Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Annual Research Symposium
The annual research symposium will take place on May 8th and 9th, 2025. The event was organized by our Graduate Student Council. The members were Bradley Dimock, Ethan Kowalczyk, Slade McAfee, Regina Oddiri, and Tori Williamson.
Graduate presenters:
| Presenter Name | Title of Presentation | |
| 1 | Maya Fernando | Development of novel Alpha 2B adrenergic receptor ligands by using a palladium catalyzed Buchwald Hartwig amination with brominated benzodiazepines |
| 2 | Michelle Meyer | Development of an Antidote for Chlorine-Induced Lung Injury Targeting GABAA Receptors |
| 3 | Temidayo Oke | Capturing intermediates in the cytochrome c nitrite reductase (ccNiR) -catalyzed reduction of nitrite using Ruthenium Hexamine |
| 4 | Ethan Kub | Glucosylceramide Characterization in Glioblastoma Cancer Cell Treatment with Mass Spectrometry |
| 5 | Sujan Kundu | Grid-Adapted-Manybody-Analysis (GAMA): A Fragment-Based Quantum Chemistry Method for Calculation of the large molecular system |
| 6 | Kimberly Osborn | Sterol Carrier Protein-2 (SCP-2): a Novel Potential Antianxiety Drug |
| 7 | Alexander Kuiken | Trapping Nano- and Micro-scale Particles in Solution with the Corral Trap |
| 8 | Steven Reinhardt | Reactivity of Nitrite-loaded Y206F Cytochrome-C Nitrite Reductase with the Weak Reductant Ru(II) |
| 9 | Mujidat Shittu | Overexpression of Nudix genes upon Metabolic and DNA Damage |
| 10 | Zoe Wardle | Metabolic Fates of Co-enzymes Capped RNA |
| 11 | Qingshu Zhao | Predicting Dimeric Protein-Protein Binding Free Energies Using Neural Network and Rosetta Energy Function |
| 12 | James Linzel | Construction of an Artificial Metalloenzye |
| 13 | Jonathan Mielke | Mechanistic Studies Of Periplasmic Nitrate Reductase |
| 14 | Brenden Chasteen | Advances in Point Spread Function Theory: Conditions for Aberration function simplification in layered optical systems |
| 15 | Justice Mallen | Absolute Binding Free Energy Calculations Reveal How BTK Mutations Disrupt Inhibitor Binding at the Molecular Level |
| 16 | Bradley Dimock | Trapping Nitric Oxide Intermediate of Variant Cytochrome c Nitrite Reductase |
| 17 | Wasiu Awoyera | Mechanistic Elucidation of Dual pH- and H ₂ O ₂-Responsive Activation of Phenylboronic Acid Nitrogen Mustard Prodrugs via Real-Time 1H NMR Spectroscopy |
| 18 | Matthew Kapelis | Initial Characterization of a New Formate Dehydrogenase Double Mutant Variant |
| 19 | Kyle Price | RNA-Stimulated Activation of HCV Helicases: Comparative Enzymatic Analysis |
| 20 | Stephen Nkwocha | Investigating Redox Intermediates formed in Cytochrome c Nitrite Reductase reactions through Rapid-Mixing Techniques |
| 21 | Mubaraq Toriola | Benzodiazapine-derived scaffolds targeting the alpha-2B adrenoreceptor; an in vitro and in silico study |
| 22 | Chase Bock-Scheiber | Putative RNA-de-capping Nudix Enzyme Substrate Specificities |
| 23 | Omolola Adedeji | Designing HDAC2 Inhibitors for Cognitive Enhancement in Neurodegenerative Disorders |
| 24 | Cody Beck | A Quantitative Approach to Measuring Outcome Expectations in Undergraduate Chemistry Students |
| 25 | Abigail Adomako | Mechanistic and Structural Insights into PLP-Dependent L-Arg Oxidases in Mildiomycin (MilN/MilM) Biosynthesis |
| 26 | Kayode M Medubi | Evaluation of phase I and II metabolism of novel pegylated imidazodiazepines as novel asthma drug candidates |
| 27 | Thilini Fernando | Synergistic Tumor Eradication Through Combination of Vitamin C and ROS-Activated Prodrugs |
| 28 | Ethan Kowalczyk | Development of Nebulized Pegylated GABAA Receptor Ligands as Novel Therapeutics for Asthma Treatment |
| 29 | Collins Agyemang Acheampong | Structure, Function, and Dynamics: On the Origin of the Mechanistic Defference Between the Hydroxylating and Desaturating PLP-dependent L-Arg oxidases |
| 30 | Slade McAfee | I asked ChatGPT to do my research: AI as a Research Assistant, not a Replacement |
Undergraduate presenters:
| Presenter | Title of Presentation | |
| 1 | Ryan Burmesch | Synthesis of Human Cytomegalovirus Replication Inhibitors |
| 2 | Shaun Harrington | Efficient Palladium-Catalyzed Buchwald-Hartwig Amination of Brominated Heterocycles using Pd2(dba)3 and Xphos Ligand |
| 3 | Cody Miller | The Growth of Escherichia Coli in the Presence of the Anti Tumor Drug FAN-NM-CH ₃ |
| 4 | Alec Veliz | The Exploration of Potential Inhibitors for Human Cytomegalovirus Through Organic Synthesis |
The award ceremony started at 3:00 pm in Chemistry Building lecture hall 110. Welcome remarks were made by Dr. Kristen Murphy, Department chair of Chemistry and Biochemistry. The following received the awards.
Poster Winners:
Graduate:
- 1st: Kyle Price
- 2nd: Kayode Medubi
- 3rd: Slade McAfee
Undergraduate:
- 1st: Ryan Burmesch
Graduate Awards:
- Teaching Assistant Award for Chemistry Laboratories: Tori Williamson
- Teaching Assistant Award for Chemistry Discussions: Brenden Chasteen
- Gloria Moczynski Teaching Assistant Award in Chemistry Supplemental Instruction: Cody Beck
- George Sosnovsky Award for Excellence in Graduate Research: Michelle Meyer
Undergraduate Awards:
- Outstanding Performance in Introductory Chemistry: Kuri Maristela
- Outstanding Performance in Biochemistry: Elizabeth Reece
- Outstanding Performance in Inorganic Chemistry: Joe Parlier
- Peter Kovacic Scholarship for Outstanding Performance in Organic Chemistry: Cody Miller
- Outstanding Performance in Analytical Chemistry: Jonathan Vitas
- Ralf Vanselow Scholarship for Outstanding Performance in Physical Chemistry: Emma Stutler
- Chemistry Emeritus Award for Outstanding Junior: Shaun Harrington
- Outstanding Senior: Jonathan Vitas
Scholarships:
- James A. Krogh Chemistry Scholarship: Maya Fernando & Mayurika Mahendran
- Sterling Pharma Grad Student Summer Support: Faija Akter & Mujidat Shittu
Other Graduate Awards:
- SAILARC Award: Ethan Kub
Faculty awards:
Outstanding Instructor:
Dr. Christine Carlson
Outstanding Faculty Mentor:
Prof. Xiaohua Peng