Department of Chemistry

Safety Training
2024-08-29 11:00 - 11:50 (America/New_York)
Session II: Severance and Williams Specific Training

Location: Freedlander Theater

Safety Training is mandatory for:

Biology, BCMB, Chemistry, Environmental Studies and Neuroscience seniors (There are a few exemptions that advisors will communicate directly with the senior)

Students employed by the College working in Severance or Williams Halls; stockroom assistants, laboratory assistants, research assistants, greenhouse assistants, STEM Zone Interns, or building monitors

Notice to Health Coaches: We know that health coaches typically experience conflicts with Safety Training. Coaches should plan to attend the entire Session I as this session must be completed in its entirety as an in-person training that has limited occurrences. We will communicate via email how to complete Session II after Session I has been completed. Please watch your emails for more information.

Safety Training Details/Requirements:

Session I: Tues. August 27 from 11:00-11:50am in Freedlander Theater: OSHA training with Nate Hoam

You will receive the Severance and Williams Building Policy Guide at this session.

Session II: Thurs. August 29 from 11:00-11:50am in Freedlander Theater: Building specific training

Bring the Building Policy Guide with you to this session.

Both sessions will require using your phone to log attendance in the Moodle Safety Training Course. To speed up the process, please come with your phone logged-in to your Wooster account and ready to take a picture of a QR code that will direct you to the course. Once you have been directed to the Moodle course site, you will need to enroll in the course at the beginning of Session I and then enter a code to indicate that you have attended the training sessions. If you have trouble with this please reach out to staff before you leave the training session –if you have not completed the necessary information, you will not be considered in attendance and have to repeat the session.

Laboratory Safety Quiz

After completing Session I and II, you will need to complete the Laboratory Safety Quiz with a minimum score of 90%. This quiz will be available in the Moodle Laboratory Safety Training Course once you have completed Sessions I and II.

You may take this quiz as many times as needed to pass it.

Safety Agreement Form

The Safety Agreement Form will become available in the Moodle Laboratory Safety Training Course once you have attended both training sessions and passed the Safety Quiz.

Once you have completed the four parts of Safety Training (Session I, Session II, Quiz and Agreement Form) you will be cleared to work in the laboratory settings.

Senior Meeting - Chemistry
2024-09-03 11:00 - 11:50
Severance 238

Chemistry senior meeting is a required event.

A Class of 2025 photo will be taken with the option for students to have individual photos taken for promoting their senior seminar.

Chemistry/BCMB Professional Development Meeting
2024-09-10 11:00 - 11:50
Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Sciences – 060

Professors Karl Feierabend and Mark Snider present: Since you will not be at Wooster forever…

Learn and share how to explore and prepare for your post-Wooster plans.

What can I do now to start preparing for employment or graduate studies?

How do I request letters of recommendation?

How do I get the most out of departmental seminars?

Chemistry Seminar: Research Series
2024-09-17 11:00 - 11:50
Quentin Michaudel, Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University

Dept. Chemistry and Dept. Materials Science & Engineering

Modern Organic Reactions for Precise (Macro)molecular Synthesis

Polymer Chemistry

Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Science – 060

Lunch will follow in Severance 105 and will include a discussion about graduate programs at Texas A&M. RSVP (encouraged/not required) link: https://forms.office.com/r/1xZAYrNEdQ

Chemistry/BCMB Seminar: Research Series
2024-09-24 11:00 - 11:50
Anne-Frances Miller, Professor of Chemistry; Biochemistry

Distinguished Prof. of Arts & Sciences, Professor of Chemistry, University of Kentucky

How coupling between protein and flavin enables uphill electron transfer in flavoproteins

Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Science – 060

Lunch with Professor Miller will follow in Severance 105.

Lunch with Professor Miller will follow in Severance 105 RSVP (encouraged/not required)

Chemistry Seminar
2024-10-01 11:00 - 11:50
Research Seminar Series

Pavel Anzenbacher, Jr., PhD, Professor, Center for Photochemical Sciences, Bowling Green State University

Smart materials

Molecule-ion interactions

Supramolecular chemistry

Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Science – 045

BCMB/BIOL Seminar
2024-10-17 11:00 - 11:50
Research Seminar Series

Madigan (Strange) Snyder (’19, BCMB), PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, The University of Texas Heath Science Center at Houston

Functional Characterization of LETM1-Domain Containing 1 (LETMD1) in Brown Adipocyte Mitochondria

Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Science – 060

Professional Development Research Paper Discussion
2024-10-22 11:00 - 11:50
In preparation for Tehshik Yoon’s, PhD, Professor ofChemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, seminar onThursday, October 24, 11 AM, Lean Lecture, Drs. Bonvalletand Martin will host a context session on Dr. Yoon’s paperentitled:

“A General Strategy for the Synthesis of Truxinate NaturalProducts Enabled by Enantioselective [2+2]Photocycloadditions”

Please read the paper and come with your questions.The goal of this session is to dive a bit deeper into one of theprojects that Dr. Yoon will be discussing in his seminar

Refreshments provided.

Helen Murray Free Endowed Technical Lecture
2024-10-24 11:00 - 11:50
Tehshik Yoon, PhD

Professor of Chemistry, Associate Chair for the Graduate Program, Director of Graduate Studies

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Technical Lecture: Stereocontrol in Photochemical Reactions

Photochemistry is intriguing as a synthetic tool because the absorption of light by an organic molecule results in the formation of exceptionally energetic reactive intermediates that can react in ways that are inaccessible to ground-state molecules. However, this high reactivity is also a challenge for stereoselective synthesis: control over the stereochemistry of photochemical reactions, particularly using enantioselective catalysts, has been a long-standing challenging synthetic problem with few general solutions. We recently developed a strategy that utilizes privileged chiral Brønsted acid scaffolds to control both the absolute and relative stereochemistry of complex [2+2] photocycloadditions. These reactions have enabled a general, concise, and stereocontrolled strategy for the synthesis of the truxinate and truxillate natural products.

Wishart Hall, Lean Lecture

University of Wisconsin–Madison

Professor of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Board Member, Harvard Gender and Sexuality Caucus

Associate Editor, Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry

Guest Editor: Trailblazers 2022, C&EN

American Chemical Society Cope Scholar Award

Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award

American Association for the Advancement of Science fellow

Cottrell Scholar Award

Postdoctoral Fellow (NIH), Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Moles using science everyday

Professional Development Lunch & Learn
2024-10-24 12:00 - 13:00
How to Navigate & Apply to PhD Programs

Tehshik Yoon, PhD, Professor of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Helen Murray Free Endowed Lecturer, will lead the discussion.

Severance Hall, Room 105 (STEM Zone)

Lunch provided. RSVP encouraged but not required by Tuesday, October 22, 4:30 PM: https://forms.office.com/r/vmfbCfpZ8i

Chemistry Senior Seminars
2024-10-29 11:00 - 11:50
Research Seminar Series

Senior Presenters: Cameron Jacobsen, George Belay, and Stephanie Nino-Suastegui

Cameron Jacobsen | advised by Paul Bonvallet

George Belay | advised by Jennifer Faust

Stephanie Nino-Suastegui | advised by Mostafa Abdelaziz

Location: Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Sciences, Room 060

Chemistry Senior Seminar
2024-11-05 11:00 - 11:50
Research Seminar Series

Senior Presenters: Cam Ray, Ryan Gross, and Adam Karp

Cam Ray | advised by Jennifer Faust

Ryan Gross | advised by Karl Feierabend

Adam Karp | advised by Paul Bonvallet

Location: Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Sciences, RM 060

Chemistry Senior Seminar
2024-11-12 11:00 - 11:50
Research Seminar Series

Senior Presenters: Ben Nichols, Jeff Allison, and Khally Minich

Ben Nichols | advised by Karl Feierabend

Jeff Allison | advised by Paul Bonvallet

Khally Minich | advised by Sara Martin

Location: Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Sciences, Room 060

Chemistry Senior Seminar
2024-11-19 11:00 - 11:50
Research Seminar Series

Senior Presenters: Elizabeth Longbrake, Yoshi Otani, and Ama Asante

Elizabeth Longbrake | Jennifer Faust

Yoshi Otani | Jennifer Faust

Ama Asante | Anna Gallo

Location: Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Sciences, Room 060

Chemistry Senior Seminar
2024-11-26 11:00 - 11:50
Research Seminar Series

Senior Presenters: Ellen Daugherty and Alexis Basinger

Ellen Daugherty | advised by Sara Martin

Alexis Basinger | advised by Karl Feierabend

Location: Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Sciences, Room 060

How to Find and Apply for Summer Internships/Research Experiences
2024-12-03 11:00 - 11:50
Ashleigh Best, Director of Career Planning, APEX

Mark Snider, PhD, Professor, CHEM/BCMB

Chemistry Research Seminar
2025-01-28 11:00 - 11:50
Karl J. Feierabend, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Chemistry, The College of Wooster

B.S., Furman University

Ph.D. University of Colorado at Boulder

Aqueous Photochemistry of Warfarin and 4-Hydroxycoumarins

Professor Feierabend will present a seminar highlighting his research from his 2023-2024 research leave.

