L-R, UO chemistry graduate students Lisa Eytel, Micah Donor, Aurora Ginzburg, Andrea Steiger, Mari Saif and Meredith Sharps
When the National Science Foundation announced the 2016 awardees and honorable mentions for their Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), the University of Oregon Chemistry and Biochemistry Department had plenty of reasons to celebrate. Five University of Oregon chemistry graduate students were among the fellowship award recipients – Micah Donor, Aurora Ginzburg, Mari Saif, Meredith Sharps and Andrea Steiger – and one more grad student, Lisa Eytel, received an honorable mention. In addition, two UO Chemistry and Biochemistry alumni also received awards, and a third alum received an honorable mention. Continue reading “6 Current UO Chemistry and Biochemistry Students & 3 Alumni chosen for 2016 NSF Awards and Honorable Mentions”→
We are happy to announce the availability of several departmental undergraduate scholarships! There are two separate applications for the awards.
The applications are available in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department office, room 91 Klamath Hall, or by clicking the links below.
The Faith Van Nice and Kuntz-Swinehart scholarships recognize outstanding academic and research achievements by undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry majors. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 on a scale of 4.0 (or similar grade assessment). Funds will be made available in September 2016 for the 2016-2017 UO academic year. One application is used for both awards, applications available in 91 Klamath Hall, or click herefor printable PDF.
The SAACS Summer Research Awards support chemistry and biochemistry majors’ ability to complete summer research in their lab here at the UO, or elsewhere on an REU summer program. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.5. Funds will be made available for summer 2016. Applications can be found in 91 Klamath Hall, or click here for printable PDF.
The submission deadline for all departmental undergraduate scholarships is Wednesday, April 27, 2016 at 5 pm. Please bring your application materials to the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department office in room 91 Klamath Hall in a sealed envelope addressed to Scholarships c/o Julie Haack, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon. Scholarship awards will be announced at the end of May.
If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact Julie Haack, by phone (541) 346-4604 or by email at jhaack@uoregon.edu. The Department’s office hours are 8:00 am to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday.
L-R: Epicenter Fellows Susan Cooper, Brandon Crockett and Adam Jansons
University of Oregon chemistry graduate students Susan Cooper, Brandon Crockett, and Adam Jansons are among 155 students from 47 higher education institutions that have been named University Innovation Fellows by the National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation (Epicenter). Epicenter is an NSF-funded national program that trains student leaders to create new opportunities for their peers to engage with innovation, entrepreneurship, design thinking and creativity. Continue reading “5 UO Students named University Innovation Fellows by NSF-funded Epicenter”→
UO Chemistry and Biochemistry graduate student Susan Cooper has been selected to receive the 2016 ARCS Foundation Josselyn Family Scholar Award.
The Achievement Rewards for College Students (ARCS) Foundation of Portland is one of sixteen ARCS Foundation Chapters nationwide. Portland’s ARCS Foundation members are women philanthropists committed to advancing science in America. The chapter seeks to support and nurture young American women and men in doctoral programs as they prepare to take on current and future scientific and medical challenges. In February of 2015, ARCS Portland announced that the University of Oregon Department Chemistry and Biochemistry and Department of Biology had been approved for funding support from the chapter. Susan Cooper and Katja Kasimatis (Biology) are the first UO recipients of ARCS awards. The $18,000 unrestricted awards are payable over three years, at $6,000 per year. Continue reading “Susan Cooper Chosen for ARCS Award”→
The UO’s Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) has announced two new scholarships for undergraduate researchers.
The UROP Mini-grant program provides grants of up to $1,000 that may be used by undergraduate award recipients to purchase materials, equipment, and supplies that are necessary to complete their project and/or assist with travel expenses related to their project. Awards will be given out twice during the academic year, once during the fall term and the winter term. Applicants must have a minimum 3.0 GPA, a project proposal finalized and a faculty mentor secured prior to applying. Application materials are available at http://urop.uoregon.edu/students/opportunities/current-uo-opportunities/urop-grants/
The Vice President for Research and Innovation Undergraduate Fellowship awards students a $5,000 stipend for conducting research, creative scholarship or completing work on an innovative project full time during the summer. The fellowships are open to students from all majors. Applicants must have a minimum 3.0 GPA, a project proposal finalized and a faculty mentor secured prior to applying. Applications will be available in early January, 2016.
The $50,000 award will be distributed over two years, and is intended to help students initiate careers in cardiovascular and stroke research by providing research assistance and training. Research topics may be broadly related to cardiovascular function and disease and stroke, or to related clinical, basic science, bioengineering or biotechnology, and public health problems, including multidisciplinary efforts.
Andrew earned his BA in Biochemistry in 2011at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO., and entered the UO Chemistry doctoral program in the fall of that year. He is currently doing his thesis work in the Nolen lab, and his proposal, “WISH/DIP1/SPIN90 (WDS) Proteins Seed Assembly of Branched Actin Networks,” was selected for funding by the AHA. His research is focused on investigating the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, a protein framework that provides a physical scaffold for cells. Actin molecules polymerize into helical filaments that undergo dynamic rearrangements to allow changes in cell shape during motility and provide tracks for material transport. Striated tracks of actin filaments play a fundamental role in muscle contraction like those of the heart.
After completing his PhD, Andrew plans to continue to lead a research driven career investigating mechanisms in biochemistry and cell biology in diseased and non-diseased states.
Biochemistry major Ian Rinehart and Simon Ewing, a Chemistry and Math major, were selected as the recipients of two summer research awards funded by the UO chapter of the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society (SAACS).
