EMU DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY Spring 2016 EMU · EMU DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY Spring 2016 EMU ... participate in a capstone project in ... Polymer Chemistry; background in food fermentation,

EMU DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY Spring 2016

EMU Department

of Chemistry

Spring 2016

EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY… EDUCATION FIRST

SSRI 2016 Learn more about the Summer Science Research Initiative schedule for 2016 on page 2.

New Programs Neuroscience and Fermentation Science were both approved by Board of Regents in the past year. Profiles of these new programs are on pages 2 and 3.

Alumni Spotlight Catch up with Dr. Ermelinda Harper, ’98 to find out how the Professional Biochemistry major has gone on to see the world and our impact on the environment. Her story on page 4.

Faculty Highlights Learn what the faculty have been doing this year. You’ll find an introduction to our newest colleague, professional society activities and awards, sabbaticals and more on pages 5, 7 and 8.

Outreach Activities EMU Chemistry faculty participated in the Digital Divas program to get middle school and high school age girls interested in science. Learn more about this and other outreach activities on page 6.

Chemistry Club See what the Chemistry Club got up to this year on page 6.

Focus on Students Find out what our amazing graduate and undergraduate students have been up to this year. Page 7 has all the details!

Publications and Presentations Faculty and students have been busy publishing and presenting their research this year; see the list starting on page 9.

2015 Student Award Winners See Page 11. The 2016 winners will be posted soon.

ACS CERTIFICATION RENEWED

Every five years, the Chemistry Department undergraduate program is reviewed by the ACS Committee on Professional Training. This is an extensive process requiring the submission of materials addressing all aspects of our program. We have just received the results of the most recent evaluation indicating continued approval of our program. The review states "The very thoughtful and thorough summary of department activities reflects a vibrant department that is making significant improvements in curriculum and scholarly activity." Additionally, they cited

"... the recent renovation and expansion of departmental space, which has enhanced both instructional and research activity."

"The increased number of student presentations at professional meetings and student co-authorship on faculty publications..."

"... the emphasis placed on the assessment of student learning outcomes, the new approach to evaluating lab work, and the efforts to develop students' writing skills."

What’s New in Chemistry?

Another exciting year in the EMU Chemistry Department!

EMU DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY | SPRING 2016 2

SSRI seeks to create a community of scholars consisting of both faculty and students that share ideas and get to know each other during a series of events such as general science lectures, laboratory tours, resume-building workshops, etc.

Picnic at the Lakehouse, week of May 9

Short student presentations, weeks of May 9 and 16

Tour of the Ann Arbor Wastewater Treatment Plant, week of May 23

Lecture: Farsad Fotouhi, Pall Corporation; The 1,4-Dioxane Plume in Ann Arbor, Wednesday June 1

Lecture: Lead Levels in Flint Water, week of June 6

Panel on Graduate School and Resume Preparation, week of June 13

Final Student Presentations and Poster Session, week of July 25

Fermentation is the process by which organisms convert carbohydrates into energy and other by-products in the absence of oxygen. "Fermentation" is commonly used to refer to the production of alcohol from sugars, as in the production of beer and wine, but it is also present in many other common processes, such as the leavening of bread or the production of sauerkraut. Nationwide, craft beverages, such as beer, wine, cider, distilled spirits, and kombucha, have increased greatly in popularity, as have fermented foods, such as yogurt, bread, cheese, dry-cured sausage, and kimchi. This growth has been spurred both by an increase in small batch, artisan-crafter products and by the recognition of the potential health benefits of a diet that includes fermented foods containing active organisms. Additionally, non-food fermentation is on the

rise, such as in the production of biofuel, and in the production of pharmaceutical products and precursor molecules. As the market for these products has increased, so has the need for trained and knowledgeable college graduates to fill scientific positions in these rapidly growing industries. The Fermentation Science program at Eastern Michigan University has been designed to bring together subjects from multiple disciplines and to frame them in the context of the science of fermentation and its practical application. The program includes a foundation in Chemistry, Biology, and Physics along with newly designed courses directly related to fermentation. As a culmination of the degree, majors will participate in a capstone project in cooperation with local businesses in the fermentation industry to apply what they have learned to real-life problems. The degree can be further customized through the selection of appropriate electives in science, business, and hospitality.

You can visit our facebook page or our website for more information about this exciting new program.

Cory Emal , PhD, Organic and Medicinal Chemistry; background in the chemistry of beer. Trained and certified as a beer judge through the Beer Judge Certification Program

(BJCP); received formal training through the Siebel Institute of Technology, and is a member of American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC), the Ann Arbor Brewer's guild (AABG) and the American Homebrewer’s Association

(AHA).

Gregg Wilmes, PhD, Organic and Polymer Chemistry; background in food fermentation, especially bread and aged sausage

production.

