Catalyst Fall 2019

The

CATALYST CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY ALUMNI MAGAZINE FALL 2019

Regents Professor Dr. Lucy Ziurys on how complex carbon molecules can form in stellar hydrogen-rich environments. Page 4

Jani Ingram 2019 College of Science Alumna of the Year Page 3

THE CATALYST | CBC ALUMNI MAGAZINE

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DEAR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS

I

t’s been a year of growth and change for CBC. The department is now home to 800 Chemistry and Biochemistry undergraduate majors, as well as more than 150 Masters and PhD students. We just welcomed 30 new graduate students.

As we celebrate the accomplishments of our students, we were excited to learn that two UA CBC Alumni, Christopher Zarzana (PhD graduate 2011, Denton group) and Marilyne Stains (PhD graduate 2007, Talanquer group) were honored as recipients of the 2019 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers.

This year we welcome 2 new faculty members: Dr. MariePierre Hasne, Lecturer in Chemistry and Biochemistry (College of Medicine), and Dr. Jean-Luc Bredas, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry (College of Science). Originally from France, Marie-Pierre moved to the UA from Lewis & Clark College in Oregon. Dr. Bredas will join CBC in January.

Although his roots are in Belgium, Jean-Luc was previously a professor in the Chemistry Department here at the University of Arizona before moving to Georgia Tech in 2003. We are happy to welcome Jean-Luc and his large research group back to the UA! Two CBC faculty, Drs. Steven Schwartz and Lucy Ziurys, have joined the ranks of UA Regents Professors, the title reserved for the top 3 percent of the university’s tenured and tenuretrack faculty members. Dr. Roger Miesfeld has been named a University Distinguished Professor in recognition of his

extraordinary record of undergraduate education, research, and institutional leadership.

Also this year, Distinguished Professor Miesfeld completed his five-year term of service as CBC Department Head. I would like to express the department’s gratitude for his commitment and stewardship that culminated in many important developments in CBC over the last five years. These include the hire of 8 new faculty, a staggering increase in online education offerings, the spectacular rise of the Industry Associates Program, the introduction of the Careers in Chemical Sciences (CiCS) mentoring program for graduate students, the launch of the BRIDGES undergraduate internship program, and many more.

While the Department is searching for its next leader, I have assumed the role of Interim Department Head. In this Head-spinning affair, I am joined by the outstanding colleagues comprising the CBC Leadership Team: Dr. Dee Belle-Oudry, Associate Head for Academic Affairs and Director of Academic Services; Dr. Rebecca Page, Associate Head for Research and Faculty Affairs; Dr. Brooke Massani, Director of Research Support Services; Ms. Amy Tary, Manager of Business and Finance; and Mrs. Tiesha Glover, Executive Assistant. Together, we will navigate the rocky waters of modern academia in the coming year.

We count on your support!

Andrei Sanov Interim Department Head

Top: Dee Belle-Oudry, Andrei Sanov, Tiesha Glover, Bottom: Brooke Beam Massani and Rebecca Page. Not in photo, Amy Tary.

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Photo courtesy of Olivia Mendoza

Be sure to see the full PDF version of the Catalyst magazine posted on the CBC Alumni News website.

Visit cbc.arizona.edu/alumni_friends/newsletters

JANI INGRAM

2019 College of Science Alumna of the Year

The University of Arizona takes great pride in saluting alumni for their professional achievements, humanitarian and public service, advocacy for education, distinguished volunteerism and service to students, the colleges and the University of Arizona. This fall, we are pleased to honor CBC alumna Jani Ingram, who has been selected as the College of Science Alumna of the Year.

CBC alumni and friends who know Jani are especially invited to attend this year’s Award Ceremony on Thursday afternoon, October 31, 2019 on the UA Main Campus. The cost to attend the ceremony is $25.

Jani will present a free seminar “Environmental Health Studies on the Navajo Nation” on Friday, November 1 at 3 pm in Koffler 218, which you are invited to attend (no RSVP necessary). A reception will follow at 4 pm in the Chemistry Courtyard.

Please register for the awards ceremony: alumni.arizona.edu/event/2019-alumni-year-awards-ceremony

Jani Ingram PhD Chemistry, University of Arizona, 1990 Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Arizona University

The

CATALYST

Editor-in-Chief: Olivia Mendoza Associate Editor: Ellie Warder Contributors: Craig Aspinwall, Jolene Conley, Jennifer Himes, Rebecca Newton, Andrei Sanov, Curt Schilling, Jacob Schwartz, Paul Tumarkin/ Tech Launch Arizona, Robin Weatherhead, Rick Yost, Lucy Ziurys 520.621.5903 | warder@arizona.edu cbc.arizona.edu/alumni_friends/newsletters Chemistry and Biochemistry at The University of Arizona on:

The University of Arizona is committed to a campus that is accessible, inclusive, and welcoming of its diverse community. If you have questions about access or to request any disability-related accommodations that will facilitate your full participation at the awards ceremony, such as a hearing loop or ASL interpreting, please contact Kristen Fought at (520) 626-3835 or Kristen.fought@al.arizona.edu.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Lucy Zuirys: The Synthesis of C60 in Interstellar Space . 4

New Faculty and Staff . . . 17

Robin Weatherhead . . . . . 6

Retiree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Rick Yost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

In Memoriam . . . . . . . . . . 18

Jennifer Himes . . . . . . . . . . 8

2018–19 Student Awards . 19

Curt Schilling . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Spotlight on UA Chemistry Club . . . . . . . . 20

Founding of ACS Beta Tau Chapter . . . . . . 10

Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Alumni News . . . . . . . . . . 11

Cover Image Credit: NASA/CXC/UT

Recent Research Discoveries . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Faculty and Staff Awards . 17

Student Adventures . . . . . 21 CBC Scrapbook . . . . . . . . 22

THE CATALYST | CBC ALUMNI MAGAZINE

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THE SYNTHESIS OF C60 IN INTERSTELLAR SPACE

By Lucy Ziurys PhD, Regents Professor

M

y field is astrochemistry, the study of the molecular composition of the interstellar medium—the gas and dust which exists around stars and forms giant clouds in our galaxy and in other galaxies.

My involvement in this field now seems predetermined. My mother was an industrial chemist and my father, a mechanical and aerospace engineer. My father worked for many years at NASA Lewis (now Glenn) Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, where I grew up.

While I was in grade school, the Apollo program was in full swing, and I benefited from the science material my father brought home from work, as well as the TV broadcasts of the Apollo missions.

My space interests led me to Rice University in Houston, TX, where I majored in chemistry and space physics. I was in a quandry near graduation, as I was not sure what PhD program to pursue.

Physics? Chemistry? Astronomy? A fortuitous discussion with my physical chemistry professor at the time, Prof.

Robert Curl, brought to my attention the then new discoveries of molecules in space. I consequently have spent my scientific career studying such molecules, both through astronomical observations and laboratory molecular spectroscopy.

Through my combined lab and observing program at radio telescopes, my group has discovered numerous new

interstellar molecules. We specialize in creating small, highly reactive species in the laboratory in the gas-phase, in particular those containing a metal or phosphorus atom. We measure the pure rotational spectrum of the molecules and use this data at radio telescopes to search for them in interstellar gas.

The very “non-terrestrial” species we have discovered include MgCN, AlNC, FeCN, AlOH, CCP, and VO. One can explain the formation of these unusual molecules by gas-phase chemistry and shock-heating by stars.

A recent problem in astrochemistry has been the discovery of C60 “buckyballs” in the interstellar medium. This very large compound was detected by its

gas-phase infrared spectrum by astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope.

I was particularly puzzled by this finding because interstellar gas is highly hydrogen-rich, and carbon is a trace element with typically C/H~10-4. C60 in

the terrestrial laboratory is made with a pure carbon starting material, such as laser ablation of graphite. How does this molecule form with 60 carbon atoms in an environment that is overwhelmingly hydrogen, with near equal amounts of nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon? There just didn’t seem a mechanism that could create C60 under such conditions, leading astronomers to postulate that it was formed in “hydrogen-deficient” objects. Later observations showed that C60 was clearly present in H-rich gas.

I had no real solutions to the C60 dilemma, until graduate student Jacob Bernal began studying the possibility of carbon nanotubes in space. His interest led to discussions with Prof. Krishna Muralidharan from Materials Science and Engineering. Prof. Muralidharan pointed out various published papers concerning production of carbon nanostructures from laser ablation and heating of certain materials. One day Jacob came to my office with a paper that showed that nanotubes and nanocaps could be produced by either heating or ablating wafers made of silicon carbide.

Apparently such processing removes the silicon atoms from the crystal surface, leaving the carbon atoms in a configuration that forms graphite, and then nanostructures. This process occurs even in the presence of hydrogen. One paper suggested the creation of nanocaps from the 3C polytype of SiC—one of the various crystal structures exhibited by silicon carbide.

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY Lucy with| FALL 2019 | 5 Oficial

To prove this hypothesis, we contacted our collaborator Prof.

Tom Zega from UA’s Lunar and Planetary Lab (LPL). Tom’s research is the study of dust grains formed in space, which he extracts from meteorites and then chemically analyzes using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). We then devised experiments involving analog 3C SiC dust grains. The grains were heated and then bombarded with high energy ions under vacuum conditions in the TEM, first at Argonne National Lab and then at LPL, simulating the conditions in the ejecta of dying stars. TEM imaging of the disrupted grains, along with a spectroscopic analysis, showed that indeed, the silicon is leached from the surface, creating layered graphitic sheets with 6-membered carbon rings. Where there were surface defects, 5-membered rings formed, creating hemispherical and even spherical structures with diameters matching that of C60. To further support our hypothesis, we found grains in meteorites that come from dying stars, which contain disrupted SiC cores almost fully encased by graphite!

We believe we have found a mechanism for the formation of C60 in space. This result suggests that other carbon nanostructures might be present in large quantities in interstellar gas. The chemistry in space is not as simple as was once thought back in my Rice days. Furthermore, formation of C60 and other fullerene-like structures may be an important avenue for concentrating interstellar carbon, leading to the rich organic chemistry that is found in molecular clouds and in pristine meteorites.

Lucy Ziurys (seated) with (l-r): Hayden Lane, Mark Burton, Tyler Herman, Jacob Bernal, Ambesh Pratik, Nazifa Tabassum

Dressage with Sylvano

THE SPORT OF DRESSAGE

When I looked at this paper I was fascinated. SiC dust grains commonly form in material ejected from old stars in their final stages; such dying stars are known locations of C60.

Studies of bona fide interstellar grains extracted from meteorites show that the 3C polytype is the most common form of SiC in space. When the stars finally die, they send out shock waves through their ejecta containing the SiC grains.

The grains would then be abruptly heated, mimicking the lab experiments. The presence of large amounts of hydrogen would not significantly affect the process. Maybe SiC was the source of C60?

A

s Winston Churchill said: “No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.”

Horses have been a part of my life since I was a child.

I started riding lessons when I was barely 8, where I learned the thrill of jumping fences and galloping cross-country. School came first, however, and I didn’t actually own my first horse until I completed graduate school, when I bought an off-the-racetrack thoroughbred. I have owned several horses since that time and have competed in jumping competitions at horse shows for many years.

As I got older, I continued my equestrian education in Dressage. Dressage, which means “training,” began in 400 BC with the Greek general Xenophon, who wrote the first book on classical horsemanship.

A whole series of riding maneuvers were developed for horses in battle, and modern Dressage incorporates these movements into tests, with increasing levels of difficulty. Dressage, at its top level, Grand Prix, is an Olympic sport.

I, of course, started at the lowest level, but over the years moved up and earned Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals with the United States Dressage Federation. With my amazing Dutch Warmblood, Sylvano, I was able to master the sport sufficiently well to ride at the Grand Prix level.

This achievement, however, took me over a decade of training with Sylvano, plus the other 40 years of riding.

Dressage is a tough sport because it requires intense mental focus, precise physical control, and cardiovascular fitness. That’s for the human; then there is the horse.

It’s amazing how humans and horses can communicate, though. Horses are extremely smart and intuitive animals.

And they are good friends and forgiving partners.

Sylvano retired from the show ring at age 20, and I am now training with my new horse, Oficial. He is an Andulusian or P.R.E. breed (Pura Raza Española) stallion. I never thought I would own a Spanish horse, but Oficial and I just get along. Funny how the right horse finds you!

THE CATALYST | CBC ALUMNI MAGAZINE

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DIVERSIFYING CAREER PROSPECTS

By Robin Weatherhead | PhD Organic Chemistry, 2002

H

ello my name is Robin and I am an Intellectual Property Attorney.

Another confession: When I was an organic chemistry graduate student at the University of Arizona, I never would have predicted that this would be my career path.

As an undergraduate, I shared an equal love of writing with a love of science. As a practical matter, however, I chose science since I didn’t want to be a starving poet, and organic chemistry captivated me. Graduate school was then the natural progression, and I moved out to Tucson in 1997 to commence my studies under Professor Eugene Mash. Graduation 5.5 years later led to a post-doctoral position with Nobel Laureate Professor E.J. Corey at Harvard. And here is where my path veered off from the typical and into the unexpected.

Let me set the stage: Fall 2005, pharma recruiters across the country made the annual trek to Harvard to meet job candidates, and I was in the mix, interviewing away. Interestingly, there was a lone intellectual property firm who arrived a bit late to the party, but advertised they were looking to hire a small-molecule organic chemist. Deciding to maximize my chances for gainful employment, I interviewed. To my complete surprise, the firm offered me a position as a “technology specialist” with the promise to send me to law school for free. Of course, I accepted.

To be clear, many (including myself) thought this was a crazy decision. I had

for the longest time set my sights on working at a pharma company (hopefully alongside my med chemist husband, whom I had since met and married in Boston) discovering the cure for cancer.

There was some thoughtful reasoning in this choice: (1) my husband and I considered this move might be a good opportunity for us to “diversify” ourselves against an ever-increasingly destabilized pharma field, rampant with downsizing and layoffs; and (2) I would still be marketable as a chemist if I discovered six months hence that I hated it.

Fortunately for me, I didn’t hate it.

Patent law merges those two great loves of mine, writing and science, into one neat package. Much like chemistry, the field is complex and nuanced, but requires drafting and analyzing legal arguments couched in science. One can argue one way to get a certain outcome, or another way to get a different outcome. Predicting the positive or negative downstream effects the chosen argument will have on other inventions or future arguments is a mental chess game which is incredibly exciting and rewarding.

I don’t want to paint too rosy of a picture, however. Patent law can be a grueling profession, especially at a law firm, with long hours and botched vacations.

Attending law school in the evening while working during the day also is not easy, especially when you have children (or a child in my case) and requires a very understanding spouse. There is that. But as a general matter—and take this with a grain of salt, because I am

Robin with husband Gabe and daughter Olivia

biased— patent law offers an alternative upwardly mobile career path, especially for women in a male-dominated field, with perhaps greater stability than other more traditional career choices.

I’ve since ended up in a good place: after graduating from law school in 2015 and working for another two years as an associate at the law firm, I moved to an in-house position at AbbVie Inc., working out of the immunology-centric AbbVie Bioresearch Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, birthplace of the blockbuster biologic HUMIRA® (adalimumab) and recently approved smallmolecule RINVOQ™ (upadacitinib). I daily interact with an incredibly smart and agile team of lawyers and scientists— both at the Worcester site as well as at AbbVie headquarters in Lake County, Illinois—each of whom continue to push me in achieving excellence in my dayto-day work. I couldn’t hope for more.

Life takes unexpected turns. The career you envision for yourself after undergraduate or graduate school may not, 20 years later, be the place you end up.

Be open to alternative possibilities. Take risks. It may pay off.

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DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2019 | 7

ADVANCING MASS SPECTROMETRY

By Richard A. (Rick) Yost | BS Chemistry, 1974

I

grew up in Phoenix and chose the UA for my undergraduate studies, in part so I didn’t have to follow my older brother (also a chemistry major) to ASU. John Enemark’s and Vic Hruby’s Honors courses in general and organic chemistry gave me a great introduction to chemistry, “the central science”. Undergraduate research with Mike Burke opened my eyes to the world of analytical chemistry and exposed me to the opportunities of graduate studies. Mike, along with Bonner Denton and Quintus Fernando, pushed hard for me to pursue my PhD, setting me on the path that I have followed for the past 45 years.

In January 1975 I started my PhD studies at Michigan State University, choosing to work with Chris Enke, who I thought had the best “big picture” view of how computerized instruments would revolutionize analytical chemistry (something that I had learned a lot about at Arizona). But Chris was an electrochemist (black magic?). I told Chris that I wanted “to build the ultimate computerized analytical instrument”, and that it should have a quadrupole in it! Where did that come from? Bonner Denton had Chris Enke (L) and Rick Yost in front of the triple quad, 1978

passed a quadrupole mass filter around in instrumental analysis lecture.

Chris and I came up with the idea of the triple quadrupole mass spectrometer— Chris told me that I would need to write a grant proposal if I wanted to pursue that project. So I did. NSF reviewers were consistent in their reviews… it was a crazy idea, it wouldn’t work, and we didn’t know what we were talking about. Fortunately, I also sent a copy of the proposal to the Office of Naval Research, and they funded it! I bought a thousand pounds of stainless steel and a few hundred pounds of electronics, and started assembling this new instrument. It worked, and a few papers and

MY RESEARCH HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED WITH THE 1993 ASMS AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED CONTRIBUTION IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, THE 2018 MSACL AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED CONTRIBUTION TO CLINICAL MASS SPECTROMETRY a patent later, I was off to the University of Florida as a new assistant professor!

And the triple quad has become the most common mass spectrometer in the world today, used for screening millions of babies each year for up to a hundred inherited diseases, saving thousands of babies annually.

