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Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
O-I-M Rotation Talks
110 Willamette Hall
December 9 & 11 | 3-5 PM

Tuesday, December 9 | 3–5 PM

Location: 110 Willamette Hall

Speakers:

• Andy Evans – DWJ Lab – 3:00–3:10
• Hannah Reynolds – Jasti Lab – 3:10–3:20
• Joseph Daddona – Brozek Lab – 3:20–3:30
• Zosia Amberger – Jasti Lab – 3:30–3:40
• Hannah Negri – Brozek Lab – 3:40–3:50
• Jessica Dickinson – DWJ Lab – 3:50–4:00
• Miles Wheaton – Harlow Lab – 4:00–4:10
• Wycliffe Misigo – DCJ Lab – 4:10–4:20
• Tracee Nguyen – Cook Lab – 4:20–4:30

Thursday, December 11 | 3–5 PM

Location: 110 Willamette Hall

Speakers:

• Reece Zonts – Hendon Lab – 3:00–3:10
• Juliette Rollins – Hendon Lab – 3:10–3:20
• Lilly Johnson – Brozek Lab – 3:20–3:30
• Sam Thompson – Brozek Lab – 3:30–3:40
• Sam Weiss – Haley/DWJ Lab – 3:40–3:50
• Brenna Bradfield – Cook Lab – 3:50–4:00
• Audrey Silvernail – Pluth Lab – 4:00–4:10
• Liz Hicklin – Rapp Lab – 4:10–4:20
• Isabella Mobley – Haley/DWJ Lab – 4:20–4:30
• Andi Fox – Rapp Lab – 4:30–4:40
• David Pearce – Hendon Lab – 4:40–4:50
• Tallie Zion – Kempler Lab – 4:50–5:00

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Physical Chemistry Seminar Series – Rotation Talks

Wednesday, December 10th, 2025
2:00pm in Klamath Hall,  Room 107

Speakers

• ALEX ZEIMETZ
• JOE MEILEN
• TT ITH
• TEA BEAULIEU
• BRANDON THOMAS
• KATIE SNYDER
• GAVIN VALDEZ

Hosted by Dhiman Ray

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Physical Chemistry Seminar Series

Professor Nicholas Borotto, University of Nevada, Reno
November 17, 2025—2:00pm
Tykeson 140

Hosted by: Jim Prell

“Trapped Ion Mobility-Assisted Sequencing and Analysis of Protein Ions”

The sequencing of intact proteins within a mass spectrometer enables the profiling of post-translational modification (PTM) crosstalk but is frequently hindered by convoluted spectra and the fact that tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) techniques often generate poor sequence coverages when applied to protein ions. Ion mobility spectrometry is a promising tool to overcome the complexity of these spectra by separating ions by their mass- and size-to-charge ratios. Here, we discuss the development of an activation method that when paired with trapped ion mobility spectrometry deconvolutes MS/MS spectra and improves the sequence information provided by intact protein focused workflows. Furthermore, we demonstrate the isolation and fragmentation of mobility separated product ions with the downstream quadrupole and collisional cell. This second activation step improves sequence coverage because many of the labile bonds have been depleted during the first dissociation and subsequent dissociation events are more evenly distributed throughout the product ion backbone. When these two activation steps are combined this technique generates 92% of the sequence coverage of the most effective MS/MS technique, but it accomplishes this feat in a fifth of the time and can be facilely integrated with liquid chromatographic separations. Lastly, we demonstrate that this activation technique can be utilized to elucidate the conformation of protein ions.

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
Promotion to Full Professor Seminar

Jim Prell

“Native Ion Thermochemistry for All: From First Principles to Rapid Structure Characterization and Ligand Screening with Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry”

Monday, November 3rd
2:00 pm in Tykeson 140 and via Zoom
contact Chemistry and Biochemistry office for Zoom link

Requests for accommodation related to disability should be made to the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at (541) 346-4601 as early as possible.

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
Promotion to Full Professor Seminar

Mike Harms

“A Biophysical Perspective on The Evolution of Multi-Conformation Proteins”

Tuesday, October 28th at 12:00 pm in Knight Campus Beetham Family Seminar Room
and via Zoom
contact Chemistry and Biochemistry office for Zoom link

Requests for accommodations related to disability should be made to the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at (541) 346-4601 as early as possible.

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Organic/Inorganic/Materials Seminar Series

Michel Barsoum, Drexel University
3pm Friday October 10, Willamette Hall 110
Host: Matthias Agne

Title: Quantum-Confined 1D Lepidocrocite Titanates and Their Exceptional Properties

Abstract: In 2022, we discovered that reacting >15 Ti-compounds with tetraalkylammonium hydroxides, at 1 atm. and temperatures < 100°C  – more recently at room temperature – converts them into truly one dimensional, lepidocrocite-titania, 1DL, nanofilaments ≈ 5×7 Å2 in cross-section. Quantum confinement to 1D, boosts Eg to ≈ 4 eV. With effective specific surface areas >1500 m2/g, some of their properties are outstanding such as record photochemical H2-production with exceptional (>6 months) stability. DFT calculation suggest 1DLs are thermodynamically stable in water; if so, this would be a first for a 1D material. We show excellent OER rates and stabilities. Electrodes made with 1DLs, or their composites, perform well in supercapacitors, S- and Li-batteries. The record adsorption of heavy metal cations and cationic dyes and the photochemical degradation of the latter into CO2 and water is discussed. The ease, low cost, one pot simplicity and scalability of our process cannot be overstated. Last year we made a 1 kg batch in a lab setting.