REGENT FITZSIMMONS LECTURES

This year’s speaker is Dr. Erin D. Bigler, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Founding Director of the MRI Research Facility at Brigham Young University. Dr. Bigler will present the lectures on May 19 (general public) and May 20 (STEM students and faculty).

A RECEPTION WILL FOLLOW THE TALK ON MAY 19 IN THE ATRIUM.

Summer Science

Research Initiative

Fermentation Science by Cory Emal and Gregg Wilmes

For more information…

Please contact Prof. Maria Milletti or Prof. Harriet Lindsay.

EMU DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY | SPRING 2016 3

SCIENCE COMPLEX NEWS

Building Tour Opportunity Would you like a guided tour of the newly remodeled Mark Jefferson Science Complex before the Annual Awards Banquet on April 8, 2016? If enough people express an interest, we will arrange some tours. Contact the Chemistry office (by email or by phone at 734-487-0616) to be added to the list!

How things have changed! There’s the new building, of course, but how have things changed in Chemistry over the past few years? Let the numbers tell the story…

FAST FACTS

41% Increase in the Number of Bachelor’s Degrees Awarded in Chemistry and Biochemistry Since 1986

80% Increase in Number of Credit Hours of Undergraduate Research Since 2002

25 Average Number of Undergraduate Symposium Presentations from Chemistry in 2014-15, the most ever!

The new neuroscience major is a dynamic, interdisciplinary scientific program that strives to understand the structure and functions of the nervous system and their role in behavior and various neurological diseases.

Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents approved the program at its regular meeting Oct. 13.

Neuroscience focuses on the brain and its impact on behavior and cognitive functions. New technology and research now allow neuroscientists to study the nervous system in many aspects: how it is structured, how it works, how it develops, how it malfunctions, and how it can be changed. Research can be done at multiple levels, ranging from the molecular and cellular levels to the systems and cognitive levels.

Traditionally, neuroscience has been classified as a subdivision of biology, however, the field is now an interdisciplinary science. Eastern Michigan’s program will be a cooperative effort among the departments of biology, chemistry and psychology, devoted to understanding brain-behavior structure, function and relationships, and reflects the contemporary growth of neuroscience as its own discipline.

Neuroscience, based on research areas and subjects of study, includes but is not limited to such branches as:

Affective neuroscience –studies how neurons behave in relation to emotions.

Behavioral neuroscience – looks at how the brain affects behavior.

Clinical neuroscience – researches disorders of the nervous system.

Cultural neuroscience – studies how beliefs, practices and cultural values are shaped and are shaped by the brains, minds and genes over different time periods.

Developmental neuroscience – examines how the nervous system develops on a cellular basis.

Neuroinformatics – combines data across all areas of neuroscience to help understand the brain and treat diseases.

The new program will provide students with a solid background and preparation for graduate school programs that lead to careers such as neuropathology, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, neurobiology, developmental psychology and educational psychology.

For more information on how the Chemistry Department is involved in this exciting interdisciplinary program, contact Dr. Hedeel Evans.

The Cell and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Research Space is just part of the interdisciplinary approach EMU is taking to research and teaching.

Neurosciences by Pamela Young

By Wei-Chung Allen Lee, Hayden Huang, Guoping Feng, Joshua R. Sanes, Emery N. Brown, Peter T. So, Elly Nedivi [CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

EMU DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY | SPRING 2016 4

Ermelinda Harper is a 1998 graduate of EMU with a professional bio-chemistry degree. As a student, she received numerous honors. Among them, she

was awarded Third Team status in USA TODAY's All USA College Academic Team. At the time, she was the only EMU student to have received this honor.

was named a Barry Goldwater Scholar. The purpose of the Foundation is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue research careers in these fields

received the 1998 Bert W. Peet Award winner. This award goes to top graduating EMU Chemistry or Biochemistry major.

was the student emcee at the 1998 Undergraduate Symposium. She was the third student ever selected for this position.

Below, in her own words, Dr. Harper tells the story of her academic and professional career.

“I changed majors at least a dozen times in my first year of undergraduate! I finally selected a major that stuck and decided upon a pre-medical track. Everything was finally set, and then in walked Dr. Elva Nicholson and organic chemistry.

At the time, I did not have a lot of confidence in my academic abilities. This – combined with the horror stories I had heard about organic chemistry – had me literally shaking in my shoes. For the entire semester, I thought about almost nothing but organic chemistry. When the semester ended, I found myself actually looking forward to the next organic chemistry class in the sequence. I was shocked and flattered when Dr. Nicholson began asking questions about my educational and career goals.

Over the next year, I found myself thinking about chemistry a lot, and more and more chemistry classes crept into my schedule. This coincided with my spending more time in the laboratory of a chemistry professor, Dr. Michael Brabec, who I still regard as my most important mentor. Spending the summer at

Eastern Michigan University working with Dr. Brabec in a National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates position “sealed the deal”, and I changed my major one more time: to professional biochemistry.