I am currently University Professor and Head of Analytical Chemistry at UF. My group’s research has reflected a unique

balance between instrumentation development, fundamental studies, and applications in analytical chemistry. I have supervised the research of over 110 graduate students during the past 40 years, graduating nearly 100 PhDs. I direct the Southeast Center for Integrated Metabolomics (SECIM) and NIH’s Metabolomics Consortium Coordinating Center (M3C). I recently completed terms on the Florida Board of Regents and the UF Board of Trustees.

My research has been recognized with the 1993 ASMS Award for Distinguished Contribution in Mass Spectrometry, the 2018 MSACL Award for Distinguished Contribution to Clinical Mass Spectrometry, and the 2019 Distinguished Analytical Scientist Award. In 2019 I also received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, was named the Florida Academy of Sciences Medalist, and was inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame.

I currently serve as the President of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS).

Although I still love research and teaching, Katie and I plan to retire out west (Arizona?) sometime in the next several years. We enjoy traveling, rockhounding, and family (no grandkids yet…).

THE CATALYST | CBC ALUMNI MAGAZINE

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WILDCAT FOR LIFE

By Jennifer Himes | BS Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, 2005

M

y UA story started when I went to visit my Aunt Peggy in Tucson, AZ when I was 13 years old, and she thought it would be fun to visit the campus and walk around to see where she and my father went to school—both are alumni!

In addition to my father and my aunt attending the UA, it’s also where my father met my mother.

All through high school I had one goal; get accepted into the UA. My senior year, I got the letter and was accepted, but then I had to choose a major. I excelled in the sciences and wanted to be a doctor, but Molecular and Cellular Biology didn’t seem quite right for me, so I kept looking at the list and went back to Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics. I selected that and stuck with it. Along the way, I met a lot of great staff members, some of whom I am still in touch with today, and that’s how this story came to be.

Upon graduating with my BS, reality set in very quickly. I was an adult now, out in the real world. I needed a job to pay those student loans, the cellphone bill, rent, food etc. My degree would surely give me a leg up. I worked on my resume and started applying for research lab positions. Thank goodness for working in a research lab on campus in between classes! I got a call for an interview from a research lab at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, AZ, as well as TGen, also located in Scottsdale. I landed an entry-level position with a research lab focusing on Multiple Myeloma at Mayo

Clinic, all thanks to my degree and research lab experience. During my two years at Mayo, I learned even more lab skills and decided to move on.

I followed a friend to a clinical diagnostic company which eventually turned into Caris Life Sciences in Phoenix, AZ. Caris is the company where I transitioned from working on the research bench doing RNA/DNA extractions to being site Quality Assurance. I was involved with preparing the site for inspections, reviewed documentation on site quality, and assisted during regulatory inspections. The work was challenging, but I enjoyed it. Reviewing documentation may seem boring, but it was like a puzzle—ensuring all pieces were there, all regulations were met, all T’s crossed, and I’s dotted.

After 7 years of working at Caris, it was time to move on. I thought, I am great with regulations and reviewing documentation—how about the pharmaceutical industry? That’s where I am today.

I went to Celgene in Phoenix, AZ and was hired on in Quality Systems, with

my focus being on computerized system compliance. As a site, we achieved approval from the FDA and other regulatory agencies. I helped bring on multiple applications and processes to the site, and I had a great time, but something wasn’t quite right. My parents and siblings were in the Pacific Northwest.

As luck would have it, Celgene acquired Juno Therapeutics and a Manager, Quality Systems and Data Integrity position posted. I applied and received an offer. I was on my way to Seattle, WA and back to the Pacific Northwest! I have been in Seattle for a few months and am loving every minute. The weather has been great, but of course I came at the best time. I have explored the Blackberry Festival, made multiple trips to Pike Place Market, and of course, visited my parents. The view from my desk is of the Space Needle (see photo), and I always represent the UA while staying hydrated at work. “Bear Down!”

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2019 | 9

A REWARDING CAREER

By Curtis L. Schilling Jr. | PhD Chemistry, 1967

I

was born in Goshen, New York in 1940. My two sisters and I were raised on my parents’ dairy farm. Life on the farm was fairly routine, except for a near-fatal fall in 1948, which permanently shifted some facial features.

I earned my BS in Chemistry in 1961 at Syracuse University and got married to Betty Ann. We had 2 sons, Curtis III and Robert, who both went into the chemistry field.

After earning my MS in Chemistry at Syracuse University in 1964, I had to decide where to earn my PhD. My decision to attend the University of Arizona was based on the warm, dry weather in Tucson, as opposed to clouds and rain in Seattle (at my second choice of the University of Washington), reinforced by the offer of a half-time research job with the late Jim Mulvaney. After driving alone for 4 days from Syracuse to Tucson (there was someone else, a non-driver), I promptly flunked all 4 qualifiers, giving Jim some second thoughts. However, everything worked out from that point on; the job became my dissertation topic, though the effort was “scooped” by some New Englanders, leading to a second topic.

I never regretted my choice of the UA, which prepared me well for my career, by teaching or reinforcing a few lessons.

First, hard work with focus pays off.

Second, pay attention to details; those tiny extra peaks in spectra and gc scans mean something. Third, experiments

that don’t give expected results can be doorways to new fields of research and shouldn’t be discarded. Fourth, scientific literature should always be searched before running anything new; what used to be a trip to the library can now be time on your computer. Fifth, don’t forget new ideas—if you get one, write it down somewhere you will see it again.

In spite of all the hard work earning my PhD, there was time for department events, city league fast-pitch softball, slow-pitch beer league softball, and for the very talented, faculty league basketball. There was also time to start the Beta Tau Chapter of Alpha Chi Sigma, but that is a separate story (see p. 10).

My time in Tucson allowed me to meet my goals quite well. After graduation, I went on to spend a year as a postdoc at the University of Iowa in 1968. It took the postdoc to push me directly to industry, as I hadn’t made that choice yet. I spent 34 years with the same business, originally known as Union Carbide Silicones, which underwent several ownership and name changes over the years. I spent 22 years at the Tarrytown, NY R&D site, and 12 years at the Friendly, WV Plant site. I worked with Chemical Abstracts Service to generate CASelects —Organosilicon Chemistry (one of the first 6 CASelects topics). I became the recognized authority on hydrosilation chemistry, and solved the “allyl chloride problem” (low yields from allyl chloride hydrosilations that had plagued commercial producers for decades). I retired in 2002 and consulted for a few years.

My connection to UA chemistry

continued in industry, as I recruited PhD candidates, beginning in 1975 in conjunction with one of the Marvel Symposia. This became an annual event, usually run through the Chemistry Department.

This effort yielded new employees Rick Hoy (South Charleston, WV), Scott Tilden (Parma, OH), Charles Blevins and the late Martin Brandt (both at Tarrytown, NY). Faculty members were of great help in evaluating candidates.

Over the years I filed 31 patents and made 50+ presentations/publications.

I passed the patent bar in 1992 (Agent #36,666). I was honored with numerous internal technical awards, 4 Union Carbide local Community Service awards (eligible at 3-year intervals) for volunteer service to Little League, Boy Scouts, Fire Department, Board of Education and Caring Committee. I have been a proud member of Pi Kappa Alpha, Alpha Chi Sigma, Phi Lambda Upsilon, Sigma Xi, American Chemical Society, Am. Cer. Soc. 50+ years active in Am. Chem. Soc. and Alpha Chi Sigma.

Life has changed with the death last year of my beloved wife, Betty Ann. I am living in an assisted-living facility in Kingsport, TN, but I still remember fondly the “happy days” in Tucson.

Curt with his sons Curt III (left) and Robert

THE CATALYST | CBC ALUMNI MAGAZINE

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REMEMBERING THE FOUNDING OF ACS BETA TAU CHAPTER

T

he idea to start a new chapter of Alpha Chi Sigma came to me in the fall of 1964 while attending a faculty/grad student mixer with my wife, Betty Ann, at the home of Professor Archie Deutschman of the Ag Biochem Department.

The event was run by members of Phi Lambda Upsilon, the Chemistry Honorary. I felt that running such social events was more logically done by members of Alpha Chi Sigma, if only the UA had a chapter. As a member of both, I also recognized that Alpha Chi Sigma in general developed stronger ties to its alumni and was a greater asset from that view. I was enthusiastic about all things Alpha Chi Sigma, having attended the 1962 Biennial Conclave in Cincinnati as the delegate for Pi Chapter, Syracuse University.

After contacting the National Office of ACS to find out how a new chapter is established, I conducted a walkaround survey of all the male grad students in Chemistry and Ag Biochem to assess the level of interest and to locate current members from other universities who might be of help. (Alpha Chi Sigma did not yet allow female members, but that would change.) The survey indicated a high level of interest, and I performed a second walkaround to inform faculty members and to solicit funds from them for an organizational smoker.

At a faculty meeting Dr. C. S. (Speed) Marvel stated, “Schilling is trying to start an Alpha Chi Sigma chapter; I think that’s a good idea.” A smoker was held at the residence of Carl Flegal, which resulted in the formation of the Alpha Chi Sigma Club as a temporary organization, the precursor of Beta Tau Chapter.

When the Club performed satisfactorily for an appropriate length of time, I submitted the formal proposal to establish a new chapter, which was accepted by the National Office, and an installation date was set for chartering the new chapter and initiating the new brothers.

As the festivities were about to begin, one of the National Officers pulled me aside and commented, “You know, it would look better for Alpha Chi Sigma and the University of Arizona if Dr. Marvel were the founder (of the new chapter).” I was both shocked and dismayed

Installation of officers for the first Alpha Chi Sigma chapter at the UA in 1967.

Front row (l-r): Robert Ottaviani, Jim Foster, Alan Jaworski, James Miller and Mack Barlow (national officers), Merle Griffin, unknown, and Herb Gollmar.

Back row (l-r): Curtis Schilling, Jr., Harold Panzik, Jim Kudrna, Kenneth Edwards (national officer), Jack Marvel (without coat), David Newton, James Dillon, Gary Metzger.

by this proposal, but, after some discussion, conceded that it certainly would “look better.” In that instant, Dr. Marvel became the “historical” founder of Beta Tau Chapter. At the Installation Banquet, the newly initiated brothers, who knew what had happened, discretely presented me with an engraved memento showing “Founder, Beta Tau.” I still have it. I was gratified to see Beta Tau chapter celebrate its 50th anniversary in June 2017.

—Curt Schilling, Jr., PhD Chemistry 1967

ACS TODAY

T

he current membership of the Beta Tau chapter of ACS is comprised almost entirely of graduate students, with only a few members being undergraduate students or those already working in various fields. No other ACS chapter in the country is arranged in such a way.

Our chapter participates in numerous outreach activities and strives to add more each year. Our longest running outreach event is a hands-on chemical demonstration booth at the annual Tucson Festival of Books. We also aid Girl Scout troops in earning STEM badges and chat with them about women in STEM fields. Our public outreach within the last two years has involved participating in SciCafe, a restaurant series of STEM lectures held by many ACS members. Other public outreach activities include working with Habitat For Humanity, science fair judging for elementary through high schools, and anything else we can fit into our busy schedules!

—Jolene Conley, Alumni Secretary, Beta Tau

2018-19 members

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2019 | 11

ALUMNI NEWS Jane Orient – BA Chemistry, 1967 (2)

Fifth edition of Sapira’s Art and Science of Bedside Diagnosis by Jane M. Orient, MD, published by Wolters Kluwer.

James Kudrna – PhD Chemistry, 1969

In 2017 I retired as a hip surgeon, educator and inventor. Still enjoy visiting Arizona in the winter. Enjoy fly fishing and photography in retirement. (MORE ONLINE)

Garry Strauser – BA Chemistry, 1969; MD 1974

Happily married to Pat for 41 years, with 4 children and 14 grandchildren. Have served on hospital Board of Directors for 20 years. Looking forward to 45th UA Med School Class Reunion.

Ralph Johnson – MS Chemistry, 1970

Retired after 34 years at The Upjohn Company, then was a consultant for 12 years. For over 3 years I have volunteered as guest lecturer at Kilimanjaro School of Pharmacy in Tanzania, Africa.

Larry Schwartz – PhD Chemistry, 1971 (1)

Have expanded my business from IP Business and Technology Management to also advise in areas related to radiation crosslinking, polymer formulations and product design.

Wayne Wesolowski – PhD Chemistry, 1971 (3)

I give talks to groups about Abraham Lincoln’s Funeral Train and have a permanent exhibit about the train at Tucson’s Gadsden Pacific Toy Train Museum. (MORE ONLINE)

Keith Adams – BA Chemistry, 1972

Retired from a semiconductor manufacturing company. Enjoying hunting, fishing, jeeping, hiking, rockhounding, many other outdoor activities, and traveling with my wife. (MORE ONLINE)

ONLINE)

Tim Krupa – MS Chemistry 1974 (4)

I am currently Senior Director, Traits Development at Cibus US LLC.

Michael Routh – PhD Chemistry, 1976 (5) I am Board Director at In-Situ.

George Marshall – PhD Chemistry, 1978

Retired in 2012 after 37 years with IBM and then Lexmark. I earned my fortune developing toners for printers and copiers.

Have lived in Colorado since 1978. (MORE ONLINE)

Brian Coleman – PhD Chemistry, 1981 (6)

I retired after 33 years with DuPont and a year with the Chemours spin-off. I am busy with fly fishing, tennis, tutoring disadvantaged high schoolers and watching our grandson.

Tomi Sawyer – PhD Chemistry, 1981

I retired from Merck and founded Maestro Medicine (Chief Drug Hunter & President). My youngest son, Jonathon, is part of the MCR project team. (MORE ONLINE)

Germain Fernando – PhD Biochemistry, 1982 (7)

I retired in 2017 from the University of Queensland, and now I am with a private company Vaxxas Ltd developing needle-free vaccines using skin microprojection patches.

Mark Leusch – BA Biochemistry, 1984; PhD Microbiology & Immunology, 1990 (8)

Since 2015, I have been a principal clinical research scientist in Lilly Oncology Global Medical Affairs. My wife Cindy and I have 3 children, Steven (30), Kristen (29) and Monica (23). (MORE

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Jane Orient

Wayne Wesolowski

Rusti & Tim Krupa

Michael Routh

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Leslie & Larry Schwartz

I am retired but working part time as a consultant for Dover Chemical. My wife, Cheryl, and I have 9 grandchildren. We both enjoy golf and traveling, especially on Viking Cruises. (MORE

ONLINE)

See more online for all the full stories! cbc.arizona.edu/alumni_friends/newsletters

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Don Stevenson – PhD Chemistry, 1972

Brian Coleman

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Germain Fernando and family

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Mark and Cindy Leusch

THE CATALYST | CBC ALUMNI MAGAZINE

12

ALUMNI NEWS, CONT.

Bassem Azizeh – PhD Chemistry, 1996

As of November 2018, I accepted a position as a Vice President of Quality Control at CSBio, Inc in Menlo Park, CA. (MORE ONLINE)

David Tuschel – MS Chemistry, 1985 (1)

I am a Raman Applications Scientist at HORIBA Scientific.

Jacqueline Daspit – BA Biochemistry, 1986

I’m thrilled to share that my daughter has enrolled at the UA as an Honors Student in the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology major program this fall!

Nishant Anand – BA Biochemistry, 1999 (5)

I currently am serving as Executive Vice President & Chief Medical Officer of BayCare Health System in Floria and President of BayCare Physician Partners.

Kathie McReynolds Zamboanga – MA Chemistry, 1996; PhD Chemistry, 1999 (6)

Steve Andruski – PhD Chemistry, 1987

ONLINE)

I have been a faculty member at California State University, Sacramento for 18 years and was recently elected as the statewide chair of the biotechnology affinity group for the 23-campus California State University system. My husband Alan and I are raising two teenagers. (MORE ONLINE)

Hilary Danehy – BS Biochemistry, 1987 (2)

Rogerio R. Sotelo-Mundo – PhD Biochemistry, 1999 (7)

At the US Pharmacopeia in the Verification Programs doing third-party verification of dietary supplements, ingredients, excipients and drug substances, ensuring their quality. (MORE

Enjoying a start-up company environment working on implantable osmotic pump drug delivery systems.

Steve Mayer – PhD Biochemistry, 1990 (3)

My wife and I have moved to the Roaring Fork Valley in Colorado. I am working in Glenwood Springs and Aspen as an oncologist, and we are enjoying our horse ranch and the great outdoors. (MORE ONLINE)

Noel Carlson – PhD Biochemistry, 1992 (4)

I am a Research Professor in the Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy at the University of Utah and the Deputy Chief of Research at the Salt Lake City VA Medical Center.

Soon it will be 20 years since my PhD defense. Glad to continue doing research, teaching at the graduate level and directing MSc and PhD thesis at CIAD (www.ciad.mx) in Mexico.

Brian Dangel – PhD Chemistry, 2000 (8)

Currently I am a Customer Solution Manager at Qiagen.

William Loomis – BA Chemistry, BS Psychology, 2002 (9)

I worked for several years before earning a Masters in Chemistry from NAU. Since 2012, I have been working for the Tucson Police Department Crime Laboratory as a Forensic Toxicologist.

(MORE ONLINE)

Ben Fish – BS Chemistry, 2003

Patrick Desrochers – PhD Chemistry, 1992

Accepted position as chair of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Central Arkansas in 2014. Have now served here for 27 years.

Went to UCLA for grad school in chemistry. Worked for Amgen, then Pfizer. Went to UCONN for my MBA then moved to Bank of America for 7 years. Now head of product development in credit cards at Citizens Bank. (MORE ONLINE)

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David Tuschel

Hilary Danehy

Steve Mayer

Noel Carlson

Nishant Anand

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Kathie McReynolds Zamboanga and family

Rogerio Sotelo-Mundo

Brian Dangel and son

William Loomis

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2019 | 13

Megan MacKay – BS Chemistry, 2006 (1)

Mark Leick – BS BMB, BS MCB, 2009

I am thriving as a clinician mental health counselor. I received my masters in 2016 and am en route to becoming trained in EMDR to better help victims of traumatic events. (MORE ONLINE)

I’m a clinical oncology fellow at Harvard Medical School. I’m working in Marcela Maus’ lab designing new chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells for cancer and training clinically in bone marrow transplantation.