The environmental fate of many anticoagulant rodenticides is not well characterized. One class of such compounds are derivatives of 4-hydroxycoumarin (4HC), some of which show significant water solubility. The 4HC family of compounds have a strong absorption feature in the UVB, making them susceptible to photolysis by sunlight. The Feierabend group has set out to study the kinetics and mechanism of the photochemistry of aqueous-phase 4HC compounds, with a particular focus on warfarin, the most prevalent 4HC rodenticide, as well as a commonly prescribed pharmaceutical for blood-clotting. This lecture will present the story of their photochemical fate as studied using chemical kinetics, absorption and emission spectroscopy, computational chemistry, and mass spectrometry, the work for which was a focus for Dr. Feierabend’s recent research leave. Results suggest that warfarin may degrade significantly over short time periods in surface waters with the formation of toxic byproducts.

Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Sciences, Room 045

Chemistry/BCMB Research Seminar
2025-02-04 11:00 - 11:50
Jeffrey M. Spraggins (CHEM, ‘03), Ph.D., Vanderbilt University

Director, Associate Professor, Department of Cell & Developmental Biology

Director, Mass Spectrometry Research Center

Director, Biomolecular Multimodal Imaging Center School of Medicine

From Molecules to Maps: Technologies for Building Molecular Atlases with Mass Spectrometry

Modern instrumentation and computing capabilities have enabled researchers to move beyond reductionist biology and, instead, probe how the components of biological entities (e.g., molecules, cells, and tissues) interact to reveal the underlying biology of disease. Molecular imaging offers a ‘blueprint’ for how key biological components work together by providing spatial context to molecular information. The Spraggins Laboratory specializes in developing integrated imaging mass spectrometry technologies to create multimodal workflows that provide a systems biology view of tissue at cellular resolution, revealing relationships between metabolites, lipids, proteins, and RNA across spatial scales – from anatomical regions to single cells. In this lecture, Dr. Spraggins will highlight recent technological advancements in spatial biology and how his team is applying these integrated approaches to the study of normal aging and disease.

Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Sciences, Room 060

Chemistry & BCMB Research Seminar
2025-02-11 11:00 - 11:50
Paul L. Edmiston, Ph.D., Theron L. Peterson and Dorothy R. Peterson

Professor of Chemistry; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The College of Wooster

B.S., Pepperdine University

Ph.D. University of Arizona

Mass Spectrometry in Disease Diagnosis: Metabolomics of Propionic Acidemia

Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Sciences, Room 060

Chemistry New Major Celebration
2025-02-18 11:00 - 11:50
Severance Hall, Room 105

Welcome to the Class of 2027 and all newly declared majors.

Engage – Meet the community: Faculty, staff, and classmates. Connect with alumni

Experience – Opportunities outside of the classroom

Plan – Academic and career support

Independent Study – Our mentoring model

Lunch is provided.

Melissa Schultz Earth Day Celebration
2025-04-22 11:00 - 23:50
Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Sciences – Room 060

The Department of Chemistry is hosting a symposium featuring three alumnus who will share their career journey in honor of, Melissa Schultz, PhD, Analytical & Environmental Chemist. Dr. Schultz was their advisor and mentor who was killed in a car accident 10 years ago on February 7, 2015. She taught at The College of Wooster 2006-2015.