After being graduated from Eastern Michigan University, I lived in Beijing, China, teaching for a year and then working at an environmental consultancy for another year. During this time, I saw firsthand the environmental challenges and degradation that developing countries face. The encouragement that I received in science – combined with my experience in China – ultimately coalesced into my decision to pursue graduate studies with an environmental focus.

I was graduated with a Master of Science degree in civil engineering from Northwestern University. With the support of a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, I pursued further graduate work at Yale University. At Yale, I completed two master’s degrees along the way to my PhD in engineering and applied science. As a doctoral student, I studied the element tungsten, determining quantitative estimates for how the United States has used it and traded it, in all of its forms, for a 25-year period, and the ultimate fate of the products that remained in the United States (i.e., estimates of how much was recycled versus discarded in landfills). The results illuminated how the United States uses tungsten, and what recycling potentials might exist.

My work as a research scientist at Yale University shifted to studying metals use, recycling, and resources. This work has become increasingly important in light of emerging technologies (e.g., solar panels and smart phones) that employ metals whose supply may be uncertain, and it has received wide attention from academia, industry, and the general public. So far, I have co-authored 16 peer-reviewed publications throughout my education and career.

The guidance and support so generously, continuously, and graciously given by extremely talented Chemistry Department faculty members was invaluable and, quite honestly, the best I ever received. The didactic and laboratory training at Eastern was rigorous, comprehensive, and inspiring. I firmly attribute every success that I have had to the mentorship that I received at Eastern Michigan University, both as a member of the Honors Program and as a chemistry student. My decision to change my major one last time was one of the best decisions I ever made.”

Do you have an alumni update to share?

We would love to hear from Chemistry Department alumni and feature your stories on our website and next year’s newsletter. We have a whole page on the Department website for Alumni (click here to go right to that page). Send your updates and stories to Ross Nord.

Photos from the archive

Alumni Spotlight by Dr. Ermelinda Harper

Chem Club demos November 1, 2006

Award winners, 1999

EMU DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY | SPRING 2016 5

Welcome Brittany Albaugh

Brittany Albaugh received her under-graduate degree in Cell and Molecular Biology at Grand Valley State University, where she first became interested in pursuing mentoring

and teaching undergraduates in science and research. She went to the University of Wisconsin and received her PhD in biochemistry. There, she worked with John Denu in elucidating kinetic mechanisms of epigenetic enzymes and drug targeting of epigenetic proteins. She stayed at Wisconsin and received her postdoctoral training on the epigenetic basis of Breast Cancer with Avtar Roopra. Throughout her graduate and postdoc work she continued to receive training in teaching in mentoring. Currently, Professor Albaugh is setting up a biochemistry research lab studying epigenetic proteins involved in cancer aggression. Additional information about Dr. Albaugh can be found on her departmental webpage.

Nina Contis named ACS Fellow

Beginning in 2009, the American Chemical Society has annually recognized a select group of members for their contributions to science and the

chemical profession. Professor Ellene (Nina) Tratras Contis was one of this year's 78 honorees (out of a total ACS membership exceeding 158,000). The ACS website listed the following contributions made by Dr. Contis: Contribution to the science/profession: Recognized for vision and leadership in cutting-edge strategies to engage students into the STEM community and for work in studying short-lived fission products of uranium-235 and trace metal analysis of water.

Contribution to the ACS community:

Recognized for leadership on the Committee on International Activities, chairing the Europe and Middle East Subcommittee, directing long-term global strategic planning

efforts and International Chemical Sciences Chapter development, and co-organizing and chairing symposia and international conferences.

The Chemistry Department is proud to Professor Contis as a faculty member and of her significant contributions listed above. We sincerely congratulate her on her selection as an ACS Fellow. In addition to this recognition, Prof. Contis was appointed the new Chair of the International Activities Committee of the ACS.

Amy Johnson spends sabbatical designing General Chemistry materials

Professor Amy Johnson spent a one-semester sabbatical in Fall 2015 developing course materials for General Chemistry that address how knowledge of the concepts of Chemistry

have evolved to give us the contemporary view of the atom. All science evolves and is self-correcting, and Dr. Johnson is developing classroom materials that will impress upon students an understanding of how the natural and physical world of atoms is built upon evidence in support of hypotheses, where inductive, deductive, and intuitive approaches serve as the vehicle for discovery. Dr. Johnson plans to integrate case studies of scientific progress as a strategy for supporting student learning of the how the discipline is practiced. The intended format for delivery of instruction will involve flipping the classroom, where content will be provided outside of class and where students will be actively engaged with the case studies in the classroom.

Ruth Ann Armitage enjoys sabbatical at Oxford

From October 2014 through the end of March 2015, Professor Armitage spent her sabbatical at the Research Laboratory for

Archaeology and the History of Art at the University of Oxford. A brief report from her follows:

“There are not many researchers working on archaeological chemistry here in North America, so to really get involved, I knew I’d

need to travel abroad. As is often the case with these things, an opportunity arose over discussion of a poster at a conference. The funding EMU provides for a full-year sabbatical made it possible to pursue this opportunity to go to Oxford and pick up a project started by a textiles expert.