Carol Manhart – BS BMB, BS MCB, 2006

Sarah Nelson-Taylor – BS BMB, BS MCB, 2009 (5)

I started a faculty position in the Department of Chemistry at Temple University.

My husband, Dan, and I welcomed a baby girl, Alice in September of 2018. I graduated with my MD/PhD from University of Colorado in May 2019 and started a pediatrics residency at University of Colorado.

Michael Brumbach – PhD Chemistry, 2007

For the past ten years I have led the Surface Analysis Laboratory at Sandia National Laboratories, where I contribute to my coworker’s programs and broader Sandia missions. (MORE ONLINE)

Natalie Pace – BS BMB, 2009 (6)

I am a fourth year medical student and am currently applying to Urology residency positions. I was at Duke and Northwestern for sub-internships in urology and both were wonderful experiences.

Channa De Silva – PhD Chemistry, 2007 (2)

I was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure at Western Carolina University. My research group works on nanotechnology, biotechnology, and computational chemistry research.

Nick Veomett – BS BMB, 2009 (7)

(MORE ONLINE)

I went on to complete a PhD in Pharmacology at Cornell Medical College / Sloan Kettering Institute, then worked for four years in consulting at McKinsey & Company. I am now Director of Corporate Development at Vividion Therapeutics in San Diego.

Matt Durban – BS Chemistry, 2007 (3)

I am a Materials Engineer at Align Technology, Inc.

Matthew Lawler – BS BMB, BS MCB, 2007

Finished residency at Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital.

Avigdor Leftin – PhD Chemistry, 2010

Marilyne Stains – PhD Chemistry, 2007

I recently finished my second postdoc at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. I now am an Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University in the Department of Radiology. (MORE

I received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2019. I recently moved to the University of Virginia where I am an Associate Professor.

ONLINE)

Matthew Clark – BS BMB, BS MCB, 2009 (4)

Jessie Brown – BS BMB, BS MCB, 2011 (8)

My PhD work revealed higher-order interneurons responsible for controlling distinct aspects of Drosophila larval motor programs. As a Postdoc, I aim to understand motor programs governing flight behavior in Drosophila. (MORE ONLINE)

I recently was awarded the Damon Runyon-Sohn Pediatric Cancer Fellowship Award, which will fund my postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Adolfo Ferrando at Columbia University Medical Center. (MORE ONLINE) See more online for all the full stories! cbc.arizona.edu/alumni_friends/newsletters

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Megan MacKay

Channa De Silva

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Matt Durban

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Sarah Nelson-Taylor

Natalie Pace

Nick Veomett

Jessie Brown

Matthew Clark

THE CATALYST | CBC ALUMNI MAGAZINE

14

ALUMNI NEWS, CONT.

Aaron Pejlovas – BS Chemistry, 2014; MA Chemistry, 2017; PhD Chemistry, 2018 (3)

My wife, Rhianna, gave birth to our first son, Oliver. I was hired by Clariant Corporation here in Tucson as a Development Chemist for the mining division. (MORE ONLINE)

Allena Goren – BS Chemistry 2011

I received my PhD in Biological Chemistry from MIT in August 2019 and will be starting with Boston Consulting Group in January 2020.

Guadalupe Davila – BS Biochemistry, 2015

I am currently a 3rd year medical student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine- Tucson.

Ashley Mason Zappia – BS BMB, 2011

I received the “Team Player” award for the Roche Diagnostics Support Network for my skills in teamwork, collaboration, professionalism, and executive presence. (MORE ONLINE)

Summer Gardner – BS Biochemistry, 2015 (4)

After working as a study coordinator for several clinical trial research, I moved into the laboratory side of clinical research at Pacific Biomarkers Inc. Then I joined the Peace Corps and became a Community HIV/AIDS Outreach Program volunteer in South Africa. (MORE ONLINE)

Kenneth Childers – BS Biochemistry, 2012 (1)

I finished my PhD at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and have accepted a position at Western Washington University as a postdoc. Trading in Retrievers for Vikings, but always a Wildcat! Bear down! (MORE ONLINE)

Stephanie Kha – BS Biochemistry, 2015 (5)

I graduated with my Doctor of Medicine degree from Case Western Reserve University. I matched into Orthopaedic Surgery for residency at Stanford University. (MORE ONLINE)

Lori Culberson – PhD Chemistry 2013

I opened a tutoring & outreach center for STEM subjects in Tucson, and we just celebrated our first year.

Melissa Harnois – BS Biohemistry, 2016

Aishan Shi – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, BA English, 2013; MS

After three incredible years, I said a bittersweet goodbye to Seattle and Juno Therapeutics and moved to North Carolina. I am pursuing a PhD in Immunology at Duke. (MORE ONLINE)

Business Admin, 2016; MD 2019

I just graduated from medical school and will be starting residency at Banner University Medical Center Tucson.

Joseph Melius – BA Biohemistry, BS Physiology, 2017 (6)

Lauren Dominick – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2014; MD 2019 (2)

I spent this summer chilling in Alaska.

My fiancé and I are in the process of buying a house. I graduated medical school at the UA College of Medicine – Phoenix and started an Internal Medicine/Pediatrics residency. (MORE ONLINE)

Celina Nguyen – BS Biohemistry, BS MCB, 2017

I am starting the MD/PhD program at UCSD in the fall!

Meagan Johnson – BA Chemistry, 2014

David Renner – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2017

I am a pediatric resident physician at University of Texas-San Antonio.

See more online for all the full stories! cbc.arizona.edu/alumni_friends/newsletters

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Summer Gardner

Stephanie Kha and family

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Kenneth Childers

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Lauren Dominick

I have completed my first year at the University of Pennsylvania. I will be doing my thesis on Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome virus and Coronaviruses. (MORE ONLINE)

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Aaron, Rhianna, & Oliver Pejlovas

Joseph Melius

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2019 | 15

Louis Pascal Riel – BS Chemistry, 2017 (1)

Katia Davila – BS Chemistry, 2019

I worked for the Cytology division at Roche Tissue Diagnostics for a year and am currently beginning my 4th year as a PhD candidate studying organic synthesis at the University of Connecticut. (MORE ONLINE)

ONLINE)

Matthew Stagg – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2017

Hiromi Fukuzaki – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2019

I am attending the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University as part of their Class of 2023.

I am seeking a job primarily involving science policy and environmental work in order to give back to my community. I might pursue a law internship as a potential route to law. (MORE

I am taking a gap year to focus on myself and travel a bit. Although I am unsure what the future holds, I’m sure it’ll be fun.

(MORE ONLINE)

Connor White – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2017

I am a research technician at the Barrow Neurological Institute in St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. I am studying glioblastoma multiforme and the role of Olig2 in this type of brain cancer. (MORE ONLINE)

Emma Harrell – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2019 (4)

Kimberly Widrick – BS Biochemistry, BS Math, 2017

I will be working as a dental assistant with my favorite dentist for a year and applying to dental school. For my gap year I will be working and traveling around the world!

I am pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering while simultaneously working toward a Masters degree in Optical Sciences.

I am getting married this fall and recently purchased a home.

(MORE ONLINE)

James McNamara – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2018

I have been working as a research technician at the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, and am applying to medical school.

Jessica Wales Kievenaar – PhD Biochemistry, 2018 (2)

After completing a postdoc at Harvard Medical School, I recently started a job as a Senior Scientific Researcher at Genentech.

Dane Zambrano – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2018 (3)

I’ve been awarded the GO-MAP Scholarship in Washington for my scientific achievements. I’ve been accepted into graduate school at the University of Washington. (MORE ONLINE)

Kathia Antillon – BS Chemistry, BA Spanish, 2019

Started my summer rotation at the University of Kansas where I am working towards my PhD in Medicinal Chemistry.

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Sarah Kang – BA Biochemistry, 2019

Kathryn Kuna – BS Chemistry, BA Russian, 2019 (5)

I am a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mozambique teaching high school math.

Hannah Moran – BA Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2019

I am starting a PhD program is Cell Biology, Stem Cells and Developmental Biology at CU Denver Anschutz Medical School.

Leah Ortega – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2019 (6)

I was accepted into the Teach for America program and am teaching Biology and Chemistry to high school students in Colorado. (MORE ONLINE)

Maria Jin Serafini – BS Biochemistry, 2019

I am currently working as a medical scribe at TMC and am in the process of applying to med school for next fall!

Samantha Serna – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2019

I will be attending the University of Utah for the Biological Chemistry PhD Program.

Carrie Stine – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2019 (7)

I began my PhD this fall at the University of Washington/Fred Hutch. My general research interest is cancer pharmacology, and I’m excited to be at such an outstanding cancer research center.

Jessica (Wales) and Joshua Kievenaar

Louis Pascal Riel

I’m headed to Dallas, TX to start a PhD program at UTSW in biomedical sciences.

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Dane Zambrano

Emma Harrell

Kathryn Kuna

Leah Ortega

Carrie Stine

THE CATALYST | CBC ALUMNI MAGAZINE

16

RECENT RESEARCH DISCOVERIES NEW COMBINATION DRUG TREATMENT

A

ssistant Professor Jacob Schwartz has created a new drug treatment for a class of cancers. Schwartz’s primary focus is Ewing’s sarcoma, a childhood bone cancer that is driven by the proteins he and his lab group are investigating.

These RNA-binding proteins regulate transcription in an unusual way, involving an assembly process called phase separation.

Their research has identified and now studies the mechanisms behind their shared functions, regulating transcription and DNA repair, which suggests that these are functions which may drive disease. They also have discovered that mutations leading to cancers like Ewing’s sarcoma have hijacked normal protein functions for FUS and another closely related protein, EWS, in order to drive tumorigenesis.

Colleen Janczak and Craig Aspinwall Photos courtesy of Paul Tumarkin/Tech Launch Arizona

Photo courtesy of Olivia Mendoza

Schwartz Lab Group Front row: Julia Wieland, Valery Thompson, Mahta Moinpour, Vivian Mendoza-Leon. Back row: Lucas Harrell, Luis Helfer, Daniel Wieland, Matthew Rollins, Nasiha Ahmed, Jacob Schwartz, Rachel Victor.

BETTER COMPOUND DETECTION

F

or almost a century researchers have used radioisotope labels to investigate key biological and biochemical pathways, and in the process have discovered many of the fundamental chemical processes of life. Though new techniques and instrumentation continues to advance chemical and biological discovery, radioisotopes still play a central role in biochemical studies.

Scintillation Nanotechnologies nanomaterials are available for two emission wavelengths (left) and are directly compatible with aqueous solutions.

Professor Craig Aspinwall and Dr. Colleen Janczak, researchers in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, have recently developed a new nanomaterial platform that allows radioisotope-labeled compounds to be detected directly in biological samples, without damaging the sample, and in a much more environmentally friendly manner, compared to existing methods. The pair of CBC researchers recently formed the small business startup, Scintillation Nanotechnologies, LLC, and licensed their discoveries from the University of Arizona in order to commercialize these important nanomaterials.

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2019 | 17

STAFF AWARDS

FACULTY AWARDS

Ken Nebesny, CBC/CoS Staff Excellence Award

Dee Belle-Oudry & Brian Zacher, Dean’s Innovation and Education Award

Olivia Mendoza, Harold McNair Staff Award Kathleen Ryan, Harold McNair Staff Award Makayla Rascon, Harold McNair Staff Award

Minying Cai, Galileo Circle Copernicus Awardee Lisa Dollinger, Distinguished Career Teaching Award Dennis Lichtenberger, Jeffrey Pyun, Richard Glass (& Robert Norwood), Dean’s Innovation and Education Award Jeffrey Pyun, National Academy of Inventors Senior Member Jeffrey Pyun, Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering Division (PMSE) Fellow S. Scott Saavedra, Galileo Circle Fellow Marc Tischler, Dean’s List for Excellence in Teaching, Year 2 Regents Professor Emerita F. Ann Walker, Eraldo Antonini Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines (SPP) Lucy Ziurys, Regents Professor Lucy Ziurys, Laboratory Astrophysics Prize, Laboratory Astrophysics Division of the American Astronomical Society

L to R: Kathleen Ryan, Makayla Rascon, Olivia Mendoza

RETIREE 2019

NEW FACULTY AND STAFF Katrina Alderete, Office Assistant

Katrina Alderete

Debra ArmandCade

Carol Fleming

Debra Armand-Cade, Advisor Carol Besselsen, Business Office Carol Fleming, Office Assistant Ken Nebesny

Sara Gordon, Accounting Assistant Denise Graham, Accounting Assistant Marie-Pierre Hasne, Lecturer

Sara Gordon

Denise Graham

Marie-Pierre Hasne

Dionne Johnson, HR Representative Justan Klaus, Staff Engineer Brooke Massani, Staff Scientist; Director, Research Support Services

The Catalyst is going fully online! Sign up for our monthly e-Catalyst newsletter to find out when new issues post:

text CBCATUA to 22828 Dionne Johnson

Justan Klaus

Read more online about our new faculty and staff: cbc.arizona.edu/alumni_friends/newsletters

Brooke Massani

THE CATALYST | CBC ALUMNI MAGAZINE

18

IN MEMORIAM PEOPLE WE HAVE LOST FACULTY Hank Hall

Henry “Hank” Hall, Jr Chemistry Professor d. October 25, 2018

Edward Acheson

Victoria Bode

Malcolm McKenzie Cutting

Jay Ferguson

Mark Hildebrand

Thomas Arthur Matlock

Thomas Minas

Robert Ottaviani

Sharon Ruble

Virginia Schewel

Zach Scott

Daniel Wray

Richard Jensen Biochemistry Professor d. November 1, 2018

Richard Jensen

F. Raymond “Ray” Salemme Biochemistry Professor d. July 24, 2019

Jean Joseph Chatham

W. Ronald “Ron” Salzman Chemistry Profess0r, Department Head d. June 15, 2019

ALUMNI Ray Salemme

Ron Salzman

Read more online about those we’ve lost. cbc.arizona.edu/ alumni_friends/ newsletters

Edward Acheson PhD Chemistry, 1983 d. March 13, 2019

Thomas Minas BA Chemistry, 1956 d. August 8, 2019

Victoria (Vickey) Bode BS Chemistry, 1974 d. March 18, 2019

Robert Ottaviani PhD Chemistry 1970 d. May 1, 2019

Jean Joseph Chatham BS Biochemistry, 1992 d. March 2, 2019

Sharon Ruble MS Chemistry, 1967 d. March 28, 2019

Thomas E. Collins BS Chemistry, 1990 d. 2017

Virginia Schewel BS Chemistry, 1972 d. December 15, 2018

Malcolm McKenzie Cutting BA Chemistry, 1949 d. November 26, 2018

Zach Scott MA Chemistry, 2011 d. January 21, 2019

Jay Ferguson BS Chemistry, 1949 d. October 28, 2018

Judith Sentman MS Chemistry, 1983 d. October 11, 2018

Mark Hildebrand PhD Biochemistry, 1987 d. August 9, 2018

Edward Stout PhD Chemistry, 1973 d. September 15, 2019

Thomas Arthur Matlock, MD BA Chemistry, 1952 d. December 13, 2018

Daniel Wray BS Chemistry/Physics 1975 d. September 30, 2018

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2019 | 19

2018–19 STUDENT AWARDS UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS

CBC Outstanding Senior Thesis

CBC Outstanding Juniors

CBC Outstanding Student Peer Mentors

Meucci Ilunga - Biochemistry Steven Fried - Chemistry CBC Outstanding Sophomores

Daniel Wieland - Biochemistry Emma Potter - Chemistry

Alexander Ryan, 1st place Elizabeth Fil, 2nd place

Hannah Moran Soraya Sandoval Ronald Gonzalez Wildcat Spirit Award

Abel Cherian - Biochemistry Amanda Platt - Chemistry

Kathia Antillon Leah Victoria Ortega Michael Wilcox

Biochemistry Outstanding Senior

Galileo Circle Scholars

CBC Outstanding Freshmen

Hiromi Fukuzaki Biochemistry Excellence in Research

Peter James Tuohy Chemistry and Biochemistry Excellence in Research

Katrina Konopka Chemistry and Biochemistry Outstanding Senior

Katrina Konopka Chemistry and Biochemistry Outstanding Senior Fall 2018

Haley Petersen ACS Hach Scholars

Jessy Forelli Aurora Hurtado Olivas Alyssa Peterson Charles Hoyt Scholars

Hiromi Fukuzaki Sadie Keesler AZ Society for Coatings Technology Scholars

Tobias Kochenderfer Keelee C. McCleary-Petersen Royal Society of Chemistry Certificate of Excellence Award

Sara Lee Jones Excellence in Biological Sciences Scholars

Steven Fried Meucci Ilunga Amanda Warner Daniel Wieland Michael A. Wells Research in Biological Sciences Scholars

Steven Fried Amanda Warner Dr. Thomas M. and Candace C. Grogan Scholars

Keelee C. McCleary-Petersen Bianca G. Reilly Alejandro Villalobos Amanda Warner

Undergraduate Students

Carter Bosse Deziree Coleman

Gilbert R. Escalante Memorial Scholar

Steven Fried Hiromi Fukuzaki Emma Harrell Aurora Hurtado Olivas

Gilbert R. Escalante Memorial Scholar

Nadia Ingabire Katrina Konopka David Lasansky

Michael Cusanovich Scholar

Ray Lee Samantha Macklin-Isquierdo Andrea Peralta Mireya Pimental Lauren Marie Pisani Angela Marie Rivera Matthew Scandura Sujin Seo Dakotah Shreiner Bennett Van Camp Lauren A. Wilson Graduate Students

Kayla Clary Lindsay Eileen Guzman

Victor & Patricia Hruby Scholar

Meghan Hamilton Metin Karayilan Kevin Lee Alexander Marciniak Deseree Reid Kristiane Torgeson Pelletier

