Donald White, a CSN student in Dr. Mike Curry‘s group at Tuskegee University, has been selected for a travel award to present at the 2017 Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in STEM. He will present his work entitled “Facile Method of Dispersing CNF’s via VS-I within a Polymer Matrix” at the March 2017 meeting in Washington, DC. Congratulations, Donald!
CSN faculty member Mike Curry and graduate student Donald White were again featured in the news for their recent discovery of a way to dissolve cellulose in organic solvents, this time in The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education (“Tuskegee University Researchers Design Strong Biodegradable Plastics”) and Controlled Environments magazine (“Nanotechnology Leads to Breakthrough Plastics Discovery”).
Hyo Park, a student in the CSN’s Research Experience for Veterans program last summer, has won a Presentation Award in the Engineering, Physics and Mathematics scientific discipline for Nanotechnology at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS). As mentioned in a previous news item, Hyo had won a travel award to the conference to present his poster titled “Quantum Dot Chemical Stability and their Interactions with Zebrafish Embryos.” Congratulations, Hyo!
An article by CSN researchers has been identified by the journal Analytical Chemistry as one of its Selected Most Cited Articles for 2013-2015. You can read the article, “Toxicity of Engineered Nanoparticles in the Environment” by Melissa Maurer-Jones, Ian Gunsolus, Cathy Murphy, and Christy Haynes, here. Congratulations to Melissa, Ian, Cathy, and Christy!
CSN faculty member Rigoberto Hernandez has been re-elected to the American Chemical Society Board of Directors representing District IV. You can read the C&EN report on the election here. Dr. Hernandez also recently presented a talk, “Advancing Science Through Diversity,” to the National Science Foundation; video of the talk is now available to watch online here. Congratulations, Rigoberto!
CSN faculty member Sara Mason has been awarded an XSEDE (Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment) Resource Allocation for her proposal titled “Density Functional Theory Calculations for Nanomaterials in Energy Applications and the Environment.” The grant provides computational resources for advanced computing, visualization, and storage, and is valued at over $72,000. You can read more about the project in the Daily Iowan article “UI Scientists Probe Nano Effects.” Congratulations Sara!
The Analytical Scientist has named CSN Associate Director Christy Haynes to its 2016 Power List. The magazine describes the mission of their power list: “to prove just how impactful and diverse our field is by sharing the passions, pivotal moments and predictions of brilliant scientists who continue to shape our future.” You can read more about the award at the University of Minnesota Department of Chemistry’s announcement here. Congratulations, Christy!
CSN Director Bob Hamers and Associate Director Christy Haynes have both had recent Sustainable Nano blog posts listed as ScienceSeeker Editor’s Picks. Christy’s post, “Let’s Talk About Responsible Science Communication,” reflects on some of the challenges and responsibilities faced by scientists and science communicators, especially on high-profile platforms like TED. It appeared on the ScienceSeeker Editor’s Selections list for October 3-9, 2016. Bob’s post, “What’s With All Those Flaming Cell Phones? A Primer on Battery Safety,” explains how lithium-ion batteries work and some of the problems that might cause them to catch fire. It was among the ScienceSeeker Editor’s Selections for the week of October 10-16, 2016. Congratulations, Christy and Bob!
Congratulations to Professor Erin Carlson for being selected to receive a 2017 Rising Star Award from the American Chemical Society Women Chemists Committee (WCC)! This award recognizes six early to mid-career women chemists annually who have demonstrated exceptional promise for contributions to their fields, and recognizes Erin’s contributions to research, education, and the chemistry profession. You can read more about the award and Erin’s contributions in a recent University of Minnesota press release.
CSN graduate student Jared Bozich recently defended his doctoral thesis at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, “Surface functionalization and core chemistry impact the toxicity of nanomaterial to Daphnia magna.” Congratulations, Dr. Bozich!