I thought I’d be working on identification of dyes in ancient textiles from a salt mine in Iran, but instead I ended up working to develop a protocol for identifying ancient silk fibers through protein mass spectrometry. Silk fibers have long been used in textiles and jewelry, even before the Bombyx mori silkworm was domesticated in China sometime around 3000 BC. The main protein in silk, fibroin, differs in its sequence depending on what insect produced the silk. We hoped that this would be a useful way of differentiating wild from domesticated silk, as the physical characteristics that make it easy to distinguish them in fresh fibers are lost under archaeological conditions.

Six months flew by in a flash, and we do have some interesting results showing that it is possible to use mass spectrometry to identify silk fibers, even when the textiles are contaminated and degraded. Considering the departure of the proteomics technician in December, several instrument breakdowns, and innumerable other delays, I’m amazed I got that far!

The good thing about those delays is that they provided many opportunities to explore Oxford. Every corner has so much history! My new heroine is Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin; every day, I walked past a blue marker on the Inorganic Chemistry building commemorating her Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964. At the time, x-ray crystallography was considered “not real chemistry” (a phrase I’ve heard before…) and her laboratory was relegated to the basement of the university museum!

I also had wonderful opportunities to visit other archaeological sciences programs in the UK, and to tour the new laboratory spaces at the British Museum. It was a productive sabbatical – the joy of having time to write! At my sendoff the Friday before I left, everyone told me that once you come to Oxford, it’s always with you, and will bring you back, someday. It was certainly an experience I’ll never forget and an opportunity I’ll always treasure.”

Faculty Highlights

EMU DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY | SPRING 2016 6

Digital Divas Digital Divas is an annual day-long program for middle-school and high-school-aged girls. Its primary focus is encouraging them to pursue careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. For the last several years, Dr. Larry Kolopajlo, assisted by Sharon Vance and a number of student volunteers, has run sessions during the program. During the most recent program, in November 2015, their session was entitled “Secret Messages” and the girls used disappearing ink, acid/base indicators, and UV pens to write and read secret messages. They also used disappearing paper that would dissolve in water. In addition, they learned about detecting counterfeit currency and taking fingerprints. Finally, there were some fun demonstrations including “elephant toothpaste” and blowing up hydrogen-filled balloons.

Students at Digital Divas, April 2015

Other outreach events Another Digital Divas event is coming

up in April 2016. Prof. Kolopajlo will be running a chemistry session again, this time with high school-age students.

The ACS Project SEED summer research program opens new doors for economically disadvantaged students to experience what it’s like to be a chemist. Students entering their junior or senior year in high school are given a rare chance to work alongside scientist-mentors on research projects in EMU Chemistry laboratories, discovering new career paths as they approach critical turning points in their lives. In 2016, EMU will again host two SEED students.

Outreach Activities

EMU Chemistry Club by Tim Friebe, Chem Club advisor

The Chem Club started out the 2015- 2016 academic year by hosting the annual Chemistry Department Picnic held at Candy Cane Park in Ypsilanti. Although the weather was not ideal, the food certainly was! One of this year’s Chem Club goals is to promote an interest in chemistry through outreach activities. We provided fun demonstrations at the CSIE annual open house and hosted a webinar open to the university from the American Chemical Society: Tales of Lab Safety: How to Avoid Rookie Accidents. The Chem Club also took their show on the road and visited Shepherd of the Lakes School where the demonstrations entertained over 200 students as well as their teachers! Making slime was as usual, a huge hit! Other activities included a T-shirt design contest, tutoring during finals week and participation in campus student life activities. For more information, please visit the chemistry department web site.

EMU DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY | SPRING 2016 7

Undergraduate Symposium The 35th EMU Undergraduate Research Symposium was held at the Student Center on Friday, March 27, 2015. The program included 23 presentations sponsored by the Chemistry Department representing the work of 28 chemistry students. Click here to see pictures and a listing of all of the Chemistry Department presentations.

Other notable accomplishments Christopher Haskin (Edwards) was selected by the McNair

Program as "McNair Scholar of the Year for 2014-2015."

Ahmed Oudief (Lindsay), Bridget Kennedy (Backues), Andrew Durden (Milletti), and Amy Markowitz (Janser) were granted Undergraduate Research Stimulus awards for Summer 2015.

Philip Elugbemi (Emal) and Rakeenja Fluellen (Emal) successfully completed their Honors Senior theses.

Briana Sohl (Holmes) and Jasmine Winzeler (Holmes) received research fellowships at the University of Michigan to engage in summer research.

Dean's Student Travel Awards to present their research at the ACS National Meeting in Denver, Colorado.

Joshua Hunt (Lindsay), Jamie Reder (Lindsay), Ahmed Oudeif Andrew Durden (Milletti), Jamie Reder (Lindsay), Sohail Rana (Janser), Damien Sheppard (Backues), Briana Sohl (Holmes), and Carson Zois (Backues) received winter 2016 Honors

Hokyung Shin (Janser) received an Undergraduate Research Stimulus Award for winter semester.

Congratulations to Gavin and Kimberley Edwards on the arrival of Lucas Gabriel Edwards. He was born 9:25 am on Wednesday, January 13, 2016. He was 8 lb 1 oz and 21.5 inches. Both mom and baby are fine.

Nina Contis (PI) and Nirit Glazer (co-PI), were selected into the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program; “Gulliver Innovative Learning: a Platform for Managing Kinesthetic Activities”, a 6-month grant award to engage with industry and translate our research innovation into products that benefit society.

Jeff Guthrie received tenure and was promoted to associate professor.

Cory Emal was promoted to full professor.

Gavin Edwards gave an invited presentation at the ACS meeting in a special section on “Creative Advances in Environmental Science and Technology”.

Cory Emal was named on two patents that were granted covering the PAI-1 inhibitors developed through his collaboration with Dan Lawrence’s lab at the University of Michigan.

Ruth Ann Armitage was a featured speaker at this Fall's Midland ACS section meeting. Here talk was entitled "Colors of the Past: Archaeological Chemistry of Natural Dyes".

Larry Kolopajlo presented a talk on fuel cells at the Metropolitan Detroit Science Teachers Association on November 7.

Amy Johnson was appointed to the Distinguished Faculty Awards Committee.

Nina Contis and Nirit Glazer had their application selected as the EMU internal awardee for the competition NSF: Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity.

Jose Vites received a College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Program Development Initiative for his proposal “Study of STEM student retention at EMU.”

Ruth Ann Armitage received a $3000 grant from Women in Philanthropy for her project “Dating and Chemical Analysis of Textile Fragments from Seip Moud Group.”

Harriet Lindsay received a $5000 grant from Women in Philanthropy for her project “Enhancing ACS Project SEED by Partnering with McNair Scholars.”

Brittany Albaugh received a Provost’s New Faculty Award for $5000 for her project entitled "Mechanism of cancer drug inhibition to the protein called UHRF".

Vance Kennedy, Tim Brewer, Hedeel Evans & Heather Holmes, Debbie Heyl-Clegg, Ingo Janser, Larry Kolopajlo, and Don Snyder received Provost’s Research Support Awards.

Cory Emal was part of a successful proposal “Develop a Preclinical Data Package for a Small Molecule Inhibitor of PAI-1” submitted by his collaborator, Daniel Lawrence, to the University of Michigan’s Michigan Translational Research and Commercialization (MTRAC) for Life Sciences Program.

Focus on Students

EMU DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY | SPRING 2016 8

Several faculty members were awarded Faculty Research

Fellowships for the 2015-16 academic year. Briefly, here are

some descriptions of their proposed projects.

Dr. Ruth Ann Armitage proposed to develop the use of paper spray ionization for characterization of peptides in textiles of archaeological materials on the AccuTOF mass spectrometer that is located in the Chemistry department. The results of this research project will provide a more accurate approach to identification of the composition of proteins in archaeological materials

than the current method of visual identification using optical or scanning electron microscopy that is made more difficult when specimens are degraded or contaminated, which is a common occurrence in archaeological materials.

Dr. Steven Backues proposed to investigate the proteins involved in a mechanism known as “selective autophagy” by which cells move material including pathogens, damaged organelles and toxic protein aggregates from the cytoplasm to the vacuole of the cell that degrades the materials. Specifically, Dr. Backues proposes to purify the regions of proteins that

interact in this process of selective autophagy, which protects against many diseases including tuberculosis, and Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases.

Dr. Cory Emal proposed to continue development of inhibitors of plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1), whose presence in the blood at abnormally high levels has been linked to cardiovascular dysfunctions (including heart attacks, strokes, and atherosclerosis), obesity, and type-2 diabetes. Triplaxitin, a PAI-1 inhibitor, has advanced to early stage clinical trials,

although apparently further efforts to move the drug to further trials are “presumed to be abandoned, thus opening the door for continued efforts to find other suitable PAI-1 inhibitor candidates.

Dr. Hedeel Evans proposed to study the mechanism by which a neuroprotective peptide, humanin, effectively prevents import of another protein (IGFBP3) into the nucleus under conditions that model those observed in Alzheimer’s disease. Her first goal entails the determination of the specificity and affinity of importin

nuclear localization sequence with which the protein partners presumably interact. The other research goal involves determining the temporal and spatial interaction of human and importin-β interaction with IGFBP3 in cells under normal conditions and under those conditions leading to cell death (known as apoptosis), which is one of the central features observed in Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Deborah Heyl-Clegg proposed to synthesize small peptides to determine whether they can disrupt the physical association between two cell-surface receptors that play a role in depression. This FRF project follows up ongoing efforts to determine whether peptides synthesized by Dr. Heyl-Clegg’s research group are capable of preventing two

subtypes of the cell-surface dopamine receptor from interacting and thereby potentially preventing effects associated with depression.

Dr. Ingo Janser planned to develop a novel cancer chemotherapeutic drug that is proposed to effectively destroy cancer cells that are resistant to cis-platinum treatment. The drug targets a phase II drug metabolizing enzyme, glutathione S-transferase (GST), which metabolizes the cis-platinum to a biologically inactive product. First, Dr. Janser proposes to

synthesize a cis-platinum derivative that is attached to two ethacrynic acid (EA) molecules or EA derivatives. Dr. Janser will then submit the resultant compounds to the Development Therapeutics Program at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health to determine the extent of their ability to kill cancer cells.

Dr. Harriet Lindsay proposed to investigate a type of organic chemical reaction that builds molecular frameworks using a “green” approach to synthesis. The student members of Dr. Lindsay’s research group have recently discovered a zinc-catalyzed method for improving the aza-Cope-Mannich (ACM), which involves a significant reduction in waste produced from

the reaction. The goals are to (1) attempt the zinc-catalyzed reaction in each of ten alternative solvents that are preferable to (that is, are greener than) the current solvent used in the reaction, tetrahydrofuran; (2) determine the extent of the structural alterations that are allowable in this reaction, by varying the groups that are attached to the molecule; and (3) modify the zinc catalyst to influence the production of a particular spatial orientation of the product that might be, for example, pharmacologically active, relative to an alternative orientation, which might not have any activity or exhibit toxicity.

Faculty Research Fellowships

EMU DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY | SPRING 2016 9

Presentations ACS National Meetings: Denver, CO (March 2015) and Boston, MA (August 2015)

“Platinum (IV) Prodrugs: A Simultaneous Release of Cisplatin and a Glutathione S-Transferase Inhibitor” N. Pilli, I. Janser

“Synthesis and Kinetic Investigation of Differently Substituted Chalcones” R. B. Gopagani, I. Janser

“Rapid, protecting-group free route to acyl pyrrolidines using imines as substrates in the aza-Cope rearrangement—Mannich cyclization” H. A. Lindsay, A. Oudeif, J. Reder, B. Yambrosic

“Structural requirements for diastereoselectivity in aza-Cope rearrangement: Mannich cyclizations leading to 2,2-disubstituted-4-acylpyrrolidines” H. A. Lindsay, J. Hunt

“Aza-Cope rearrangement—Mannich cyclizations of imines: A protecting-group free route to acyl pyrrolidines” H. A. Lindsay, A. Oudeif, J. Reder, B. Yambrosic

"Modeling of Air Quality from Materials Used in Passenger Vehicle Interiors" G.D.Edwards, S. Canaday, P. Stratton

Joint Great Lakes/Central Regional ACS Meeting, Grand Rapids, MI, May 2015

“Identification of Red Dyes by DART-MS: Examples from North and South American Archaeological Contexts” R.A. Armitage, K. Jakes

“Characterizing 18th-Century Glues on Ceramics from Ferry Farm, George Washington’s Boyhood Home” D. Fraser, R. A. Armitage, M. Kaktins

“DART-MS: A Confirmatory Test for Heme in Bloodstains on Fabric” S. Torres, R. A. Armitage

“Natural Anthraquinone Dyes and Dye Mixtures: Microwave Synthesis and Characterization by Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART) Mass Spectrometry” S. Augustin, T. Friebe, R. A. Armitage

“A new scalable educational technology and the I-Corps experience.” N. Glazer, E. Tratras Contis

“The effect of a bulky vinylic substituent on the stereoselectivity of an aza-Cope Mannich reaction leading to substituted pyrrolidines” A. E. Winkler, M-C. Milletti

“Modeling interactions between PAI-1 and inhibitor: Combining molecular dynamics and density functional theory” M. Sadowsky, M-C. Milletti

“Exploring the effect of an electron-withdrawing substituent in an aza-Cope - Mannich reaction” A. S. Durden, M-C. Milletti

“Examining the strength of interactions between PAI-1 and a potential inhibitor” B. M. Jewell, M-C. Milletti

“Computational modeling of the interaction between PAI-1 and a small molecule inhibitor” C. Baumer, M-C. Milletti

“Computational analysis of the stereoselective synthesis of pyrrolidines” D. Jones, M-C. Milletti

Central Regional ACS Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA, October 2014

“Phase transfer of gold-silver alloy nanoparticles” T. R. Brewer, B. T. Comstock-Reid, R. Fiedler, V. Marcu

“Chemistry of fermented beverages as a component of an undergraduate curriculum” C. D. Emal

“Fighting bacterial resistance: Modifying the Antimicrobial Peptide Tachyplesin” N. P. Kanneganti, S. Wood and D. Heyl.

