Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Annual Research Symposium
The annual research symposium took place on May 9th and 10th, 2024. The event was organized by our Graduate Student Council. The members were Justice J Mallen, Stephen T Nkwocha, Md Nazmul Hasan, Ethan Kowalczyk, Shabnam, Michelle Meyer, Franca Ohikhuare, Morteza K Panahzadeh, Towheedur Rahman, Sharmin Shampa and Mujidat Shittu. The event commenced with the Sosnovsky Distinguished Lecture Series delivered by Professor R. Kip Guy, PhD, Dean of the College of Pharmacy and Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Kentucky. Two poster sessions were held over the two days at KIRC Atrium, featuring 23 presenters each day, including both undergraduate and graduate students. The Judges were Samantha Pasziewic, alumni Alex Drena, Cory Hawkins, James Wankoski, alumni Fatoumata Diawara, alumni Daniel Webb, Zac Zawada, Bill Wobig, alumni Juan Garcia, Matida Bojang, Thomas Kohl, alumni Kelly Teski, Amanda Nieman, Peng Gao, Rob Teal, alumni Victorai Mandela, Gardner Cole, Seth Krebs, Alex Hart, Douglas Williamson, Eric Lund, Scott Krabbe, and Christopher Witzigmann.
Graduate presenters:
| Presenter Name | Title of Presentation | |
| 1 | Mubaraq Toriola | Drug likeness, Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Elimination, and Toxicity (ADMET) Prediction and In-vivo Evaluation of CNS Effects of New PI320 Analogs |
| 2 | Justice J Mallen | Computational Investigation of Drug Resistance Mechanisms in Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase Inhibition |
| 3 | Md Nazmul Hasan | Computational Investigation of Protein-Protein Interactions Towards Designing Rational Inhibitors for Atopic Dermatitis |
| 4 | Bradley Dimock | Trapping Nitric Oxide Intermediate of Variant Cytochrome c Nitrite Reductase |
| 5 | Leah Johnson | “Why Do(n’t) They Read?”: a study of introductory chemistry students’ study choices and reading comprehension |
| 6 | Ethan Kub | Optimization of Sphingolipid Extraction using a Modified Bligh and Deyer Method |
| 7 | Mujidat Shittu | Optimization of a High Throughput Screening Platform to Identify Inhibitors of Enzymes that Cleave Diadenosine Polyphosphates |
| 8 | Thilini Nimasha Fernando Ponnamperumage | In Vivo Assessment of the Safety and Efficacy of Combining Ascorbic Acid and H2O2-Activating Prodrug in Cancer Models |
| 9 | Chase Bock | Kinetics of Pyrophosphate Release Catalyzed by Nudix Hydrolase Enzymes |
| 10 | Taufeeque Ali | Optimized Selectivity of ROS-Responsive Prodrugs in Multiple Cancer Types through Ascorbic Acid-Mediated ROS Generation |
| 11 | Kimberly Osborn | Identifying and Separating the Products of the Reaction Between MppP, L-Arginine, and Molecular Oxygen |
| 12 | Franca Ohikhuare | Identification of Species-Specific Skin Peptide Variations in the North American Treefrog using MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry |
| 13 | Shabnam Marium | Investigation of the pre-A tail’s role on truncated hemoglobin N (trHbN) function |
| 14 | Kayode Medubi | Derivatization and Optimization of a LCMS-MS Method to Quantify Selective Estrogen Receptor β Agonists to Determine their Metabolic Stability, Protein Binding, and Pharmacokinetics |
| 15 | Ethan Kowalczyk | Synthesis and Preclinical Studies of Novel Imidazodiazepines Supporting the Development of New Treatments for Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Asthma. |
| 16 | Michelle Meyer | Targeting the GABAA Receptor for the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis |
| 17 | Maya Fernando | Efficient Palladium-Catalyzed Buchwald-Hartwig Amination of Brominated Heterocycles using Pd2(dba)3 and Xphos Ligand |
| 18 | Jon Mielke | Periplasmic Nitrate Reductase As A Model For Molybdenum Containing Enzymes And Their Electronic Structure And Function |
| 19 | Alexander Vincent | Efficient Palladium-Catalyzed Buchwald-Hartwig Amination of Brominated Heterocycles Using Pd2(dba)3 with XantPhos and BrettPhos Ligands |
| 20 | Collins Agyemang Acheampong | Characterizing A Putative Biosynthetic Gene Cluster From Streptomyces griseofuscus |
| 21 | Stephen Tochi Nkwocha | Investigating spectroscopic evidence of two-electron reduction of nitrite-loaded cytochrome c nitrite reductase |
