CSN Faculty Member Mike Curry was featured in the most recent issue of InChemistry Magazine, along with the Tuskegee University student chapter of the American Chemical Society. The article highlights the student group’s activities and Dr. Curry’s role as the chapter advisor over the past 14 years. Congratulations, Dr. Curry!
CSN Director Bob Hamers appeared on Wisconsin Public Radio’s Larry Meiller show yesterday to discuss the topic “Materials Research for Renewable Energy.” Also part of the conversation was John Greenler, Director of Education and Outreach at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) and the Wisconsin Energy Institute (WEI). You can listen to the full interview here.
Congratulations to Merve DoÄŸangün, whose recent blog post, Aerogels: Nanotechnology to Space and Beyond, was selected as a ScienceSeeker Editor’s Pick for the week of March 28. (One of Merve’s previous posts, Mimicking Nature’s Nanotechnology: From a butterfly wing to anti-counterfeit technologies, was also highlighted by ScienceSeeker.)
University of Wisconsin-Madison student Emily Caudill won the First Place Poster Presentation Award at the recent Midwest meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) for her poster on interaction of nanoparticles with Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial surfaces. The award included $1000 to cover travel expenses for the conference or for future SETAC conferences. 3M was the supporter of the award. Congratulations, Emily!
CSN Associate Director Christy Haynes has been named as an associate editor for the journal Analytical Chemistry, a publication of the American Chemical Society (ACS). As the ACS website says, analytical chemistry is a branch of chemistry that involves “obtaining, processing, and communicating information about the composition and structure of matter. In other words, it is the art and science of determining what matter is and how much of it exists.” Congratulations to Dr. Haynes for this prestigious appointment! You can read more at the University of Minnesota Chemistry Department website.
The Research Corporation for Science Advancement has announced CSN faculty member Rigoberto Hernandez as one of two recipients of this year’sTransformational Research and Excellence in Education (TREE) Award. According to the RCSA announcement, the award is”intended to recognize and advance truly outstanding research and education.” Silvia Ronco, the RCSA Program Director, is quoted in the announcement saying: It is such an honor to be able to celebrate Rigobertos teacher-scholar career with the TREE award. Not only he is a highly skilled computational chemist; he is also a wonderful role model for underrepresented groups in STEM disciplines. The combination of great science and outreach activities of high national impact made Rigoberto a very strong candidate for TREE. Congratulations, Rigoberto!
Donald White has placed 2nd in the Poster Competition at the Alabama Academy of ScienceConference, held this year at the University of North Alabama. His poster was entitled, “Synthesis, Functionalization, and Characterization of Cellulose Nanofibrils and Nanocrystals.” Congratulations, Donald!
Congratulations to CSN faculty member Erin Carlson, who has been named among the recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. According to the White House press release, this award is “the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.”  (The press release lists Erin’s affiliation as Indiana University, but she actually moved the University of Minnesota in 2014.) Update: Dr. Carlson’s PECASE award has been written up in the Minnesota Daily newspaper and on the University of Minnesota College of Science & Engineering website.
CSN faculty members Joel Pedersen and Rebecca Klaper will participate in a workshop at the Duke University Center for the Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEINT) entitled Environmental Nanomaterial Testing Media Harmonization, or ENTM Harmonization. The goal of this workshop is to develop user-community-driven recommendations for consistently characterized, relevant media types in which nanomaterial characterization and testing should be carried out, along with recommendations for consistently captured characterization parameters. The outcomes of the meeting will be captured in a peer-reviewed manuscript.
Two CSN faculty members recently received important honors and awards: Professor Franz Geiger was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. The RSC is the largest professional chemistry association after the American Chemical Society. Franz was also honored with a Faculty Diversity Award from the Northwestern University Graduate School for his “outstanding contributions to the graduate community at Northwestern. Professor Qiang Cui received a Kellett Mid-Career Award from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Kellett Awards are for exceptional mid-career faculty who are 7-20 years post-tenure, and provide $60,000 in unrestricted research funding. Congratulations to Franz and QC!