“Examining the interface of pyrimidine pathway enzymes using synthetic peptide” N. Alyami, D. Ganti, F. Hachem, D. Evans, D. Heyl, and H. Evans.

“Exploring the Interaction of Humanin and its Analogs with IGFBP-3 and Regulation of Apoptosis in Alzheimer’s Disease” S. H. Gedara, H. Zhang, H. Evans, and D. Heyl.

Midwestern Symposium on Undergraduate Research in Chemistry, East Lansing, MI, October 2014

“Phase Transfer of Gold-Silver Alloy Nanoparticles” B. Comstock-Reid and T. R. Brewer

“Cephalotaxine Analogues – Synthesis of Potential Anticancer Drugs” C. Swanson, R. Gopagani, I. Janser

“Ethacrynic Acid as a Lead Structure for the Development of Potent Urease Inhibitors” S. Blackburn, Z. Azeez, I. Janser

Michigan Chemistry College Teacher Association Conference, Ypsilanti, MI, November 2014

“Guided-Inquiry Activities in Chemistry” T. R. Brewer

“User Forms for Interactive Excel Worksheets in Teaching Chemistry” L. Kolopajlo

Other conferences, meetings, and invited seminars

“Identification of Red Dyes by DART-MS: Examples from North and South American Archaeological Contexts” R. A. Armitage, K. Jakes, 7th MaSC Meeting, Chicago, IL, May 2015

“Proteomics of Silk: Can we use proteins to differentiate wild from cultivated?” R. A. Armitage, Materials Group Seminar, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, February 2015 (invited)

“Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry for Characterizing Dyes and Residues” R. A. Armitage, RLAHA Department Seminar, Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, February 2015 (invited)

“Water Treatment and Innovation: Background and Overview” E. Tratras Contis, Gii Water Innovation Treatment & Solutions Symposium, Singapore, December 2014 (invited)

“Study and Research Collaboration Abroad: Trends, Best Practices and Resources” E. Tratras Contis, University Malaysia Technologie in Johor, Malaysia, and at Siam University in Bangkok, Thailand, December 2014 (invited)

“Proposal Development: Selling Research Ideas” E. Tratras Contis, ACS BOST workshops at five different universities throughout Thailand, June – July 2015

EMU DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY | SPRING 2016 10

Presentations (continued)

“A Technology-rich Kinesthetic Approach for Teaching and Learning” N. Glazer, E. Tratras Contis, and Y. Glazer, 22nd International Conference on Learning, Madrid SP, July 2015

“A technology-rich kinesthetic approach for STEM teaching and learning” N. Glazer, E. Tratras Contis, and Y. Glazer, ATINER Conference, Athens GR, July 2015

“FAM129B, a Novel Protein, suppresses the TNF α apoptotic pathway and Promotes the NF-ĸ B Survial Pathway in Cancer Cells by Interacting with KEAP1” F. A. Hachem, S. Chen, H. G. Evans, D. R. Evans, ASBMB Annual Meeting, Boston, MA

“Simultaneous Detection of Two UV-Induced DNA Damages Using Capillary Electrophoresis and Quantum Dots” J. Guthrie, Pittcon, New Orleans, LA, March 2015

“Selection of Aptamers using Quantum-Dot-Assisted Capillary Electrophoresis SELEX” M. Martin and J. Guthrie, Pittcon, New Orleans, LA, March 2015

“Selection of Aptamers using Quantum-Dot-Assisted Capillary Electrophoresis SELEX” J. Guthrie and M. Martin, Spectr’Atom and 60th ICASS, Halifax NS, Canada, May 2015 (invited)

“Antimicrobial and Hemolytic Activity of Cysteine-Deleted Tachyplesin (CDT) Analogues in the Pursuit of Therapeutic Selectivity” D. Heyl, Y. Park, J. Garvey, R. Newman, Y. Vladaj, American Peptide Symposium, Orlando, FL, June 2015

“Engaging Pre-Service STEM Teachers with Chemistry Modeling: A Workshop” C. Dershimer, M. Olson, L. Kolopajlo, B. Kubitskey, MSTA 61st Annual Conference, Grand Rapids, MI, February 2015

“Modeling Heating Curves and Phase Changes” L. Kolopajlo, MSTA 61st Annual Conference, Grand Rapids, MI, February 2015

“Outreach: CSI and Digital Divas Workshops” L. Kolopajlo, T. Brewer, M. Connolly, The 2015 CSIE Symposium, Chemistry Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, June 2015

“Optical Phase-Shife Dynamics in Surface-Modified Transparent Polymers” D. Snyder, University of Michigan-Dearborn Chemistry Seminar

“Optical Phase Shift Dynamics in Transparent Polymers: Application of Wavefront Detectors in Chemical Analysis and Sensor Design” D. Snyder, 4th Annual World Congress on Advanced Materials, Chongqing, China, May 2015 (invited)

Publications

“Spider Man Cave: The Desecration of the Burnt Bluff Cultural Site and its Implications for Future Heritage Management” A. K. Ruuska, R. A. Armitage, Wisconsin Archaeologist 96(1), 27-44, 2015.