Simon Ewing, a sophomore from Springfield, Oregon, will be working in the Prell lab. The Prell lab’s research examines the structure of proteins at the nanoscale in order to understand the relationship between structure and function. Simon describes his research as computational and theoretical, and works to develop computational tools for use with ion mobility experiments. His interest in analytical chemistry began in high school, where his chemistry teacher was an analytical chemist. He enjoys looking in depth at molecular interactions to see how they affect the system as a whole. Simon’s post-graduate plans include earning his PhD and working in research, with the goal of someday having his own research lab.
Ian Rinehart is a junior from Portland, Oregon. He works in the Tyler lab on research that is seeking a solution for a problem confronting the natural gas industry – too much nitrogen in the wells. Purifying the gas by removing the unwanted nitrogen is difficult and expensive. The project Ian is working on endeavors to design a small molecule that can purify the natural gas at a cost-effective rate. Ian has known that he wanted to do science from an early age, and was particularly inspired by his organic chemistry studies. He sees both science and art in the opportunity chemistry offers to explore the laws of the universe, and then to create something new and see what happens. Ian plans to continue on to grad school to pursue a PhD after completing his undergrad degree. He has a strong interest in working in a national lab on small molecule synthesis.
This is the first time that UO SAACS has offered research awards for undergraduate researchers. The purpose of the awards is to support chemistry and biochemistry majors’ ability to engage in research during the summer term.
Aidan Grealish and Mary Earp have been chosen as recipients of the 2015 UO Chemistry and Biochemistry department’s annual undergraduate scholarships. The Faith Van Nice Scholarship has been awarded to Aidan Grealish, and the Kuntz-Swinehart Memorial Scholarship to Mary Earp.
The Faith Van Nice Scholarship is dedicated to the legacy of alumna Faith Van Nice, and recognizes exceptional UO undergraduate students majoring in Chemistry or Biochemistry. This year’s recipient, Aidan Grealish, is from Tualatin, Oregon, and is a sophomore in the Clark Honors College. Majoring in Chemistry and Digital Arts, she chose UO for the flexibility in schedule that would allow her to explore her diverse interests. Aidan finds inspiration by dipping her toes into lots of fields, and feels that her interdisciplinary scholarship is an advantage as she applies her creative abilities to her approach to science.
Aidan will begin doing research in the Page lab this summer, working on the synthesis of thin films and their applications for electronics. She is excited to explore the chemistry behind new and developing technology. Her long-term goals include an MD/PhD combined graduate program. She would like to settle into a career that will engage both her creative and scientific sides, perhaps in healthcare, bioinformatics, or scientific visualization. She is passionate about increasing access to knowledge, and the potential for new media and technology to promote the democratization of information.
The Kuntz-Swinehart Memorial Scholarship, meant to recognize and encourage academic excellence in our majors, was established by former UO Chemistry students in honor of two professors whose instruction, influence and inspiration had a significant impact on their career paths. Our 2015 recipient, Mary Earp, is a sophomore from West Linn, Oregon, majoring in Biochemistry. She was drawn to the UO for the resources it has to offer as a large university, and the opportunities for research. She credits her organic chemistry courses with opening up a whole new world for her, offering an opportunity to discover how things work on a molecular level, and the reactions that occur when molecules are combined.
Mary is currently doing research in two UO laboratories, chemistry in the Pluth lab, and psychology in the Sereno lab. The Pluth lab research is focused on hydrogen sulfide detection in biological systems. Hydrogen sulfide has shown importance in many different biological processes, and has a great deal of medical relevance. Mary’s work involves examining fluorescent molecular probes to see if they behave as described in the literature, and comparing them to each other. In the Sereno lab, her psychology research examines visual perception and how people perceive 3-D objects. She finds that working in multiple labs rounds out her approach to research, and offers opportunities to pursue her varied interests. After earning her undergraduate degree, Mary plans to continue on to grad school in a MD/PhD combined program. She hopes to work in research, and eventually have a lab of her own.
Both Mary and Aidan would like to express their appreciation for being chosen for these awards, and for the department’s investment and belief in their potential as scholars and scientists.
Rachael Cunningham, a fourth year PhD student in the DeRose lab, has been selected for a 2015 American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship. The $50,000 award will be distributed over two years, and is intended to help students initiate careers in cardiovascular and stroke research by providing research assistance and training. Research topics may be broadly related to cardiovascular function and disease and stroke, or to related clinical, basic science, bioengineering or biotechnology, and public health problems, including multidisciplinary efforts.
Rachael completed her undergraduate work at Lake Superior State University in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, graduating in 2010 with a BS in forensic chemistry. Her research in the DeRose lab focuses on the interactions of Pt(II) anticancer therapeutics with biomolecules in the cell, specifically interactions resulting in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress.
“Despite the broad use of Pt(II) drugs,” she explains, “their efficacy is currently limited by adverse side effects, including cardiotoxicity. Cardiotoxicity during chemotherapy is a large problem, and one hypothesis is that this cardiotoxicity is in part due to ER stress.”
To better understand the mechanism by which these chemotherapeutics induce ER stress, the DeRose laboratory has synthesized Pt(II) compounds modified with a reactive handle for post-treatment labeling of Pt(II) cellular targets. By identifying which cellular targets are involved in ER stress, they hope to advance the development of Pt(II)-based drugs with lower toxicity, and create a more sensitized antitumor response.
Rachel has yet to decide on her post-degree plans, but her current interests lie in non-faculty academic research or industry work.
The UO’s Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (
