The
CATALYST CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY ALUMNI MAGAZINE FALL 2020
PhD candidate Natasha Cornejo is also working to provide support for underrepresented populations in STEM. Page 4
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DEAR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
T
his has been a year like no other. Yet, despite the challenges that we have endured individually and as a department, we take great pride in our research and educational accomplishments this year, a small fraction of which are described within this edition of the Catalyst. Our enrollment stands strong with nearly 700 undergraduate majors in Chemistry and Biochemistry, as well as over 150 MS and PhD students, including 28 who embarked on their graduate journeys in August. These outstanding students continue to receive local, national, and international recognition for their academic and outreach achievements. Our students, staff, and faculty have risen to the unique challenges presented this year and in the process have pioneered new online and in-person learning opportunities across our curricula, enabling students to remain on track for both their degrees and their future career opportunities. We were excited to welcome Dr. Jean-Luc Bredas back to CBC in January. We also celebrate the accomplishments of our faculty, who continue to excel. This year, Dr. Elisa Tomat was appointed the Donna B. Cosulich Faculty Fellow in Chemistry and Biochemistry and Dr. Oliver Monti was appointed the Homer C. and Emily Davis Weed Endowed Chair in Chemistry. Several faculty won National and International research awards, including Vicente Talanquer, Thomas Gianetti, Minying Cai, Victor Hruby, Jean-Luc Bredas, and Lucy Ziurys. Additionally, Adam Daly, Lisa Dollinger, Amy Graham, and John Pollard received promotions. Our research infrastructure continues to improve with the installation of three new multiuser instruments that include a new NSF-funded 500 MHz NMR, an NSF-funded cryo-Scanning Near Field Optical Microscope, and a nanoESCA instrument capable of studying chemical composition, chemical state and electronic structure at mm length-scales. The renovation of the Old Chemistry Building has advanced through Top: Brooke Massani, Craig Aspinwall, Marie-Pierre Hasne; Middle: Dominic McGrath, Oliver Monti, Dee Belle-Oudry; Bottom: Lisa Arrotta, Kelly Huff See the full PDF version of the Catalyst magazine at cbc.arizona.edu/alumni_friends/newsletters
the design phase, and we are excited to see this project bring modern classrooms, operations, and research capabilities to the department. Our research innovations continue to make real world impacts through the commercialization activities within the department and University. This year, two companies founded upon licensed CBC research received federal Small Business Innovation Research funding. Multiple patent applications have been filed and patents granted. We remain committed to making CBC a just, diverse, and equitable community of scholars and scholarship, and to ensure that we fulfill our mission to provide a “premier education and research environment that thrives in its diversity and enriches the lives of a vibrant community of students, staff, and faculty�, as well as our alumni and friends. As we look ahead to the coming year, we see exciting opportunities, even in the face of unique challenges. The current CBC Leadership Team is committed to working with our student, staff and faculty colleagues to advance the goals of the Department and University. I am joined in this endeavor by a team of dedicated and outstanding colleagues comprised of Associate Heads Drs. Dee Belle-Oudry, Dom McGrath, and Oliver Monti, along with Dr. Brooke Massani (Director, Research Support Services), Ms. Kelly Huff (Manager of Business and Finance), Dr. Marie-Pierre Hasne (College of Medicine Liaison), and Ms. Lisa Arrotta (Executive Assistant). We look forward to your continued support!
Craig Aspinwall Interim Department Head
ONLINE EXTRAS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 4
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Promoting Inclusivity: PhD candidate Natasha Cornejo 4 Revolutionizing Technology: Homer C. and Emily D. Weed Endowed Chair in Chemistry Dr. Oliver Monti 6 Where Inorganic Chemistry Meets Medicine: Donna B. Cosulich Faculty Fellow Dr. Elisa Tomat 7 Facing the COVID Challenge 8 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in CBC 10 Faculty Awards 11 From Research to Startup: Commercial Activities by CBC Researchers 12 It Takes a Village: New Research Capabilities 13 From Scenesse to MCR Therapeutics: Learning, Luck and Legacy! 14 New Faculty 15 New Staff, Staff Awardee 16 In Memoriam 17 2019–20 Student Awards 18 Neuroscience Research with Scholarship Support: Taylor Gee 19 CBC Graduates by the Numbers 20 Alumni News 21 In Memoriam Obituaries 41 Outreach 45
CATALYST
Editor-in-Chief: Olivia Mendoza | omendoza@arizona.edu Associate Editor: Ellie Warder | warder@arizona.edu Design: Lisa Stage Contributors: Craig Aspinwall, Natasha Cornejo, Jixun Dai, Iman Daryaei, Taylor Gee, Marie-Pierre Hasne, Colleen Janczak, Oliver Monti, Jon T. Njardarson, Elisa Tomat, Michael Marty, Tomi Sawyer, Jacob Schwartz, Tommy Szeto
Cover Image Credits: Main – David Mason; Inset – Klariza Ochoa
Chemistry and Biochemistry at The University of Arizona on: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube
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PROMOTING INCLUSIVITY By Natasha Cornejo, PhD candidate
I
f you had asked me eight years ago, at the start of my college career, if I’d be where I am today my answer would have been “No, absolutely not.” Like most 18 year olds, I didn’t have a solid idea of what I wanted to do as an adult. I didn’t know what a PhD in chemistry was, much less want to do one. I grew up outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and while we do love cheese, contrary to popular belief I didn’t grow up on a farm and have never touched a cow. In between eating cheese and not touching cows, my parents always supported me and my education. Coming from a Latinx family as a first-generation college student and someone who loved science, my family had always hoped I would become the first doctor in the family. I had never wanted to be a doctor, but after switching paths a couple times I’m still becoming the first family doctor, just not that kind. I stayed in-state for college, and I had a good college career, albeit turbulent for similar reasons that students from historically excluded groups normally have. Among other reasons, I struggled with finding a welcoming and supportive community, and people I could relate to within my STEM classes. It wasn’t until my last year of my undergrad that I had found a support office for underrepresented students in STEM. It was this community and support that directly led to my decision to apply and come to graduate school.
When I came to the University of Arizona, it was really important to me to become involved in the diverse STEM community here. I found myself participating as a mentor in a variety of undergraduate research programs. I also started participating in CBC’s Program to Advance Women Scientists (PAWS) and Alpha Chi Sigma (ACS), where we build community both inside and outside of the department through participation and outreach. I also had the unique opportunity to serve on the Women in STEM Student Council (WiSSC), where I led the construction and implementation of the university-wide Women in STEM Mentorship Program. In addition to these positions, I served on various diversity panels and committees throughout my time here. I absolutely love being involved in initiatives that are relevant to the underrepresented STEM community; the work will always and forever be personal and integral to my career. Expanding and building community has always been important to me. I entered into graduate school with an NIH Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity (NIH-IMSD) training grant, and this program offered me mentorship and support from the moment I stepped on campus. I started to build my own community of friends, mentors, and peers. I’m so grateful for all the people I’ve met at the University of Arizona and the support I received. I also joined the Biological Chemistry Program (BCP), which afforded me the opportunity to rotate in different labs
and find the best fit. When it came time to choose a lab, I knew after doing a rotation in Dr. John Jewett’s lab it was the lab I wanted to join. In Dr. Jewett I found a faculty mentor who cared about my development holistically. Not only is he invested in my growth as a scientist who is a part of his lab, he also supports my growth as a scholar, mentor, and person. For the first time in my scientific career, I felt truly valued. In 2019 at the beginning of my 3rd year I was awarded the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Gilliam Fellowship with my mentor, Dr. Jewett. The fellowship is awarded to student-advisor pairs across the country and is designed to support new scientific leaders, hone faculty mentoring skills, and foster diversity and inclusion in science. The award is unique in that it not only supports my research for three years, it also includes formal mentorship training for Dr. Jewett, leadership training for me, and supports us in launching a diversity initiative at the university. Dr. Jewett and I originally had planned to contribute to making a more inclusive scientific culture by holding a seminar series featuring prominent scientists from diverse backgrounds. We planned to create a space for these scientists to share their research and trajectories so that they may connect and inspire others. Now, in light of COVID-19, we recognize that creating a community is more important than ever. In collaboration with José Veleta, a fellow CBC graduate student, we are now build-
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2020 | 5
ing and launching a peer mentoring program for graduate students in CBC. This program will be rooted in social justice and advocacy for historically excluded populations in STEM and will include workshops and mentor training. It is our hope that by connecting CBC students through formal mentorship, we can help in fostering a supportive and inclusive community. The Gilliam Fellowship has impacted me in so many ways even outside of the financial support and the opportunity to continue to be involved in diversity initiatives. It has connected me to people and opportunities all across the country through semi-annual leadership and scientific conferences. Additionally, “representation” is often a topic that comes up in conversations about diversity and inclusion—being able to “see” yourself in the spaces you’re in. As a Latinx first-generation college student, representation in academia and other science fields isn’t something that is common for me. This experience is shared by people from other historically excluded populations. Above all else, being a part of the Gilliam community has given me a space in the scientific community where I can “see” myself. Although Gilliam fellows come from all backgrounds and fields,
With Dr. John Jewett
we are all like-minded and united by a common goal to advance and advocate for diversity in science. Every day I am grateful for the Gilliam Fellowship and for a chance to be a part of this community. Now that I’m in my 4th year of graduate school, I find I am increasingly asked, “What do you want to do when you’re done?” Like most graduate students, this question triggers a level of anxiety about the amount of lab work and writing that still has to be done. But, once I get past that, my answer is always, “That’s a good question.” People often interpret my response as not knowing, but that’s not the case. When I started graduate school, I wanted nothing more than to be a tenure-track professor. While I’m still open to that prospect, my experiences at the University of Arizona and with the Gilliam Fellowship have made me realize that the field of chemistry, and more broadly science, has so much more to offer that I’m still learning about. Whether it’s a career at a university or in science policy, I know the work I do will always be involved in social justice and advocacy. I’m grateful to the University of Arizona and the Gilliam Fellowship for giving me the tools to shape my career in a way that is true to myself.
BALANCING WORK AND LIFE
C
oming into graduate school, I really didn’t have many hobbies. Outside of the occasional football game or sporting event, I didn’t make much time for myself outside of school. However, since starting graduate school I’ve learned the importance of setting aside time for myself for mental health and self care. I’m someone who gets bored easily, so with my newly set aside time I find myself trying a lot of new and different things! Before COVID struck, I liked to go to yoga ($5 walk-in classes at Yoga Oasis) and try new food and restaurants around Tucson. Since the pandemic started, I’ve picked up more COVID-friendly hobbies such as painting, cooking, and baking. I’m always looking for new recipes to try. I’ve also started gardening and taking care of plants! Probably one of the things I’ve come to appreciate most since moving to Tucson is being outdoors. In Wisconsin the cold temperatures make going outside a lot less inviting. I enjoy spending my weekends with friends and family going to see different sites of Arizona. In Tucson I’ve enjoyed taking short walks up A Mountain and Tumamoc Hill, and outside Tucson I’ve enjoyed visiting sites such as the Grand Canyon and Horse Shoe Bend! No matter what I find myself getting into, I’ve realized making time for myself and self-care is an important part of graduate school.
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REVOLUTIONIZING TECHNOLOGY
“There is nothing more enjoyable in research and mentoring students than working with brand-new data and crafting new ideas, probing these ideas on how they hold together with what we know, what we think we know, and what we would like to know. To throw as many curveballs as we can think of, and try and break the ideas, and then pick up the pieces and start anew.” This is also the philosophy that he brings to the classes he teaches, both at the undergraduate and graduate level. As the new Homer C. and Emily Davis Weed Endowed Chair in Chemistry, Oliver and his research group, LabMonti™, are developing the basic understanding needed for creating massively more efficient electronic devices, and for creating devices that can enable secure communication.
“In one of our projects, we investigate how to make diodes and transistors that are made from a single molecule, in order to enable miniaturization to the absolute limit.” His team is able to measure current flowing through one molecule at a time and has developed Big Data approaches to analyze the many Gigabytes of experimental data that result from a single experimental run. Tunneling and force microscopy images of single phthalocyanine molecules on a nanostructured surface. Photo courtesy of P. Zahl
“W
ell, that’s funny!” These are Prof. Oliver Monti’s favorite words when looking at new data with his students or staring at the screens of the various cutting-edge instruments in his lab.
“In recent years, we have also become fascinated by the extraordinary properties of materials that can be as little as a few atoms high, but extend laterally over many microns”, he says. “This is as if you had a single piece of paper that covers more than 50 football fields.” Such so-
(L–R): Oliver Monti and his students Anubhab Chakraborty, Jooyung Park, and Sara Zachritz during the installation of the new NanoESCA.
called two-dimensional materials and their combinations with large organic molecules harbor the potential for extremely low-power electronic circuit elements and for new Quantum Communication platforms. They need new ways to interrogate them, and Prof. Monti is heading up a new facility at the University of Arizona that houses the first instrument in the US that can acess their electronic structure on the relevant length-scales. He anticipates that this will attract research groups from around the country and from overseas who will want to come and carry out measurements in collaboration with his team. Though he heralds from Switzerland, Oliver fell in love with cycling and mountain biking only once he came to the US. He loves riding with friends, racing, and tackling trails, even if that means picking himself up out of the dirt after a “forced dismount” (aka a crash). He loves hiking and backpacking with his wife, and hopefully soon with their Goldendoodle puppy Zepto once she has grown enough stamina. Together they explore the Southwest, or travel overseas for trips to new destinations.
(L–R): Angel Garlant, Bret Maughan and Oliver Monti discuss the laser setup that produces light pulses that last <10-13 s.
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WHERE INORGANIC CHEMISTRY MEETS MEDICINE
S
everal metals, such as iron and copper, that we use to make wires and pipes are also critical for the reactions that happen in living systems, including human bodies. The chemistry of these elements, and particularly their roles in biology and medicine, has been at the center of the scientific interests of Professor Elisa Tomat ever since she was an undergraduate student at the University of Trieste in her native Italy. Here at the University of Arizona, the new Donna B. Cosulich Faculty Fellow leads a research team working at the interface of inorganic chemistry with biology and medicine.
Several projects in the Tomat group are aimed at the development of molecular strategies to examine and exploit the role of iron in cancer growth. “The complexity of biological iron,” Dr. Tomat says, “will keep us busy for a long time: this element is certainly essential for human health, but can also be deleterious in certain conditions and, if that complication weren’t enough, malignant cells exhibit an increased demand for this metal to sustain their rapid proliferation.”
SEVERAL PROJECTS IN THE TOMAT GROUP ARE AIMED AT THE DEVELOPMENT OF MOLECULAR STRATEGIES TO EXAMINE AND EXPLOIT THE ROLE OF IRON IN CANCER GROWTH Additional investigations are revealing the reactivity of metal ions with naturally occurring pigments, such as those deriving from the degradation of red blood cells. Researchers in the Tomat laboratory are engaged in the design and synthesis of new compounds, their spectroscopic and electrochemical characterization, and the evaluation of their effects in human cells. Furthermore, Dr. Tomat and her team are tackling several broad research questions in collaboration with other researchers on campus and overseas. “The field of bioinorganic chemistry,” according to Dr. Tomat, “is inherently multidisciplinary.”
