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Denise Williams-Harris Defends Thesis

Denise Williams-Harris (Rosenzweig group, University of Maryland-Baltimore County) successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, entitled “Molecular Interactions between Luminescent Quantum Dots and Bacteria” on July 16, 2020. She accepted a position with AmbioPharm in Georgia, and is also tutoring at Paine College. Congratulations, Dr. Williams-Harris!

NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology (CSN) renewed for 5 more years!

We are delighted to announce that the NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology (CSN) has been renewed to continue advancing our research! The CSN is highly collaborative, linking 11 universities and two government laboratories, and supporting approximately 70 Ph.D. students, postdoctoral research fellows, and undergraduate researchers in a common goal to understand the fundamental chemistry of nanoparticles in the environment. Meet our amazing team on the “Our Team” page! “Naturally occurring nanomaterials, like sand, are things to which our bodies and the environment have adapted,” said UW-Madison professor of chemistry and CSN director Robert Hamers. “Engineered nanomaterials have not been in the environment for a long time, so biological systems have not adapted to challenges they present, leaving the potential for… Read More »NSF Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology (CSN) renewed for 5 more years!

Dr. Raychelle Burks Serves as CSN’s First Scholar-in-Residence

The CSN is pleased to announce ​Dr. Raychelle Burks as its first-ever Scholar-in-Residence for summer 2020. Dr. Burks will focus her work on the Center’s outreach and science communication efforts, including working with the summer undergraduate research program on a social media campaign.​ In addition, Dr. Burks will share her analytical chemistry expertise and participate in the center’s summer tutorial program. She will also present a free public webinar on chemistry in pop culture on August 4 at 7:30 p.m. Central (register here). Dr. Burks is joining the faculty of American University in Washington, D.C. as an Associate Professor of Analytical Chemistry on August 1. Previously she served as Assistant Professor of Chemistry at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas,… Read More »Dr. Raychelle Burks Serves as CSN’s First Scholar-in-Residence

Graduate Student Ben Frank Defends Thesis

Ben Frank (Fairbrother group, Johns Hopkins University) defended his doctoral dissertation, entitled “Environmental Transformations of Next-Generation Carbon Nanomaterials” on May 29. Congratulations, Dr. Frank!

Graduate Student Liz Laudadio Defends Thesis

Liz Laudadio (Hamers group, University of Wisconsin-Madison) defended her doctoral dissertation, entitled “Chemical Transformations of Lithium Cobalt Oxide Nanoparticles in Model Environmental Systems” on May 11.  Her doctoral thesis includes a chapter written to communicate her work to non-scientists, as part of the Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy (WISL) Award for Communicating Ph.D. Research to the Public. Liz will soon be joining Argonne National Laboratory as a postdoctoral researcher. Congratulations, Dr. Laudadio!

Graduate Student Beza Tuga Receives Robert L. Ferm Outstanding TA Award

Graduate Student Beza Tuga (Haynes group) received the Robert L. Ferm Outstamnding TA Award. In the words of one of her students: “Simply put, Beza has been the best TA of any subject during my time here at the University of Minnesota. No other TA had the ability to clearly explain tasks, make chemistry interesting, or relate to her students as well as Beza did.” Congratulations, Beza!

Graduate Student Stephanie Mitchell Receives Tim Salo Leadership Award

CSN Graduate Student Stephanie Mitchell (Carlson group) received the Tim Salo Leadership Award, granted every year by the University of Minnesota Council of Graduate Students “to recognize the recipient’s leadership and service to fellow graduate students.” Congratulations, Stephanie!

Graduate Student Cassie Zhang Defends Thesis

Cassie Zhang (Murphy group, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) defended her doctoral dissertation, entitled “Quantification of molecular-level events at nanoparticle-biological interfaces,” on April 8. Congratulations Dr. Zhang!