| 22 | Brenden Chasteen | Point Spread Functions for Aplanatic and Aberration Corrected Focusing through Multiple Media in Image Space |
| 23 | Sharmin Khandker Shampa | Truncated hemoglobin N from Mycobacterium Tuberculosis |
| 24 | Temidayo Joseph Oke | Capturing intermediate in the cytochrome c nitrite reductase (ccNiR)- catalyzed reduction of nitrite) |
| 25 | Abigail Adomako | Biogenesis of the Nonproteinogenic Amino Acid Tambroline in the Tambromycin Biosynthetic Pathway of Streptomyces niveus |
| 26 | Cody Beck | Quantitative Exploration of Self-Efficacy Trends Among Undergraduate Chemistry Students |
| 27 | Slade McAfee | Students’ Perceptions of Academic Integrity in the Chemistry Laboratory Classroom via Hypothetical Scenarios |
| 28 | Allison Tomczyk | Development, transcribing, and coding of extensive qualitative interview responses |
Undergraduate presenters:
| Presenter | Title of Presentation | |
| 1 | Emma Stutler | The Discovery of Novel Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Targeting Protease-Activated Receptor 1 |
| 2 | Alexis Peterson | Enhanced Activation of ROS-Responsive Prodrugs via Prooxidant ROS Generation |
| 3 | Nick Cavaliero | Determination of Citric Acid in Fruit Using an Ion Chromatography |
| 4 | Molly Drosen | Inactivation of ATG13 Triggers Chronic Fatigue in Female Mice: Implications to Post-Exertional Malaise in ME/CFS. |
| 5 | Nick Cavaliero | Stability of Gallium Maltolate in Water using Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry |
| 6 | Tyler Haasch | Exploring the effects of ‘ETK-II’ compounds on mice motor coordination through rotarod testing |
| 7 | Amy Reyes | SIMMPYRA1 and SIMMPYRA2 Promote the Regression of Triple Negative Breast Cancer via Selective Inhibition of Signal Transducer and Activator of transcription 3. |
| 8 | Grace Wheeler | A Coupling Reaction Between 2-Amino-5-Bromo-2′-Fluorobenzophenone and a Racemic BOC Alanine |
| 9 | Samual Tarman | Investigations of PsADC and PsOT, Enzymes of Unknown Function |
| 10 | Anna Evans | Effects of Short-Term Carmofur Dosing on Ceramide Levels in Cancer Cells |
| 11 | Michael Owens Owens | Sustainable inventory management protocols and safe chemical storage |
| 12 | Grace Feucht | Identifying Unique Fragmentation of Ceramides via GasChromatography-Mass Spectrometry |
| 13 | Julia Jakusz | Phenylboronic Acid Nitrogen Mustards induce P53 Upregulation Inhibiting Cell Migration and Invasion in Breast Cancers |
| 14 | Mira Beranek | From Intrinsic to Amotivation: The validation of an instrument to better understand student motivation in chemistry |
| 15 | Jatin Pandey | Investigating the Mechanism of ROS-Activated Prodrugs: Insights from ROS Quencher Studies |
| 16 | Preston Burdett | A qualitative and quantitative study: Exploring student anxiety in undergraduate level chemistry courses |
| 17 | John Brzezinski | Generation of Hydrogen Peroxide in Cancer Cells: Advancing Therapeutic Approaches for Cancer Treatment |
| 18 | Zoe Wardle | The Ability of Metabolic Enzymes to Utilize Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Covalently Attached to RNA 5’-ends |
The award ceremony started at 15:00hrs in Chemistry Building (180). Welcome remarks were made by Dr Kristin Murphy, Department chair of Chemistry and Biochemistry. The following received the awards.
Poster Winners:
Graduate:
- 1st: Taufeeque Ali
- 2nd: Jon Mielke
- 3rd: Thilini Nimasha Fernando Ponnamperumage
Undergraduate:
- 1st: Molly Drosen
- 2nd: Amy Reyes
- 3rd: Zoe Wardle
Graduate Awards:
- Teaching Assistant Award for Chemistry Discussions: David Koltermann
- Teaching Assistant Award for Chemistry Laboratories: Ethan Kub
- Gloria Moczynski Teaching Assistant Award in Chemistry Supplemental Instruction: Allison Tomczyk
- George Sosnovsky Award for Excellence in Graduate Research: Robert Bavisotto
Undergraduate Awards:
- Outstanding Performance in Introductory Chemistry: Aly Sickmann
- Outstanding Performance in Biochemistry: Zoe Wardle
- Outstanding Performance in Inorganic Chemistry: Suha Malik
- Peter Kovacic Scholarship for Outstanding Performance in Organic Chemistry: Ameer Eweisi
- Chemistry Emeritus Award for Outstanding Junior: Joseph Parlier
- Outstanding Senior: Ameer Eweisi
Faculty awards:
Outstanding Instructor
Gloria Freschl
Outstanding Faculty Mentor:
Leggy Arnold
Johnny Rodriguez