Dr. Tomat is one of those practicing chemists who likes to bring the enthusiasm of discovery to the classroom. She enjoys teaching the upper-division laboratory course on inorganic chemistry preparations. “As an experimentalist,” she says, “I am thrilled to provide our chemistry majors access to a variety of methods and techniques. It is like giving them a ticket to watch the concepts they learned in class unfold in front of their eyes in the lab.” For the same reason, Dr. Tomat developed an elective course that engages our students in the organization of educational chemistry workshops for local middle schools. Since its launch in 2012, Chemistry Discovery has reached more than 800 middle-school students in the Tucson metropolitan area and in the Tohono O’odham Nation. Outside the chemistry laboratory, Dr. Tomat loves photography. She is a regular at the campus Center for Creative Photography and an amateur photographer herself. “My camera pairs well with my love of traveling, so I take lots of pictures when on the road,” she says. “However, here in Tucson I continue to work on my efforts to capture the beauty of the desert, both in the details of thorny plants and in the majestic views around us.”
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FACING THE COVID CHALLENGE
C
BC has accepted the challenge of researching COVID-19 in the following laboratories:
CHARACTERIZING ANTIVIRAL COMPOUND BINDING IN THE MARTY LAB At the start of the pandemic, we started to read more about the biochemistry of the virus and discovered that the bioanalytical methods we had been developing could help solve some unanswered questions about interactions of SARS-CoV-2 membrane proteins. At the same time, our collaborator, Prof. Jun Wang in the UA College of Pharmacy, approached us about measuring drug binding to SARS-CoV-2 proteins, and we were happy to contribute to his collaborative team to develop COVID-19 antivirals. We have two avenues of research. The first is on studying the SARS-CoV-2 envelope (E) protein, which is thought to form small ion channels in the lipid membrane surrounding the virus. We are studying the oligomerization of the E protein and how lipids influence this process. We are also collaborating with Prof. Wang to measure binding of drugs to soluble proteins from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including the main protease. Our Marty Lab Group
native MS measurements have helped to confirm drug binding, measure how many drugs bind at once, and detect non-specific binders. Ultimately, it would be very exciting to discover antiviral compounds that could be used to treat COVID-19. More immediately, we are hoping to understand the virus biochemistry in greater detail, especially interactions within the surrounding lipid membrane. Some exciting initial results have suggested that the E protein complex may not have 5 copies of the protein, as previously thought. We still have more research to confirm these initial findings, but it would change the current thought of the E protein structure if true. We have also had several papers published in our collaboration to measure drug binding with Prof. Wang (see https:// www.nature.com/articles/s41422-0200356-z). —Michael Marty
DEVELOPING BETTER ACTIVITIES ASSAYS IN THE JACOB SCHWARTZ LAB Due to the Spring 2020 shutdown, we had to think creatively about projects that are possible to pursue remotely. Even now, 7 months later, 6 of our lab members continue to work remotely. As I began to learn about the SARS-CoV2 virus, I realized its method of
replication involved a polymerase very similar to those we already studied in my lab. I pitched the idea to my remote team of students about researching background information on the virus. Our remote team, the “Quaranteam,” are a mixed group of in-person and remote researchers. Our remote researchers handle the quantitative analysis so that in-person researchers can focus their time on data generation. Coronavirus polymerases, called an RDRP, are historically challenging to work with in the test tube. RDRP stands for RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. “RNA-dependent” refers to the fact that the SARS-CoV2 genome is RNA rather than DNA. Mammals, including humans, do not have RDRP proteins. This makes the SARS-CoV2 RDRP an attractive target for drug development. The drug Remdesivir is a potential therapeutic against COVID-19, that binds and inhibits the RDRP of SARS-CoV2. In January, a prominent researcher at UCSF had the presence of mind to rush to identify human proteins that interact with COVID-19 viral proteins. The Quaranteam and I saw that the virus RDRP bound the proteins FUS and TDP-43, which my lab has studied. We were just wrapping up a project investigating the influence that FUS has on another viral polymerase from T7 phage. That FUS could affect activity of this non-human enzyme was a complete surprise to us. I thought that the mechanism we uncovered for the T7 phage polymerase may also work for the virus polymerase.
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To develop better drugs, researchers need activity assays that are robust and yield easily detectable signals (or products) to screen drug libraries. All viruses co-opt host proteins to accomplish the functions needed for their replication and spread. If the COVID-19 virus is using FUS and TDP-43 to enhance the activity of their RDRP, then adding these proteins to activity assays should make a more robust assay with stronger signals. Also, we can learn about how these viruses leverage human biology to spread infections.
To my knowedge, our lab currently holds the record for the longest in vitro RNA made by the SARS-CoV2 RDRP. This project has been largely an undergraduate student led and driven project. Our current Quaranteam is comprised of 6 undergraduate researchers (Monica Ruffalo, Ramsey Martz, Ali Alhaji, Alrashed Abdullah, Emily Crose, Vivian Mendoza-Leon), my senior scientist, Valery Thompson, and a rotation student, Kiara Bachtle. Students who contributed early on and have since rotated back to their former projects or graduated,include undergraduates Alyssa Bruce, Julia Wieland, Daniel Wieland, Katie Pickrel and a graduate student, Mahta Moinpour. —Jacob Schwartz
PRODUCING PROTEINS FROM THE CORONAVIRUS IN THE WANG LAB Schwartz Lab Group
Over the summer, the Quaranteam lined up protocols and designed reagents that could be ordered. Shortly after a graduate student, Mahta Moinpour, returned to the lab, Victor Yu of the Peti lab successfully purified the SARS-CoV2 RDRP enzyme. Dr. Wolfgang Peti was happy to share this pure protein with us. The assays worked right away. Since then, we’ve been able to show that the FUS protein binds the RDRP and the product. We’ve also been able to screen a preliminary panel of longer substrates. Our finding of longer substrates recovers a key aspect to the SARS-CoV-2 polymerase. Coronavirus RDRPs are exceptionally good at copying long RNA genomes. This is what allows the coronavirus genome to be among the largest and most stable of all the RNA viruses.
As a CBC alumnus, I have been focusing my attention on combating the (COVID-19) Coronavirus. This work is centered around producing proteins from the coronavirus. I begin by identifying and obtaining the correct genetic sequence of the virus in order to then produce and amplify viral proteins. These viral proteins are then purified and concentrated in order to be used for drug screening to find effective antivirals that will inhibit the virus. Simultaneously, samples from the purification of these viral proteins are sent for X-ray Crystallographic analysis in order to yield the crystal structure of these viral proteins so that we can more efficiently synthesize the pharmaceuticals to inhibit the virus. Other researchers in our group are focused on pharmaceutical screening and drug synthesis. Dr. Chunlong Ma heads the pharmaceutical screening analysis where he tests the antiviral activity and efficiency of
Left to right: Chunlong Ma, Naoya Kitamura, and Tommy Szeto
a library of both known compounds and drugs that our chemists make on site. Chemists in our group, like Naoya Kitamura, are tasked with organic synthesis and rational drug design in order to produce novel drugs hoping to yield efficient and specific antivirals. We have also begun working on similar virus serotypes, like SARS and MERS, to better understand pharmacokinetic studies and to better guide the rational drug design to yield effective and efficient antivirals. In terms of the research effort, we hope that our work will do its part in fighting the global pandemic. We hope that our work will be effective and efficient such that the world will be positively impacted. We hope that if our research effort produces an effective antiviral then we can begin to produce the pharmaceutical(s) on a large-scale quantity and distribute to the world. In our group it is not necessarily a goal that our work will be revolutionary, rather that we strive to do some good that will benefit the world. —Tommy Szeto
See the online expanded, interactive magazine at:
cbc.arizona.edu/ alumni_friends/ newsletters
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DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN CBC When and how did CBC decide to create this committee? The idea came about in the Fall of 2020, after a challenging summer of social protests following the death of George Floyd on May 25th in Minneapolis, and of so many others before him. These events revealed the inequities endured by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) as a result of many years of societal systemic racism, and the STEM community was not immune. We realized that, as a department, we needed to be pro-active, be anti-racist, and take steps to address structural inequities in all aspects of our mission including learning, teaching, mentoring, hiring, publishing, funding decisions, tenure and promotion, and academic workplace culture.
Who is part of the DEI committee? The committee is composed of graduate students, staff, and faculty representing gender, ethnic, ancestry, and age diversity who graciously agreed to be involved. Marie-Pierre Hasne, (Faculty) Chair Bismark Amofah (Graduate student) Dylan Dyer (Graduate Student) Christine Gronowski (Staff) Kushani Hewage (Graduate Student) Tori Hidalgo (Faculty) Peggy Humbert (Staff) Paul Lee (Staff) Dom McGrath, ex officio (Faculty) Alexis Montoya (Staff) Jeff Pyun (Faculty) Hannah Schmidt (Graduate Student) Marc Tischler (Faculty) Margaret Vos (Graduate Student) Lucy Ziurys (Faculty)
How did the committee start? We started by taking an inventory of ourselves as a department. In conjunction with the College of Medicine-Tucson (COM-T), we evaluated the gender and ethnic diversity of our faculty, staff, and students. Our largest room for improvement is at the faculty level, with 70% of our faculty members occupying the white and male categories. This is most prevalent at the full Professor rank. But we also observed a great diversity of languages spoken by our faculty—twenty-two languages are spoken in CBC, which is something to celebrate!
What are the tasks that the committee is taking on moving forward? We have created CBC First Place, a group of people among whom anyone can find someone to talk to, allies who can point to the proper resources on campus if needed. We realized that it is quite intimidating to reach out to an official part of the University when a stressful event happens. We wanted to have students, staff, and faculty who
could be easily approached. To be clear, we are not taking onto ourselves the task of solving the issue, but CBC First Place will guide and listen. We want to prevent the feeling of being lost, isolated, and not knowing what to do when an issue occurs. We have also begun to work on our ability to successfully hire faculty from underrepresented groups. To be successful, we need to first create an environment that would both attract underrepresented faculty members to CBC and be conducive to their success. So, we are creating human connections with departments on campus that have been successful in this regard and engaging with their underrepresented faculty members. We are also reaching out to local BIPOC related organizations in Tucson to create a true sense of community and belonging. Finally, the DEI Committee graduate students, led by Dylan Dyer, have initiated a seminar series for undergraduate students that will address topics of interest to the underrepresented students. This seminar series is novel in that it will be mostly graduate students talking with undergraduates.
Where can we see and follow the work of the DEI committee? We are building a page on the CBC website where the names of the people engaged in these activities will be posted and where links to resources and activities will be found.
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FACULTY AWARDS Jean-Luc Bredas
Wolfgang Peti
2020 Materials Theory Award, Materials Research Society The Materials Theory Award recognizes exceptional advances made by materials theory to the fundamental understanding of the structure and behavior of materials. Dr. Bredas will receive the Award “for seminal theoretical contributions to the design and understanding of novel molecules and materials in the fields of organic electronics and photonics.”
2020 Excellence in Postdoctoral Mentoring Award, The University of Arizona The Excellence in Postdoctoral Mentoring Award recognizes a faculty member who provides exceptional mentoring to postdoctoral scholars.
Minying Cai 2020 National Academy of Inventors Senior Member Dr. Cai was elected for “success in patents, licensing, and commercialization” and for producing “technologies that have brought, or aspire to bring, real impact on the welfare of society.”
Thomas Gianetti 2021 Thieme Chemistry Journals Award This award is presented every year to up-andcoming researchers worldwide who are in the early stages of their independent academic career as assistant or junior professors.
Victor Hruby 2019 National Academy of Inventors Fellow The NAI Fellows Program was established to highlight academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society. Dr. Hruby is one of 168 prolific academic innovators from across the world awarded this status.
Oliver Monti Homer C. and Emily Davis Weed Endowed Chair in Chemistry Oliver Monti received this award for his leadership and excellence in research and education. This award was established by the late Dr. Homer C. Weed, who received his undergraduate education at Arizona and completed a PhD in Physical Chemistry at Ohio State University. His wife, Dr. Emily Davis Weed, held a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry.
Vicente Talanquer 2019 Educational Research Award, The Council of Scientific Society Presidents The Educational Research Award is awarded for outstanding achievement in educational research that improved children’s learning and understanding.
Vicente Talanquer 2021 American Chemical Society Award for Achievement in Research for the Teaching & Learning of Chemistry This ACS award recognizes outstanding contributions to experimental research that have increased our understanding of chemical pedagogy and led to the improved teaching and learning of chemistry.
Elisa Tomat Donna B. Cosulich Faculty Fellow Elisa Tomat was selected to receive the Cosulich Faculty Fellow Award for her outstanding contributions to research and education in chemistry. This award was established by the late Dr. Donna B. Cosulich, who graduated from UArizona with a BS and MS in chemistry and earned a PhD in organic chemistry at Stanford University.
Lucy Ziurys AAS Legacy Fellow, American Astronomical Society The AAS Fellows program was established to recognize AAS members for their contributions toward the Society’s mission of enhancing and sharing humanity’s scientific understanding of the universe. Fellows may be cited for original research and publication, innovative contributions to astronomical techniques or instrumentation, significant contributions to education and public outreach, and noteworthy service to astronomy and to the Society itself.
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FROM RESEARCH TO STARTUP
COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES BY CBC RESEARCHERS
TheraCea is an early-stage R&D biotechnology startup founded by Dr. Iman Daryaei, a former CBC student who graduated with a PhD in Biological Chemistry Program (BCP) in 2017. Dr. Daryaei co-invented a method of radiolabeling for the preparation of 18F-based radiotracers for PET imaging during his doctoral studies under Dr. Mark Pagel’s supervision in CBC. This methodology allows quick and facile preparation of the 18-F radiotracers by non-experts. TheraCea signed an exclusive license agreement with the University of Arizona to develop this technology for the preparation of 18-F radiotracers for the detection of diseases such as breast and pancreatic cancers. The company recently moved to the Biological Sciences West building where all the R&D activities are performed. TheraCea was awarded a SBIR grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) in September 2020 and UACI sponsored Launch by BIOSA recently.
TheraCea founder Iman Daryaei
Scintillation Nanotechnologies, Inc. a start-up originating from research done in Craig Aspinwall’s lab, is beginning production and continuing development after being awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation in May.