GRADUATE AWARDS Carl S. Marvel Scholar

Tristan Kleine David O’Brien Graduate Fellow

Kristen Watts Victor P. Thalacker Chemistry Graduate Fellow

Rachel Utterback

Herbert E. Carter Award

Matthew Bienick Alexander Marciniak Dr. Wayne Cody Scholar in Medicinal Biological Chemistry

Christopher Foley Lela E. Booher Memorial Scholar

Kristiane Torgeson Pelletier John Hostetter Scholar

Stephen Smith 1st Yr. Excellence in Graduate Research

Anna Eitel

Outstanding Graduate Students Outstanding Scholarship

Matthew Bienick Outstanding Teaching

Daniel Plewa Outstanding Service

Meghan Hamilton

SPECIAL RECOGNITION UA ARCS Foundation Scholar

Taylor Gee Kristen Watts ACS Graduate Fellow

Kristen Watts 2018 Oustanding UBRP Graduate Student Mentor

Kristiane Torgeson Pelletier CBC Graduate Research Symposium Poster Awards 2018

Anna Eitel Tristan Kleine Kristen Watts NSF Graduate Research Fellow

Angela Marie Rivera Barry Goldwater Scholar

Steven Fried UA Merrill P. Freeman Medal

Katrina Konopka UA Beckman Scholars

Jamie Takashima 2019 Amanda Warner 2018 Margaret Bilson Research Scholars

Andrew Alamban Emily Barney Alexander Blythe Bennett Van Camp

Danny Brower Memorial Scholars

Hiromi Fukuzaki Bennett Van Camp Amanda Warner Paul G. & Elise M. Koch Memorial Scholar

Sadie Keesler Dottie Sams Research Award

Angela Marie Rivera Van De Verde Undergraduate Research Scholar in Science

Angela Marie Rivera Vanice, Glen W. & Keith Reid Scholar

Deziree Coleman Charles, Charles Jr., & Anthony Vomaska Scholar

Ciara Zak Newell and Beth Younggren Scholar for Biological Sciences

Emma Harrell ASBMB 1st Place Undergraduate Poster Winner

Steven Fried

CBC Undergraduate Poster Fair Senior Thesis

1st: Tyler W. G. Roberts 2nd: Haley Harper Biological Sciences Advanced

1st: David Lasansky 2nd: Stefan Koester Biological Sciences Emerging

1st: Martina Francis 2nd: Aaron Ramonett Physical Sciences Advanced

1st: Steven Fried 2nd: Lindsey Holmen Physical Sciences Emerging

1st: Keelee C.McClearyPetersen 2nd: Kaitlyn Hock BECUR Poster Fair Winners

Andrew Alamban Allison Eby Jordan Fink Steven Fried David Lasansky Ray Lee Keelee C. McCleary-Petersen Amanda Warner Lauren A. Wilson

20

SPOTLIGHT ON THE UA CHEMISTRY CLUB

THE CATALYST | CBC ALUMNI MAGAZINE

KEEP THE MAGIC REAL! crowdfund.arizona.edu/cbcmagic

by Rebecca Newton, Chemistry Club Vice President

T

he University of Arizona’s Student Members of the American Chemical Society (ACS) Chapter (aka the Chemistry Club) was founded in August of 1973.

From there, they developed and faced unique issues ranging from a seriously out-of-date club rule book to the fight between tradition and growth. While facing these challenges head-on, the club has grown to be one of the top chapters in the world. Over the past five years, the club has been nationally recognized five times at the annual ACS conference as being one of the most active clubs in the organization.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Our chapter aids in the professional development of our members in many ways. Most, if not every, meeting has a member of the local Tucson/UA community who has found their place with a career related to chemistry. Many members in the past have gained very valuable knowledge in terms of undergraduate research, the process of getting into graduate school; some members have even obtained lab positions from Professors and Principal Investigators.

NATIONAL ACS CONFERENCE

OUTREACH Our chapter participates in a variety of community outreach activities. We travel to local Tucson schools to perform chemistry “magic” shows, volunteer, and do hands-on activities with youth to generate interest in STEM. Twice annually, we invite the Tucson community to come to our campus and watch our hour-long chemistry “magic” show. We also volunteer at events such as Tucson Festival of Books and at a local library that serves underprivileged communities. Some of our members volunteer to spend their Saturdays at the Tucson Household Hazardous Waste facility helping dispose of various chemicals and solvents safely. We also partner with our local ACS Chapter as well as the Beta Tau chapter of Alpha Chi Sigma.

Our chapter travels to the spring ACS National Meeting every year to network, attend various talks, present a poster, and accept awards. We consistently win the “Outstanding Chapter” award as well as “Green Chemistry” awards as a result of the efforts we put into the club and into our community. Each year, the club sends all of the officers and some high-performing members to the to the ACS conference free of charge as a way of incentivizing attending events and to give our members the opportunity to attend a conference in a professional setting.

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2019 | 21

STUDENT ADVENTURES Read the full stories online. cbc.arizona.edu/alumni_friends/newsletters

Dana Bernhardt – Roche Tissue Diagnostics Madison Cook – Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Bio/Diversity Project Steven Fried – Biophysical Society Meeting, Baltimore, MD; Experimental Biology Conference, Orlando, FL Amanda Gong – Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix Matheo Herrera – Pediatric surgery shadow, Quit0, Ecuador Meucci Ilunga – MIT Summer Research Program in Biology Sara Lee Jones – ReNUWIt REU Program, UC Berkeley Ricky Lira – Roche Molecular Diagnostics, Pleasanton, CA Alex Marciniak – ACS, in San Diego

Dana Bernhardt

Steven Fried

Matheo Herrera (left) Ricky Lira

Madison Cook

Vivian Mendoza-Leon

Amanda Gong

Meucci Ilunga

Vivian Mendoza-Leon – Summer Health Professions Education Program, UCLA Andres Sanchez – Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Soraya Sandoval – Ronald E. McNair Achievement Program Sydney Schwartz – Banner Patient Experience Ambassador Kiah Sleiman – Study Abroad, Paris, France Zach Stebner – Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Bio/Diversity Project Kevin Wong – Global Medical/Dental Brigades, Honduras Emma Wu – Mediterranean Diet And Health Study Abroad Program, Verona, Italy

Soraya Sandoval

Sara Lee Jones

Kiah Sleiman

Andres Sanchez

Sydney Schwartz

Zach Stebner

Alex Marciniak (center)

Kevin Wong (center)

Emma Wu

THE CATALYST | CBC ALUMNI MAGAZINE

22

CBC SCRAPBOOK OKTOBERFEST Taylor Gee and TJ Blackburn

Riva Villaran

OUTREACH AND ACTIVITIES

Maddie Morrow

Tucson Festival of Books | Chemistry Club

Carmen Mendoza and Tanisha Taariq

Sujin Seo and Angie Condarcure

ACS and PAWS with Girl Scouts troop 240

Program to Advance Women Scientists (PAWS)

Biochemistry Club Officers

Kate Klesner, Meghan Hamilton, Rachel Utterback, Megan Molina, Kristiane Torgeson, Lindsay Guzman

Joe Thonhoff, Hiromi Fukuzaki, Basil Ramadan, Emma Wu, Maddie Morrow, Haley Krouskop, Dr. Chad Park

BECUR Sara Lee Jones

Alejandro Villalobos

Keelee McCleary-Petersen, Isabella Brown, Avani Kumar

CBC POSTER FAIR

Heber Lara

Steven Fried and David Lasansky

Tucson Festival of Books | ACS

Katrina Konopka

Hiromi Fukuzaki and Lucas Frame

2018-19 COMMENCEMENT The 2018-2019 CBC Awards and Commencement Ceremony was held on Thursday, May 9, 2019 at the Student Union Memorial Grand Ballroom.

Over 400 attendees included CBC graduating students, student award recipients, student ambassadors, faculty, staff, family members and friends of the department.

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2019 | 23

ICE CREAM SOCIAL

ORIENTATION

Ravindu and Matthew May

2019 BLASTOFF!

CBC BREAKFAST

SALSA CHALLENGE

White Coat Ceremony

Maddie Morrow, Haley Krouskop, Olivia Mendoza, Emma Wu and Vivian Mendoza-Leon

2019 Winners

RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM

Joseph Schaeffer, Anthony Baldo, Allison Smith, Ananya Chakraborti

Yu-Cheng Wang and Sarah Tyler

WELCOME BACK STUDENTS

Taylor Gee

CBC AMBASSADORS

Snow on the Mall!

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ONLINE EXTRAS

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2019 | 25

ALUMNI NEWS MORE Jane Orient – BA Chemistry, 1967

Fifth edition of Sapira’s Art and Science of Bedside Diagnosis by Jane M. Orient, MD, published by Wolters Kluwer.

James Kudrna – PhD Chemistry, 1969

Following my PhD at the UA, I attended Northwestern Medical School and then did a residency in Orthopaedic Surgery. Subsequently, I trained in hip replacement surgery and spent some 40 years performing hip replacements affiliated with both Northwestern University and then the University of Chicago. I had a very successful career, clinically, performing research, and teaching around the world. I have received numerous awards for my work.I am now retired and enjoy photography, fly fishing, and a model train hobby, and I travel, with trips annually to Arizona. I often reminisce to those great days in Tucson and the University in the 1960s.

Jane Orient

Garry Strauser – BA Chemistry, 1969; MD 1974

Happily married to Pat for 41 years, with 4 children and 14 grandchildren. Have served on hospital Board of Directors for 20 years. Looking forward to 45th UA Med School Class Reunion.

Ralph Johnson – MS Chemistry, 1970

Retired after 34 years at The Upjohn Company, then was a consultant for 12 years. For over 3 years I have volunteered as guest lecturer at Kilimanjaro School of Pharmacy in Tanzania, Africa.

Leslie & Larry Schwartz

Larry Schwartz – PhD Chemistry, 1971

Have expanded my business from IP Business and Technology Management to also advise in areas related to radiation crosslinking, polymer formulations and product design.

Wayne Wesolowski – PhD Chemistry, 1971

I’m immensely enjoying retirement with walks in the morning, time in my workshop and a recent stop at a Pennsylvania Civil War train event plus a visit with our two grandchildren. Missing the energy of the classroom, I still give talks to groups about Abraham Lincoln’s Funeral Train and have a permanent exhibit about the train at Tucson’s Gadsden Pacific Toy Train Museum…you may find me there in a Civil War uniform, not a lab coat.

Keith Adams – BA Chemistry, 1972

Retired from a semiconductor manufacturing company in Chandler, AZ. I worked in the mining industry before that with a few of the prominent copper mining companies, all in Arizona. Worked as a risk management consultant for a few companies in the Tucson area before full retirement. Tucson is still home. Go CATS! Enjoying the outdoors; hunting, fishing, jeeping, hiking, rockhounding and many other outdoor activities. My wife, a UA alum as well, and I have traveled extensively. We have been to Egypt, Kenya, Costa Rica, Hawaii (5 times), Hong Kong (before and after Chinese rule), Macau, Thailand, Australia, Alaska and several of the US and British Virgin Islands.

Wayne Wesolowski

Don Stevenson – PhD Chemistry, 1972

I am retired but working part time as a consultant for Dover Chemical. My wife, Cheryl and I have 9 grandchildren. We both enjoy golf and traveling especially on Viking Cruises. We have met at least 2 couples in Dover who graduated from Arizona. Would enjoy attending any Arizona Wildcats game that might be close to central Ohio.

Tim Krupa – MS Chemistry 1974

I am currently Senior Director, Traits Development at Cibus US LLC. Rusti & Tim Krupa

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Michael Routh – PhD Chemistry, 1976 I am Board Director at In-Situ.

Michael Routh

George Marshall – PhD Chemistry, 1978

Retired in 2012 after 37 years with IBM and then Lexmark (a former IBM Division). A natural products chemist trained by Corny Steelink but I earned my fortunes developing toners for printers and copiers. Dr. Steelink’s recent passing deeply saddened me, as did those of several additional UA staff members and alumni. Have lived in Colorado since 1978; first in Boulder (30 years) and then downtown Denver.

Brian Coleman – PhD Chemistry, 1981

I retired after 33 years with DuPont and a year with the Chemours spin-off. I am busy with fly fishing, tennis, tutoring disadvantaged high schoolers and watching our grandson.

Tomi Sawyer – PhD Chemistry, 1981

Brian Coleman

I retired from Merck on July 19 (my birthday) and have recently founded Maestro Medicine (Chief Drug Hunter & President) that is envisaged as to be a multidisciplinary and innovative enterprise dedicated to transforming and accelerating peptide modality therapeutics. I am also creating a global Peptide Drug Hunter Consortium to support emerging academic and early stage biotech companies that are engaged in peptide modality drug discovery. At the UofA, I’m now working closely with TechLaunchAZ and Professors Victor Hruby and Minying Cai to develop and commercialize their novel MCR-targeted molecules for several compelling therapeutic indications. I’m proud to state that this research includes scientific contributions by my youngest son, Jonathon, who is part of the MCR project team.

Germain Fernando – PhD Biochemistry, 1982 Germain Fernando and family

I retired in 2017 from the University of Queensland, and now I am with a private company Vaxxas Ltd developing needle-free vaccines using skin microprojection patches.

Mark Leusch – BA Biochemistry, 1984; PhD Microbiology & Immunology, 1990

Mark and Cindy Leusch

After receiving my PhD, I completed a postdoctoral program with Monsanto Corporate Research, Department of Cellular and Molecular Biochemistry. This postdoctoral research contributed to a patent for developing a method of producing recombinant eukaryotic viruses in bacteria. In 1992, I joined Procter & Gamble Health Care Product Development and contributed to several oral care initiatives and product advancements. One highlight from this period included contributions of in vitro and in vivo microbiological data and performance testing methodology to establish the safety and effectiveness of stannous fluoride and cetylpyridinium chloride in the FDA OTC plaque and gingivitis monograph. In 2001, I accepted a role in Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals Regulatory Affairs and contributed toward development of an 800 mg mesalamine delayed-release tablet. In 2006, I joined Eli Lilly Global Regulatory Affairs and provided regulatory leadership for multiple early-phase and late-phase development assets that included US and global registrations for Strattera®, Erbitux® and Cyramza®.

Since 2015, I have been a principal clinical research scientist in Lilly Oncology Global Medical Affairs and have provided medical support for global commercialization activities for Verzenio®, Erbitux and currently for Cyramza. My wife Cindy (BSN Nursing, 1988) and I have three children, Steven (30), Kristen (29) and Monica (23).

Cindy and I are active members of St. Luke Catholic Church in Indianapolis.

David Tuschel – MS Chemistry, 1985

I am a Raman Applications Scientist at HORIBA Scientific.

Jacqueline Daspit – BA Biochemistry, 1986

David Tuschel

I’m thrilled to share that my daughter has enrolled at the UA as an Honors Student in the Ecology & Evolutionary Biology major program this fall!

ONLINE EXTRAS

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Steve Andruski – PhD Chemistry, 1987

My full time job at the US Pharmacopeia is in the Verification Programs where we do third-party verification of dietary supplements, dietary ingredients, excipients and drug substances, ensuring their quality. In addition to that, I am the founder and current president of an all-volunteer nonprofit community bike shop in Rockville called the Rockville Bike Hub. We teach people how to maintain and repair their bikes. We also support several charity rides during the year and support a kids bike giveaway program in \cooperation with the City of Rockville.

Hilary Danehy – BS Biochemistry, 1987

Hilary Danehy

Enjoying a start-up company environment working on implantable osmotic pump drug delivery systems.

Steve Mayer – PhD Biochemistry, 1990

My wife and I have moved from Denver to the Roaring Fork Valley on the western slope of Colorado. I am working in Glenwood Springs and Aspen as an oncologist and we are enjoying our horse ranch and the great outdoors.

Noel Carlson – PhD Biochemistry, 1992

I am a Research Professor in the Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy at the University of Utah and the Deputy Chief of Research at the Salt Lake City VA Medical Center.

Steve Mayer

Patrick Desrochers – PhD Chemistry, 1992

Accepted position as chair of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Central Arkansas in 2014. Have now served here for 27 years.

Bassem Azizeh – PhD Chemistry, 1996

After being for four months in India as a Consultant and Project Team Lead investigating Laboratory Controls and Data Integrity Assessment. FDA remediation and Forensic data analysis (CDS and Non CDS), chromatographic and non chromatographic analyses; discover, extract and analyze patterns of fraudulent activities. Review and evaluate using Logs, Triage and Metadata. As of November 2018, I accepted a position as a Vice President of Quality Control at CSBio, Inc in Menlo Park, CA. I oversee method development and validation group, releases of APIs, various ongoing peptide stability, releases of incoming raw materials, introducing peptide characterization techniques and many other analytical methodologies related to peptides to qualify reference standards. The experience I’ve generated during my graduate studies was tremendous and overwhelming for the continuation of my career in peptide chemistry.

Noel Carlson

Nishant Anand – BA Biochemistry, 1999

I currently am serving as Executive Vice President & Chief Medical Officer of BayCare Health System in Floria and President of BayCare Physician Partners.

Kathie McReynolds Zamboanga – MA Chemistry, 1996; PhD Chemistry, 1999

I have been a faculty member at California State University, Sacramento for 18 years I have been a faculty member at California State University, Sacramento for the past 18 years. Here I have an NIH-funded lab, where I have trained over 60 research students in research focused on the development of glycopolymers as anti-viral agents. I was also recently elected as the statewide chair of the biotechnology affinity group for the 23-campus California State University system, CSUPERB (CSU Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology). On the home front, I have been married to my husband, Alan, for 20 years this coming September.

Together we are raising two very busy teenagers, Hayden (16) and Nora (13). In our spare time, you can find us hiking the national parks or heading overseas to explore new countries.