A lunch will follow the lecture at noon. RSVP appreciated

Presenters:

Claire Moffett (’15, CHEM), PhD, “From Wooster to the Artcic”

Chemist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Postdoctoral Research, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Baylor University, PhD, Environmental Studies

Caitlin Popa (’11, CHEM), “Pivoting Toward Success: A Story of Building a Career One Chapter at a Time”

Senior Manager, The J.M. Smucker CO

3i, Quality Assurance Manager (2.5 years)

The J.M. Smucker Company (10 years)

Appleseed Community Mental Health Center board member

Kristina Schiavone (’15, CHEM), JD, “Beyond the Lab”

Associate Attorney, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP

Walter | Haverfield, Intellectual Property Law Associate

Cleveland State University – Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, 2021

Coventya, Technical Service Associate Chemistry I

About Melissa M. Schultz, PhD

Received research funding from:

HHMI Summer Research Scholars Program

Environmental Analysis and Action Program

The Chicago Waterways Grant

National Science Foundation RUI Grant

Research Corporation Grant

Sophomore Research Program

Mentored:

8 Sophomore Research Students

14 Summer Researchers

30 Seniors

22 Chemistry Majors

7 BCMB Majors

1 Environmental Studies Special Design major

Active member/participant:

Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC)

The American Chemical Society

Wooster Local Section of the American Chemical Society

American Society of Mass Spectrometry

Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy

Melissa Schulz Nature Preserve was dedicated in 2016. The property is located on Akron Road, between the Montessori School of Wooster and Gerstenslager Park. The College of Wooster, which owns the property, has granted the Montessori School of Wooster long-term use of the property as a nature preserve.

Safety Training
2025-08-26 11:00 - 11:50
Session I: OSHA Training with Nate Hoam, Chem Tech Safety Consultant

Location: Freedlander Theater

Safety Training is mandatory for:

Biology, BCMB, Chemistry, Environmental Studies and Neuroscience seniors (There are a few exemptions that advisors will communicate directly with the senior)

Students employed by the College working in Severance or Williams Halls; stockroom assistants, laboratory assistants, research assistants, greenhouse assistants, STEM Zone Interns, or building monitors

Notice to Health Coaches: We know that health coaches typically experience conflicts with Safety Training. Coaches should plan to attend the entire Session I as this session must be completed in its entirety as an in-person training that has limited occurrences. We will communicate via email how to complete Session II after Session I has been completed. Please watch your emails for more information.

Safety Training Details/Requirements:

Session I: Tues. August 26 from 11:00-11:50 am in Freedlander Theater: OSHA training with Nate Hoam

Session II: Thurs. August 28 from 11:00-11:50 am in Freedlander Theater: Building specific training

Bring the Building Policy Guide with you to this session.

Both sessions will require using your phone to log attendance in the Moodle Safety Training Course. To speed up the process, please come with your phone logged-in to your Wooster account and ready to take a picture of a QR code that will direct you to the course. Once you have been directed to the Moodle course site, you will need to enroll in the course at the beginning of Session I and then enter a code to indicate that you have attended the training sessions. If you have trouble with this please reach out to staff before you leave the training session –if you have not completed the necessary information, you will not be considered in attendance and have to repeat the session.

Once you have completed the four parts of Safety Training (Session I, Session II, Laboratory Safety Quiz and Safety Agreement Form) you will be cleared to work in the laboratory settings.

Safety Training
2025-08-28 11:00 - 11:50
Session II: Severance and Williams Specific Training

Safety Training is mandatory for:

Biology, BCMB, Chemistry, Environmental Studies and Neuroscience seniors (There are a few exemptions that advisors will communicate directly with the senior)

Students employed by the College working in Severance or Williams Halls; stockroom assistants, laboratory assistants, research assistants, greenhouse assistants, STEM Zone Interns, or building monitors

Notice to Health Coaches: We know that health coaches typically experience conflicts with Safety Training. Coaches should plan to attend the entire Session I as this session must be completed in its entirety as an in-person training that has limited occurrences. We will communicate via email how to complete Session II after Session I has been completed. Please watch your emails for more information.

Safety Training Details/Requirements:

Session I: Tues. August 26 from 11:00-11:50am in Freedlander Theater: OSHA training with Nate Hoam

You will receive the Severance and Williams Building Policy Guide at this session.

Session II: Thurs. August 28 from 11:00-11:50am in Freedlander Theater: Building specific training

Bring the Building Policy Guide with you to this session.

Both sessions will require using your phone to log attendance in the Moodle Safety Training Course. To speed up the process, please come with your phone logged-in to your Wooster account and ready to take a picture of a QR code that will direct you to the course. Once you have been directed to the Moodle course site, you will need to enroll in the course at the beginning of Session I and then enter a code to indicate that you have attended the training sessions. If you have trouble with this please reach out to staff before you leave the training session –if you have not completed the necessary information, you will not be considered in attendance and have to repeat the session.