Radioisotope-responsive nanoparticles, called nanoSCINT, illuminated with a UV lamp
Photo courtesy of Eduardo Gyerrero
THERACEA
SCINTILLATION NANOTECHNOLOGIES
Since the founding of the company by Drs. Craig Aspinwall and Colleen Janczak in 2018, the Scintillation Nanotechnologies team has completed an Asset Development Project sponsored by Tech Launch Arizona, the National NSF I-corps Teams Program, and has joined the FORGE business accelerator program here at the University of Arizona. The team—which now includes CEO Chuck Phillips and Sales Manager Ray Lee in addition to Aspinwall, who serves as Chief Science Officer and Janczak, who serves as Chief Operations Officer—develops nanomaterial-based scintillators for radioactivity assays. The company’s research-use-only products can be used to detect and measure beta and alpha particle emissions from radioisotopes or radioisotope labeled analytes, and have applications in the biological, environmental, and other sectors. Scintillation Nanotechnologies Inc founders, Colleen Janczak and Craig Aspinwall Photo courtesy of Paul Tumarkin/Tech Launch Arizona
C
BC researchers and alumni have founded start-up companies resulting from work carried out at the University of Arizona.
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2020 | 13
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
NEW RESEARCH CAPABILITIES
by Jon T. Njardarson, PhD, Professor, and Jixun Dai, PhD, Associate Staff Scientist
T
his is the tale of an amazing Chemistry and Biochemistry (CBC) and University of Arizona community effort, which resulted in the acquisition and installation of a new 500 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectrometer for our students and professionals to enjoy. The first step was taken by CBC Professor Indraneel Ghosh in the fall of 2018 when he drafted the “white paper” for the internal University competition to be given an opportunity to apply for a National Science Foundation (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI). The draft was then passed on to Professors Pyun and Njardarson to complete. Later that fall, the great news came that the white paper had been given the green light, at which point a team of principal investigators (PI’s) was assembled (Njardarson-Pyun-Tomat-Wang-Loy). Extensive discussions took next place with the University community of users aided by expertise from Drs. Dai and Kumirov. These discussions and analyses concluded that a new 500 MHz instrument with an autosampler would best support the ongoing and extensive structural characterization of organic, organometallic, polymer, nanomaterial, and composite research. It was then decided that to best drive home the point to the NSF about the broader impacts of this new instrument would be to have all major users be part of the grant application. Although the logistics of the grant writing would be more complicated with more participants, the team was confident that the community would come together and all work as one toward this common important goal. Indeed, that turned out to be the case and all who participated were incredibly responsive and helpful. The grant was completed in early 2019 and submitted that February.
This amazing team effort was recognized when in June of 2019 the news arrived from the NSF that the grant had received high marks from all reviewers and would be recommended for funding. After making the necessary budget adjustments the team was informed that the NSF would be funding the purchase of a new NMR instrument. At this point, Drs. Dai and Kumirov secured updated bids from vendors, which resulted in the selection of a new Bruker 500 MHz NMR instrument with an autosampler. Purchase was completed in January 2020 with expected delivery a few months later! As we all know, soon thereafter COVID hit. Bruker delivered the instrument to CBC in June 2020 and in August 2020 Bruker sent two service engineers who worked efficiently with Drs. Dai and Kumirov to install and test the instrument. In early September 2020, the CBC and University of Arizona community of users was able to start using this fantastic new instrument. This long and successful journey was made possible by a community of wonderful people.
NMR SPECTROMETER GRANT TEAM Jon T. Njardarson, PI Jeff Pyun, Co-PI Elisa Tomat, Co-PI Wei Wang, Co-PI Douglas A. Loy, Co-PI Indraneel Ghosh Jixun Dai Vlad Kumirov John C. Jewett Robin L. Polt Dennis Lichtenberger Jun Wang Eugene A. Mash
Jeanne E. Pemberton Dominic V. McGrath Thomas A. Gianetti Eli Chapman Christopher Hulme Robert A. Norwood Nasser Peyghambarian Leslie A. Gunatilaka Adam D. Printz May Khanna Cindy C. Browder Yang Qin Amy K. Tary
THE CATALYST | CBC ALUMNI MAGAZINE
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FROM SCENESSE TO MCR THERAPEUTICS:
LEARNING, LUCK AND LEGACY! by Tomi Sawyer, PhD, Chemistry, 1981
O
ne of Victor J. Hruby’s often shared quotes is from Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling, “The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.” And over Dr. Hruby’s career, such has remarkably been the case. Many of Dr. Hruby’s graduate and undergraduate students, postdoctoral fellows, collaborators and colleagues have benefited significantly in their professional careers from their research with him since he joined the University of Arizona. This article provides a snapshot of the time when ScenesseTM (a.k.a. NDP-MSH or Afamelanotide) was created by the Hruby team in what was the MSH Project (in collaboration with the late Professor Mac Hadley and his graduate student, the late Chris Heward, Department of Biology) during the mid-late 1970s. FDA approval of ScenesseTM (as highlighted in a previous issue of the Catalyst) marked a long journey that gives testimony to “a good idea” that amalgamated cutting-edge cell biology, drug design, and synthetic peptide chemistry learning during the early days of G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) research.
Pictured (l-r): Chris Heward, Mac Hadley, Victor Hruby, and Tomi Sawyer after their discovery of the superagonist NDP-MSH (1981)
NDP-MSH (Scenesse®) and recent X-ray structure of SHU9119 complexed with MC4R inspire the discovery of the next generation of MCR therapeutics
To everyone’s utter amazement, NDP-MSH exemplified a breakthrough molecule in the field of peptide drug discovery. Its superpotency and long-acting in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activity compared to the natural hormone ignited everyone’s imagination of what may be possible, and it will be forever UArizona’s first drug that was created more than 40 years ago (see 1981 MSH Project Team, left). Of no surprise, the story didn’t end in those yesteryears, but rather gained in momentum, new ideas, many collaborations, and then breakthroughs in the identification of five human GPCRs for MSH and related melanocortin peptides. Riding the wave of this surge of genomic and deep biological science, Drs. Hruby and Minying Cai teamed up about two decades ago with many others to expand the knowledge and potential of the next generations of novel MSH peptide analogs. This has provided tools or therapeutics for melanocortin receptors (MCRs) involved in pigmentation, obesity and metabolic disorders, neurodegeneration and related inflammatory diseases in neuropsychiatric disorders, and many others. Now armed with a treasure trove of MSH analogs having unique agonist or antagonist properties, and varying specificities for the MCRs, the Hruby/Cai team (including current
Photo courtesy of the Arizona Daily Star
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2020 | 15
graduate students Zekun Liu, Alyssa Nodland, Tingyi Zhu and Jonathon Sawyer), are further building upon what is now a 40-year legacy of peptide drug discovery that began simply with “a good idea.”
NEW FACULTY
One may ask, well, was this just luck and a one-shot deal? Of course, who can ever say that there isn’t a good degree of luck in science. However, if one asks what has been the impact of this research, then it is unequivocal that without the pioneering work of Dr. Hruby and his team, there would not likely be Clinuvel (Afamelanotide), Palatin (Bremelanotide), Rhythm (Setmelanotide), and/or many other MSH peptide or peptidomimetic R&D efforts by large pharma, including Merck, Lilly, and Roche. In fact, what was once a University of Arizona MSH Project Team has evolved into a worldwide MCR Therapeutics campaign.
Jean-Luc Bredas Tenured Professor After a 16.5-year hiatus, mainly spent at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Professor Jean-Luc Bredas, a computational materials chemist, returned to our department in January 2020.
New chapters of this legacy work in peptide drug discovery are yet to be written. As Dr. Hruby would likely say, “It has been fun! Why stop now? There’s a lot to do!” Yes, some things don’t change. Onward and upward! Good luck to all!
Jean-Luc was born and raised in Belgium, where he obtained his first professorship at the University of Mons in 1988. He emigrated with his family to Arizona in 1999 and was part of our Chemistry faculty until 2003. His wife Monique also worked in our Department in 19992000 to take care of the organic chemistry labs. Both of his daughters are University of Arizona alumnae. Amélie graduated with a double major in economics and history in 2002; after obtaining her J.D. from the University of Georgia in 2006, she came back to Tucson where she currently works for Snell & Wilmer as a real-estate lawyer. Véronique graduated in 2004 with a degree in nutritional sciences and went on to receive a Masters in sports nutrition from the University of Georgia in 2006; she currently works in the Bay Area as an event producer for GP Johnson.
Zekun Liu
Alyssa Nodland
Tingyi Zhu
Minying Cai
Victor Hruby
Jonathon Sawyer
Jean-Luc’s group members, consisting of two research professors, three research scientists, and five post-doctoral associates, followed him from Georgia Tech to CBC. The main research interests of the Bredas group deal with organic and hybrid materials relevant to electronics and photonics applications. Specific topics include the design of new, purely organic emitters for OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays and solid-state lighting, the characterization of the optical and electronic processes in organic and perovskite solar cells, and the description of the charge-transport and magnetic properties of novel two-dimensional pi-conjugated covalent organic frameworks (COFs).
THE CATALYST | CBC ALUMNI MAGAZINE
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NEW STAFF Lisa Arrotta Executive Assistant CBC welcomes Lisa Arrotta as the department’s new Executive Assistant. Lisa is a native Tucsonan and loves everything about living in Tucson, the people, the mountains, the weather, the sunrises, the sunsets, and everything in between. As “Mrs. Grant” she co-hosted a morning radio show here in Tucson for 16 years. She recently “retired” from radio to start a new and exciting chapter in her life. One thing she did not want to retire from is emceeing and hosting numerous events for local organizations, charities, and non-profits to bring awareness to their efforts and to give back to the community she loves. Lisa is married to her husband, partner, and love of her life, Frank. Lisa also has two adult children. Her daughter, Mackenzie, graduated from NAU, and her son Jeremy is a student at Pima College. Dawn Clevenger Office Specialist, Sr. I have been with the CBC Business Office since November 2019. Everyone at the University has been very welcoming, and I love working with this group. Can’t wait till we can all be together again. I moved from Illinois in July of 2019 to Tucson, when my oldest son started college at the University of Arizona. We have always loved AZ when visiting family out here. Kelly Huff Manager, Business-Finance I began my UArizona career here in CBC 24 years ago. I was the Program Coordinator for Dr. Seth Marder and Dr. Joe Perry, assisting them with running their grants and finances for their respective programs. When the PIs relocated to Georgia Tech, I remained in Tucson and took on a position in the Social & Behavioral Sciences College in their Research Institute. I was in the College for 17 years, taking on more responsibility through the years, and for the past 10.5 years I was the Business Manager, Sr. for the School of Government & Public Policy.
Rebekka Pope Office Specialist Rebekka is a native Tucsonan who briefly went to the dark side to get her bachelor’s degree at ASU and worked in government relations in Phoenix for several years before joining the Wildcat team in January. She enjoys reading, rock climbing, competing at anything, and spending time with her wonderful labrador. Thomas Weiss IT Services Coordinator/Information Technology Support Analyst Thomas was with UITS for 2 years where he helped develop training documentation and onboard new staff members for the 24/7 IT Support Center. He also was responsible for escalations and became a subject matter expert in centralized university services and infrastructure. Thomas loves music, film, video games, and frequently likes to develop websites and web applications in his spare time.
STAFF AWARDEE Colleen Kelley CoSSAC Staff Excellence Award College of Science, University of Arizona The College of Science is very pleased to honor the College of Science staff who have contributed to the continuing success of the College. Each department in the College selects one staff member to receive this award. Colleen is a Manager for the organic chemistry teaching laboratory courses in CBC. She supervises and mentors several dozen teaching assistants, develops curriculum, and ensures that the 1,200+ students who take organic chemistry labs each semester are ensured a positive and successful educational experience.
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2020 | 17
IN MEMORIAM PEOPLE WE HAVE LOST ALUMNI John Robert Jordan BS Chemistry, 1958 d. July 21, 2020
John Robert Jordan
David Ross Comfort BS Chemistry, 1965 d. August 12, 2020 John Joseph Laverty MS Chemistry, 1966 d. February 19, 2020
David Ross Comfort
Michael Onore PhD Chemistry, 1967 d. November 15, 2019 Kent Flodin BS Chemistry, 1968 d. October 24, 2019 Ed St. Clair BS Chemistry, 1969 d. October 25, 2019
Kent Flodin
Ed St. Clair
Ling Hong
Ling Hong PhD Biochemistry, 1994 d. February 6, 2020
Read more online about those we’ve lost. cbc.arizona.edu/alumni_friends/newsletters
FACULTY Robert Brown Bates Chemistry Professor d. June 11, 2020 Robert B. Bates is survived by his wife, Deanna. After completing his Bachelor of Science degree in 1954 at Rutgers University, Dr. Bates earned his Ph.D. in 1957 at the University of Wisconsin. During his tenure at the University of Arizona, he received the Graduate Teaching and Mentoring Award in 2000, was named the Outstanding Faculty Mentor of Graduate Students in 2000, and was the finalist for the Fivestar Teaching Award in 1983. Jim O’Brien Son of Professor David O’Brien d. January 15, 2020 Jim O’Brien, 58, passed peacefully with his loving wife of 24.5 years Cynthia Nocon, soulmate of 32 years, at his side. Beloved by his family, Jim was predeceased by his father, David O’Brien, survived by his wife, daughter Nina O’Brien, and mother Nancy O’Brien.
EMPLOYEES
Robert Brown Bates
Jim O’Brien
Terry Meyer
Terry Meyer Researcher d. August, 2020 Terry Meyer, a researcher in the late Mike Cusanovich’s lab, passed away following surgery. Christa Sitz Biochemistry Business Manager d. March 22, 2020 Christa Sitz was predeceased by her husband, Ronald K. Sitz. Christa and Ron were married in Hameln, Germany, where she had been raised. She retired after 40 years of dedicated service to the Department of Biochemistry.