Bio: Prof. Michel W. Barsoum is Distinguished Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Drexel University. He is an internationally recognized leader in the area of MAX phases and more recently the 2D solids labeled MXenes derived from the MAX phases. Ten years ago he discovered a new universal mechanism – ripplocation – in the deformation of layered solids. Most recently he discovered a new form on titania: a truly one-dimensional titania. At a core-section of 5×7 Å, this titania is the thinnest possible. With over 550 refereed publications and a Google h index is 151, his work has been cited >136,000 times to date. He has been listed on the Web of Science’s highly cited researchers list from 2018 to the present. According to a recent Stanford University study, he had the highest c-index (combines citations and h-index) in the Materials Science subfield for the last 3 years and is 4th on the all-time list of material scientists in the world.  He is a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Society of Engineering Sciences, National Academy of Inventors, fellow of the American Ceramic Soc. and the World Academy of Ceramics. He is the author the books, MAX Phases: Properties of Machinable Carbides and Nitrides and Fundamentals of Ceramics, a leading textbook in his field. In 2020, he was awarded the International Ceramics Prize for basic science by the World Academy of Ceramics. This prize is awarded quadrennially and is one of the highest in his field. The prize was awarded for “…  outstanding contribution in opening new horizons in material research and specifically for your pioneering work in MAX phases and their derivatives.”

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY & BIOCHEMISTRY
Promotion to Associate Professor Seminar

Julia Widom

“Fluorescent Probes of RNA Structure: Photophysics and Applications in RNA-Based Sensing”

Monday, October 6th at 2:00 pm in Tykeson 140
and via Zoom
contact Chemistry and Biochemistry office for Zoom link

Requests for accommodations related to disability should be made to the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at (541) 346-4601 as early as possible.

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Organic/Inorganic/Materials Seminar Series

Spring Rotation Talks

Thursday, June 12 — 3 pm in 100 Willamette Hall

3:00 pm Sam Rundquist Jasti Lab
3:15 pm Ally Wagner Jasti Lab
3:30 pm Joel Ashton DWJ Lab
3:45 pm Robert Greenwood DWJ Lab
4:00 pm Natalie Lakanen DWJ Lab
4:15 pm George Piepgras Cook Lab
4:30 pm Campbelle Hunt DeRose Lab
4:45 pm Ernesto Lucatero DeRose Lab

Friday, June 13 — 2:15 pm in 110 Willamette Hall

2:15 pm Tingting Zhang Hettiaratchi Lab
2:30 pm Ben Andrews Agne Lab
2:45 pm Michaela Vacca Agne Lab
3:00 pm Alex Bender Pluth Lab
3:15 pm Marie Kerns Pluth Lab
3:30 pm Ally Stonas Pluth Lab
3:45 pm Reis Dorit Pluth Lab

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Physical Chemistry Seminar Series

Physical Chemistry Rotation Talks
Thursday, June 12, 2025
2:00pm in Pacific Hall,  Room 30

Revanth Elangovan
“Enhanced Sampling of Ligand Binding Coupled to the RNA Conformational Dynamics“

Evan Wylie
“An Application of On-the-Fly  Probability-Enhanced Sampling to Gas-Phase Protein Unfolding“

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Organic/Inorganic/Materials Seminar

Karen Trentelman, Getty Conservation Institute
June 6, 2025 • 3:00 pm, WIL 110
Hosted by CBGReAT

Art as Evidence: The technical study and scientific examination of works of art

The scientific study of works of art addresses questions related to conservation (material identification, degradation processes, compatibility of treatment methods), curatorial (artist’s technique, workshop practice, attribution/provenance), or material (physical properties and behavior) issues. Answering these questions frequently requires detailed analyses of cultural heritage materials and the reconstruction of historic technologies. The precious nature of works of art creates unique analytical challenges, often necessitating the development of new analytical approaches or specialized instrumentation. A premium is placed on those techniques that either can be used completely non-invasively (i.e., without the removal of any sample, such as X-ray fluorescence and Raman spectroscopies), or can provide new and vital information with the removal of only minimal amounts of material (such as trace analysis via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) or chemical state information via X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES)). Underlying all the work is the common goal of furthering the understanding of the materials and methods used in the creation, interpretation and conservation of works of art.
This talk will present examples of research focused on objects in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum, ranging from Egyptian mummies to medieval manuscripts, to Italian gilded panel paintings, to 19th century French drawings, to paintings by Rembrandt and Van Gogh.