Kathie McReynolds Zamboanga and family

Nishant Anand

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Rogerio R. Sotelo-Mundo – PhD Biochemistry, 1999 Rogerio Sotelo-Mundo

Soon it will be 20 years since my PhD defense. Glad to continue doing research, teaching at the graduate level and directing MSc and PhD thesis at CIAD (www.ciad. mx) in Mexico.

Brian Dangel – PhD Chemistry, 2000

Currently I am a Customer Solution Manager at Qiagen.

William Loomis – BA Chemistry, BS Psychology, 2002

After graduating I worked for several years before eventually going back to school earning a Masters in Chemistry from Northern Arizona University. Since November 2012, I have been working for the Tucson Police Department Crime Laboratory as a Forensic Toxicologist. As of July 2019, I have testified in more than 60 trials on the analysis of ethanol and its effects on human performance.

Brian Dangel and son

Ben Fish – BS Chemistry, 2003

William Loomis

Went to UCLA for grad school in chemistry after graduating U of A. Worked for Amgen in new technology and analytics, then moved to Pfizer and worked on early stage development in medicinal chemistry for Alzheimer’s. While at Pfizer went to UCONN for my MBA then moved to consumer banking strategy at Bank of America. Was at Bank of America for 7 years in strategy and product development across the consumer bank (mortgage, debit, checking, and credit card). Now head of product development in credit card at Citizens Bank.

Megan MacKay – BS Chemistry, 2006

Megan MacKay

Currently, I am thriving as a clinician mental health counselor. I received my masters in 2016 and am en route to becoming trained in EMDR to better help victims of traumatic events. I found my passion in helping trauma victims, especially PTSD, and people in recovery for addiction. I work for an amazing boss on the board for the Arizona Counselor’s association, who offers complete ethical guidance and thorough training and job experience.

I found that with the field of chemistry, there was not a lot of acceptance or guidance, and much in the way of individuals that would rather see you fail than succeed.

Therefore, I changed gears and chose the mental health field where I am able to guide and help strengthen people. My life has never been better.

I continue to volunteer tutor for those in elementary school to advocate for the sciences. I encourage youth to better their skills and pursue science degrees and tutor them, mainly in math. I was a part of the CATTS program during my time at the University of Arizona, which started this journey with volunteering.

Currently, I volunteer through HandOn Greater Phoenix’s YEC program, who connects me to these programs.

I strongly encourage each of you to help your peers rather than to shun your fellow students if you see them struggling. It may be caused by issues you are unaware of.

Be accepting, be kind, be open, and help them. Life is hard enough. You do not need to add to the struggle.

Carol Manhart – BS BMB, BS MCB, 2006

I started a faculty position in the Department of Chemistry at Temple University.

Michael Brumbach – PhD Chemistry, 2007

For the past ten years I have led the Surface Analysis Laboratory at Sandia NationI did my postdoctoral work on electrochemical capacitors at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnology at Sandia National Laboratories. I then became a staff member in the Materials Characterization Department where we perform analysis for colleagues throughout the laboratory. For the past ten years I have led the Surface Analysis Laboratory. This has been a rewarding experience where I can contribute to my coworker’s programs as well as broader Sandia missions. I am now transitioning to new opportunities in Portland, OR.

ONLINE EXTRAS

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2019 | 29

Channa De Silva – PhD Chemistry, 2007

I received tenure at Western Carolina University in 2016 and I was promoted to Associate Professor. I teach Inorganic, Organic, and General Chemistry at Western Carolina University. I have a research group working on nanotechnology, biotechnology, and computational chemistry research. We are focusing on developing lanthanide-based nanomaterials for potential biomedical applications. The training that I had at University of Arizona was amazing and always helps me to improve myself in the field of chemistry and biochemistry.

Channa De Silva

Matt Durban – BS Chemistry, 2007

I am a Materials Engineer at Align Technology, Inc.

Matthew Lawler – BS BMB, BS MCB, 2007

Finished residency at Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital.

Marilyne Stains – PhD Chemistry, 2007

I received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in 2019. I recently moved to the University of Virginia where I am an Associate Professor.

Matthew Clark – BS BMB, BS MCB, 2009

As a student at Pima Community College, the NIGMS-supported Bridges to Baccalaureate program enabled me to conduct research at the University of Arizona with the late Michael Wells. My work sought to understand viability via the regulation of protein synthesis in the mosquito, Aedes aegypti. My time in the Wells lab was formative; he remains my role model for facilitating undergraduate research and doing outreach. Without his mentorship, it is unlikely I would be a research scientist today.

Later research with Roger Meisfeld guided my interest in endomembrane dynamics which led me toward a more tractable genetic model system, Drosophila, working with Bing Ye at the University of Michigan while in the NIGMS-supported Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP). Our work on Golgi complexes, which play important roles in neuronal morphogenesis and function, revealed key structural and functional features of dendritic Golgi outposts.

Ye recommended that I read the biography of Drosophila neurogeneticist Seymour Benzer, Time, Love, Memory. Inspired by Benzer’s Matt Durban creativity, I saw the potential of studying the genetic basis of behavior in fruit flies.

Motivated by this goal, I pursued a PhD with Chris Doe at the University of Oregon.

I was his first student to study behavior in a lab otherwise focused on developmental neurobiology. My PhD work revealed higher-order interneurons responsible for controlling distinct aspects of Drosophila larval motor programs.

To supplement my training I spent time at the University of Manchester learning electrophysiology with Richard Baines and also attended two summer courses at the Marine Biological Laboratories in Woods Hole and one at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories. These experiences set the stage for my postdoctoral training with Michael Dickinson at Caltech.

As a Postdoctoral Scholar in Biology and Biological Engineering, I aim to understand motor programs governing flight behavior in Drosophila. My family and I look forward to settling down soon as I aim for a tenure track position at a primarily undergraduate institution where I hope to teach and run a lab of my own.

Mark Leick – BS BMB, BS MCB, 2009

I’m a clinical oncology fellow at Harvard Medical School. I’m working in Marcela Maus’ lab designing new chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells for cancer and training clinically in bone marrow transplantation.

Matthew Clark

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Sarah Nelson-Taylor – BS BMB, BS MCB, 2009

My husband, Dan, and I welcomed a baby girl, Alice in September of 2018. I graduated with my MD/PhD from University of Colorado in May 2019 and started a pediatrics residency at University of Colorado.

Natalie Pace – BS BMB, 2009

I am a fourth year medical student and am currently applying to Urology residency positions. I was at Duke and Northwestern for sub-internships in urology and both were wonderful experiences.

Nick Veomett – BS BMB, 2009

Sarah Nelson-Taylor

I went on to complete a PhD in Pharmacology at Cornell Medical College / Sloan Kettering Institute, then worked for four years in consulting at McKinsey & Company. I am now Director of Corporate Development at Vividion Therapeutics in San Diego.

Natalie Pace

Avigdor Leftin – PhD Chemistry, 2010

I recently finished my second postdoc at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the Department of Medical Physics in NYC. I started a new faculty position at Stony Brook University in the School of Medicine as Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiology. I am a member of the Stony Brook Cancer Center, Biochemistry and Structural Biology Graduate Program, Pharmacology Graduate Program, and serve as Assistant Director of the Stony Brook Preclinical MRI Center. My wife, son (1.5 years), and I like exploring nearby beaches and parks, and are slowly settling into the laidback Long Island lifestyle.

Jessie Brown – BS BMB, BS MCB, 2011

I recently was awarded the Damon Runyon-Sohn Pediatric Cancer Fellowship Award from the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. This award will fund my postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Adolfo Ferrando at the Institute for Cancer Genetics at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.

Nick Veomett

Allena Goren – BS Chemistry 2011

I received my PhD in Biological Chemistry from MIT in August 2019 and will be starting with Boston Consulting Group in January 2020.

Ashley Mason Zappia – BS BMB, 2011 Jessie Brown

I recently received the “Team Player” award for the Roche Diagnostics Support Network for my skills in teamwork, collaboration, professionalism, and executive presence. In addition to my regular work as a technical lead for histology, instrumentation mechanics, and software systems for anatomic pathology laboratories, I have also been volunteering with local STEM education organizations and Junior Achievement of Central Indiana to promote youth involvement in STEM.

Kenneth Childers – BS Biochemistry, 2012

I recently finished my PhD at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and have accepted a position at Western Washington University as a postdoctoral research associate in Bellingham, WA. In addition to performing research, I will be teaching part time and training to become a PI. Trading in Retrievers for Vikings, but always a Wildcat! Bear down!

Lori Culberson – PhD Chemistry 2013 Kenneth Childers

I opened a tutoring & outreach center for STEM subjects in Tucson, and we just celebrated our first year.

Aishan Shi – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, BA English, 2013; MS Business Admin, 2016; MD 2019

I just graduated from medical school and will be starting residency at Banner University Medical Center Tucson.

ONLINE EXTRAS

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Lauren Dominick – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2014; MD 2019

I’m engaged and in the process of buying a house with my fiancé. I also just graduated medical school at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix Campus with the rural health certificate of distinction. I will be starting combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residency this June at the University of Arizona program so the main hospitals I will be at are Banner University Medical Center Phoenix and Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Meagan Johnson – BA Chemistry, 2014

I am a pediatric resident physician at University of Texas-San Antonio.

Lauren Dominick

Aaron Pejlovas – BS Chemistry, 2014; MA Chemistry, 2017; PhD Chemistry, 2018

My wife, Rhianna, gave birth to our first son in July 2018. His name is Oliver and we just love him so much. I was also hired by Clariant Corporation here in Tucson in May 2018 as a Development Chemist for the mining division focusing on the development of specialized reagents for the flotation of sulfide minerals. I enjoy the position and look forward to a fulfilling career in the industry.

Guadalupe Davila – BS Biochemistry, 2015

I am currently a 3rd year medical student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson.

Summer Gardner – BS Biochemistry, 2015

After graduating in 2015 I moved to Seattle Washington to work at the Northwest Clinical Research Center. I was a study coordinator for several clinical trial research such as depression, PTSD, COPD, arthritis, T1D, and many more. I worked there from 2015-2016.

Then I moved into the laboratory side of clinical research as a Laboratory Assistant at Pacific Biomarkers Inc, where I performed ELIZAs for different pharmacological companies such as Pfizer, Roche, Eli Lilly, and more; I was also trained in the Radio-Active ELIZAs protocol. I worked with that company from 2016-2017.

After that I was seeking a job that would put more value into my life, bring me that sense of accomplishment I was missing, while the previous work I did has taught me a lot I needed something else. That is when I decided to join the Peace Corps, Health Division. I joined in January 2018, and was flown to South Africa to become a Community HIV/ Summer Gardner AIDS Outreach Program volunteer.

I have been living in South Africa for the past 18 months.

My work consists of support groups for boys and girls that teach the essential health related topics arofund HIV; I also have helped in Teaching English to Prevent HIV and Roots Tribe Yoga along with Zumba classes. I still have 9 months left on my contract, and I hope to continue to make an impact on the lives of the ones served, I hope to take this new profound knowledge of HIV/AIDS and translate it into the laboratory setting. The Peace Corps has given me that drive I need, the passion I was missing, and I hope to come back changed and with a better understanding of my place in my community.

Aaron, Rhianna, & Oliver Pejlovas

Stephanie Kha – BS Biochemistry, 2015

After graduating from the University of Arizona in 2015, I moved to snowy Cleveland, Ohio to attend Case Western Reserve University for medical school. This May, I graduated with my Doctor of Medicine degree, and I matched into Orthopaedic Surgery for residency at Stanford University. I am humbled and even more excited to begin this next stage in my career—and bring my Wildcat pride to California!

Stephanie Kha and family

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Melissa Harnois – BS Biohemistry, 2016

After three incredible years, I said a bittersweet goodbye to Seattle and Juno Therapeutics this summer and moved across the country to North Carolina. I am excited to share that I am officially back in school and pursuing a PhD in Immunology at Duke.

Joseph Melius

Joseph Melius – BA Biohemistry, BS Physiology, 2017 I spent this summer chilling in Alaska.

Celina Nguyen – BS Biohemistry, BS MCB, 2017

I am starting the MD/PhD program at UCSD in the fall!

David Renner – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2017

II have completed my first year at the University of Pennsylvania. I have also joined the lab of Dr. Susan Weiss, where I will be doing my thesis on Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome virus and Coronaviruses. I will also be continuing work on Dengue virus and West Nile Virus in the lab.

Louis Pascal Riel – BS Chemistry, 2017

I took a year off to pursue Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, worked for the Cytology division at Roche Tissue Diagnostics (formerly Ventana Medical Systems) for a year and am currently beginning my 4th year as a PhD Candidate studying organic synthesis at the University of Connecticut under the advisement of Professors Amy Howell and Xudong Yao.

Matthew Stagg – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2017

I am attending the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University as part of their Class of 2023.

Louis Pascal Riel

Connor White – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2017

Within the past six months, I got a new job as a research technician at the Barrow Neurological Institute in St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. I work for Dr. Shwetal Mehta’s lab, which studies glioblastoma multiforme and in particular the role of Olig2 in this type of brain cancer.

Kimberly Widrick – BS Biochemistry, BS Math, 2017

I am pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering while simultaneously working toward a Masters degree in Optical Sciences. I am getting married this fall and recently purchased a home here in Tucson. I am very thankful to be continuing my education at the University of Arizona. It is such a large campus I am continually finding new ways to grow.

James McNamara – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2018

I have been working as a research technician at the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, and am applying to medical school.

Jessica Wales Kievenaar – PhD Biochemistry, 2018

After completing a postdoc at Harvard Medical School, I recently started a job as a Senior Scientific Researcher at Genentech.

Jessica (Wales) and Joshua Kievenaar

ONLINE EXTRAS

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Dane Zambrano – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2018

Since graduating last year, I’ve had two publications in the Marty Lab since graduating, and I’ve been awarded the GO-MAP Scholarship in Washington for my scientific achievements as a Filipino-American.

I’ve been accepted into graduate school studying Biochemistry at the University of Washington. In the King Lab, I’ve been using computational methods to design nanocages that can be used as a tool to deliver vaccines. I’ve had one successful cage deign which takes advantage of two-component systems using a de novo designed membrane protein. The long term goal of this project is to make an envelope virus-like particle we can use to improve antigen display.

Socially, I’ve started playing Dungeons and Dragons, as well as cosplaying as a creative outlet outside of science. In Washington, I enjoy doing “Science at the Market” presentations at my local farmer’s market as a way to promote scientific outreach to children.

Dane Zambrano

Kathia Antillon – BS Chemistry, BA Spanish, 2019

Started my summer rotation at the University of Kansas where I am working towards my PhD in Medicinal Chemistry.

Katia Davila – BS Chemistry, 2019

Since school has ended I have been looking for work and volunteer service in the San Diego area primarily involving science policy and environmental work in order to give back to my community and improve how science is communicated to the public. I might pursue a law internship as a potential route to law school in order to become active in the science policy and political community.

Hiromi Fukuzaki – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2019

My undergraduate career was an experience to say the least. Whether it was studying, research, work, or clubs, there were a lot of late nights and equally as many early mornings. Although it was rough at times, I found some amazing people to help me along the way, many of whom I hope will be life-long friends. I think in hindsight, my time at the UA can be summarized by the word “gratitude.” Like the Biochemistry research requirement and how it allowed me to meet my wonderful P.I. Dr. Zarnescu, or how my Biochemistry peer mentor encouraged me to join the Biochemistry Club where I made a lot of fulfilling memories, and met my woke club faculty advisor Dr. Park; just to name a few.

A wise mentor of mine told me that, “oftentimes we are pressured to just do something, when, what we really need is to take time for ourselves.” So, that’s what I’m currently doing; realigning my compass so to speak, and I am taking a gap year to focus on myself and travel a bit. I’m not at a prestigious job, or off saving the world (at least, not yet) and I think that’s okay. Although I am unsure what the future holds, I’m sure it’ll be fun.

Emma Harrell – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2019

Emma Harrell

I’m headed to Dallas, TX to start a PhD program at UTSW in biomedical sciences.

Sarah Kang – BA Biochemistry, 2019

I will be working as a dental assistant with my favorite dentist for a year and applying to dental school. For my gap year I will be working and traveling around the world!

Kathryn Kuna – BS Chemistry, BA Russian, 2019

I am a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mozambique teaching high school math.

Hannah Moran – BA Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2019

I am starting a PhD program is Cell Biology, Stem Cells and Developmental Biology at CU Denver Anschutz Medical School.

Kathryn Kuna

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Leah Ortega – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2019

I grew up in a small border-town of Douglas, AZ, where I was greatly involved within my school and community. At the University of Arizona, I was an honors student double majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology with a minor in Health and Human Values. In addition to my academics, I became very involved on campus and within the Tucson community by becoming a mentor through multiple clubs, volunteering at two local homeless shelters, and participating in a research lab. After earning my degree, I was accepted into the Teach for America program and am teaching 9th to 12th grade students in Colorado Biology and Chemistry during the 2019-2020 school year.

Leah Ortega

Maria Jin Serafini – BS Biochemistry, 2019

I am currently working as a medical scribe at TMC and am in the process of applying to med school for next fall!

Samantha Serna – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2019

I will be attending the University of Utah for the Biological Chemistry PhD Program.

Carrie Stine – BS Biochemistry, BS MCB, 2019

I began my PhD this fall at the University of Washington/Fred Hutch. My general research interest is cancer pharmacology, and I’m excited to be at such an outstanding cancer research center.

Carrie Stine

ONLINE EXTRAS

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NEW FACULTY AND STAFF MORE Katrina Alderete, Office Assistant Katrina Alderete was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. After working as a student worker with CBC among other jobs, she had the opportunity to be part of the Business office team as staff. Currently she spends most her time working at the office along with being a Barista at Espresso Art café. She plans to finish school and continue to grow at CBC Business office in the future. Some of her hobbies include creating horror film edits/makeup and finding new/old tunes to listen to.

