Chemistry Alumni

Meet Daniel Milligan

Alumni Profile

Class of 1972 After IWU I received a D.D.S. (Doctor of Dental Surgery) Degree from Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1976.

Where Now In Bloomington, Illinois. I moved back here immediately after graduating from Dental School, and opened my own dental practice in August 1976.

Present occupation Dentist. Self employed.

For Fun I fly. I am licensed as an instrument rated commercial pilot. I have been flying since 1970, and it is my favorite “escape”. I have flown all over the U.S., and from Fairbanks, Alaska to the Virgin Islands. Every time I get into an airplane, I feel privileged to live in a time when this is possible Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory Dr. Wendell Hess. He was the Chemistry Department Chairman and my faculty advisor while I was at IWU. He was (and still is) one of the most clear thinking, honest, positive, energetic, and generous people I have ever met. He has been a role model for me throughout my life. IWU has played a big part in our family’s life. My wife, Sue, has worked in the Presidents office for the last 11 years.

And three of our children have graduated from Illinois Wesleyan.

Favorite Quotation “Thought creates reality” and “Everything is happening at exactly the right time. Relax and enjoy the adventure.”

Meet Jim Olson

Alumni Profile

Class of 1974 After IWU Ph.D. M.S.

Medical College of Wisconsin Medical College of Wisconsin

Pharmacology Toxicology Pharmacology Toxicology

1978 1976

Postdoctoral training: 1978-1980 Vanderbilt University, Center in Environmental Toxicology Nashville, Tennessee Professional employment: 1980-1986 Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics

University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York. l986-1994 Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics,

State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 1994-present Professor, Dept. Pharmacology & Toxicology,

University at Buffalo.State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 2010-present Research Professor and Director, Environmental Health Sciences Division,

Dept. Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Health

Professions, University at Buffalo

Where Now

University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY Present occupation Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Research Professor and Director, Environmental Health Sciences Division, Dept. Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Health Professions For Fun Travel, photography, boating, fishing Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory Giving a senior seminar on aspirin, that highlighted the work of Sir John Vane and the role of prostaglandins on the actions of aspirin.

Meet Dr. Jose F. Elizondo

Alumni Profile

Class of 1986 After IWU Doctor of Medicine from University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine Where Now In Chicago, IL Present occupation Chairman of Department Family Medicine at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center For Fun I am a huge soccer fan, I follow the Chicago Fire and Manchester United of the Barclay’s Premier League in England.

Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory Dr Rettich asking our p-chem class “are you having fun?’ we would reply yes and he would say “you are not here to have fun” (joking).

Favorite Quotation Capt. Picard: [to Wesley Crusher] The first duty of every Starfleet officer is to the *truth*, whether it’s scientific truth, or historical truth, or personal truth.

Meet Gale Starkey

Alumni Profile

Class of 1988 After IWU Ph.D in organic chemistry at Washington University; post-doc at Monsanto; teaching at SIU-Edwardsville; Scientist at Apath Where Now Spencer Fane, LLP in St. Louis Present occupation Advisor and Patent Agent Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory Dr. Frank’s coffee fueled organic lectures.

Meet Daniel L. Webb Class of 1989

Alumni Profile

After IWU M.S. degree in January 1991 from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, performing natural products research with Professor Kenneth Rinehart.

Where Now Mahomet, IL (near Champaign), living with my wife, Dawn, and two children, Hope and Michael.

Present occupation Laboratory Manager, Illinois State Water Survey (part of the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability at the University of Illinois), Champaign, IL. For Fun I like to participate in activities with my family, including marching band, Boy Scouts, and travelling. I also like to perform science demonstrations (thanks for the influence Dr. Bailey and Dr. Rettich!) for various kids’ groups, through work, school, Scouts, or other avenues, and participate in other educational outreach activities. I currently am an event supervisor for the National Science Olympiad (running Environmental Chemistry for regional, state, and national competitions).

Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory All of the staff at IWU were great, and they helped make the Chemistry Department about more than just tests and lab reports. I enjoyed the class demonstrations, Dr. Rettich’s sense of humor in P-Chem, and the ASC activities. I suppose one of my favorites was watching the science professors compete for the best demonstration (I think the prize was a “Golden Erlenmeyer” award), with judging done by the students. It was an opportunity to tell Dr. Rettich “more chemistry needed to be explained.”

Favorite Quotation “Satisfaction of one’s curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life.”

—Linus Pauling

Meet Christopher Exstrom

Alumni Profile

Class of 1990 After IWU Ph.D. in inorganic/analytical chemistry from the University of Minnesota, 1995 Where Now University of Nebraska at Kearney Present occupation Professor of Chemistry For Fun Spending time with family, golf, bowling, wine tasting Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory Many, many, many . . .

• Doing undergrad research on nitrous acid photochemistry • Friendships with fellow chem majors • Lab Techniques class -- explaining to Dr. Rettich how we would spend the day “at the library.”

• Advanced Organic class -- trying to use KMnO4 in every synthesis problem and naming it the “Arte Johnson Memorial Reagent” • Running the old 60-Mz permanent magnet NMR -- don’t drop the tube in without a spinner!

Favorite Quotation “Two wrongs don’t make a right, but three rights make a left . . .”

Meet Leanne Nieukirk

Alumni Profile

Class of 1992 After IWU Master of Science in Analytical Chemistry from Indiana Univeristy.

Where Now Tucson, Arizona Present occupation My position title is Senior Chemist, and I am the Quality Assurance Officer for the City of Tucson Water Department For Fun I really enjoy traveling. I’m a certified SCUBA diver, so I use that as an excuse for many trips. Tucson is only a 4-hour drive from the beach in Mexico, so that’s an easy getaway. At home, I am always reading, and do a lot of walking/hiking in the Arizona sunshine.

Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory I remember folding many paper airplanes (along with the other senior chemistry majors) and distributing them to the General Chemistry class to be simultaneously launched at Dr. Rettich during his lecture.

Favorite Quotation “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there”. —Will Rogers

Meet Dustin Mergott

Alumni Profile

Class of 1998 After IWU I completed a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at the University of Michigan in Bill Roush’s group and subsequently did two years of postdoctoral research at Harvard University with Eric Jacobsen.

Where Now I live in Indianapolis, IN with my wife Julia.

Present occupation I am a senior research scientist in Discovery Chemistry at Eli Lilly and Company For Fun I enjoy running and have recently completed two half marathons. I also like to play golf.

Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory I always enjoyed the funny quotes on Dr. Bailey’s analytical chemistry exams (but they didn’t make the exams any easier).

Favorite Quotation “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t you’re right” —Henry Ford “I’m a great believer in luck. I find the harder I work the more of it I have.”

—Thomas Jefferson

Meet Kostas Gavardinas

Alumni Profile

Class of 1999 After IWU In 1999, I joined Pfizer Central Research in Groton, CT, where I worked on medicinal chemistry research projects in the antibacterials and respiratory areas.

In 2002, I moved to the Medicinal Chemistry Department of Lilly Research Laboratories in Indianapolis, IN, where I have been working primarily on cardiovascular and bone/muscle research projects.

Where Now I live in Indianapolis with my wife, Tara (Spano) Gavardinas 99, and our very spoiled dog, Scraps.

Present occupation Consultant Organic Chemist at Lilly Research Laboratories. Responsibilities include coordinating research team activities, structure-based drug design, compound library/platform design, structure/activity relationship (SAR) exploration and assisting the team from taking projects/compounds from the target hit/target of interest through the clinical candidate stage.

For Fun I have been performing in live shows as a lead guitarist in several local Indianapolis rock’n’roll bands. I spend my free time on landscaping/gardening and carpentry.

Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory Eeyore hanging out in the lab.

Favorite Quotation “Don’t take life too seriously.” —Anonymous

Meet Jennifer Carlson

Alumni Profile

Class of 2000 After IWU I went right into the “working world” after IWU. I married my husband, Dale, in 2002. We have two children together – Christopher, 4 years old, and Katie, almost 2 years old.