Christa Sitz
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2019–20 STUDENT AWARDS UNDERGRADUATE AWARDS Chemistry and Biochemistry Outstanding Senior Steven Fried Biochemistry Outstanding Senior Meucci Watchman Ilunga Chemistry and Biochemistry Excellence in Research Steven Fried Biochemistry Excellence in Research Tommy Szeto CBC Outstanding Juniors Daniel Wieland - Biochemistry Jason Kronenfeld - Chemistry CBC Outstanding Sophomore Amanda Gong - Biochemistry CBC Outstanding Freshman Cristian Chavira - Biochemistry ACS Hach Scholars Kierra Garland Alyssa Peterson Charles Hoyt Scholars Cadence Flohrshutz Isabelle Harrison AZ Society for Coatings Technology Scholars Joseph Kouvetakis Jordan Meise Royal Society of Chemistry Certificate of Excellence Award Emma Potter Excellence in Biological Sciences Scholars Amanda Gong Jason Kronenfeld Eric Lu Daniel Wieland Michael A. Wells Research in Biological Sciences Scholars Amanda Gong Jason Kronenfeld Annabeth Nix Nicolai Peña Dr. Thomas M. and Candace C. Grogan Scholars Kevyn Anne Jacobus Vivian Mendoza-Leon Lela E. Booher Memorial Scholars Alexander Blythe Jibriel Noun
CBC Outstanding Thesis Steven Fried - 1st Place Kiera Taylor Blawn - 2nd Place
John Hostetter Awardees Megan Ewbank Stephen Flint Smith
CBC Outstanding Student Peer Mentors Steven Fried Todd Holden Lewis Doli Patel
Second Year Excellence in Graduate Research Allison Smith
Ronald Gonzalez Wildcat Spirit Awardee Tommy Szeto
First Year Excellence in Graduate Research Megan Ewbank Outstanding Graduate Students Outstanding Scholarship
Taylor Allison Gee
Galileo Circle Scholars
Outstanding Teaching
Graduate Students Keerthana Andakudi Kesavan Natasha Cornejo Marius Kostelic Steven Petritis Haziq Qureshi Joseph Schafer Stephen Flint Smith Brittany Stankavich Alyssa Werner
Bismark Amofah
Michael Cusanovich Scholar
Undergraduate Students Hannah Ball Gabriela Berigan Alexander Blythe Meucci Watchman Ilunga Jason Juang Sadie Keesler Todd Holden Lewis Eric Lu Madeline Morrow Mireya Iridian Pimentel Suranjana Rahman Noah Rios Soraya Sandoval Tommy Szeto Daniel Wieland
GRADUATE AWARDS Carl S. Marvel Scholar Taylor Allison Gee
David F. O’Brien Graduate Fellow James Keener Victor P. Thalacker Chemistry Graduate Fellow Clayton Curtis Herbert E. Carter Award Kristiane Torgeson Pelletier Dr. Wayne Cody Scholar in Medicinal Biological Chemistry Niloofar Ghadirian
Outstanding Service
Lindsay Eileen Guzman
SPECIAL RECOGNITION 2020 Hancock Award from the ACS Division of Environmental Chemistry & NIST Metin Karayilan CIBA Travel Award in Green Chemistry Tyler Roberts NSF Graduate Research Fellows Steven Fried Margaret Vos Amanda Warner (Hon. Mention) French, Outstanding Senior Madeline Morrow Molecular & Cellular Biology Excellence in Research Bennett Van Camp Astronaut Scholar 2019-2020 Steven Fried Merrill P. Freeman Medal, Dean of Students Marcos Gomez Ambriz Robert Logan Nugent Award, Dean of Students Meucci Watchman Ilunga Honors College Dean’s Award for Excellence Jessica Forelli S amuel and Louise McMillan Scholar in the Humanities Jessica Forelli Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellow Jessica Forelli
Universal Cheer Association All-American Excellence Award 2020 Jessica Forelli Microscopy Society of America Undergraduate Research Scholars Hannah Ball Alyssa Peterson Barry Goldwater Scholars Jamie Takashima Daniel Wieland Ronald E. McNair Scholar 20192020 Soraya Sandoval Alpha Phi Omega - Theta lota Chapter Distinguished Service Key Recipient Haley Elizabeth Williams First Place 14th Annual WASEO Student Research Conference 2020 Alejandro Villalobos Vantage West Scholar 2019-2020 Daniel Wieland Raytheon Corporation Scholar 2019-2020 Daniel Wieland UA Honors Thesis Legacy Award 2019-2020 Nicolai Peña UA NSCS Undergraduate Research Award 2019-2020 Nicolai Peña Spiro and Mary Lee Cakos Scholar 2019-2020 Vivian Mendoza-Leon arion & Hazel Olson Scholar M 2019-2020 Meucci Watchman Ilunga UArizona Student Showcase, Award for the Human Health 2020 Jordan Fink Paul G. & Elise M. Koch Scholar 2019-2020 James Truman Jolly
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2020 | 19
NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH
WITH SCHOLARSHIP SUPPORT by Taylor Gee, PhD, Biochemistry, 2020
M
y goal in pursuing graduate school was to combine my love of chemistry research with my passion for neuroscience to positively impact human health. In 2015 I moved to the University of Arizona to work in the laboratory of Dr. Michael L. Heien and use electrochemical techniques to study dopamine—a small molecule important for brain function. The goal of the Heien Lab is to develop electrochemical tools to monitor neurotransmission and lay the foundation for improved therapies for several neurological diseases. Dopamine is involved in responses to environmentally important stimuli and in the pathology of several disease states including chronic pain, Parkinson’s Disease, and schizophrenia. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to conduct such impactful and translational work during my graduate career. In addition to research, I also had the opportunity to serve the graduate and professional student population at the University of Arizona. As the College of Science Representative and Chairperson of the Graduate and Professional Student Council, one main project that I led was the development of the Graduate and Professional Student Handbook. In my first year on the council, I became aware that graduate and professional students at the University of Arizona had access to many more resources than were advertised. I felt it was important to get the word out about all of our resources in an easy-to-access publication. The Graduate and Professional Student Handbook details resources for graduate and professional students who are: parents, underrepresented minority students, LGBTQ+ students, those facing food insecurity, and many more. Today the handbook is published online and in print and is distributed across the University. These and other research and service activities were facilitated by the awards I received during graduate school. I am incredibly grateful for the Carl S. Marvel Scholarship, which had a significant impact on my graduate research and service. This award eased the financial burden associated with travel to scientific conferences and advocacy trips. After receiving the award, I attended the Society for Neuroscience Confer-
ence in Chicago, IL. There, I was able to share research findings with experts in the neuroscience community and gain feedback before publishing the results in Pain. I also traveled to Washington, DC to represent the University of Arizona in the annual Student Advocates for Graduate Education Day on the Hill. This time was spent speaking with members of Congress about important issues that graduate and professional students regularly face. These topics included: mental health on campuses, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Federal Student Aid, the need for continued increases in federal research funding, student immigration laws, and much more. Post-graduation I am happy to be continuing research on the brain with the goal of positively impacting human health. I am currently conducting post-doctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. Frank Porreca in Department of Pharmacology at the University of Arizona. We employ brain- and muscle-implanted electrodes to monitor sleep in animal models of pain. By using sleep disruption as a biomarker for persistent pain, we investigate how various opioid pain medications achieve the resolution of pain with the ultimate goal being the development of more effective, less addictive pain therapy. I am forever grateful for the many mentors and peers I had throughout my graduate and undergraduate education who supported my research and service goals and made the journey enjoyable.
CBC GRADUATES BY THE NUMBERS WHAT OUR 2020 GRADUATES ARE DOING
26%
17%
GRAD SCHOOL
13%
MEDICAL SCHOOL
12%
6%
PROFESSIONAL DEGREES
5%
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP
INDUSTRY
DIRECT EMPLOYMENT
3%
GOVERNMENT/ MILITARY
18% OTHER
See the full PDF version of the Catalyst magazine at cbc.arizona.edu/alumni_friends/newsletters
INVEST IN CBC Your gift to the CBC Undergraduate Student Support Fund helps create the scientific leaders of tomorrow.
BY MAIL Make your check out to: University of Arizona Foundation, with gift designation in the Memo line Mail to: University of Arizona Foundation PO Box 210109, Tucson AZ 85721-0109 ONLINE give.uafoundation.org/science-chembiochem
ONLINE EXTRAS
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2020 | 21
ALUMNI NEWS 1950s Robert Greene (BS Chemistry, 1958)
I am enjoying my family and grandchildren, and I soon will be celebrating my 90th birthday.
Paul Schnur (BS Chemistry, 1958)
A retired surgeon from Mayo Clinic Arizona
Richard Finn (BA Chemistry, 1959)
I am a retired physician. I obtained my medical degree from Tulane Univ. in 1963, as Arizona did not have a medical school when I graduated in 1959.
1960s Kenneth Zahn (BS Chemistry, 1960; MS Chemistry, 1961) u
2020 President of the Northwest Federation of Mineralogical Societies (5,500 members in ~70 clubs and societies in AK, WA, OR, ID, MT, and Northern Utah/Wyoming). I recently celebrated my 84th birthday. Attended U of A on a track scholarship. U of A: BS in Education (‘59), B.S. in Liberal Arts (Chemistry)(‘60), M.S.in Organic Chemistry (‘60); Distinguished Military Graduate (‘59); Phi Beta Kappa (‘60). U of IIlinois: PhD in Organic Chemistry (‘64 -’67).
Kenneth Zahn
Harold Hilliard (PhD Chemistry, 1965)
I retired after an undeservedly rewarding and interesting career in oil and gas production.
Peter Forrest (BA Chemistry, 1966)
Retired after some 50 years in the field of medicine -- including five years as a corpsman with the US NAVY AND US MARINE CORPS. Great memories of the University of Arizona.
Donald Gosselink (PhD Chemistry, 1966) u I am retired.
Donald Gosselink
David Kingston (PhD Chemistry, 1966) u
Retired from teaching/research at Northern Michigan University in 2001. Live in Tucson winter and spring months. I meet with friends Dr. Roger Caldwell and Dr. Ted Reid when we all are in town.
Gary Proksch (BS Chemistry, 1965)
I opened a small business helping clients with research and consulting.
John Kaczynski (MS Chemistry, 1966)
After 34 years teaching, I retired as Dean of Instructional Services at Longview Community College. Our son Steve is an anesthesiologist in Tucson with six grandchildren. Three of them are currently attending UArizona.
Jake Lark (PhD Chemistry, 1966)
Grandchildren in Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia, and great-grandchildren in Virginia and North Carolina.
David Kingston
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Norman Buck (BA Chemistry, 1967)
I’m retired from the Department of Entomology at UArizona. I still work a little part time. While I was working, a lot of studies were done on the role of storage proteins in ant larval development and colony founding by ant queens. Later, I was involved in measuring differences in gene expression between honey bee queen larvae and worker larvae. This was accomplished by mRNA extraction of the larvae, cDNA synthesis, and real time PCR quantitation. I designed and tested for efficiency each primer set required for each gene.
t Rich Markham (MS Chemistry, 1967) Rich & Judy Markham
Judy and I are enjoying living in Tucson, and we love the peaceful life in the desert.
t Dan Nathan (BS Chemistry, 1967)
I have been retired since 2008. My BS in Chemistry allowed me to work for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for 38 1/2 years as a criminalist (CSI work). It was a rewarding career. My time at UArizona from 1963-1967 were four of the best years of my life. That still stands. I attended my 50-year reunion in 2007 in Tucson. Go Wildcats!!
t Jane Orient (BA Chemistry, 1967) Dan Nathan
Publication of 5th edition of Sapira’s Art and Science of Bedside Diagnosis by Jane M. Orient, M.D.
Robert Stevenson (PhD Chemistry, 1967)
Book Review Co-Editor for Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, Contributing Editor to Instrument News. Editor Emeritus for American Laboratory.
Joe White (PhD Chemistry, 1967)
I retired in 1999 after working 31 years for 3M company in Minnesota.
Terry Holcslaw (BS Chemistry, 1968)
Retired Medical Scientist, owner/Vice President of Consulting and New Business Development of a medical writing company called New Drug Development Services, Inc.
t Paul Sangster (MS Chemistry, 1968) I am retired.
James Kudrna (PhD Chemistry, 1969) Jane Orient
Left UArizona with PhD and went on to Medical School at Northwestern University. Trained in Orthopaedic Surgery and went on to an academic and clinical career as an adult hip reconstructive surgeon. Spent 40 years on the faculty of Northwestern University and then the University of Chicago. Recently retired from clinical practice and continue with research activities as a monitor to post-MD fellows. Now retired and finally became the proud grandfather of granddaughter Emerson in 2019! Enjoy vacationing in Arizona as conditions allow, and I would enjoy visiting the chemistry department in the future!
1970s Armando Angel (PhD Chemistry, 1970; MD) Paul Sangster
Grandson Sergio is in chemistry graduate school and granddaughter Gabby graduated in geology.
Dale Edmondson (PhD Chemistry, 1970)
I retired in 2014; I am now Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine.
ONLINE EXTRAS
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2020 | 23
Dan Combs (BS Chemistry, 1971)
Consultant for the biotech industry.
Mark Dewhirst (BS Chemistry, 1971)
Mark W. Dewhirst, DVM, PhD, FASTRO, FAAAS is the Emeritus Gustavo S. Montana Professor of Radiation Oncology, former Associate Dean for Faculty Mentoring and Vice Director for Basic Science in the Duke Cancer Institute. Dr. Dewhirst has research interests in tumor hypoxia, angiogenesis, hyperthermia and drug transport and has had NIH funding to study these subjects for more than 30 years. He has >600 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters and reviews. His works have been cited more than 40,000 times in the literature. He has given named lectures at the University of Western Ontario, Thomas Jefferson University, Stanford University, the Norwegian Radium Hospital in Oslo, The University of Pennsylvania and the New Zealand Cancer Society. Mark received the Alumni of the Year Award from Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He received the Failla Medal from the Radiation Research Society in 2008, the Eugene Robinson award for excellence hyperthermia research in 1992, and a similar award from the European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology in 2009. He received the Gold Medal Award from the American Society for Radiation Oncology in 2012. He is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is a Senior Editor of Cancer Research and Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Hyperthermia. He graduated from the University of Arizona in 1971 with a degree in Chemistry and Colorado State University in 1975 and 1979 with DVM and PhD degrees, respectively. He has been happily married to Nancy Dewhirst for over 32 years. They enjoy traveling, theater and sports together (at least pre-COVID-19!).
Bruce Mayall (MS Chemistry, 1971)
Moving to the Tucson area after 35 years in Mission Viejo, CA. (You have no idea of how much “stuff� you have until you have to move it!) I have two married sons and two grandchildren. My wife is the CFO of Silao, a family tortilla business moving to Tucson.
Larry Schwartz (PhD Chemistry, 1971) u
I will be married 50 years in August to my wife Leslie (UArizona-RN-1970), and I just turned 75!
Robert Small (PhD Chemistry, 1971)
Mostly retired but occasionally get questions about certain semiconductor processes. Most of my time is spent working in my gardens.
David Bear (BA Chemistry, 1972)
I am a Research Professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Previously, I was on the faculty of University of New Mexico School of Medicine for 36 years where I served as Chair of the Department of Cell Biology and Physiology and Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, as well as Associate Dean for Admissions for the medical school. Larry Schwartz & Family
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Sheldon Clare (PhD Chemistry, 1972)
I am a retired professor of chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. During my teaching career, I received awards and was given tenure. I taught at Pitt 1962-68 and 1972-99. When I returned to Tucson, I was an adjunct at UArizona and Pima CC. I am a widower. My late wife was an elementary teacher. I have 3 children and 5 grandchildren.
Barbara Harty Golder (BS Chemistry, 1972)
I am the Editor in Chief of The Linacre Quarterly, the longest continuously published journal of Catholic bioethics in the US and the journal of the Catholic Medical Association. I am also finishing my third novel, a murder mystery, Dying for Love. During the Covid pandemic I have been providing medical expertise to Catholic news, radio, and television.
Dan Chang
Michael Londrigan (PhD Chemistry, 1972)
I am currently retired after working several years for Jim Walter Research and Dow Chemical.
t Dan Chang (PhD Chemistry, 1974)
Volunteer as a Pastor at a local church.
t Rick Yost (BS Chemistry, 1974) Rick Yost
I love teaching Honors General Chemistry II at the University of Florida every spring semester! But moving the class totally online this March after COVID struck was a challenge. Lecture, team debates, and exams are way easier in a classroom than in Zoom. I’m looking forward to face-to-face classes again soon!
Alan Schoen (BS Chemistry, 1975)
Just retired from Thermo Fisher Scientific as a Principal Scientist after 38 years.
t Don Upson (PhD Chemistry, 1975)
I am available to assist Ph.D. students in resume and cover letter preparation. I have assisted around 10 Ph.D. students over the past 6 years. While the job market is very challenging in June, 2020, it will get better once the COVID-19 is history.
Don Upson
Lano Balulescu (MS Chemistry, 1976)
2 grandchildren; no retirement for now!
Leonard Patt (PhD Biochemistry, 1976)
Retired and enjoying all the kids and grandchildren in the great northwest.
Katie Smith (PhD Biochemistry, 1976)
I am retired and have 3 granddaughters, ages 9, 11, and 18.
t Walter Rudzinski (PhD Chemistry, 1977)
Walter Rudzinski
Retired as a Professor Emeritus at Texas State University
t Eric Johnson (BA Chemistry, 1978)
Practicing cardiologist with Stanford Health Care in Oakland, CA
1980s Richard Altenhofen (BS Chemistry, 1980)
I earned an MBA in 1990. I retired from Motorola in 2007 and started a nano-business creating and selling writing instruments. I’m now closing the business. Eric Johnson
ONLINE EXTRAS
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2020 | 25
Jerry Chalupnik (BS Chemistry, 1980)
I graduated from Dental School (Oral Roberts University) in 1986; completed and passed Oklahoma and California Dental Boards that same year; moved to San Diego, associated in different dental practices here in the area; paid off student loans and my parents who helped me through dental school. I then decided I did not want to pursue my own dental practice and started working for California Dept. of Corrections as a prison dentist at Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County about two hours east of S.D. in early 2008 where I am still employed. Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic each of the dentists at work are at the prison on alternate weeks. I will likely retire in the next year or two, though I’m not sure when.
Tomi Sawyer
Tomi Sawyer (PhD Chemistry, 1981) u
I’m “Gappa” (grandfather) and my wife is “Gamma” (grandmother) of twin granddaughters who are 3+ years old. My sons, Jonathon and Thomas, are graduate students at the University of Arizona and the University of Massachusetts, respectively.
Malcolm Capel (PhD Biochemistry, 1982)
Dept Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell. Responsible for design, construction, and operation of 2 undulator beam lines for macromolecular crystallography at the Advanced Photon Source synchrotron, Argonne National Lab.
Fred Hassman (BS Chemistry, 1982) Analytical chemist at SABIC
Robert Sentman (PhD Chemistry, 1982)
Rich Sportsman
Proud grandfather of 2 grandchildren, with a third due in July.
Ninus Simonzadeh (MS Chemistry, 1982) I am a care giver for my own mother.
Rich Sportsman (PhD Chemistry, 1982) u
I’m operating a winery (Little Oaks Winery, www.littleoakswinery.com) and Vinmetrica (www.vinmetrica.com), a wine testing instrumentation business. We’re located in lovely Carlsbad, California. Our winery makes about 300 cases per year of unique, award-winning wines from grapes grown locally. Not retired yet, but generally enjoying things.
John Bashkin (BS Chemistry, 1983)
VP Business Development at S2 Genomics.
Mark DeTar (BS Chemistry, 1984) u
Mark Detar
After 30 years working in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, I’m looking forward to retirement in a few years and moving on to the next chapter of my life, which I hope will involve teaching at some capacity and giving back to the community and my professions (chemistry and electrical engineering).
Francisco Figueroa (PhD Chemistry, 1986) u
I am retired from S.C. Johnson & Sons where I was Director of Technology.
Patricia Hill (PhD Chemistry, 1986)
I am retired and just bought a winter home in Tucson.
Douglas Sobelman (BS Biochemistry, 1986)
Son age 23 joined the coast guard in San Diego after graduating from the merchant marine academy.
Francisco Figueroa
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Hilary Danehy (BA Biochemistry, 1987)
Since July 2020, Head of Quality Training at Auris Health, a Johnson and Johnson Company. I really enjoy being back with J&J and working on the latest in surgical robotics and digital health!
Anjan Bhattacharyya (PhD Biochemistry, 1988)
Most recently promoted to Radiation Health Specialist III by the Commonwealth of Kentucky Department for Public Health and Safety, Radioactive Materials Division. Licensing and inspection of radioactive material licensees within the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Received Department of Public Health Protection and Safety award for Radiation Health Branch employee of the year. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Integrated Materials Performance Evaluation Program (IMPEP) Team Member for 2021 and will participate in the evaluation of other Agreement State Radioactive Materials programs within the United States.
Andrew Leavitt
Rebecca Hailey (BS Chemistry 1988; MS Chemistry, 1991)
I am a Professor of Chemistry at Florida State College at Jacksonville.
t Andrew Leavitt (BS Chemistry, 1988)
Chancellor - University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Cheri Dersam
t Cheri Dersam (BS Biochemistry, 1989)
I am a physician in Scottsdale and own a medical practice, Integrative Medicine of Arizona. My joy is spending time with patients, getting to the root cause of their health challenges, and helping them to heal. I was recently named one of Phoenix Magazine’s 2020 Top Doctors.
t Ellen Roth Yezierski (BS Chemistry, 1989)
Professor of Chemistry and Director, Center for Teaching Excellence at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. I’m the Chair for the 2021 Gordon Research Conference on Chemistry Education Research and Practice.
1990s
Ellen Roth Yezierski
t Silvia Cavagnero (MS Chemistry, 1990)
Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
t Cari Cunningham (BS Chemistry, 1990)
I permanently moved from Globe to Tucson in January 1989 and have been here ever since. My husband (Ted Moulin, UArizona Mining Engineering 1975) and I travel as much as we can. I retired 9/1/18 and am still adjusting.
t Jani Ingram (PhD Chemistry, 1990) Silvia Cavagnero
Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry at Northern Arizona University
John Kunesh (BS Chemistry, 1990)
I am a Medical Doctor (pathologist) and surgical pathology and clinical laboratory director at a community hospital in Los Angeles.
Keith Pinckard (BS Biochemistry, 1990)
I am the Chief Medical Examiner for Travis County in Austin, Texas.
Christopher Vito (BS Chemistry, 1990)
Cari & Ted Cunningham
President and Chief Executive Officer of Nevada Adult Day Healthcare Centers. I was named the State of Nevada Business Person of the Year and was sent to the White House to meet the POTUS. In addition, I was named City of Henderson Business Person of the Year, which is awarded by the Governor of Nevada. Jani Ingraham
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t Joel Pankow (PhD Chemistry, 1991)
Joel Pankow
Retired but exploring part-time university teaching. Enjoying being in the best physical and mental health of my life achieved in part by taking up mountain biking in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains here in Littleton, Colorado and being part of our community volunteer bike patrol.
Patrick Desrochers (PhD Chemistry, 1992)
Professor (28 y) and chair (6 y) Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Central Arkansas
Jeff Finch (PhD Chemistry, 1992)
I have been working as a Sr. Principal Mass Spectrometry Field Applications Specialist for The Waters Corporation for the past 14 years (based in Gig Harbor, WA), after spending 5.5 years working in Waters Research Development and Engineering Department at their Milford, MA World Headquarters. My son, Ethan, graduated from UArizona in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Natural Resources: Global Change Ecology and Management.
Scott Rex (BS Chemistry, 1992)
Crime Laboratory Manager at the Arizona Department of Public Safety in Phoenix, overseeing Comparative Sciences, Familial DNA, Rapid DNA, and DNA Database, Standards and CODIS, as well as serving as the Projects Manager and Outreach Coordinator.
Carmelita Torres (MS Chemistry, 1992)
Director of Quality Assurance at Curative Inc., a Covid-19 testing company.
Michael Ruane (BS Chemistry, 1994) u
Michael Ruane
Associate Professor & Chair, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Texas Lutheran University
Scott Mitchell (MA Chemistry, 1997; PhD Chemistry, 1997) u
Currently Senior Director at Gilead Sciences. Found old photo (Dr. Brian Dangel, me, Dr. Hossein Razavi, and Dr. Michael Palian) taken when we were in CBC. Michael’s son commented, “Wow! You used chalkboards back then!”
Mary Padilla (BA Biochemistry, 1997)
I just started a new job in June as the Chief of Staff for Boston Biomedical. I’m married to another UArizona Alum, Juston Jans (Engineering ‘96). We have 2 children; a 19-year-old daughter studying International Business in Spain, and a 16-year-old son who is a junior in high school.
Dr. Brian Dangel, Scott Mitchell, Dr. Hossein Razavi, and Dr. Michael Palian
Deepa Whipple (BS Biochemistry, 1997)
I work in retail at Ross Stores, Inc. as Group Vice President of Business Information. I spent many years in Northern CA, but we moved to NJ in 2016 so I could work in our Buying Office in NYC.
Lawrence Williams (PhD Chemistry, 1997) u
Professor of Chemistry at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Christy Miller (PhD Biochemistry, 1998)
I am a professor of biochemistry at Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado. I am the department chair of the department of Chemistry, Computer Science and Mathematics. I have taught here for 20 years. My only child just graduated from high school during the Covid-19 pandemic. Cameron, Nicole and I enjoyed graduation in our car in the school parking lot very much.
Lawrence Williams
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t Jennyfer Faridy Cocco (BA Biochemistry & Chemistry, 1999)
I am a Plastic Surgeon practicing in Dallas, TX. It was my 10-year anniversary in Private Practice, and I used my Biochemistry foundation by launching my own skin care line! Jennyfer Faridy Cocco
t Rogerio Sotelo Mundo (PhD Biochemistry, 1999)
Glad to continue active in research, 21 years after finishing my Ph.D. under the advice of Prof. Bill Montfort.
2000s t Molly Deane (BS Biochemistry, 2000)
I’m an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and Trauma Surgeon at Harbor UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, CA where I helped start a Hospital-based violence intervention program. I’m currently back in school getting my Master’s in Public Health through the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins where I was selected as a Bloomberg Fellow with a focus on Violence.
Michael Herman (BS Chemsitry, 2000)
Working at Roche Tissue Diagnostics, Oro Valley as a Project Manager/Scientist. Rogerio Sotelo Mundo
Wei Wang (Post-Doctoral Fellow Chemistry, 2000) u
Co-Director of the Arizona Center for Drug Discovery and professor in the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, University of Arizona, College of Pharmacy
Francisco Villa (BS Biochemistry, 2001)
I have been working at Northern Arizona University (Yuma Branch Campus) since 2012. I was promoted to Clinical Professor in Biological and Natural Resource Sciences in 2017. In 2018 I was a USDA Kika De La Garza Science Fellow in collaboration with the National Soil Laboratory in Lincoln, Nebraska. 2020 is the last year of a 5-year NSF S-STEM program I am serving as PI for at NAU-Yuma. Molly Deane
Dayle Smith (PhD Chemistry, 2001)
Our son Jackson, who was born in 1998 during my PhD studies, just graduated from University of Oregon and is pursuing civil rights law.
Wei Wang
Xuejun Steven Tang (PhD Chemistry, 2002) Business Manager, Colonial Chemical Inc. Stephanie Slater
Richard Hall (BS Chemistry, 2003)
I am proud to be helping out with the pandemic response at Luminex where we manufacture oligonucleotides and other components used in testing for Covid-19.
Sean Ryan (BS Biochemistry, 2003; MS Biochemistry, 2006)
I am a Professional Development Coordinator at the Center for Science Teaching and Learning at NAU. I write grants, provide educator professional development, and coordinate citizen science and community engagement programs focused on STEM. I have three young children, an amazing wife, and a great job.
t Stephanie Slater (BS Biochemistry, 2003)
Married my husband in October 2018 in Tucson. We bought a house in the Los Angeles area in 2019.
ONLINE EXTRAS
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Christopher Cabello (BS Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, 2004)
I am the Chemistry Department Head and faculty member at Pima Community College.
Jamie Dawson (BS Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, 2004)
Microbiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
t Ware Flora (PhD Chemistry, 2004)
VP R&D for Callisons (Flavor and Food Ingredient Company). Since leaving Arizona I have started a family and held industrial positions across the consumer packaged food and food ingredient space, from large Fortune 500 companies now to a smaller, family-run business. We have lived in Illinois, Nebraska, Kentucky, and now Washington! Ware Flora
Katie White (BS Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, 2004)
I’m currently a Staff Scientist at Roche Tissue Diagnostics (Ventana Medical Systems) here in Tucson. I love it.
ShangU Kim
ShangU Kim (MS Chemistry, 2004; PhD Chemistry, 2008) u
I am a Principal Engineer, Quality and Reliability Team, OLED business for Samsung Display Co.
RJ Erickson (BA Chemistry, 2006) u
I work as a Senior Sales Consultant for SAP Concur. I recently left a 10+ year career in medical device sales with Johnson & Johnson.
Jennifer (Tumonis) Marsalla (BS Chemistry, 2006)
I am the 2020 Chair for the Puget Sound Section of the American Chemical Society. My son Tai Tumonis was a recipient of one of last year’s Fred Hutchinson Science Education Partnership (SEP) internships.
RJ Erikson
Shane Morrison (BS/MS Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, 2006)
I recently completed my residency in plastic surgery at the University of Washington and am beginning a fellowship in gender-affirming surgery at the University of Michigan.
Bryan Thacker (BA Biochemistry, 2006)
I am directing a research and development program at TEGA Therapeutics where we are creating a mammalian cell based system to produce heparin, a commonly used anticoagulant that is currently produced from pig intestines. We have recently achieved anticoagulant potency equal to pharmaceutical heparin and are working to increase production to commercial levels.
Andrew Wenger (BA Biochemistry, 2006) u
I am a Fellow, Hospice and Palliative Medicine at Mayo Clinic Arizona and an Emergency Medicine Physician.
Varada Gadre (BS Chemistry, 2007) u
Quality and Product Development Manager at Water Source One.
Jennie Morse (PhD Chemistry, 2007)
I am working at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment managing a team of field inspectors that assess compliance with state and federal air quality regulations specific to the oil and gas industry.
Andrew Wenger
Varada Gadre
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t Patrick Vinck (BS Biochemistry, 2007)
Currently, I am the medical director at PopHealthCare. We provide in-home primary care to Arizona’s most vulnerable patients. My work is to help oversee quality, outcomes and utilization for all of our patients. I also co-founded a medical device company seeking to improve labor outcomes in the US. I graduated from the biochemistry program in 2007. I then went to medical school at UArizona and completed residency in Phoenix, Arizona at St Joseph’s Hospital.
