, “Short-chain Carboxylic Acids from Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) Uropygial Secretions Vary with Testosterone Levels and Photoperiod” Comp. Biochem. Physiol. B 2010, 156, 183-188.

38 39

GR A N t S

Matthew J. Elrod, “Tropospheric Ozone and Aerosol Precursors from the Oxidation of Aromatics,” National Science Foundation RUI Grant, 2008-12, $298,469.

Norman C. Craig, “Semi-Experimental Structures for Molecules of Biological Significance User,” Proposal, Environmental and Molecular Sciences Laboratory of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Extension for 2009-10.

Norman C. Craig, “Semi-Experimental Equilibrium Structures for Small Molecules,” Dreyfus Foundation, Senior Scientist Mentor Program, 2010-11, $20,000.

Catherine M. Oertel (with Ram Seshadri and Joshua Kurzman, UC Santa Barbara), “Refining Structures of A2B2O6 Defect Pyrochlores with Disordered A-Site Atoms,” beam time for highresolution synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction, 11-BM Mail-In Service, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, 2009-2010.

Catherine M. Oertel (with co-PIs Manish A. Mehta, Yumi Ijiri, Stephen FitzGerald, and F. Zeb Page), “MRI: Acquisition of a Powder X-Ray Diffractometer for Research and Undergraduate Research Training,” National Science Foundation, 2009-2012, $280,390.

Catherine M. Oertel, “Solvothermal Synthesis of Inorganic-Organic Network Materials Based on Tetrathiometallate (MS4

2-, M = Mo, W) Anions,” American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund Type G Grant, 2008-2010, $50,000.

Manish A. Mehta, “CAREER: Peptide Structure in Condensed Phases by Solid-State NMR,” National Science Foundation, 2005- 2011, $507,659.

Manish A. Mehta, “RUI: NMR Crystallography and Weak Hydrogen Bonds,” National Science Foundation, 2010-2013, $353,472.

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Manish A. Mehta, “Ab initio, Diffraction, and NMR Studies of Solvation and Hydrogen Bonding in Small Peptides in Condensed Phases,” Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, 2009-2014, $60,000.

Robert Q. Thompson, “Colorimetric Method for Capsaicinoids,” Oberlin College Grant-in-Aid, May 2010–August 2010, stipend for a research assistant.

Robert Q. Thompson, “Mercury in Drywall,” Oberlin College Grant-in-Aid, December 2009–May 2010, $3,000.

Rebecca J. Whelan, Oberlin College Academic Support Project Grant from the Scholars and Artists Fund, 2010, $6,000.

Rebecca J. Whelan, Oberlin College Grant-in-Aid, “The Role of Uropygial Secretion of Gray Catbirds in Repelling Arthropods that Transmit Disease,” 2010, $3,500.

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GIF t S

the department is indebted to individuals, private companies, foundations, and the U.S. government, who provide generous financial support. Unrestricted gifts allow us the flexibility of

putting funds wherever they are needed in a particular year. Capital equipment purchases and support for student-faculty research were the principal uses of unrestricted funds in the period covered by this report. Supplements to student summer stipends to bring each to $4,000 for 10 weeks of research were also supported by gifts to the department. Many alumni and friends made donations to the department during the period from July 2009 to June 2010. Thank you.

Brian Brown ’85 & Ms. Lie-Yea ChengMichelle M. Bushey ’82

Brian J. Brown ’85Michelle M. Bushey ’82

Albert Claus ’59John Clough

Alva L. Collins Jr ’62Norman C. Craig ’53 and Anne Craig ’55

Cameron Dasch ’73Wendy Dixon ’85

Robert W. Dorn ’40Gini F. Fleming ’81Rebecca French ’04

W. Logan ’69 and Joanne Fry ’66Joel M. Goldberg ’78

James D. Shelton and Cynthia Green ’69Kathie Hammond ’71

S.A. Heininger ’48Roy Jacobson ’80Dieter Knecht ’62

David Katz and Karlene Korsmo ’82Daniel Kosman ’63

Gregory B. Krivchenia II and Diann Foster Gregory ’76

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Sidney R. Kushner ’65Paul Y. Kwo ’84