Where Now I am living in a little town called Lakewood in Illinois. We are right inbetween Huntley and Crystal Lake.

Present occupation I am currently teaching Accelerated Chemistry and a class called Chemistry of Foods at Fremd High School in Palatine, IL. For Fun I love to travel anyplace warm, I love to cook, and I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.

Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory All those late night study sessions at the Science Center with Bill, Becca and Jer. “Hiding” in the science center with my group members late one night after the building had officially closed to finish up a lab after hours!

Favorite Quotation “A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove…but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.” —Forest E. Witcraft

Meet Dr. Christopher Butler

Alumni Profile

Class of 2002 After IWU I earned my PhD in Chemistry from the University of Illinois in March of 2009 after completing my thesis research under the watchful eye of Prof. Scott Denmark Where Now I live with my wife Allyson, son Andrew, and daughter Elizabeth in Ledyard, CT. Present occupation I am a synthetic leader/medicinal chemist in the CNS group at Pfizer, Inc. For Fun I enjoy playing in the yard or at the beach with my family, as well as reading and going for runs.

Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory My favorite IWU memory was doing synthesis labs: I remember my first reaction (a 1,4 conjugate reduction using CuI/LAH) and my last (an attempted hydrogenation of a CBz group)! (Whew, that was 12 years ago!)

Favorite Quotation “We all ride for nothing, cause this train never stops” — Ben Folds

Meet Patrick Hayes

Alumni Profile

Class of 2002 After IWU After graduation, I accepted a job as a research scientist in the Chemical Development group at Albany Molecular Research Inc. (AMRI), a contract pharmaceutical company in Albany, NY. At AMRI, I worked to optimize chemical reactions in preparation for large scale manufacturing.

Where Now I now live in Evanston, IL while working at Abbott Laboratories in North Chicago, IL. Present occupation At Abbott, I work as a chemist in the Pilot Plant performing large scale chemistry (up to 10 kg) and generating the first batches of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API’s) that will be used for toxicity studies and clinical trials.

For Fun I like to stay active playing softball, basketball, golf and soccer.

Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory One of the following: —My first research paper publication —New group member initiation in Dr. Mohan’s lab —Late nights at Ames finishing PChem labs Favorite Quotation “Back off, man. I’m a scientist.”—Dr. Peter Venkman

Meet Dr. Susanna Widicus Class of 2002

Alumni Profile

After IWU I received my Ph. D. from Caltech in 2005, and did my thesis research with Prof.

Geoffrey Blake. I then moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to do a postdoc with Prof. Benjamin McCall.

Where Now I live Decatur, GA, a few miles from Atlanta.

Present occupation I am currently an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Emory University.

For Fun I love to cook, and so am always looking for new recipes to try. I also enjoy gardening, reading, and watching movies.

Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory I have so many favorite IWU memories, I do not know how to pick just one. Instead, I will list a few. First would be the ACS travelling shows. It was always a lot of fun to get the students involved and watch young kids learn about chemistry.

Strangely, I remember more about the demos that did not work correctly! At one particular show, we discovered -- the hard way -- that the solution for one demo was the wrong concentration, and Jeremie Moll lit a student’s dollar bill on fire. We were mortified, but the student thought it was the best science class ever! (continued on next page)

Dr. Susanna Widicus ’02 (continued) Another favorite memory from IWU was making the “Becky Ball” for an inorganic class project. The assignment was to find all of the symmetry elements of C60, and so we made a giant model of a C60 molecule. It was so large that Dr. Roesner could climb inside of it. So, we named it the “Becky Ball.”

I also fondly remember our crazy antics as summer research students. One should always be aware of the perils involved in testing the emergency shower in the stockroom and having chair races in the service corridor. Also, watch out for the horizontally-firing water faucet in the synthesis lab!

Favorite Quotation

Alumni Profile

I have two favorite quotes: “It doesn’t matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn’t matter how smart you are. If it doesn’t agree with experiment, it’s wrong.”

—Richard Feynman “If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn’t be called research, would it?”