Patrick Vinck
While in CBC, I worked in the Montfort lab. I’m incredibly grateful to Dr. Montfort, Jacquie and the lab. The whole team played a transformative role in my life. During this difficult time in the world, I appreciate even more how lucky I was to pursue research, work with such group and study at UArizona. I will always be grateful to the Montfort lab and the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry for the opportunities they afforded me.
Alan Wang (BS Biochemistry, 2007)
I am Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology and Associate Program Director of Neurology Residency at University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix/Banner University Medical Center - Phoenix.
t Christina Birch (BS Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, 2008) t
I have been named to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Long Team for Track Cycling. The Tokyo Olympics has been rescheduled to run from July 23 to August 8, 2021.
t Elsa Marquez (BS Biochemistry & MCB, 2008)
G’day everyone! I am a postdoctoral fellow at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, where I investigate therapeutic agents for their use in pre-clinical studies of inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and lupus. While studying at the University of Arizona I worked with a great research team that inspired me to pursue graduate studies.
Christina Birch
Elsa Marquez
After graduating from UArizona, I moved to Canada to pursue a Doctoral degree in Immunology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Although I spent most time focused on my research project studying how cells of the immune system can specifically recognize cancer cells, I also enjoyed my time teaching undergraduate courses, volunteering with local health organizations, and running along the Saskatchewan river. I loved Canada, but my adventurous and curious self decided to take a leap to Australia. Since being in Australia I have ventured in the complex world of X-ray crystallography, worked in collaboration with industry and engineered proteins for therapeutic use. I have also enjoyed the Australian sunsets on the beach, seen many kangaroos and koalas, stumbled upon big spiders, and yes, have had “shrimp on the barbie”. A degree in science can really take you places, and I am grateful for the good advisors I had during my time at UArizona.
James Hepler (BS Chemistry, 2009) u
I graduated from ASU (:O) in 2011 with a Professional Master’s in Nanoscience. Jobs have come and gone, but I’ve done explosives-sensor research at ASU, cancer research at St. Joseph’s Hospital, tutor work, and finally landed at my current
James Hepler
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DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2020 | 31
position at Empire-Cat’s fluids lab, where I help with chemical analysis, programming and data science and interpretation. I have recently launched my company, Autonomy Scientific, which will produce chemical and instrumental products, as well as provide synthetic and analytical services.
Mark Leick (BS Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, 2009) u
After UArizona I went to medical school at Georgetown followed by a residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. I’m currently finishing my clinical fellowship in bone marrow transplant at Harvard medical school/Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital while doing lab research on novel chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T) cells for acute myeloid leukemia.
Lizette Mada (BA Biochemistry, 2009)
I work for a startup biotech company in Carlsbad, CA: DNA Electronics, Inc.. Within their R&D department, I am part of their NGS Library Preparation team. We are working to develop a sample-to-sequencing platform that will have an initial focus on bloodstream infections. Our initial goal is to advance Sepsis diagnostics by providing a fast turnaround time BSI test. This would allow doctors to quickly identify the infecting organism and administer the proper antibiotics. I am lucky to have a job in which I am working towards saving lives via science & technology.
Mark Leick
Kevin Sunitsch (BS Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, 2009)
I’m busy mountain biking, snowboarding and enjoying the outdoors in the Columbia River Gorge. In my spare time, I work as a dentist for a local public health clinic.
2010s LaKeisha McClary (PhD Chemistry, 2010) u
LaKeisha McClary
I am currently teaching faculty and an Assistant Professor at The George Washington University. Within the last year, I was appointed as the Inaugural Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Chemistry Department, appointed as a Scientist Member to the Science Advisory Board for the D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences, and elected Treasurer of the Phi Beta Kappa Alpha of D.C. Chapter.
Thusitha Muhandiramlage (PhD Chemistry, 2010) u I am at the University of Kelaniya in Sri Lanka.
Naren Patel (BS Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, 2010)
I am a Podiatrist at Banner University Medical Center at Tucson.
Alberto Rascon (PhD Biochemistry, 2010)
Associate Professor – Biochemistry in the Department of Chemistry at San José State University
Thusitha Muhandiramlage
Dominique Villela (BS Chemistry, 2010) u
I’m currently am the managing partner of a venture capital firm, and I live in Tucson and San Francisco. Our firm, Shot Ventures, was formed to support the flow of capital into both Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona. Our goal is to make it easier to grow businesses from the innovative minds in our state.
Jessie Brown (BS Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, 2011)
I was chosen in April 2020 as a Forbeck Scholar for the Forbeck Forum on Targeted Therapies in Pediatric Cancers. Also, while NYC and Columbia have been on PAUSE I have helped organize and run a Virtual COVID-19 Symposium over Zoom which highlights the most up-to-date work on SARS-CoV-2, not only scientifically, but also the pandemics effects on society such as the economy, mental health and poverty. COVID-19 Virtual Symposium Series | Video channel
Dominique Villele
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Ashley Head (PhD Chemistry, 2011)
My husband Jeff and I welcomed our second daughter in July 2019.
Meytal Shtayer Fabrikant (BS Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, 2011)
I am in the last year of my Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at GW University Hospital.
Brett Stoll (BS Chemistry, 2011)
Production Manager at Novipax, LLC.
Mary-Helen Wanat (BS Biochemistry, 2011)
I work as an Epidemiologist at the Maricopa County Department of Public Health collecting and analyzing data related to non-fatal opioid overdose events and hepatitis C.
Ashley Zappia (BS Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, 2011)
I received the Roche Support Network Team Player Award in 2018. I was nominated for the Indiana Women in Hi Tech “You Inspire Us” award for 2020. I was highlighted as an outstanding STEM education volunteer in 2020 for the Techpoint Foundation for Youth.
t Aubri Carman (BS Biochemistry, 2012)
Aubri Carman
After my undergrad at UArizona, I stayed in Tucson to pursue medical school. After my third year of medical school, I took a research year and was awarded a Doris Duke fellowship that afforded me the opportunity to live and work in Kampala, Uganda, studying pediatric sickle cell disease. I did my residency training in Emergency Medicine at Maricopa Medical Center (now Valleywise Health) in Phoenix for three amazing years. During residency, I worked with the WHO Emergency, Trauma, and Acute Care Program to create tools for improving emergency care in low-resource settings. I am now starting a fellowship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Dell Children’s Hospital/UT Austin for the next two years and hope to have a career balancing general/adult emergency medicine and subspecialty pediatric emergency medicine while maintaining some of my global projects. Feel free to contact me if you want to discuss medical school, emergency medicine, or global health and how your biochemistry degree can help you!
t Logan Robinson (BS CHEE & Chemistry minor, 2012)
Hello! I’m Logan Robinson, a Chemical Engineering and UBRP Alum (2012) and currently the Divisional Engineering Manager for Nestlé Purina overseeing nearly $250,000,000 in capital investments across our four rapidly growing Litter Factories. My experience at the University of Arizona in CBC, CHEE, CE, and undergraduate research were truly some of the most impactful moments of my life and set me up for a successful career pursuing a combination of my many passions that I developed at UArizona.
Logan Robinson
After I graduated, I moved from Tucson to the Mid-West to work for Nestlé Purina in an area known as the Quad Cities which rests on the Mississippi River in Iowa and Illinois. While in Iowa, I got to be part of a new process design and product launch for one of our top brands. From Iowa, I moved to Western New York and got to lead some large projects including a waste water treatment process for our factory in Dunkirk, New York. I also got to experience a 100-year storm in which my house was completely buried in snow. I remember asking my realtor when I first moved out there in the summer why all the fire hydrants had 10 foot poles attached to them. After that storm, I didn’t need to ask that question anymore. In the years following my time in New York, I have moved back to Arizona, back to Iowa, and then out to California all with Nestlé Purina fulfilling various roles and responsibilities at our different factories.
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DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2020 | 33
Currently, I am leading as our End to End Manager for our new $100,000,000 lightweight litter factory in Bloomfield, Missouri. I have been responsible for cradle to grave management which included design, procurement, construction, operational startup, and qualification. This has been an 18-month project, and we are set to produce our first saleable products here in July. I have been fortunate to have an opportunity that has combined my past experiences in research, chemistry, chemical engineering, and civil engineering into a career in which I need all of those experiences to be successful. The best part so far has been the different types of people from around the country that I have had the privilege of working with. Everywhere I have been has been an amazing experience both in my career and outside of work living and experiencing the different cultures around our country.
Syna Daudfar (BS Biochemistry, 2013)
I’m working as a resident physician in the emergency department at Maricopa Hospital.
Christopher Kosters
Christopher Kosters (BS Chemistry, 2013) u
Earlier this year I was promoted to Senior Synthetic Chemist at Corden Pharma, a Pharmaceutical CDMO.
Marvin O’ketch (BS Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, 2013; PhD Immunobiology, 2018) u As an Associate Director, Immunobiology, at Systems Oncology, Scottsdale AZ, Marvin applies his expertise in biochemistry and immunology to the identification of novel cancer targets and development of targeted therapeutics.
Carolina Pusec (BS Biochemistry, 2013) u
I finished my PhD in biological sciences/metabolism at Northwestern University in 2018! I did a short post-doctoral fellowship in Dr. Brian Layden’s laboratory at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). During this time, I was applying for medical school and ended up at UIC’s College of Medicine program! I just finished my first year of medical school where I work part time in Dr. Layden’s laboratory studying fatty liver disease. My hope is to become a physician scientist specializing in preventive medicine. My boyfriend and I hope to get married in the near future (post-covid19) and hope to match together for residency in Chicago.
Marvin O’ketch
Carly Schnoebelen (BS Biochemistry, 2013)
I recently started a new position as a chemistry professor at Chandler-Gilbert Community College. Louis Torres Figueroa
t Luis Torres Figueroa (MA Chemistry, 2013)
I just celebrated my 5th year working at Western Emulsions, a subsidiary of Idaho Asphalt Supply, a company that supplies asphalt and pavement preservation products, since January 2015. In 2018 I was promoted to the Regional Technical Manager position, to provide technical and quality support for 3 facilities in Arizona and California. As part of this role, I am very involved with formulation work, overseeing the technical aspects, and supporting the quality control at these 3 locations. COVID-19 has been a little bit frustrating, because it has stopped work-related travel to conferences, training, and outreach that is part of my role. However, my work since April has shifted a little bit to production process improvement and support, more formulation and product compliance testing.
Carolina Pusec
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t Duyen Vo (BS Biochemistry & Chemistry, 2013)
I am currently in my 3rd year of medical school at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Jeremy Gantz (PhD Chemistry, 2014)
I am a scientist at Nike, where I was an innovation manager overseeing a group of 10 scientists for 3 years. Recently I moved to another role which focuses on innovation.
Erzsebet Hickey (BS Chemistry, 2014) Duyen Vo
I am currently employed at Natera (San Carlos location) working as a QC Reagent Associate I. At Natera I am working in a GLP and GMP laboratory environment to prep and qualify reagents, review data obtained by qualification procedure for compliance to specifications and reports and resolve abnormalities by coordinating with appropriate departments, review and revise documentation as needed to ensure the documentation is not missing important information and matches the production workflows, assist co-workers in prep and qualification of reagents, and verify that the reagents are qualified correctly and in a timely manner for production use.
Bianca Montoya (BS Chemistry, 2014)
I am currently finishing up my first semester in the MEPN program at UArizona.
Sophia Park (BS Biochemistry, 2014)
I’m enrolled in a PhD program at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.
t Alexandra Petlick (MS Chemistry, 2014)
My husband, Dmitry Khuseynov (fellow CBC alum, PhD 2014, Sanov group), and I were married in 2017 with several CBC friends in attendance. Our son, Oliver, was born in early 2020.
Sho Taniguchi (BS Biochemistry and MCB, 2014) u
Alexandra Petlick with Dmitry Khuseynov and Oliver
After 4 years of undergrad, I continued my education at UArizona and graduated with a Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology. There I found my passion in dental public health. After my Master’s, I worked for a year at a non-profit in Phoenix working on providing resources for community health centers, tackling legislative priorities impacting oral health, and collaborating with stakeholders to determine best practices to better the community. With such experience, I am now a 4th year dental student at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston! My hope is to do a residency after graduation to expand my dental skills and to be able to help more people with their oral health. Even with all of that, I still love my free time! I enjoy playing video games, classic board games, hiking, and traveling around the East Coast.
t Peter Verhey (BS Biochemistry, 2014) Bought my first home during Memorial Day weekend. Peter Verhey
Sho Taniguchi
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Louis Chavez (BS Biochemistry, 2015) u
My time at the University of Arizona provided me with a great network of supportive friends, colleagues, and mentors. If you’re new to UArizona, check out some of the intramural sports, honoraries, clubs or other organizations that you might be interested in! I was involved with Freshman Class Council, Arizona Ambassadors, The Student Health Advocacy Committee, Arizona Allegiance Honorary, Mortar Board, studying abroad (in Ecuador), and the Running Club while I was at UArizona. In addition, I worked in Eli Chapman’s laboratory, studying the effects of four viral proteins involved with the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). All the organizations and activities I was involved with helped provide me with great experiences and friendships that have lasted well beyond graduation. I took one year off after graduating in 2015 and after that year, I packed up my belongings and moved east to start a career in Chicago as a Forensic Chemist with the Drug Enforcement Administration—a career that has been challenging and rewarding. I’ve learned the ins and outs of some highly technical instrumentation (some of which we learned about in O Chem!), and how to use these instruments to quantitatively and qualitatively identify unknown compounds.
Louis Chavez
Cheryl Cheah (BS Biochemistry, 2015) u
I am a rising pediatric intern at UCSF. Some of my most memorable and formative experiences in life and career were created at UArizona. After graduation, I took a year off to conduct research at the Arizona Respiratory Center and scribe at an orthopedic surgery clinic. Then, I packed up my winter coats and boots (that were largely inadequate) for Michigan, where I went to medical school! I dabbled in various community and clinical research projects, exploring topics like gender differences in total joint replacements, asthma inhaler education, nutrition education in pediatrics, and opioid addiction education. Four years of frigid winters in “the mitten” proved too much for the Arizonan in me, so I was thrilled to return to the West coast for pediatric residency. Down the road, I’m interested in working with the youngest of the pediatric population, hopefully pursuing a fellowship in neonatology. In my free time, I like to run, swim and hike. The foodie in me also loves trying new cuisines and baking recipes that involve coffee or tea!
Cheryl Cheah
Guadalupe Davila (BS Biochemistry, 2015) u
Guadalupe is an M.D. Candidate, Class of 2020, University of Arizona College of Medicine . She will be part of the first recipients of the Primary Care Physician Scholarship award. Through this financial support she will be able to emphasis her passion and devotion to serve the underrepresented population in Arizona as well as the communities facing inequality health care.