John T. Lemley ’66 Karl E. Lemmerman ’45 and Kathryn Lemmerman ’46

Keith Lemmerman and Theresa Schalar ’72Mark Linzer ’73

William Lovett ’52 and Anne Brown Lovett Richard A. MacPhail ’76

Charles McFarland ’64 and Anne McFarland ’62David McGarvey

G. Robert McKay ’51 and Virginia McKay ’52John Houston Miller ’76

James Morrell ’73Tuan Ngoc Nguyen ’98

Belinda Tsao Nivaggioli ’88David Oertel ’01

Richard Oertel ’64Hiren T. Patel ’92

Earl Peters ’47Lawrence Potts ’67

Joanne Henderson Pratt, ’48David Ranney ’65Mary Saecker ’88C.H Schwalbe ’63

George Sheppard ’84Aaron D. Shmookler ’06

Quentin Smith and Helen Thorsheim ’76Sarah Stallings ’87David F. Starks ’71

Philip S. Stevens ’84Janice Stickney

Ted J. Watanabe ’72Stephen Wise ’57

Richard A. Wolf ’65Joseph L. Womack ’83

42

Cl A S S OF 19 95

the Class of 1995 has been quite busy since graduating 15 years ago. This accomplished group of alumni includes four physicians, six PhD recipients, five persons with other advanced

degrees, one with a law degree, two professors at undergraduate colleges, and one university professor. Below is our report on those who replied to our inquiries. (We are sorry that we were unable to include current information on every member of the class despite our best efforts. Those whom we were unable to contact are marked with an asterisk.)

Abel Beltran-del-Rio* (we believe) attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania.

Ben Brooks* worked as a research assistant at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland before entering the doctoral program there. He earned his PhD in 2005 and did postdoctoral studies at

First row: Ben Brooks, Peter Lingenfelter, Autumn Moser, Keara Moore. Second row: Bill Stine, Barun Mathema, Joon Chung, Rose Chan, Barbara Kramer, Amy Ralston, Peter Chen, Ki Hwan Suh. Back row: Richard Roberts, Geoff Brown, Melanie Rosay, Tanya Shang, Mark Feldman, Laura Sonnichsen, Jürgen Harter*. (*Jürgen was the assistant in the German department and a special student in chemistry.)

42 43

the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the NIH. He is now teaching chemistry at Magruder High School in Rockville, Md.

Geoffrey Brown earned an MS in chemistry at Stanford in 1998. He worked in the chemical sciences division at Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1998 to 2002, working on various catalysis and chemical engineering related projects. In 2004, he earned an MS in engineering at Arizona State University. Since then he has worked as an engineer, consultant, and business development person in various projects, including renewable energy, chemical plant construction and commissioning, commercial construction, and some industrial engineering applications. Geoffrey currently works for a development company and is in charge of renovating a 10-story historic hotel. The project is tenuous, due to the state of the economy. Geoffrey and his wife, Kate, were married four years ago and have a 3-year-old daughter, Avery. They also have a Vizsla named Che and a grumpy, 12.5-year-old German Shephard named Hazel. The family lives in Montana (after stints in Denver and Washington, DC), where Geoffrey enjoys mountain biking, skiing, and on occasion, running, including a few races a year.

Rose Chan is at home on disability.