“Sequencing analytical methods for small sample dating and dye identification of textile fibers: application to a fragment from Seip Mound Group, Ohio” K. Jakes and R. A. Armitage, Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology. Published online 24 July 2015, DOI:10.1179/2327427115Y.0000000009.

“Direct Analysis in Real Time-Mass Spectroscopy for Identification of Red Dye Colorants in Paracas Necropolis Textiles” R. A. Armitage, K. Jakes, and C. Day, Science and Technology in Archaeological Research, 1(2), STAR2015112054892315Y.000000000.

“Identification of Anthraquinone Dye Colorants in Red Fibers from an Ohio Hopewell Burial Mound by Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry” R. A. Armitage, C. Day and K. Jakes, Science and Technology in Archaeological Research, 1(1), STAR2015112054892315Y.000000001

“Gas Chromatography” Armitage, R. A. In Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology, Gilbert, A. S., Ed. Springer: Netherlands, 2016.

“Advancing Science, Engaging STEM Learners” E. Tratras Contis, The International Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Learning, 20 (4), 81-89, 2014.

“Integrating Research and Education to Develop a Scientific Inquiry Template in an Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory” H. G. Evans and D. L. Heyl, Journal of Chemical Education, accepted 2016.

“Intersubunit Communication in the Dihydroorotase – Aspartate Transcarbamoylase Complex of Aquifex aeolicus” H. G. Evans, R. Fernando, A. Vaishnav, M. Kotichukkala, D. Heyl-Clegg, F. Hachem, J. S. Brunzelle, B. F. P. Edwards, D. R. Evans, Protein Science, 23(1):100-9, 2015. doi: 10.1002/pro.2396

“Simultaneous detection of ultraviolet B-induced DNA damage using capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence”, J.W. Guthrie, R.T. Limmer, E.A. Brooks, C.C. Wisnewski, N.D. Loggins-Davis, A. Bouzid, Anal. Chim. Acta, 853:676–681, 2014.

“Humanin Peptide Binds to Insulin-Like Growth Factor-Binding Protein 3 (IGFBP3) and regulates its interaction with importin-β” E. Njomen, H. G. Evans, S. H. Gedara, D. L. Heyl, Peptide and Protein Letters, 22 (10), in press 2015.

“Antimicrobial and Hemolytic Activity of Cysteine-Deleted Tachyplesin (CDT) Analogues in the Pursuit of Therapeutic Selectivity” D. Heyl, Y. Park, J. Garvey, R. Newman, Yllka Vladaj, In Proceedings of the 24th American Peptide Symposium), Michal Lebl, Ved Srivastava, Andrei Yudin, eds., 66-68, 2015.

US Patent 9,096,501 – “Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 Inhibitors and Methods of Use Thereof to Modulate Lipid Metabolism” Lawrence D. A., Strickland, D., Cale J., Su E. J., Emal C. D., Warnock M. – filed 5/21/2014; published 11/20/2014; granted 8/4/2015.

EMU DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY | SPRING 2016 11

Student Award Winners, 2015

UNDERGRADUATE

Mordechai Sadowsky, The Peet-Mayor Endowed Chemistry Award

Philip Ewing, ACS Huron Valley Section Undergraduate Award

Ahmed Oudeif, Maurice Decoster Endowed Chemistry Scholarship

Philip Klick, Andrew Durden, Sohail Rana, Collins’ Endowed Scholarships in Chemistry

Brandie Yambrosic, James G. and LeAnn K. Emal Scholarship in Chemistry

Jasmine Winzeler, Grace Simmons Gregory Scholarship

Sohail Rana, Sandra J. Lobbestael Chemistry Endowed Scholarship

Andrew Durden, Elva Mae Nicholson Organic Chemistry Endowed Scholarship

Toya Rodriguez, John Sullivan Endowed Scholarship

Diamond Jones, Hypercube Scholar Award

Howard Loller, Biochemistry Achievement Award

Andre Tackett, ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry Award

Cody Rump, CRC Press Chemistry Achievement Award

Faezeh Azizi, Farzaneh Azizi, Cody Rump, Perry S. Brundage Scholarships

Michelle David, Donald B. Phillips Memorial Endowed Scholarship

GRADUATE Joshua Hunt, David A. Berry Excellence in Organic/Biochemistry Endowed Scholarship

Christopher Haskin, Martin and Antoinette Gorski Endowed Scholarship

Jennifer Corker, Ronald M. Scott Memorial Scholarship

Michael Martin, James R. Beach Chemistry Endowment

Paul Pineau, EMU Chemistry Department Teaching Assistant Award

Michael Martin, EMU Chemistry Department Research Award

Sarah Burke, ACS Huron Valley Section EMU Outstanding Graduate Student Award