Kristy Roberts Hilt (BA Chemistry, 2015)
Teaching high school chemistry in Colorado
Aileen Leyva (BS Biochemistry, 2015) u
Guadalupe Davila
I am still working at Roche Tissue Diagnostics (my first adult job out of college) here in Tucson. I will be celebrating my 5-year anniversary in October! I am also celebrating that I wrapped up my MBA studies and just recently closed on my first house!
Aileen Leyva
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t Celestina Mesa (BS Biochemistry, 2015)
Attending the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy for PharmD. I was recently elected the Secretary for the College of Pharmacy.
t Yvonne Ng (BS Chemistry, 2015)
Celestina Mesa
After 4 years of undergrad, I continued my education at UArizona and graduated with a Doctor of Pharmacy. During pharmacy school, I coordinated and participated in various health fairs throughout the underserved communities in Arizona. One of my passions is serving the rural population. I also participated in various clinical research projects, exploring topics like apixaban use in older adults and reactivation rate of hepatitis B in oncology patients receiving rituximab. After graduating with my PharmD, I completed my pharmacy residency in California. Now, I am an ambulatory care pharmacist. I hope to continue to volunteer at health fairs and to serve our rural communities. During my free time, I enjoy volunteering at health fairs, watching dramas, cooking, hiking, and traveling.
t Haley (Kent) Stancyzk (BS Biochemistry, 2015)
I got married and started a family. My daughter is currently 6 months old, and we are loving life on our ten acres in Kentucky.
t Kellen Coulson (BS Chemistry, 2016)
Yvonne Ng
Since graduating from the University of Arizona I have been working as Medical Laboratory Scientist at Sonora Quest Laboratories. For a job that I had never heard of until I started working it, it has become incredibly relevant. Due to the pandemic this career has been put on full blast as we are the ones performing, reviewing, and resulting the covid-19 test results as well as many other medical lab tests. I have had a pretty gratifying experience in knowing the contributions being made to help or maintain the health of the local community. It is a great career for someone who enjoys working in a laboratory and due to the recent events, it is very in demand. Aside from my career, if I could give any one advice for anyone in college, it is to get involved. I had no idea what I wanted to do well into senior year. Because of this I took a shotgun approach at trying everything. Get into research, become a student worker – work in the preparation room, preceptor, tutor, try anything you’re interested in. The director of business analytics for Kroenke (owns the LA Rams, Denver Nuggets etc.) is a chemistry graduate who participated in a sports analytics club in college. Life will take you places you don’t expect, and 2020 is prime example. As a chemistry or biochemistry student, you know the importance of hard work.
John De Lorenzo (BS Chemistry, 2016) u
Haley (Kent) Stancyzk
John graduated with a BS in Chemistry and a BA in Italian Language & Literature in 2016. Since then, he’s worked with several small business startups and helped to fundraise for their projects in differing industries. John started with American Green Hearts (AGH) in 2011 and 2012 as a tech consultant for its small agricultural venture which was put on pause, later to rejoin them in 2015 to help prepare their business plan and financial projections. AGH shifted its focus from a proposed greenhouse cultivation operation of then-newly-decriminalized hemp and cannabis, to include wider-scale operations of wholesale and retail sales, manufacturing, and lab testing. The project transferred its base from Tucson to Los Angeles, and John spent 6 months helping to locate potential sites for licensing, negotiating lease terms, entering into leases, supply contracts, and consulting agreements for AGH. The project is currently on hold while LA City undergoes licensing reforms.
Kellen Coulson
In 2016, John pursued his first house flip with the help of his family and a local realtor, getting into real estate investing. Many of his skills crafting spreadsheets and performing data analyses while working as an undergraduate researcher in the Henry K. Hall, Jr., lab for polymer sciences were readily transferable to identifying and evalu-
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ating potential investment opportunities. There was still plenty to learn about home improvement, hiring workers, buying materials, and marketing a property. It took three times longer to finish a project, but still came out on top with a modest profit. However, a lot of hard lessons paid off and some other local investors took interest, including his own family, and John went on to co-found a local real estate investment company in 2019, JLJ Capital, along with two other real estate investors. JLJ continues to buy, improve, and sell single-family homes in Tucson, with plans to grow operations to include new development, construction, and lending over the next few years. In addition to his real estate-based activities, John is also working with a UArizona Alumni-founded specialty gourmet mushroom farm, Desert Pearl Mushrooms (DPM). A few of his fellow classmates with Italian, science, and engineering backgrounds John De Lorenzo banded together in 2018 to start the company. John joined later in 2019 to help the garage-based farming operation move to a much larger warehouse space near Speedway and I-10. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit Tucson, John and DPM’s core founders pushed to expand their product offerings and business model to pivot along these trying times. The small business atmosphere and the shared drive to solve problems compose a nurturing environment for creativity, resourcefulness, exploration, and entrepreneurship. John continues to appreciate and benefit from his studies in Chemistry and science in general. He is very thankful for the opportunities afforded to him as a result of his STEM education, networking in college, skills trained in research, and overall love of learning. Outside of work, John maintains a few hobbies and a lovely romance, sharing some common interests - John’s life partner and fiancée, Sunnie, also tends to her own pursuits in real estate, aviation, and publishing. John and Sunnie’s wildly different backgrounds and life experiences supplement their strong friendship and complement their romantic relationship. They each have a profound influence on and support each other’s goals. Together, John and Sunnie make time for their families in Arizona and Missouri and hope to start one of their own soon.
Denisse (Cuarteros) Devine
Denisse (Cuarteros) Devine (BA Biochemistry, 2016) u
Employed as Reagent Process Lead at Roche Tissue Diagnostics. Brand Influencer for Addilyn Styles. Member of Advisory Council at Harvard Business Review, and MBA Student at Denver University. I just recently received my Six Sigma Yellow Belt for Design Reliability and Manufacturing.
Kassidy Tompkins with Bailey (Lahtinen) Tompkins and Wilder
Kassidy Tompkins (BS Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, 2016) u
I am a 4th year PhD Candidate in the Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology program at the University of Minnesota. My wife, Bailey (Lahtinen) Tompkins, who was also a UArizona Biochemistry graduate and is now a nurse, and I had our first baby, Wilder, born last year.
Karey (Armenta) Viramontes (BSED Chemistry, 2016) u
I received my undergrad degree in chemistry & secondary education from the best university in Arizona! I am now 4 years out of college and currently work as a high school chemistry teacher in Phoenix. While we are ALL currently experiencing the strain of this pandemic, COVID19 has put an especially large amount of pressure on education. Despite this, each day this year I have become more and more amazed by the resiliency of my students and their willingness to learn despite the circumstances.
Karey (Armenta) Viramontes
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They are a breath of fresh air during a time where truly there isn’t much. Because of this, today I am especially grateful for the career I chose and the kids I am so lucky to call my students!
t Udeep Chawla (PhD Biochemistry, 2017)
After I finished my Ph.D. in Prof. Michael Brown’s lab, where I had an awesome time, I joined as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Kentucky. I worked with Prof. Emily Galperin and Prof. David Rodgers on protein crystallography enhancing my research skills. I really enjoyed my postdoctoral experience. In 2020, I went back to India and joined as an Assistant Professor at Glocal University, Uttar Pradesh, India. Here I have the opportunity to collect serum samples from diabetic patients and test for natural compounds for the treatment of the disease. In addition, I am also Director of Jagriti Tinkering Lab, an organization to provide education in advanced technology to orphans and underprivileged students in rural areas in Delhi. I am looking forward to excel in my new ventures and would be happy if I can make valuable contributions to the scientific community.
t Iman Daryaei (PhD Chemistry, 2017) Udeep Chawla
I founded a biotechnology company called TheraCea Pharma (see page 12), which is developing novel chemical process for the preparation of diagnostic agents for PET imaging. I am currently the CEO of the company. My company was awarded a Small Business grant from NIH/NIBIB.
t Lauren Koch (BS Biochemistry and MCB, 2017)
Iman Daryaei
After my fabulous 4 years in sunny Tucson, I packed up and moved back to my home state of Michigan to pursue a PhD in Cell & Developmental Biology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. After a few months in my PhD lab, my mentor accepted a chair position at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, so I packed up again and have now spent 2 years in the lab studying a lifelong population of regionally restricted skeletal stem cells in development and beyond. I’ve had a blast in my lab, but over time I’ve realized it’s not the right fit for me, so I’m moving (again!) to Ann Arbor to switch to a new PhD lab. To all the incoming CBC students, I hope you have an amazing experience at UArizona that inspires you to pursue your dream program and/ or career! Don’t be afraid to seek out what you want and forge your own path! Stay healthy and Bear Down!
Gloria Le (Biochemistry and MCB, 2017) u
Lauren Koch
After my 4 years in the CBC lounge, I have successfully transitioned into the wilderness as a research associate at Roche Tissue Diagnostics for the past 3 years. Here, I improve Roche cancer diagnostic systems by applying analyses at the intersection of assay, hardware, and software. It has been an extremely challenging role, but a worthwhile experience. I am still well-involved with UArizona as a CMM masters student and as a Senior Design Mentor through the College of Engineering. I hope to continue my industry career to understand how we can improve patient lives. I still find time to pursue extra fun rock climbing, visiting my fellow CBC alumni, and experiencing new things! I chase personal growth and love pushing myself mentally and physically.
Gloria Le
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David Renner (BS Biochemistry, 2017)
PhD candidate in Microbiology, Parasitology and Virology at the University of Pennsylvania. Mentored by Dr. Susan Weiss.
Victor Ruiz (BS Biochemistry, 2017) u
I am in my 4th professional year of pharmacy school. I am currently employed with Walgreens as a pharmacy intern and also at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy as a research associate in the field of pharmaceutics.
Jonathan Samuel (BS Chemistry, 2017) u
After graduation, I backpacked with some friends around Czech Republic, Italy, Germany & other countries in Europe! I returned immediately after to finish a few more years at UArizona and have recently graduated with an extra degree and three-quarters in both Chemical Engineering & Mathematics–Probability & Stats (technically 2 classes short from a math degree, but who’s counting?). I have just signed with a pharmaceutical-tech start-up in the Washington D.C. area, where I will be working as a Junior Scientist with many hats (process engineer, data scientist & organic chemist). I am excited about the responsibilities and challenges that lie ahead. I hope all the incoming CBC students enjoy their journey at UArizona. I know these times are unfavorable and create a great challenge, but stay persistent and achieve everything you desire within your professional career! On a side note, I am a portrait & fine-art photographer who enjoys experimental/psychedelic music along with some great coffee.
Victor Ruiz
Bryce Tipton (BS Chemistry, 2017)
Employed as biological science technician at the National Genomics Center in Missoula, Montana.
Kimberly (Widrick) Doty (BS Biochemistry, 2017)
I am currently in the PhD program for BME at UArizona and simultaneously pursuing a Master’s of Science in the College of Optics. I recently married my college sweetheart.
Brandon Goldenberg (BS Biochemistry, 2018)
I am at Georgia Institute of Technology pursuing a M.S. in Computer Science.
Christopher Marshall (BS Chemistry, 2018)
I currently work as a formulation chemist at Accelerate Diagnostics in Tucson, AZ.
James McNamara (BS Biochemistry 2018)
I currently work at the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix while I apply to medical school.
Anthony Raviele (BS Biochemistry, 2018)
Postdoctoral Fellowship at Indiana University School of Medicine (T32 Fellowship program)
Kathia Antillon (BS Chemistry, 2019)
I am a PhD. student at the University of Kansas in the Medicinal Chemistry Department. I work under Dr. Mark Farrell and our research focuses on glyco-chemical biology and the ways modification of sugars on cell surfaces can impact the immune system. I was recently awarded the Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellowship at the University of Kansas, one of the highest offered fellowships for graduate students at KU. The Self Fellowship will fund my research for the next 4 years and provide me with different professional opportunities to enrich my doctoral education.
Jonathan Samuel
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Hongxi Guo (BS Biochemistry, 2019)
Currently working at a biotechnology company. Going to University College London for graduate study in immunity in the fall.
Emma Harrell (BS Biochemistry, 2019)
I am attending UTSW Medical Center as a Cell and Molecular Biology graduate student. I recently joined the Center for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases (CAND) under the joint mentorship of Drs. Lukasz Joachimiak and Marc Diamond.
Metin Karayilan (PhD Chemistry, 2019)
I am a Postdoctoral Associate at Duke University. I was recently selected as a 20202021 Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) Fellow by Duke University Graduate School. https://gradschool.duke.edu/professional-development/programs/preparing-future-faculty
t Steven Le (BS Chemistry, 2019)
Well met, everyone! I am Steven Le: Analytical Chemist, Laboratory Technician of MGC Pure Chemicals America Inc., and 2019 alumnus of University of Arizona’s CBC program. Hailing from Yuma, Arizona, I was always curious on understanding how and why things work which led me to major in Chemistry at UArizona. There, I refined my interest into analytical chemistry and involved myself in many roles from outreach volunteer at UA SMACS (colloquially the Chemistry Club) to preceptor for Introductory Chemistry to even Food Service (yes, even that experience can be valuable). Eventually, I would then serve in Quality Control roles for Laboratory Technician for Gowan Milling and now for MGC Pure Chemicals America Inc. If you enjoy working with precision and consistency and also have a love for instrumentation and numbers, analytical chemistry is worth exploring (and has so many other applications). The whirling and humming noises of operating instrumentation is sweet music to my ears, and I honestly enjoy weighing out samples more than I should (100.0001g instead of 100.0002g? YESSSSSSSSS).
Steven Le
I still have quite a ways to go in my Chemistry journey, and though the end goal remains clouded, it’s certainly more clear (or at least less blurry?) than where I began. If you don’t know exactly what you want to be, you can at least learn what you don’t want to be instead. My advice: breathe, be open-minded, keep learning, remain consistent, and reflect. Chemistry can be a challenging subject, but so long as you can invest the effort, think critically about yourself and the task at hand, and muster the will, your journey will work out, even if the result may not be what you imagined.
t James Stanfill (PhD Chemistry, 2019) James Stanfill
Employed as an “Applications Scientist” at Nanoscience Instruments in Phoenix, supporting the demonstration and sale of Electron Microscopes and Electrospinning Machines.
Connor Tully (BS Chemistry, 2019)
I am working as a legal assistant at a law firm in Tucson while studying to take the LSAT. I will attend law school in the Fall of 2021.