Anthony Chen earned an MS in biochemistry at the University of

Left: Abel Beltran-del Rio, Anthony Chen, Donna Loghmanee, and Dinesh Madapally. Right: Ji Hyuang Choi

44

California, Riverside, where he wrote a thesis on the effectiveness of vitamin D on bone strength. He worked at an endocrinology lab (Esoterix) for four years, and then returned to school to earn a master’s degree in accounting at USC. He worked as a financial auditor at KPMG, earned his CPA, and then went on to Ernst & Young to work in the transaction services group, performing financial due diligence in mergers and acquisitions. Currently, Anthony is an accounting manager at Asteelflash Group, an electronics manufacturer. In March 2009, he married Peony Li.

Immediately after graduating, Peter Chen moved to Palo Alto, Calif., where he worked first as a research chemist, then later in academic technology; he is most recently senior web developer of eBusiness for AAA of Northern California, Nevada, and Utah. He received his certificate program in bioinformatics at U.C. Berkeley in 2002. Since leaving Oberlin, Peter has stayed involved in music (he also holds a degree in music education from the conservatory) and played for several years with bluegrass and jazz bands on the festival circuit. From 2008 to 2010 he played fiddles, saxophones, mandolin, and guitar with a nationally touring band, Ten Mile Tide, and he is active in the West Coast Gypsy Jazz scene, performing regularly and working on a book of transcriptions and technique for Gypsy Jazz violin. Peter married Kathy Thielke Chen in 2004 and welcomed their first child, Leilani Marina Chen, in 2008. Their second child was expected this past fall.

Ji Hyung Choi graduated from dental school in 2002 and is currently a dentist. He is married with three children.

Joon Chung* earned a master’s degree at Boston College and worked as a technical director/manager for the Core Genome Facility of Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Partners Health Care. While there, he attended Suffolk University Law School and earned his JD in 2004. Joon now works as a patent counsel for Vertex Pharmaceuticals. He has served as president of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association.

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Donna Loghmanee Feldman earned an MS at SUNY Buffalo in 1998 and an MD at St. George’s University School of Medicine in 2001. She completed her residency in OB/GYN at New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn and now practices at Women’s Medicine of Niagara in Lewiston, N.Y. She is married to Matthew Feldman; they have a daughter, Farah, and a son, Aram.

A double chemistry/math major at Oberlin, Mark Feldman entered the actuarial profession after graduation and obtained his Fellowship in the Society of Actuaries (FSA) in 2003. He ultimately decided that the profession was not for him, so he moved to the west coast in 2004 and earned an MS in industrial engineering and operations research (IEOR) at U.C. Berkeley in 2005. Mark is now a transportation engineer for a private firm in the San Francisco area, using both his math and scientific skills to forecast traffic levels and transit ridership and work on land-use and transportation planning research projects. Planning for vehicle trip and greenhouse gas reductions from transportation are front and center these days, and Marks says it quite rewarding to see how his project work can affect important policy decisions.

Barbara Kramer earned a PhD in environmental/analytical chemistry at Emory University in 2001 and has been teaching at Truman State University (the state liberal arts college of Missouri) since 2002. Currently an associate professor, she teaches analytical and general chemistry and in the environmental studies program. Barbara conducts research with undergraduates in environmental analysis, biodiesel production, and phytoremediation, and says she mimics her Oberlin chemistry professors in her classroom almost every day. (She hadn’t realized how much so until she found some old lecture notes in a box in her parents’ basement and realized how familiar they looked.) Barbara married Dean De Cock (a statistics professor at Truman) in 2008 and says she’s been looking forward to being the class “15 years out” since she first got the alumni report in 1995. “It’s hard to believe it has already happened.”

The alumnus living farthest away from Oberlin is Peter Lingenfelter.