Debra Armand-Cade, Advisor I was born and raised in Chicago, IL. Have advised at Purdue Northwest for over 10 years. I earned my BS in Human Resources Management from Purdue University Calumet and MS in Instructional Design and Technology from Purdue University Global.

I have the most amazing and supportive husband – Brian and three wonderful kids – Nasir, Brooklyn and Mason. I LIVE my family. I enjoy taking road trips, trying new restaurants and football! I am excited to join the CBC advising team and help students realize their academic goals.

Carol Besselsen, Business Office Carol Fleming, Office Assistant Carol Fleming started her career in the military where she was stationed at the Pentagon working for the Under Secretary of the Army. Later, she graduated from Indiana State University with a BS degree in Psychology and worked in social services for several years. Carol is married, has two sons and her small Pomchi dog. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, binge watching her favorite series, drinking Kickstarts and shopping Amazon!

Sara Gordon, Accounting Assistant Sara was born in Silver City, New Mexico but has intermittently called Tucson home for over 20 years! She also lived in Denver, Colorado for a time, but eventually returned to the lovely smell of desert rain and amazing food you can only find here in the Old Pueblo! She is currently working on her Bachelors of Psychology with a Pre-Health Thematic minor centered on Physical Therapy. She has worked in the financial industry for years and hopes her current skills will help her to contribute proactively and continue to support the research and projects being accomplished in the CBC Business Office! Also, her favorite day is “April 25th because it’s not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket!”

And if you know what movie that line is from, you will be her favorite person.

Denise Graham, Accounting Assistant Denise Graham recently joined CBC as an Accounting Assistant. In past incarnations she has been a teacher, a bodybuilder, an author and probably a lizard. She loves to travel and can order cocktails in several languages. She received her BA in German from Indiana University and looks forward to continuing her education at UA. She lives in the foothills of the Santa Ritas, where she enjoys watching the wildlife and stargazing.

Marie-Pierre Hasne, Lecturer Marie-Pierre Hasne joined the CBC Department on July 1 as a lecturer. She will teach metabolism, nutrition and endocrinology in the School of Medicine along with Marc Tischler and Dale Woolridge.

She holds a Doctorate in Pharmacy from Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 (France), a Ph.D. in Biochemical Parasitology from the University of Glasgow (Scotland) and a second Ph.D. in Philosophy from the European Graduate School.

Her biological research has been dedicated to the study of parasites responsible for human infectious diseases such as leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis. She used biochemistry, molecular and cell biology to explore the strategies and mechanisms by which these parasites acquire nutrients from

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their host. Her work has been published in the Journal of Biochemistry, Molecular Microbiology, Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, and the Biological Journal.

Her philosophical inquiry elaborates on the concept of limits and access. She is revisiting the question of What is a limit? by exploring the relations between limits and life.

She has taught at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) and Lewis & Clark College.

She was born in the Venice of the Alps, the town of Annecy, France.

Dionne Johnson, HR Representative I am from Arizona, and I am an UA Alumna. I previously worked in CBC, and I am happy to be back. I am married with one son, who will be attending college in the fall of 2019. We also have two little dogs; both are 12 years old. I love to read and collect books in all genres, especially thriller, suspense, and mystery.

Justan Klaus, Staff Engineer Justan Klaus grew up in Northeastern Iowa. He studied biochemistry and electrical engineering at the University of Iowa.

Before moving to Tucson and joining our department, he worked at the University of California’s Irvine campus. Justan likes reading science fiction short stories written in the 1950s and 60s, and he enjoys watching western television shows from that same era. He finds the Sonoran Desert’s plants and animals, especially lizards, fascinating and likes trying to photograph them while he hikes.

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Brooke Massani, Staff Scientist; Director, Research Support Services Brooke Beam Massani is originally from Atlanta Georgia, but has been living in Tucson for the last 17 years. She received her Ph.D. at the UA under the direction of Dr. Neal Armstrong and Dr. Sergio Mendes. She has been working in CBC for the last 11 years as a Staff Scientist and manager of the W.M. Keck Center for Nano-Scale Imaging. Working in the Keck Center, Brooke has focused on surface analytical imaging techniques including atomic force microscopy, optical microscopy and electron microscopy. She is passionate about supporting the UA and CBC research enterprise through enabling productive, independent, and confident use of analytical instrumentation. In her new role as the Director of Research Support Services, she is excited about working with CBC RSS staff to challenge them to grow their passions, skills and scientific support services at the UA. Brooke spends her free time with her family! She has two children, two very active boys that are four and one and keep her busy playing cars, Legos, and ridding bikes!

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IN MEMORIAM MORE PEOPLE WE HAVE LOST

F. Raymond “Ray” Salemme

FACULTY

Biochemistry Professor d. July 24, 2019

Henry “Hank” Hall, Jr Chemistry Professor d. October 25, 2018 It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Professor Emeritus Henry K. Hall on Thursday, October 25, 2018 at his home.

Prof. Hall received his Ph.D. in 1949 from the University of Illinois and was a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA from 1950-1952. He then moved to Dupont Company, where he worked in Central Research until he joined the faculty of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Arizona in August, 1969. His research interests focused on organic polymers, specifically ring-opening polymerization of lactams, cyclic ethers, betalactons, and other strained bicyclic monomers. Prof. Hall became head of the department in late 1969. In April 1973 he resigned the department head position to devote himself full time to the teaching and research that he loved.

We so much enjoyed his tribute last spring, as he was the epitome of a highly talented professor, scientist, and scholar.

We were honored to have him amongst us for so long.

Richard Jensen Biochemistry Professor d. November 1, 2018 It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Professor Richard G. Jensen on Thursday, November 1, 2018 at the age of 82.

Prof. Jensen earned his B.A. degree in 1961 and his Ph.D. degree in 1965 from Brigham Young University. He started at the University of Arizona in the Department of Chemistry in 1967, then helped form the new Department of Biochemistry when Chemistry and Biochemistry separated. He also held an appointment in the Department of Plant Sciences. After he retired in 1997, he and his wife Annette spent 18 months in Germany doing mission work for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Prof. Jensen is survived by his wife, Annette, their children, and grandchildren.

Dr. F. Raymond Salemme, a faculty member in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Departments of the University of Arizona from 1973-83, passed away on July 24, 2019. He was a scientist-entrepreneur who worked in both academia and industry.

Originally trained as an X-ray crystallographer, he pioneered the development of structural and biophysical methods for protein engineering and drug discovery. He established the Protein Engineering Division at Genex in 1982. Subsequently, he built and directed multidisciplinary scientific groups at DuPont Central Research, DuPont Merck Pharmaceuticals, and Sterling Winthrop Pharmaceuticals.

In 2004 he founded Imiplex to develop nanotechnology applications based on engineered proteins. Dr. Salemme authored over 100 scientific publications and is an inventor on 41 US Patents, covering nanotechnology, computational methods for drug discovery, engineered proteins, and instrumentation for high throughput screening and protein characterization. Additional details on his accomplishments.

W. Ronald “Ron” Salzman Chemistry Profess0r, Department Head d. June 15, 2019 It is with great sadness that we announce that Professor Emeritus W. Ronald Salzman passed way peacefully in his sleep on Saturday, June 15, 2019.

Dr. Salzman earned his B.S. degree in 1959 in Chemistry, his M.S. degree in 1964 in Physics, and his Ph.D. degree in 1967 in Chemistry, all at the University of California, Los Angeles. He started at the University of Arizona as an Assistant Professor of Physical Chemistry in 1967. His research interests included quantum mechanical perturbation theory, theory of optical activity and related phenomena, and dietectric properties of real gases. In Fall 1977, Dr. Salzman became Acting Head of the Chemistry Department, and a year later he was promoted to Head. He served as Department Head until 1983, and he retired from the University in 2005.

Dr. Salzman is survived by his wife, Virginia.

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ALUMNI Edward Acheson PhD Chemistry, 1983 d. March 13, 2019 Edward R. “Ed” Acheson died on March 13 from leiomyosarcoma, a rare and incurable cancer. He was at home in the loving embrace of his wife, Lucy. We celebrate with him his passing to the eternally loving embrace of his Lord.

Ed was born June 11, 1951 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the first child of Robert C. and Muriel A. Acheson. Ed graduated from Carroll College (now Carroll University), Waukesha, Wisconsin, in May, 1973 with a B.S. degree in Chemistry.

It was while attending Carroll that he met the love of his life, Lucy Blakely. They were married in August, 1973, and immediately moved to Tucson, Arizona where Ed began his graduate studies in Chemistry. He received a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Arizona in May, 1983.

In 1979, Ed accepted a position as Instructor of Chemistry at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. Ed thoroughly enjoyed his 35 years at Millikin, retiring in 2014 as Associate Professor of Chemistry Emeritus. During his tenure at Millikin, he served various terms on virtually all the Councils at Millikin, served two terms as Chair of the Chemistry Department, was instrumental in the planning, design, and construction of Leighty-Tabor Science Center, mentored several younger faculty, both formally and informally, and served as the occasional gadfly at faculty meetings, much to the chagrin of administrators. His real passion and joy came from working with students, both inside and outside the classroom. He is most proud of his many research students (you know who you are) who gave presentations at regional and national scientific meetings. Millikin recognized Ed in 2006 with the “Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award”, and the Chemistry Department honored him and Lucy by establishing in 2018 the “Dr. Ed and Lucy Acheson Award for Excellence in First Year Chemistry” given at the annual Honors Convocation.

Ed was also active in the American Chemical Society. He served as the local section secretary for over 30 years, and served on the ACS committee that wrote the 2001 national exam in Analytical Chemistry. He served the Chemistry profession in various other ways, including reviewing science education proposals for the National Science Foundation, and being an early contributor to the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science.

Ed and Lucy were both active members of Central Christian Church in Decatur. Over the years, he (and Lucy) served as Youth Group Leader, Usher, Deacon, and Elder. After retiring and moving to Cottonwood, Arizona, he was a member of Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church, volunteered at Rising Hope Food Bank, participated in (and thoroughly enjoyed) courses offered through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and was active in numerous activities at Cottonwood Ranch, including bridge, bingo, and water aerobics.

Ed is survived by his wife Lucy, sisters Jean AchesonHollowell (Reid), and Judith E. Acheson, brother Cliff Acheson (Bobbi), sisters-in-law Marion Blakely, Jennifer Meyer ( James), and Polly May ( John), brother-in-law Trace Blakely (Cindy), and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, parents-in-law Donald and Esther Blakely, and brother-in-law Reynold Blakely.

Memorial gifts may be made to the Dr. Ed and Lucy Acheson Award for Excellence in First Year Chemistry endowment, c/o Alumni and Development, Millikin University, or Central Christian Church.

Ed was a kind, patient, generous brother, friend, colleague, and husband. He would ask questions and really listen to the answer. Even in his last months he tried to make his loved ones feel better by downplaying the progression of his cancer with humor.

Ed will be remembered as a kind, gentle man who brought a bit of sunshine into everyone’s life.

Victoria (Vickey) Bode BS Chemistry, 1974 d. March 18, 2019 Victoria was a resident of Tucson, Arizona at the time of passing.

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Jean Joseph Chatham

Malcolm McKenzie Cutting

BS Biochemistry, 1992 d. March 2, 2019

BA Chemistry, 1949 d. November 26, 2018

Dr. Jean Joseph Chatham, age 48, died suddenly of a heart attack on Saturday March 2, 2019 while mountain biking, a hobby he loved. Dr. Chatham was born in Kottayam, Kerala, India on March 30, 1970. Together with his parents, he immigrated to the United States in 1976. The Chatham family made Phoenix, Arizona their permanent home in 1980. He was a paperboy for the AZ Republic from 13-18 years old, earning a college scholarship for his tenure.

Malcolm died peacefully with his family all around him. He is survived by his wife Sara (nee Gill) and children: Richard (Margie), Malcolm II (Tracy), Melissa Keblusek (Tom), Molly Owens (Matt), and Alexander; nine grandchildren: Kathryn Thompson (Kevin), Paul and Becky, Grace and Malcolm III, Kathryn and Ellie, Emily and Abby, and one great grandson, Ben. He was the beloved husband of the late Kathryn (nee Lynch).

Dr. Jean Chatham graduated from Brophy College Preparatory in 1988 and was a speech and debate champion and played in the school band. He majored in Biochemistry from the University of Arizona in 1992 and received the distinguished Outstanding Senior Award and graduated with high honors, among several other academic accolades. He attended Tufts University School of Medicine and graduated in 1996 with his medical degree.

He became a cardiologist and joined his father, Dr. Joseph Chatham’s practice in 2003. In joint partnership in 2010, he and his father went on to create a successful and thriving interventional cardiology practice, the Chatham Heart Center, located in Mesa, Arizona. He served on the Medical Executive Committee for Banner Heart Hospital. He was well respected by his collogues and was often consulted on complex cardiology cases. He was repeatedly named one of Arizona’s Top Doctors in Phoenix Magazine.

Jean is survived by his loving wife, Indu Korah Chatham and his three devoted children, Luke Joseph Chatham (18), Maya Maria Chatham (16) and Mathew Jacob Chatham (14); his loving parents, Dr. Joseph and Valsala Chatham; his loving sister Elizabeth Sira Chatham, his brother -in-law, Giano Panzarella, and their children, Nikhil Panzarella (12) and Ashan Panzarella (11). He was an avid photographer, tennis player, and had immersed himself in the technical aspects of mountain biking. Most of all he was a devoted family man who lived in the moment and appreciated the many blessings God had bestowed on him.

Thomas E. Collins BS Chemistry, 1990 d. 2017

He was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Richard and Jean Cutting.

The family suggests that memorials be sent in his name to the Cleveland Clinic Hospice, giving@ccf.org or to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 2747 Fairmount Blvd., Cleveland Hts., OH 44106.

Jay Ferguson BS Chemistry, 1949 d. October 28, 2018 Vergie Rae Vest Ferguson, 89, joined the company of heavenly angels Tuesday, October 16, 2018 in Phoenix, AZ, after a brave battle with leukemia. Her husband, Jay Edward Ferguson, 92, joined her in death twelve days later, Sunday, October 28.

Vergie and Jay were both native Arizonans. Vergie was born in Phoenix, AZ, January 5, 1929 to parents Garnet Vergie McEuen Vest and Arthur Elmore Vest. Vergie spent her early years in Chandler, then Blue River, and then Bonita, AZ, where her mother taught and served as Principal at the tworoom school. The family later moved to Duncan, AZ, where Vergie graduated from High School as Salutatorian and then enrolled at the University of Arizona.

Jay was born in Glenbar, AZ, December 17, 1925 to parents Meredith Jay (M. J.) Ferguson and Rose Emily Snyder Ferguson. Jay was the oldest of three boys who grew up in a house next door to the Ferguson Mercantile Store and Ferguson Farms in Glenbar which was owned and operated by their parents. Jay graduated from Pima High School in 1942 and enlisted in the United States Army in December of 1943, serving as a pilot and mechanic where he earned the American Theater Service Medal, WWII Victory Medal and a Good Conduct Medal. He was Honorably Discharged in 1945 and enrolled in the University of Arizona.

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Vergie and Jay met and became engaged while attending the UA. They were married in Safford, AZ, on June 11, 1947, and lived in Tucson while Jay finished his studies in math and chemistry. The newlyweds lived in Polo Village in a Quonset Hut—the housing for students and veterans attending the University—on the site of what is now the University Medical Center.

After the birth of their first child, Pamela, they moved to Safford to operate Ferguson’s Firestone Store. Two more children, Steven and Melissa, were born in Safford.

In 1968 they moved to Flagstaff and during the next 35 years, Jay worked for Black Mesa Pipeline Company, then NAU, as a pilot, and was active in the Kiwanis Club. Vergie was an administrative assistant in the Department of Music and later the Department of Modern Languages at NAU. She was ordained as Deacon in the Episcopal Cathedral in Phoenix in November 1992. She served as Deacon at the Church of the Epiphany in Flagstaff and later at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Globe, when the couple retired near Roosevelt Lake (and later in Globe). For the last 10 years, Vergie and Jay have lived at the Beatitudes Campus in Phoenix, AZ. Vergie and Jay are survived by their three children; Pamela (Keith) Johnson, Tucson; Steven (Lani) Ferguson, Phoenix; and Melissa (David) Cripps, Flagstaff; 6 Grandchildren, 2 step Grandchildren; 10 Great Grandchildren, 4 step-Great Grandchildren; Vergie’s sister, Marjorie Andrews, Mesa; Jay’s brothers, Donald ( Juanita) Ferguson, Scottsdale; Ray Ferguson, Pima and many nieces, nephews and extended family.

The family is grateful to the staff at the Beatitudes Care Center and to Hospice of the Valley for their loving care and support during these very difficult months.

Memorial donations in honor of Vergie and Jay would be much appreciated and should be made to: Beatitudes Foundation at 1650 W Glendale Ave Phx AZ 85021.

Mark Hildebrand PhD Biochemistry, 1987 d. August 9, 2018 Mark Hildebrand, a research molecular biologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, died Aug. 9 after a battle with cancer lasting more than four years. He was 59.

Hildebrand was a leader of the national research effort to develop fuels from algae and his laboratory had been ranked by the U.S. Department of Energy as the top algae biofuel

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program in the United States.

The director of the Marine Biology Research Division at Scripps since 2012, Hildebrand was also a founding member of the California Center for Algae Biotechnology, and a world leader in algal research. His lab is credited with developing many of the advanced genetic tools now commonly used in the research of marine microorganisms called diatoms, said Stephen Mayfield, the director of the center and a close collaborator.

“His worked spanned from basic studies on diatom metabolisms, to the production of biofuels and even nanotechnology using diatom silica cell walls,” said Mayfield.

“For more than 30 years, Mark was at the forefront of algae research. His recent studies on diatom genomics and metabolic analysis of lipid production have paved the way for the development of products using diatoms, including biofuels.”