—Albert Einstein

Meet Dr. Laura Wieland Class of 2002

Alumni Profile

After IWU Ph.D. (2002-2008) from Boston College with Dr. Amir Hoveyda Post-doc (current) at Harvard Medical School with Dr. Jon Clardy Where Now Cambridge, MA Present occupation Postdoctoral Research Associate, Harvard University, Boston, MA. For Fun I got into distance running in graduate school, and I really enjoy doing races.

My favorite alternative exercise is rock climbing with my husband - in the winter we go to a climbing gym, and in the summer we explore the outdoor climbing options in the area. Less healthy (but still fun) activities mostly involve going out with friends - Boston and Cambridge have some really great bars and restaurants.

Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory I have so many memories, from time spent in Dr. Mohan’s lab, in study sessions with my classmates, picking up trash along the highway, coming up with activities for the travelling show, and in course labs and lectures. The overall good feeling I have when I think of the IWU chemistry department really stems from the fact that we all got along so well.

Favorite Quotation “I am as happy as I make up my mind to be, and my identity is not determined by my profession.” — my aunt, Rita Koss

Meet Kaushik Bhatia

Alumni Profile

Class of 2003 After IWU Pharmacy School at UIC then 1 year community practice residency with Walgreen’s in conjunction with the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy Where Now Back in Chicago working for Walgreen’s Present occupation Pharmacy Manager For Fun Reading (catching up on current events and pharmacy news), going to ballgames and movies with friends, playing any sport with the word “ball” in it, staying involved with my religious youth organization, watching shows and movies from my Netflix account Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory Presenting my research poster at the National ACS Conference in Chicago. It was the culmination of many hours in the lab and made me feel that I had accomplished something and made a contribution, however small it may be.

Favorite Quotation “Do the best and leave the rest” —Swami Chinmayananda

Meet Herb Zerth

Alumni Profile

Class of 2003 After IWU Southern Illinois University School of medicine. Advocate Christ Medical Center for residency Where Now Downers Grove, IL Present occupation Emergency Medicine Physician For Fun Relaxing with wife Erin O’Neill Zerth ‘03 and 1 year old Ethan Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory ACS trip to Boston Favorite Quotation “Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” —Thomas Edison

Meet Joe Binder

Alumni Profile

Class of 2004 After IWU University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I completed my PhD in organic chemistry with Prof. Ronald Raines in 2009. I worked on developing organometallic catalysts for protein chemistry and on the chemical conversion of biomass into fuels and chemicals.

Where Now Berkeley, California Present occupation I work for BP Biofuels at the Energy Biosciences Institute at UC-Berkeley. My job includes both the expected - development of chemical processes for making biofuels - and the unexpected - studying the composition of bioenergy crops and influencing our decisions on crops and agricultural production systems. I never anticipated that my studies at IWU would lead me to tromping around cane fields in central Florida in the heat of the summer!

For Fun I ran cross country and track at IWU and have continued to enjoy competitive distance running since graduation, including races with my club teams and ultra marathons. I also enjoy hiking and being outdoors, particularly in California.

Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory Chemical demonstrations with the IWU ACS Student Affiliates, especially working with school children and making liquid nitrogen ice cream. Yum! Favorite Quotation “Pathetic. That’s what it is. Pathetic. ” —Eeyore

Meet Eric Danielson

Alumni Profile

Class of 2005 After IWU After graduating from IWU, spent 3 years working in the emergency room at Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet, IL. In 2007 I was married to Jennifer Petersen and in October 2009 we had our first child, Nathan James Danielson.

Where Now We currently live in Shorewood, IL. Present occupation Jennifer is a high school math teacher at Joliet Central High School and I am the Associate Director of Business Systems and Data Analysis at The Joint Commission.

For Fun I still try to play golf as much as possible (which isn’t much) and I love hanging out with our son and teaching him new things.

Favorite IWU Chemistry Memory Spending long nights studying (better known as goofing around) with the other chemistry majors on the 4th floor of Ames.

Favorite Quotation “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” —Albert Einstein