Tag: Dissertation

Dissertation defense – Jacob McKenzie, May 9th

Posted on by Leah O'Brien

flyer with event information and a picture of a smiling, bearded man wearing a black shirt and holding a microphoneChemistry and Biochemistry Department
Upcoming Thesis Defense

Jacob McKenzie
Brozek Lab

Thursday, May 9, 2024
3:00pm in 240A Mckenzie Hall
and via ZOOM
contact Chemistry and Biochemistry office for Zoom Link

Thesis title and abstract:
“Charge Transport Phenomena in High Surface Area Materials”

While the design of conductive metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and other framework materials for energy storage have seen a major surge in recent years, there are still fundamental questions that remain unanswered. With literature abound describing ion and solvent dependent conductivity in mesoporous media and nonporous conductive polymers we expect such phenomena to be heightened and unique at the interfacial extremes that microporous materials, and 2D Van Der Waals materials possess. We utilize the unique properties of Fe based materials to design model systems in the microporous TMA2FeGe4S10 (TMA: tetramethyl ammonium) and 2D Van Der Waal structure, Fe(SCN)2(pyz)2 to study the impact of solvent and electrochemically inert ions on charge transfer and transport. Taken together, this dissertation describes for the first-time substantial solvent and ion interactions at interfacial extremes, which can’t be neglected in the design of future energy storage technologies, critical to combating increased CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion.

Dissertation Defense – Michael LeRoy, May 6th

Posted on by Leah O'Brien

event flyer
Chemistry and Biochemistry Department
Upcoming Thesis Defense

Michael LeRoy
Brozek Lab

Monday, May 6. 2024
2pm in 211 Lillis Hall and via Zoom
contact Chemistry and Biochemistry office for Zoom link

Thesis title and abstract:
“Using molecular design principles to elucidate the interfacial chemistry of soft materials”

Soft materials are a class of materials including colloids, polymers, DNA, and proteins. Due to their organization on the mesoscopic length scales they exhibit a wide variety of properties such as self-assembly and response to external stimuli. This has led soft materials to be employed in a wide array of applications ranging from catalysis, electrochemistry, and membrane technologies. Ionic liquids and metal-organic framework are two distinct classes of hybrid organic-inorganic soft materials, that are well studied and used as filler materials for polymer membrane separation technologies. However, a current challenge is understanding how the interfacial chemistry between these filler materials and polymer impacts membrane structures and properties. In this dissertation, molecular chemistry is used to explore how mesoscopic properties give rise to those found in the bulk of ionic liquids and nanoscale metal-organic frameworks respectively.

Dissertation Defense – Ben McDowell, March 7th

Posted on by Leah O'Brien

Poster with picture of smiling person and defense informationGood luck to Ben McDowell as he defends his thesis for his PhD in Chemistry!

Thursday, March 7, 2024
1:00pm in 260 Condon Hall and via ZOOM

The title of his thesis is ”Structural and Electronic Coupling in Nanoscale Materials”

Up next: Ben will be joining Leidos to do research in their Quantum Technology division

Dissertation Defense – Janson Hoeher, February 29th

Posted on by Leah O'Brien

Defense Poster

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Upcoming Thesis Defense

Janson Hoeher
Widom lab

Thursday, February 229, 2024
10:00am in Willamette 240D and via ZOOM

The title of his thesis is “Using Circular Dichroism and Fluorescence Spectroscopy to Study the Impact of 2-Aminopurine on RNA Folding”

Dissertation Defense – Sam Shepherd, February 26th

Posted on by Leah O'Brien

Defense Poster for Sam Shepherd

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Upcoming Thesis Defense

Sam Shepherd
Prell lab

Monday, February 26, 2024
9:00am in 240C MCK and via ZOOM

Thesis title: “Quantitation of the collisional activation energy in native ion mobility-mass spectrometry using an improved impulsive collision model“

Dissertation Defense – Alison Chang, January 12th

Posted on by Leah O'Brien

photo of Allison ChangGood luck to Alison Chang as she defends her thesis for her PhD in Chemistry!

Friday, January 12, 2024
1 PM in 132 Lillis Hall and via ZOOM

The title of her thesis is ” The Development and Application of Transition Metal–Hydrides in Catalysis for Alkene Hydrosilylation and Isomerization Reactions”

Dissertation Defense – Tavis Price, November 20th

Posted on by Leah O'Brien

photo - Tavis PriceGood luck to Tavis Price as he defends his thesis for his PhD in Chemistry!

Monday, November 20, 2023
2:00PM in 220 Deschutes Hall and via ZOOM

The title of his thesis is “FUNCTIONALIZED CARBON NANOHOOPS: NITROGEN-DOPED PARTIAL BELTS, MACROCYCLIC LIGANDS, AND THE INHERENT STRAIN THAT AFFECTS THEIR CHEMICAL PROPERTIES”

Dissertation Defense – Jack Maurer, November 17th

Posted on by Leah O'Brien

photo: Jack MaurerGood luck to Jack Maurer as he defends his thesis for his PhD in Chemistry!

Friday, November 17, 2023
2:00PM in 220 Deschutes Hall and via ZOOM

The title of his thesis is “Conformational dynamics of DNA and protein-DNA complexes at single-stranded-double-stranded DNA junctions”

Dissertation Defense – Grace Lindquist, May 19th

Posted on by Leah O'Brien

Photo: grace Lindquist in the laboratoryGood luck to Grace Lindquist as she defends her thesis for her PhD in Chemistry!

Friday, May 19, 2023
1PM in Allen 221 and via Zoom

Her thesis title is: : Advancing Anion-Exchange-Membrane Water Electrolyzer Devices: Catalyst Layer Interactions, Degradation Pathways, and Operational Development

Up next: Grace has accepted a Senior Electrochemical Engineer position at Hgen.