Born in 1958, Hildebrand obtained his BS in chemistry from SUNY Syracuse in 1980 and his PhD in biochemistry from the University of Arizona in 1987. His PhD thesis concerned the biochemistry of isolated chloroplasts from tobacco plants. Because of his expertise in the molecular biology of photosynthetic organisms, he was hired at Scripps in 1987 as a postgraduate research biologist to work on the biology of diatoms.

Hildebrand’s branch of molecular biology was just emerging at the time. Researchers were excited about cloning and sequencing genes, said emeritus Scripps Oceanography marine biologist Vic Vacquier, a longtime colleague of Hildebrand’s. Diatoms are single-cell algae with intricate cell envelopes incorporating silica and are responsible for about 20 percent of worldwide carbon fixation by photosynthesis.

Hildebrand was the first to show that diatoms had plasmids, DNA segments that later proved to be important tools for gene manipulations.

“Mark was fascinated by the mechanism by which diatoms build the precise nanoscale repeating lace-like patterns of their silicon walls and he talked often about the idea that such regularly repeating structures might be used to store digital information,” said Vacquier.

Hildebrand’s reputation grew rapidly from his research discoveries, his leadership, and service to the field. His research attracted a group of superior graduate students and postdoctorals who broadened the scope of diatom biology at Scripps, Vacquier said.

“He cared deeply for science and for his students, co-workers, and colleagues and is fondly remembered by them for his enthusiasm for science and courage in the face of a difficult

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diagnosis,” said Hildebrand’s student Sarah Smith. “Mark is also remembered for his artistic senses; both his appreciation for the intricate beauty of a diatom frustule and for his selftaught musical talents on the guitar.”

Hildebrand’s lab covered all fields of modern experimental biology, from ultrastructure of cell walls, to gene transformation of diatom cells, to genome sequencing.

Several of his research papers described the increases in triacylglycerol (TAG), a potential biofuel, when diatoms are starved for silicon. Because a large volume of the diatom cell can be occupied by the TAG droplet, the Hildebrand lab and others understood the future potential importance of algal biofuels, and thus a sizable portion of the lab was devoted to diatom biofuel research. He and his students and postdocs showed use of different pathways for lipid synthesis.

Their foundational work on lipid synthesis led to the top ranking from the Department of Energy in 2013.

“Mark was a fantastic resource for UC San Diego and the world of algae, and his work has set a standard that will hold for years to come,” said Mayfield.

Hildebrand is survived by sisters Susan Donovan of Portland, Maine; Gail Fensom of Newburyport, Massachusetts; and Wendy Gray of Okeechobee, Florida, as well as several nieces, grandnieces, and grandnephews.

Thomas Arthur Matlock, MD BA Chemistry, 1952 d. December 13, 2018 Thomas Arthur Matlock, age 87, passed away December 13, 2018 after a long battle with cancer. He was born in Champagne, Illinois and moved to Tucson, Arizona when he was 3 months old. He must have enjoyed the trip because Arizona became his Home State for the rest of his life.

He graduated from the University of Arizona in 1952 with distinction and an undying love of the U of A and its athletic teams. He served in the Air Force in Korea as an air craft controller, and after discharge he married Vera Stipp. The two of them moved to Chicago in 1955 where Tom attended Northwestern Medical School. After graduation and internship in Evanston, Ill, they moved to Kalispell, Montana to start his family practice. They missed Arizona and after four years of what was unbearable weather they gathered up their two adopted children and moved back home.

In Flagstaff a doctor and good friend from early days invited him to open a practice in his garage and that was

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the beginning of 14 years of community service, and a practice that garnered respect and love from patients all over Northern Arizona.

Their elderly parents were living in Sedona so a decision to move his practice again was made with same success.

Retirement did not rest easily in Tom’s mind so after their final move to Wickenburg, still following the sun, he opened up Wickenburg Health Care Alliance with the idea of developing innovations in health care delivery in small rural communities. His sister Judith Creighton and brother W. Gerald Matlock wrote a Health Education Primer in English and Spanish and Tom modified it to appeal to young children.

The Congress School principal became enthusiastic and Congress Health Council was started. Tom was instrumental in being the guiding light and “doctor” in their Health Fairs.

The kids loved it.

His loving care of children, his compassion for his elderly patients and devotion to his medical practice was in the basic fabric of his life. He will be missed.

He is survived by his wife Vera and son Stephen, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Donations in his name can be made to Hospice of the Valley.

Thomas Minas BA Chemistry, 1956 d. August 8, 2019 On August 18, Thomas Minas of Paradise Valley, Arizona passed away at the age of 82. Tom would be the first to tell you that he had a wonderful life. He didn’t have a bucket list, he had already lived it. He was loved and adored by many.

Thomas was born to Karl and Madeline Minas in Hammond, Indiana. Tom was a proud University of Arizona graduate and attended medical school at The George Washington University, graduating 1st in his class. He completed his residency in Ophthalmology at University of California, San Francisco. In 1969 after his work with the National Institutes of Health, he moved his family to Phoenix, Arizona where he started his private practice in Ophthalmology. Buena Vista Ophthalmologists continues to provide medical and surgical eye care in downtown Phoenix. Dr. Minas was a leader in the Ophthalmology community serving as President for both the Arizona Ophthalmological Society and the Phoenix Ophthalmological Society.

Thomas led a remarkable life dedicating it to the service of others. In addition to his devotion to his medical practice, he was honored to travel the world with Surgical

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Eye Expeditions International. This organization provides educational services to restore sight and prevent blindness to disadvantaged individuals. Medical volunteers work side by side with local doctors by providing them access to eye care and surgery. Dr. Minas had a tremendous impact on many lives.

Sharon Ruble

He embraced a curious and generous spirit and never stopped learning and teaching. He educated numerous medical students and residents at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Maricopa Medical Center. He was always excited to try new things and he had an endless sense of adventure and enthusiasm for everyone that he met. His fun-loving nature made him an avid story teller.

Sharon was a resident of Michigan at the time of passing.

He was an accomplished fly fisher and enjoyed traveling, skiing, exploring our National Parks and rooting for his beloved University of Arizona Wildcats and Phoenix Suns.

BS Chemistry, 1972 d. December 15, 2018

Thomas is survived by his wife Suzanne, recently celebrating their 61 wedding anniversary. Together they raised three daughters Carrie Martinson (Paul), Jyl Howley (William) and Wendy Arendt (Michael). He was “Poppy Tom” to his five cherished grandchildren, Katie, Andrew, Madeline, Allison and Christine. He will be greatly missed and remembered by many friends, family and patients.

Donations can be made to Surgical Eye Expeditions, Foundation for Blind Children and Hospice of the Valley.

Robert Ottaviani PhD Chemistry 1970 d. May 1, 2019 Robert was a member of the inaugural Alpha Chi Sigma chapter at the University of Arizona in 1967.

MS Chemistry, 1967 d. March 28, 2019 Sharon was born on August 12, 1941 and passed away on Thursday, March 28, 2019.

Sharon graduated from the University of Arizona after obtaining her Master’s degree in Education and Chemistry.

Virginia Schewel

Virginia passed away peacefully on December 15, 2018. Virginia was born in Odebolt, Iowa on March 31, 1923. She moved to Florence, Arizona in 1942 and later married Warren Schewel. They had three children, Heidi, Kurt and Janna. Virginia enjoyed a successful career teaching home economics, science and math. She also enjoyed cooking, sewing, knitting, golf and spending time in Pinetop.

Zach Scott MA Chemistry, 2011 d. January 21, 2019 Zachary Matthew Scott, 36, formerly of Newburgh, IN, currently of Tucson, AZ, went to be with the Lord on January 21, 2019. He was born on April 17, 1982 in Evansville, IN to James Kevin and Cynthia Marie Scott.

Zachary graduated from Castle High School in 2000. He graduated from USI in Evansville, IN where he majored in chemistry and math. Zachary obtained his Master’s Degree in Chemistry from the University of Arizona. He worked for SynCardia Systems in Tucson as the head chemist. Zachary was an avid hiker and rock climber.

Zachary is survived by; fiancée Jennifer ( Jhen) Baloran of Isabela, Philippines; parents, Kevin and Cindy Scott of Newburgh, IN; brothers, Aaron ( Jennifer) Scott of Newburgh, IN, and, Daniel Scott of Ventu, CA; grandparents, Wayne and Connie Scott of Ormond Beach, FL; many aunts, uncles and cousins.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Ronald McDonald House or American Heart Association.

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Judith Sentman MS Chemistry, 1983 d. October 11, 2018

Edward Stout PhD Chemistry, 1973 d. September 15, 2019 Dr. Edward I. Stout, 80, passed away Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019 at his residence at the Atriums Senior Living Center, Overland Park, KS. The family requests contributions to Indiana Center for Regenerative Medicine and Engineering attn: Dr Chandan Sen 975 W Walnut St, Indianapolis, IN 46202.

Ed was born March 2, 1939 in West Chester, IA to George and Gladys Stout. He attended Iowa Wesleyan University, earned his Masters degree at Bradley University in Peoria, IL and his PhD at the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. He founded Southwest Technologies in 1981 with a vision of “Treating the world well” through his wound care and therapy devices.

Ed was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, and three sisters. Survivors include his three daughters, Debbie (Don) Poole, Lumberton, TX, Cathy ( John) Phillips, Overland Park, KS and Angie Stout, Overland Park, KS; brother, William (Dorothy) Stout, Ainsworth, IA; three grandchildren, Scott (Emily) Poole, Kyle and Tara Phillips; and one great grandchild on the way.

Daniel Wray BS Chemistry/Physics 1975 d. September 30, 2018 Daniel X. Wray, 65, passed away Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, following a rapid and unexpected battle with cancer.

In case you were wondering, the “X” stands for Xenophon, a middle name he chose for himself after being told by the DMV that he had to have a middle name.

Dan was born Aug. 13, 1953, to Williamena McBride in Blythe, Calif. He spent much of his adolescence in Lewiston, Idaho, with his six brothers and sisters. He attended the University of Arizona, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1975, with a double major in chemistry and physics.

After graduating, he worked as a rocket scientist (really!) for several years before starting his own company, Biofilm Incorporated, in 1991.

Although some of the details of Dan’s life are shrouded in mystery, inconsistently recorded and, apparently, ever expanding in embellishment with each retelling, he was, no doubt, a bright and eccentric son of a gun.

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He is survived by: his wife of 32 years, Lois; their three children, Lindsay, Amy and Wesley; and a far-reaching community of family and friends.

Dan was a self-described “mad scientist,” who lived outside the box and dreamed of one day taking over the world. He grew up “without two nickels to rub together,” but through hard work and his own unique way of thinking, he became a prosperous entrepreneur who loved nothing more than to use his resources to help others rise to their fullest potential.

He had an insatiable curiosity and asked each of his kids every day after school, “What did you learn today?” His frequently repeated adages included: “Buy low; sell high,” “Never throw into double coverage” and “Hot glass looks like cold glass.”

Like his beloved late brother, Michael Wray, Dan loved to fly airplanes (and he looked really good in aviator sunglasses).

Dan spent his last day surrounded by loved ones and watched his Oakland Raiders “pull a hat out of rabbit” with their dramatic 45-42 overtime victory. We know he deserves at least some credit for that.

Please consider making a charitable contribution to one of Dan’s favorite organizations: The Boys & Girls Club of Carson Valley. We also encourage everyone to honor Dan’s spirit by “trying to have too much fun.”

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STUDENT ADVENTURES MORE Dana Bernhardt My Summer of 2019 was spent in the Summer @ Roche program in Tucson’s Roche Tissue Diagnostics (RTD). I was working in RTD’s Integrated Assay Solutions R&D Department as a part of their cytology team. A lot of the lab work I did involved stamping cervical cell samples from clinical patients onto tissue slides, staining those slides with RTD equipment and antibodies, and having those slides read based on the criteria of the studies. I then analyzed the data the team’s cytotechnician reported in order for RTD’s marketing teams to make informed decisions for the CINtec PLUS Cytology Life Cycle. My work concerned p16 feasibility where I tested 8 different lots/batches of anti-p16 antibody of differing manufacturing processes to see which lot from which process was the best for RTD customers to use with CINtec PLUS Cytology kits.

I had a lot of fun working with such a great team. RTD’s cytology team went above and beyond making sure I understood the work I was participating in. Each team member was willing to mentor me and take the time to answer my questions regardless of the question’s complexity. Diversity and curiosity were encouraged at RTD, and the new ideas I presented were met with consideration rather than backlash. RTD displayed growth, autonomy, and willingness to communicate in ways none of my previous jobs had offered. I hope to work with RTD and apply to Roche as a full time employee in the near future.

Madison Cook This fall, I am interning in the Bio/Diversity Project put on by Women in Science and Engineering (WISE). In this internship, I will be gaining valuable teaching skills by putting them to use in an actual classroom.

I am assigned to the kindergarten grade level, so my co-intern and I are organizing lots of fun activities to teach them about the biodiversity within the Sonoran desert. Not only are we going to be helping them learn about biodiversity within the natural world, but we are also using the diversity of the scientific world to inspire the kids to become scientists when they grow up. Our job will be to highlight the fact that anyone can be a scientist, including themselves. We are going to be accomplishing this goal through engaging lessons that will hopefully spark the student’s interest in the STEM field and their own abilities therein.

I am super excited, this is a great opportunity for me to share my passion for science!

Steven Fried This spring, 2019, I was very fortunate to attend two national conferences to present on my research that I conduct with the Michael Brown lab in the UA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Over spring break, I traveled with my research group to Baltimore, Maryland, for the 63rd annual meeting of the Biophysical Society.

At this five-day meeting, attended by over 6,000 biophysicists from around the world, I presented a poster on my work investigating the role of water in the

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activation of the visual protein, rhodopsin. I had a great time attending talks on cutting-edge methods and discoveries relating to the physical interactions of biomolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, and membranes. It was especially interesting to network with other undergraduates from across the country who worked on similar projects to my own, or even to learn about completely new areas of research that blended together chemistry, physics, and other disciplines in order to resolve key questions in biology. Several members of my group gave oral presentations that were well received. Aside from the nonstop activity of the conference, we also were able to have fun together as a lab group by going out for seafood by the harbor, attending a conference reception event that doubled as a dance party, and seeing significant landmarks such as the historic city harbor, Oriole Park, the grave of Edgar Allen Poe, and Babe Ruth’s birthplace.

I was also privileged to attend the Experimental Biology conference in Orlando, Florida during early April of this year. This opportunity was made possible by a travel award that I was grateful to receive in last year’s BECUR conference. While similar in size to the biophysical society meeting, this conference was unique in that it was not merely limited to biochemistry or biophysics, but there were societies in attendance from virtually every area of the life sciences—molecular biology, physiology, anatomy, microbiology, and pharmacology. With that regard it was both fascinating and humbling to see the sheer breadth of research covered at this meeting, with everyone being an expert in his or her own area. I got to present my poster twice at this conference: once at the main poster session, and once at an undergraduate poster competition for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, at which I was excited to win a poster award.

As this was my first time visiting Florida, I really enjoyed the experience, and was delighted to find that sunny Florida was much more comfortable than the thirty-degree weather I had experienced in Baltimore the previous month! One memorable aspect of this trip was having a nice dinner with other members of the UA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, organized by Dr. Chad Park. Overall, I was very grateful to be able to attend both conferences, and look forward to being able to attend future events like these as I continue my studies and my research!

Amanda Gong Over the past summer, I was fortunate to be selected as an intern through Barrow Neurological Institute’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program. Beginning in May, I spent 12 weeks in the Lukas-Whiteaker lab (Phoenix, Arizona) investigating the interaction between endogenous neuromodulators and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Nicotinic receptors are ligand-gated ion channel neurotransmitter receptors located post- and pre-synaptically within the mammalian brain.

These cholinergic receptors mediate the postsynaptic depolarization of receiving neurons and the presynaptic modulation of the release of neurotransmitters, such as GABA, glutamate, dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine.

Findings repeated across multiple studies have demonstrated that these receptors are relevant to mood, emotion, memory, neurological diseases, and nicotine withdrawal.

Within the central nervous system, nAChRs are composed of 5 homologous, but genetically distinct, subunits. Each nAChR subtype can be identified by the various arrangements of α and β subunits around an ion pore. Recently, studies have

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identified lynx1, an endogenously expressed neuropeptide, as a modulator of the α4β2-containing nAChR subtypes. My project aimed to understand whether the functional inhibition by lynx1 resulted from a decrease in α4β2 nAChR intracellular trafficking and/or direct modulation of α4β2 nAChRs expressed on the plasma membrane. To understand this interaction, I investigated two heterologously expressed isoforms: 1) the (α4)2(β2)3 subtype, which exhibits high-sensitivity Amanda Gong, center, with team at Barrow Neurological Institute to acetylcholine (ACh) and 2) the (α4)3(β2)2 subtype, which exhibits low-sensitivity to ACh. RNAs for these subtypes were injected into Xenopus oocytes to measure their macroscopic function and levels of receptor expression. I performed two-electrode voltage-clamp electrophysiology, and monoclonal antibody cell-surface radioligand binding assays, to collect the two respective types of data.

The major findings of my research demonstrated that lynx1 has a dose-dependent effect on both isoforms, with the LS isoform demonstrating increased sensitivity to lynx1 inhibition. These findings correlate strongly with a decrease in receptor surface expression. The results from this project may be used in the future toward design and development of pharmacotherapeutic tools to selectively modulate nAChR subtypes using naturally-occuring small molecule neuromodulators. I presented this work in a platform presentation at the 24th Annual Student Research Presentation at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, AZ.

Matheo Herrera This summer I had the opportunity to return to my home-country Quito, Ecuador.

Originally, I was searching for summer research labs or jobs in Tucson but my previous L2 visa did not allow me to work in the United States. Therefore, I had to fly home in order to obtain my F1 student visa which now allows me to work under the university. Although I was very excited to see all of my friends and family after a year of being in gone, I feared that my time in Quito would be a waste. This is why I reached out to all my friends and family hoping to find a volunteering or shadowing experience that was lengthy and of value to me. My grandfather was able to get me in touch with the head of pediatric surgery and children urologist at the hospital “Andrade Marin”, Dr. Freud Cáceres.