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He and his wife, Anna ’96, moved to Finland where Peter earned a master’s degree in analytical chemistry at Åbo Akademi University in 1999. He is now a research and development chemist, specializing in ion-selective electrodes, with Thermo Fisher Scientific Oy. Peter also works part time to finish his PhD in ion-selective membrane transport. He tries to find time and money to have hobbies, but it’s not working well! Too many other things take most of his time, so he’s resigned to wait a few more years (about 30 years or so until he’s retired). Anna and Peter have three children: Kerttuli, 15; Ezra, 9; and Ruben, 1. He writes: “We’ve been in Finland for so long that we don’t see former Oberlin classmates. In our 13 years here, I’ve seen two Oberlin alumni, and those were more than 10 years ago. I have been in touch with several old friends via Facebook, but thus far there’s been very little human contact. But if anyone wants to visit, we always welcome guests, especially old friends from Oberlin! I do recommend the summertime if you’d like to visit. The winters are rather cold and dark, certainly not as welcoming as the summer sunshine.”

Dinsesh Madapally* has worked in the information technology field for a range of companies in Illinois and New York.

Barun Mathema* earned an MPH in 1997 at Emory University. He is a research epidemiologist at the Public Health Research Institute at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and has published many papers on tuberculosis.

Immediately after graduation, Autumn Moser attended Case Western Reserve Medical School and earned her MD in 2000. She did her residency at the University of Washington at Seattle. She is a hospitalist near Seattle and works as the assistant medical director for the group. Autumn is married to Chuck Sheaffer.

Amy Ralston earned her PhD in 2004 at the University of Wisconsin, where she studied developmental biology and fruit fly genetics. She then spent a postdoctoral fellowship studying mammalian development and stem cell biology at the Hospital for

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Sick Children in Toronto, Ont. She is now an assistant professor of molecular cell and developmental biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Amy’s lab studies the biology of stem cells, with special emphasis on their developmental origins. She enjoys interacting with her graduate students and members of her department, writing, and thinking.

Richard Roberts* worked as a research technician at the University of Chicago before moving to Durham, N.C., where he’s now a graduate student in the department of molecular genetics and microbiology at the Duke University Medical Center. He is studying the genetic basis of pheromone perception in mice in the lab of Hiro Matsunami.

Melanie Rosay earned her PhD in physical chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2001, where she studied magnetic resonance and dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP). She stayed on at MIT for an additional year as a postdoc in the Griffin group, and then worked as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State. Melanie now works at Bruker BioSpin in Billerica, Mass., as research scientist to develop a commercial DNP spectrometer, develop applications, and conduct basic DNP research. She is married to Paul Ricotta and has a daughter, Kate, 3. The family lives in Bedford, Mass., and enjoys hiking, camping and traveling. Melanie is looking forward to the 20-year reunion.

After Oberlin, Tanya (Qing-Tian) Shang moved to Seattle, where she earned her PhD in biochemistry at the University of Washington in 2001. She did research on the xenobiotic metabolism pathways in plants and its application to phytoremediation. She did her postdoc in a joint program between the University of Delaware and the DuPont company on the topic of proteomics technology development. Tanya has worked at Wyeth since 2003, which became Pfizer in 2009. She is currently a principal research scientist in the department of analytical R&D, doing characterization and analytical development of protein biotherapeutic drug candidates.

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While in Seattle, Tanya met her husband, Mike Wachala. They married in 1999 and now live in Swampscott, Mass., 25 miles north of Boston.

Laura Sonnichsen earned a PhD in chemistry at UCLA in 2000 and is a professor of chemistry at Parkland College, a community college in Champaign, Ill. Laura has two cats, Isabelle and Kismit, and a nephew, Jack Lukas Sonnichsen, age 2. She plays volleyball in local rec leagues and bowls with a team (Beaker’s Bowlers, as a homage to the Muppet, since her teammates are scientists) in the Parkland College league.

Bill Stine* earned a BS in chemical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh in 2001. He works as chemical engineer in the Pittsburgh area.

Ki Hwan Suh* worked in New York City and was last known to be in the Philadelphia area.

please visit our photo gallery at http://www.river-tree.net/chemistry/

manishposter2.

this annual report is also available as a color PDF.

If you are interested in receiving this PDF, please email

your request to chemistry@oberlin.edu.

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