Once you have completed the four parts of Safety Training (Session I, Session II, Laboratory Safety Quiz and Safety Agreement Form) you will be cleared to work in the laboratory settings.

Chemistry Senior Meeting
2025-09-02 11:00 - 11:50
Senior I.S. meeting for chemistry majors, Class of 2026. Meeting in RWW 045. Group photo will be taken. Seniors are invited to have individual photos taken following the group photo.

Chemistry Seminar
2025-09-09 11:00 - 11:50
Metin Karayilan, PhD, Assistant Professor, Case Western Reserve University

Location: Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Sciences, Room 045

Chemistry Seminar
2025-09-16 11:00 - 11:50
Rebecca Hopkins (’20, CHEM), PhD candidate, The University of Pittsburgh

Two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy to characterize anion transport in a highly-ordered polymeric anion exchange membrane

Becky Hopkin’s research focuses on physical chemistry. Her I.S. advisor was Karl Feierabend, PhD. She is a member of The Anna Group at the University of Pittsburgh.

Two dimensional infrared spectroscopy (2DIR) is an ultrafast spectroscopic technique that uses laser pulse sequences to track changes to molecular vibrational excited states on the femtosecond to picosecond (10-15 to 10-12 seconds) timescale. Due to the sensitivity of vibrational excitations to the local molecular environment, vibrational probes can be used to track ultrafast interactions between the probe and its microenvironment by tracking observables like vibrational excitation lifetime and spectral diffusion timescales. In this work, this ability of 2DIR is leveraged to provide a molecular-level understanding of anion transport in novel highly-ordered polymeric anion exchange membranes. A combination of 2DIR, molecular dynamics simulation, and electronic impedance spectroscopy forms a bridge between the microscopic interactions of anions in the membranes with the macroscopic property of conductivity. In this seminar, expect to learn about 2DIR as a technique and its application to the problem of ion transport within anion exchange membranes.

Lunch with Becky

Students are invited to meet with Becky Hopkins over lunch in Severance 105 following the lecture. RSVP is appreciated, although not required: https://forms.office.com/r/uNRfRd16he

Chemistry Seminar
2025-09-23 11:00 - 11:50
Rob Dennis-Pelcher, PhD, Principal Scientist, Global Material Sustainability, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Professional Development Seminar: “Being Bold & Driving Performance & Sustainability in Tires”

Students are invited to meet with Dr. Dennis-Pelcher over lunch in Severance 105 following the lecture. RSVP by Monday Sept. 22, 1 PM: https://forms.office.com/r/uNRfRd16he

Location: Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Sciences, Room 045

Summer Research Poster Session
2025-09-30 11:00 - 12:00
Chemistry and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Majors present their summer research project in a one hour poster session.

Experience a poster session

Learn about summer research opportunities

Refreshments provided

Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Sciences, Room 140

This event is supported by the Dr. Carl O. Schulz Endowed Chemistry Fund

Chemistry/BCMB Seminar
2025-10-14 11:00 - 11:50
Yana Sandlers, PhD, Associate Professor, Cleveland State University

Application of Mass Spectrometry in Studies of Inherited Metabolic Disorders

During the presentation we will explore the critical role of mass spectrometry in the studies of inherited metabolic disorders, which are a large group of genetic diseases where a metabolic defect leads to the accumulation of toxic substances or a deficiency of essential metabolites. We will discuss the application of advanced mass spectrometry techniques, including Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GCMS), LC-Triple Quadrupole (QTRAP), and LC-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight (QTOF), for untargeted metabolomics and metabolites profiling in cellular models. I will present some examples of how these powerful analytical tools are utilized to identify biomarkers and pathways associated with specific conditions, such as Very Long-Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency (VLCAD), Fabry disease, and Barth syndrome. Through examples from our studies, I will demonstrate that mass spectrometry is a vital tool in translational research. These techniques are crucial for gaining a deeper understanding of disease mechanisms, which in turn facilitates development of new therapeutic approaches.

Location: Ruth W. Williams Hall of Life Sciences, Room 060

Helen Murray Free Context Discussion
2025-10-21 11:00 - 11:50
Journal article discussion: A Stable Neutral Diborene Containing a B=B Double Bond by:

Gregory Robinson, PhD, Foundation Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, University of Georgia

Discuss Dr. Robinson’s research in preparation for engaging with him during his visit, Thursday, October, 23. Link to article: 2007 JACS diborene

Refreshments provided.