After meeting with Dr. Cáceres, we came to the agreement that I will be coming to the hospital Monday-Friday from 8am to 1pm throughout the months of June and July. I would be starting this shadowing experience on June 23rd and I completed my time at the hospital on August 1st. During my time at the hospital I was able to experience the everyday life of not just the head of the department, but I was also able to shadow attendings, residents, and even interns. I built close relationships

Matheo Herrera (left) and Dr. Freud Cáceres

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with the doctors there as they were all very friendly and would even invite me to play soccer on the weekends with them. My favorite experience at the hospital was observing surgeries from the inside of the operating room. Dr. Cáceres even let me assist on one of his surgeries when he was short staffed by holding the clamp and suction. Although observing surgeries was really cool and definitely one of my favorite parts about being a doctor, the gratitude of the patients and the way a doctor can help people in need is something that I desire.

My main takeaways from this summer are that this is a career that I can definitely see myself doing, especially as a pediatrician. I have always had an affinity for kids, and I would love to build a career that focuses on helping children. However, this shadowing experience also opened my eyes on many things that I did not consider. After having numerous conversations with the different doctors in the pediatrics department, a lot of them warned me about the sacrifice and difficulty that a job like this takes. Not only mentally, but physically and emotionally. Most of these doctors are really struggling with debt and did not seem very content with their life. The few doctors that I met that have children were very encouraging and challenged me to shoot for both a family and a career in medicine, but this is something that is definitely worth thinking about deeply. This summer I was blessed with an incredible experience that will guide me through the rest of my college years.

Meucci Ilunga Meucci Ilunga seems to know something about everything. He’s a videographer who’s branching out into podcasting. He’s researched cancer therapies and volunteered in a hospital. He grew up on a Navajo reservation, and he’s a year away from completing a biochemistry degree at the University of Arizona. “I’m excited about life in general,” he says. At the moment, though, he’s especially excited about a cellular conundrum that he investigated during the 10-week internship in the MIT Department of Biology that he completed as part of the MIT Summer Research Program in Biology (MSRP-Bio).

Sara Lee Jones This past summer, I had the opportunity to spend 10 weeks conducting research at UC-Berkeley as a part of the ReNUWIt REU Program. The program is all about “Re-inventing the Nation’s Urban Water Infrastructure”, which encompasses a plethora of different topics related to resource recovery, energy production, engineered natural systems, and technological development.

Working in the Sedlak research group under the direction of Angela Perantoni, I conducted my own experiment that explored the transformation of pharmaceutical contaminants in subsurface flow wetlands. My goal was to create microcosms that could accurately simulate the trends of transformation seen in the “Oro Loma Living Levee, a pilot scale constructed coastal wetland. The thing I liked the most about this project (as I do with the projects I work on at the U of A) was the amount of field work I got to do. As much as I liked being in lab doing infinite pipetting, I also enjoyed going out to the wetlands to hike and collect samples for my experiments. I greatly appreciated the amount freedom I was given to plan and create my project as well as the welcoming, supportive researchers that I got to

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work with. At the end of the project, I got to present my findings at a small conference with the whole ReNUWIt crew (undergrads, mentors, and PIs) in attendance.

Aside from working on my project, I also got to do a lot of sightseeing and socializing in California. During the end of June, I got to meet 15 other ReNUWIt REU students (who were based at NMSU, Stanford, and CSM) during an all-REU meeting at Stanford. I got to tour the state-of-the-art Y2E2 research facility, learn more about graduate school, and make new and lasting friendships. With my Stanford and Berkeley friends, I got to explore San Francisco (multiple times), Oakland, Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, and Palo Alto. I also got to hang out a few times with U of A alumnus and good friend, Leo Hamerlynck, who is now a graduate student at Berkeley. It was nice to see a familiar face during my time in California, and I’m glad we got the chance to catch up and play big brain board games together.

Overall, I had a really great time during my summer REU. Getting to conduct research amongst the amazing people at the Sedlak research group really was a life-changing experience that I will never forget. I can only hope to be able to have more experiences like these in the future as I continue to pursue the path of wastewater treatment research!

Ricky Lira This past summer I got the opportunity to intern at Roche Molecular Diagnostics in Pleasanton, CA. I was a part of the Clinical Trials Supportive Laboratory group where our role in the company is to validate assays that will eventually make it to the market. It was such a rewarding experience as I was able to lead my own project. My project was to validate a multiplex assay that allows for the detection of HIV-1, HBV, and HCV simultaneously. This was my second time interning at Roche, with both experiences being amazing.

The first time I interned at Roche was in their Tucson location. Being in California for the summer was amazing! Having lived in Arizona all my life and having only participated in programs in Arizona, it was an exciting change. Pleasanton is about an hour east of San Francisco and with the access of their train system, it was easy to bypass the traffic and explore the city. I got to sight see and enjoy amazing types of food while there. With the internship being paid, I was able to afford housing, which is something I thought was near impossible.

Due to proprietary reasons, I cannot discuss in detail about my project. Instead, for anyone that is interested. I will talk about the application process of the internship.

Applications usually open towards the end of the year, typically around November. There are many different types of internships that anyone can apply to, such as regulatory affairs, finances, etc. I was interested in a laboratory position and learned about this internship. Once I applied, I was interviewed through video chat by the manager of the team. While it was a little nerve wrecking to interview for a big company, they made me feel comfortable talking about my own experiences. I highly encourage everyone to apply to an internship in Roche, even if you are not interested in a laboratory position.

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Alex Marciniak Going to your first conference is like reading a review of your movie on Rotten Tomatoes; you’re happy you’ve made it, yet at the same time, you fear being shredded to pieces by the audience. My face lit up with a huge smile when my PI, Dr. Polt, informed me of the honor to be sent to this year’s ACS National Meeting & Expo in San Diego—just in order to go right up in flames as soon as he added I would start my first conference right away with giving a talk, presenting our hopefully soon-to-be-published manuscript in the Journal of Chemical Education. But hey, no risk, no reward—right?

Alex Marciniak (center)

Having my talk prepared approximately a week in advance – with my conscience whipping me for why the heck I didn’t start it earlier – and having it practiced in front of our group twice, I boarded the plane to … Salt Lake City. Not to escape; it was cheaper to fly the triangle over Utah than directly to CA at that time. The PTR office, especially Janet, did an outstanding job in helping me setting up all financial preparations in terms of lodging and flights; if you book an official conference-designated hotel, you are fully reimbursed for your entire stay once you provide the itemized receipt. And if you chose to book your flight directly with PTR’s assistance, you don’t even have to advance the money for your registration and flight as the university’s P-Card will take care of it right away. Furthermore, you most definitely want to take a look at the most recent State of Arizona Accounting Manual in order to find out the reimbursable Per Diem for respective city and time of the year, so you don’t find yourself choking on your steak at Morton’s.

Modest as ACS is, the conference-designated hotel we—me and a friend of mine blessed with the same fate of first-time talking in front of professional chemists— stayed in was the Grand Manchester Hyatt directly at the San Diego Convention Center, right at SD downtown and the bay front. Turns out the walk front the hotel to the convention center was shorter than strolling through the actual convention center itself where the conference took place; getting from one talk to another often made us run a little marathon, especially if you have only five minutes left to get from one end of the bay front to the other in order to listen to the talks you’re interested in. Long story short: the conference was huge. The array of topics, presentations, and expos was immense, and while some of the talks seemed to be given by people as passionate as vegans are about Wendy’s, I found myself in a plethora of truly fascinating presentations where elaboration and eloquence met excitement and innovation.

As Murphy is mighty, my talk ended up being on the next to last day of the conference, making this entire party quite an exciting one for me. All. The. Time. However, my PI did a great job encouraging me as he was also visiting the ACS meeting for two days. Eventually, it was show time: Interestingly, I found giving a talk in front of a larger audience, however, comprised of strangers was surprisingly easy for me.

All I can say is: The presentation went smoothly, I didn’t get slaughtered, and the few questions I was asked were surprisingly simple to answer as it turns out you’re actually deeper in the matter you’re presenting than you probably think you are.

In the end, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity I was given by my PI to go to the 2019 ACS Meeting & Expo and the support Dr. Polt continuously gives me, as well as for the help from PTR organizing the trip in such a smooth manner. I highly encourage every graduate student—no matter the year, project, and division—to

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actively engage in signing up for fitting conferences as these are perfect opportunities to network with professionals in your field, practice your communication skills, and train your individual art of presenting your research – as this will turn out to be just as crucial as the relevance of the research itself.

Be confident and go for it, CBC Wildcats! It’s worth it.

Vivian Mendoza-Leon This summer I participated in the Summer Health Professions Education Program at UCLA where I was able to work on an interdisciplinary team with students in different health profession tracks on a health disparity project. We chose a specific health disparity and population to create a hypothetical intervention for in order to reduce the disparity and at the end we presented it to UCLA/CDU faculty and staff. We also had Problem Based Learning cases every week with either a medical/dental/nursing student which was really fun.

I was able to connect with physicians who are also minorities and with students from around the country. This experience motivated me to continue working hard to pursue a career in medicine to advocate for the health of populations that are under-resourced.

Andres Sanchez I worked at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center as a participant in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program!

Soraya Sandoval This year I have had the wonderful opportunity to take part in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Consortium (UROC) at the University of Arizona. UROC consists of several research programs that help underrepresented, low-income, or first-generation students obtain the skills necessary to succeed in graduate school.

As part of UROC, I was part of the Ronald E. McNair Achievement program, a federally funded TRIO program aimed towards preparing its scholars towards a doctoral degree.

McNair is a yearlong program that begins with a literature review class during the spring, followed by a 10-week summer research experience. The purpose of the literature review course was for us (the scholars) to become familiar with the scientific publications in our fields. After writing an extensive literature review on a specific topic, I formulated a feasible summer project. I studied how three mutations found in a muscle regulatory protein called myosin binding protein C, changed the protein’s binding properties to muscle filaments, myosin, and actin. These findings will help to identify how these mutations are causing inherited skeletal myopathies.

While I had previous research experience from being in a lab during the academic school year, summer research is completely different. During the summer I devoted all my time to my research project. Since I was able to spend full time in the laboratory, I had the opportunity to learn more procedures and assays which helped me become an independent researcher. Everyday there was something to troubleshoot, or an experiment to optimize, which I quickly learned the patience and perseverance required in research. Not only did I grow as a scientist during this summer experience, but I also grew as a person. This experience excited me to continue research in graduate school and beyond. I decided to continue this project for my senior thesis,

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and I am now considering continuing a similar topic in graduate school.

As a McNair scholar I was able to present my summer research project at the National McNair Conference at UCLA. My cohort and I gave an oral presentation to other McNair scholars across the nation and learned about other research being performed at other institutions. It was an amazing experience to learn about other schools from the students themselves and to hear about the life of a graduate student at UCLA. This semester I am concluding the program by taking part in a graduate school application preparation course. Overall, being part of the McNair program at The University of Arizona has been a privilege. The Ronald E. McNair program has allowed me to grow into a confident and independent researcher. Allowing me to refine my skills and research interests which will assist me during my graduate education.

Thanks to my family, friends, mentors, and the University of Arizona McNair team, I am now ready to pursue a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology.

Sydney Schwartz This is Sydney Schwartz, and for the past two semesters she has been interning with Banner University Medical Center and the University of Arizona as a Patient Experience Ambassador. She works with doctors, nurses, and nurse assistants on a daily basis. Her main job is talking with patients, making sure they understand their care and help them express their needs to staff. Working with staff to achieve this goal for all patients is the main concern for all Patient Experience Ambassadors.

Last semester she worked on 4NE the Cardiovascular and Cardiothoracic Intermediate Care Unit where she rounded on patients with various cardiovascular issues.

Many of the patients on the floor have cardio problems and are in the unit for months at a time. Due to this she was able to connect with patients and provide optimal care for these patients. Also, while rounding she was able to gain a better understanding for hospital work life and speak to several doctors and nurses about their journeys.

Sydney was also chosen for a new branch of the internship working at Banner University Medical Center South Campus, where she will be rounding on a new unit and shadowing a doctor for the rest of the semester. The goal of this new branch is to allow the students in the internship to gain a new perspective on how the hospital runs and gives patient care through the eyes of an emergency department doctor. She will continue to intern with Banner for the rest of the semester and complete her internship with Banner.

Kiah Sleiman This past summer I went on a 6-week long, immersive study abroad experience in Paris, France. Going to a foreign country and staying with a host family is one of the best ways to force someone to get out of their comfort zone. I was surrounded by new cultural and societal norms in a city where tourism is incredibly common, and I was instructed to ‘blend in.’

My days started with a 45-minute long metro ride to class every morning where we were only allowed to speak in French unless it was an emergency. Every afternoon, we went on an ‘excursion’ to a museum, landmark or key district in Paris to learn more about the history and culture of the city. We went to the Louvre, the Musée

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d’Orsay, La Défense, the National Renaissance Museum, Le Marché des Enfants Rouges, and so many other amazing sites. Traveling around Paris, I found that I appreciated walking because it allowed me to get lost and explore the neighborhoods to find more memorable locations beyond what we saw as a class. It was enlightening to watch the locals and see the street art, and walking was also often the fastest way to travel, which is interesting compared to Tucson where driving and biking are more common.

By experiencing the differences in culture and being forced to confront issues like getting medicine from the pharmacy and making a doctor’s appointment in a new country, I grew more comfortable making decisions on my own. Going into the trip, I wanted to spend as much time with the other students as I could, but after a few weeks, I realized that doing things on my own allowed me to do what I wanted and spend more time immersing myself into French society and engage in more conversations with locals. After realizing that I was happy spending time by myself, going to the aquarium or shopping at antique stores, I had more fun with my friends on the trip. We went to the beach in Saint Malo, went to a cat café, took late night walks around the Eiffel Tower, and had several group dinners. They helped me move out of my comfort zone and just enjoy the moment rather than worrying about what other people think. This trip helped me to make friends with my classmates, to be more comfortable as myself, and to establish a familiarity with the social norms, customs and culture of France.

Zach Stebner I’m a new incoming CBC Undergraduate and have the opportunity to experience the fall Bio/Diversity project. My project includes working in TUSD K-12 classrooms alongside educators, encouraging students to broaden their knowledge on environmental science-related issues.

Kevin Wong This past spring break, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to Honduras to serve the people of the rural community through Global Medical/Dental Brigades. 10 UA students, including myself, joined together with students from Appalachian State University and Stetson University to help three different underserved communities. In the first three days, we worked with several doctors to help assess the medical condition of over 700 patients in the community of El Obraje, assisted dentists as they did fillings and extractions, packaged prescriptions with the pharmacist for each patient we saw that day, and provided reading glasses to patients with poor vision. We even had the opportunity to take part of children’s Charla sessions where we taught kids how to brush their teeth and provided fluoride treatments to make their teeth strong. On the fourth day, we worked alongside members of the community El Presa, building trenches to provide access to running water to each family within that community. On the last day, we traveled to the community of Chandala and built hygiene stations with the aid of an assigned family. These hygiene stations were the equivalent of a bathroom with a latrine connected to an underground septic tank, shower, and a water storage unit. Each day was composed of hard but fulfilling work that I will never forget.

Kevin Wong (center) and Global Medical/Dental Brigades

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What made the trip so unforgettable was meeting the people in the rural communities of Honduras. I had never seen so many happy and grateful smiles in one area.

Even though mi español es muy mal, each patient and community member were so patient and grateful that we were trying to help. They put so much trust into us and welcomed us as if we were members of the community. I still cannot stop thinking about the last day, talking with the adorable family while building the hygiene station about whatever came to our mind even with the language barrier. Seven hours felt like one and saying goodbye was never so difficult. I was so grateful for them showing me and reaffirming why I have decided to become a dentist and a part of health care: Helping those in need and witnessing a smile be born is an experience that has no true price tag.

This quick trip has been one of the most humbling experiences I have taken part of and has definitely changed my perspective of life. I met so many amazing people both from Honduras and from the other schools. I wished I could have stayed longer, but now my passion to become a dentist serving underserved communities has never been stronger.

Emma Wu This summer, I had the opportunity to travel to Europe for the first time to study abroad in Verona, Italy on the Mediterranean Diet and the Health Study Abroad Program with the University of Arizona. I was overwhelmed with so many kinds of emotions prior to this trip. I was ecstatic, in denial, nervous, curious, ambitious, and eager all at the same time. When I finally landed at Verona Airport, none of it felt real.

Our everyday routine was simple. As a class of 45 students, we ate our breakfast, went to Dr. Romagnolo’s lecture, rode a bus to Chef Antonia Polese’s kitchen, watched her cook meals based off what we learned in the lecture, ate lunch together, and the rest of the day was our own time. I would take this time to walk around and explore the city, shop for gifts and souvenirs, and overall make the most out of my time there because of those four weeks abroad flew by way too fast.

Being exposed to a different culture is always intriguing to me. Though I’ve had experience to visit my family in Asia, this study abroad program provided me my first visitaation in Europe. Though I had absolutely no background in Italian language or culture, I am a very curious and determined learner who is open to new discoveries in furthering my education and expanding my knowledge.

I’ve gained so much from this study abroad experience and I highly encourage this to all students even if the program and classes are not for your major. I discussed with my academic advisors and study abroad trip coordinator to know how I would be able to receive credit from this trip that will help me graduate, though eventually, I added a nutritional science minor because the trip made me realize that nutrition was a subject I wanted to study more about. I’ve made real friendships from people on this trip and it was amazing because I didn’t have any classes with them and would have never met them if I didn’t decide to study abroad. Lastly, Dr. Donato Romagnolo and Dr. Ornella Selmin were two of the best professors and most genuine people I’ve met and I’m so grateful to them for leading this experience for us.