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IN MEMORIAM PEOPLE WE HAVE LOST FACULTY Robert Brown Bates Chemistry Professor d. June 11, 2020 Robert Brown Bates died on June 11, 2020, in Tucson, Arizona. After completing his Bachelor of Science degree in 1954 at Rutgers University, Dr. Bates earned his Robert Brown Bates Ph.D. in 1957 at the University of Wisconsin. He was a natural products chemist, and for many years the head of organic chemistry at the University of Arizona. Much of his work focused on determining the structures of antitumor agents. He was a very serious birder, and he got both his sons seriously engaged in the birding world. This took him all over, and he eventually saw over 8,400 of the world’s 10,000 birds. He loved hiking and climbing mountains, among them Mt. Rainier, Orizaba, and Popocatepetl. He also did many crosswords and played competitive duplicate bridge. He is survived by his wife Deanna Bates, and his children David Bates, John Bates, and Elizabeth Wiseman. Jim O’Brien Son of Professor David O’Brien d. January 15, 2020 Jim O’Brien, 58, passed peacefully on January 15, 2020 with his loving wife of 24.5 years Cynthia Nocon, soulmate of 32 Jim O’Brien years, at his side. Beloved by his family, Jim was predeceased by his father, David O’Brien, survived by his wife, daughter Nina O’Brien, mother Nancy O’Brien, mother-in-law, Ligaya Nocon, sisters, Rebecca and Alice O’Brien ( Joel McElvain), sisters-in-law: Rhodora Fallon (Bernie Fallon), Nannette Nocon (Karl Wessendorf), Gladys Songer, and Tammi Nocon, brother-in-law Alberto Nocon, nieces, Alison and Rachel O’Brien, Ellie and Kate Songer, Mattie Nocon, nephews, Joshua (Kristen Fallon and daughter Holly) and Chris Fallon, Teddy and Stephen McElvain, and Nigel Nocon, and First Cousins Kent Hampton (Marilyn), Helen Stansbury and Sandra Bump.
Jim was born and raised in Rochester, New York. He received his bachelor’s degree from Haverford College, which he attended on a National Merit Scholarship. After working in government, Jim received his M.B.A. from the University of Rochester. His education did not end there. Jim had a keen intellect and was a voracious reader and active learner his entire life. Jim was devoted to his family and friends. He loved nothing better than to cook an incredible and enormous feast for the whole family to gather around and enjoy, to support his daughter Nina in every way he could, to root for the Wildcats always, and to delight in others. Over his too short life, Jim raised an amazing daughter, founded and led two human resource management companies (Chief People Officer and HRX, LLC) and was an avid athlete and coach to anyone looking to improve their game (whatever it might be). For years Jim played ultimate frisbee, ice hockey and loved to downhill ski. More recently, Jim played tennis 5-6 days a week. Jim was also a member of St Alban’s Episcopal Church, where he taught Sunday school, ushered, and rang in the hand bell choir. Jim will always be remembered for his happy disposition, generosity, and positive influence on everyone he encountered. He was a joyful, optimistic and kind man who led with his heart and treasured his family. We miss his physical presence, but his love will always live in our hearts. A memorial to celebrate the life of James Frank O’Brien will be held on Saturday, February 29 at 2 PM at St Alban’s Episcopal Church, 3738 Old Sabino Canyon Road, Tucson, AZ 85750. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that donations in Jim’s memory be given to the St. Alban’s, memo - Music Fund (at the address above) or the David F. O’Brien Graduate Fellowship Fund, c/o Department of Chemistry, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721. A celebration will also be held on Sunday, July 19 at 2 PM at Olmstead Lodge at Highland Park in Rochester, NY.
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EMPLOYEES
hobby and they have stepped a foot on every continent. Scuba diving was their second passion jumping into warm beautiful waters whenever possible. Bridge was a favorite pastime, too, and John was a Bronze Life Master as well as a Duplicate Bridge Director and Instructor.
Terry Meyer Researcher d. August, 2020 Terry Meyer, a researcher in the late Mike Cusanovich’s lab, passed away following surgery.
Terry Meyer
Christa Sitz Biochemistry Business Manager d. March 22, 2020 Christa Sitz, 78, passed away March 22, 2020. Her husband, Ronald K. Sitz, predeceased her in May 7, 2007. Christa and Ron were married in Hameln, Germany, Christa Sitz where she had been raised by her mother and grandmother. She retired after 40 years of dedicated service to the Department of Biochemistry. Due to the ongoing pandemic situation, with social distancing, Christa’s committal service will be privately conducted by Pastor John Lillie, Lutheran Church of the Foothills.
ALUMNI John Robert Jordan BS Chemistry, 1958 d. July 21, 2020 John Robert Jordan, of Florence, Arizona, embarked on his last adventure into God’s hands on July 21, 2020, after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s Disease and cancer. He was born in Mish- John Robert Jordan awaka, Indiana, August 18, 1936, and he moved to Phoenix with his parents, Robert and Maxine Jordan, in 1954. After graduating from North High School, he earned a B.S. Degree in Chemistry & Math from the University of Arizona. John worked as an Engineer/Principal Process Developer for GE and Honeywell where his main expertise was shrinking main frames on computers and he developed several patents for Honeywell that are probably still in use today. While at the University in Tucson, John met and married the first love of his life, Marilyn Broersma, and they had two wonderful children, Jeff and Jerry. Unfortunately, when the boys were in their teens, Marilyn was taken from them by a drunk driver. After leaving Phoenix and moving to Munds Park, AZ, John met and married the second love of his life, Kathy, and they have been together over 23 years. Traveling became their
John was a quiet man who could fix anything or invent something to fix it, and he had a keen sense of humor that could make you fall down laughing. He enjoyed life from beginning to end, he liked to play tennis, hiking, skiing, motorcycle riding, hunting, walking the dogs, eating popcorn while watching the latest action movie, concerts, cruising on a big ship, or just sitting on the beach under his homemade canopy next to his homemade camper van watching the sunset while drinking a cold beer. If you asked what he enjoyed the most his answer was “having his grand daughters beat him at playing hearts!” John is survived by his wife, Kathy, son Jeff, of Gilbert, grand daughter Mallory and Brett Ford and great grand daughter Elle, of Greeley, Colorado; grand daughter Angela and Adam Muszynski and great grand daughter Elise ; and grand daughter Brett Jordan, all of Phoenix, and son Jerry, of Flagstaff. When last we told him how old he was, he said “Wow! I’ve had a wonderful life!” David Ross Comfort BS Chemistry, 1965 d. August 12, 2020 David Ross Comfort, 76, died August 12 peacefully with his wife and children by his side. Dave was born in Pittsburgh, David Ross PA and moved to Tucson with his family Comfort when he was 8. Dave graduated from Salpointe Catholic High School and the University of Arizona. He got a Master’s degree from Penn State University and a doctorate from Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. It was here that he met Loretta, his wife of 49 years. Dave was preceded in death by his parents, Guy and Martha and his granddaughter Allison. He is survived by his wife Loretta, daughter Mary (Steve), sons David (Karen) and Joe (Amy) and grandchildren Kiara and Sienna Conner, Matthew and Ryan Comfort, and Brayden, Colin, and Olivia Comfort, and his sister Saundra McCarthy. Dave started the lab at El Dorado Hospital when it opened. He later changed careers and became a stockbroker and was at Wells Fargo Advisors when he retired. Dave had a great concern for other people as evidenced by his volunteer work with Kiwanis Club and St. Vincent de Paul.
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The Funeral Mass will be on Monday, August 26 at 10:30 AM at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 215 S. Craycroft Rd. A private burial will follow at East Lawn Palms Cemetery followed by a reception for guests at the cemetery reception room. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Vincent de Paul at St. Joseph Church or any other charity of your choice. The family wishes to thank the staff at Arizona Oncology and the hospice staff at The Center at Tucson for their care of Dave through his long battle with cancer. Dave’s love and care for people and sense of humor will be greatly missed. John Joseph Laverty MS Chemistry, 1966 d. February 19, 2020 It is with great sadness that we announce the death of John Joseph Laverty (Warren, Michigan), who passed away on February 19, 2020, at the age of 81, leaving to mourn family and friends. He was loved and cherished by many people including his wife Carol; his children, Colleen Hirsch (Benjamin) and Kevin; his grandchildren, Jasmine Walker, Phillip Walker, Jonas Hirsch and Samuel Hirsch; and his siblings, Daniel (Sheila) and Thomas (Kathy). Visitation will be held on Sunday, February 23rd 2020 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the A. H. Peters Funeral Home-Warren (32000 Schoenherr Rd, Warren, MI 48088). A funeral mass will be held on Monday, February 24th 2020 from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM at the same location. In lieu of flowers please make memorial contributions to the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital Foundation. Michael Onore PhD Chemistry, 1967 d. November 15, 2019 Kent Flodin BS Chemistry, 1968 d. October 24, 2019 Smiling and laughing until his last moments with us, Kent Flodin passed away peacefully on October 24, 2019, in his home in Portage overlooking the Kent Flodin Wisconsin river with his closest loved ones by his side. His passion for nature brought him much joy and the view of the river and the birds and wildlife he saw from his home brought him much serenity. More importantly, however, he cherished his time sharing his happiness with the vast number of people who visited, called, corresponded and sent food and gifts during his last year.
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A man of great dignity, poise and wit, Kent left a lasting impression on all who knew him. He valued family and friends above all, and his legacy will carry on in stories and memories. A gathering of friends and family consisting of a luncheon and celebration of life will be held beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, November 9, at the Wild Rose Ranch, E12311 County Road W, in Baraboo, WI. Alternatively, a second gathering will be held at Klehm Arboretum & Botanical Garden, 2715 S. Main St., Rockford Illinois on Saturday, November 30, at 11 a.m. Lunch will be served. Guests are asked to share their stories and memories at both gatherings. Kent was born in Rockford, Illinois to Kenneth and Elizabeth Flodin on September 11, 1946. Kent, a graduate of Guilford High School in 1964, graduated in 1968 from the University of Arizona with a double major in Chemistry and Drama and appeared in college productions such as “Cyrano de Bergerac,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Billy Budd” and “Doctor Faustus” among others. He also appeared in the Rockford Civic Theater productions of “Dracula,” “The Odd Couple” and “The Roar of the Greasepaint-The Smell of the Crowd.” Kent served in the US Army in the Vietnam war era. During his career, Kent worked for Waste Research and Reclamation, Ausimont USA in Product and Market Development, and Rock Valley Oil as a National Sales Manager. He retired in 2008. Kent married Mary Flodin on November 28, 1987, in Rockford. Mary worked as a CPA, the banking industry and later, the broadcasting industry. Outside of their busy careers they enjoyed their dogs, music, theatre, nature and traveling. Kent is preceded in death by his father, Kenneth E. Flodin and sister-in-law, Mary Cibelius. Kent is survived by his mother, Elizabeth; wife, Mary (nee Black); son, Jeffrey (Kati Cassidy-Flodin); daughter, Kersten Flodin-Hoerner (Paul Hoerner); brother, Jeffrey; uncle, Ronald Egner (Irene); grandchildren, Jeanie Flodin and Keegan Hoerner and former spouse, Mary Elizabeth Downing. Memorials in lieu of flowers to Baraboo River Equine-Assisted Therapies, Inc. (BREATHE), 12311 County Road W, Baraboo, WI, 53913. The family of Kent wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Dr. Victoria Cheung; Dr. Joshua Lang and the University of Wisconsin oncology team and the staff at Agrace Hospice who provided exceptional care.
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Ed St. Clair BS Chemistry, 1969; MBA 1971 d. October 25, 2019 Edwin (Ed) Flower St. Clair—loving family man, seasoned traveler, doer of good, and cowboy at heart—passed away on Friday, October 25, with his family at his side.
lives. He served as a Cub Scout Leader for all three boys. He never missed a baseball game, track meet, or talent show. He was also a dedicated teacher, proactively imparting knowledge to his sons about the world and how it works.
Ed St. Clair
Ed was born in Owatonna, Minnesota to William Weston St Clair and Marion Flower. He spent his childhood summers in Minnesota and winters on family ranches in Arizona and Nevada. Every-day living included riding horses, sharpshooting and tending to his family’s properties and cattle. He never lost his love for the wide-open spaces of the West and remained a cowboy at heart his entire life, returning yearly for week-long trail rides through the Arizona mountains. Ed graduated valedictorian from Admiral Farragut Academy in Toms River, New Jersey. He later studied Chemistry and Math at the University of Arizona and completed his MBA at Carnegie Mellon and Arizona. While in Tucson, Ed met his life-long love and partner, Adrienne Crane. The two married in Eugene in 1972, where they settled down to raise their three sons, Ed Jr, Jim, and Will. Ed and Adrienne moved to the country in 1982, where Ed would spend the next four decades building and improving the family’s home by hand. Ed never lost interest in the world around him and loved working outside on his garden, building multiple ponds with his bulldozer, and maintaining his woodlands. His passion for chemistry blossomed into a pyrotechnics hobby, building beautiful fireworks and rattling the neighbors’ windows on occasion. He loved flying and had both fixed-wing and helicopter pilot licenses. After finishing construction of the house, he began the process of building his own helicopter. Throughout this time, Ed proudly defied convention and lived a boisterous life as a loving, caring, colorful, and mentoring community member and family man. After surviving a ruptured aneurysm in 2000, Ed decided it was time to start exploring the world. As usual, he was determined to see the most unknown and primitive places first. He would surprise Adrienne with tickets to places like Yemen, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and Dubai. At one point he came home with visas to visit North Korea (which she soundly rejected). All told, Ed visited forty different countries. He also found time to do six philanthropy trips with Rotary to Mexico, and one to Uganda. Ed and Adrienne raised three boys together, who grew up exploring and roaming the family’s country property. Ed was a loving and caring father who was highly involved in his sons’
During his 20s and early 30s, Ed acquired and managed real estate holdings in the Pacific Northwest in partnership with his father. They had motels and apartments across the West. In 1970 Ed received his real estate license and paved the way for many of his family members to ultimately join the real estate industry. Ed worked closely with his wife, Adrienne, on their real estate brokerage starting around 2000 and mentored his clients and family to be prudent real estate investors. Ed was highly involved in Eugene Rotary Club, served on the board of directors of Lane Blood Center for many years, was recognized by 4J for his volunteer work, and received a Golden Apple award. Ed made a practice of taking care of people he saw in need. In more recent years Ed proved himself to be a kind and gentle man. He enjoyed gardening with Adrienne, going to the Saturday and Farmer’s markets, camping on Odell Lake, fishing from his restored 1920s wooden boat, “The Green Hornet,” and spending time with his grandchildren. Ed is survived by his wife, Adrienne; his sons, Edwin, James, and William; and by his 5 grandchildren, Emerson, Mackenna, Charlie, Emory, and Eleanor. A memorial service will be held Friday, November 8th at 12:30 pm at the First Congregational Church at 1050 E 23rd Avenue in Eugene. A reception will follow at Laurelwood Golf Course from 1:30-4:30. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Eugene Southtowne Rotary Foundation in his honor. Checks can be mailed to PO Box 5158 Eugene OR 97405. The mobile blood donation vehicle from Bloodworks Northwest will be onsite during the reception. Blood donations are encouraged. Ling Hong PhD Biochemistry, 1994 d. February 6, 2020 Hong Ling, 53, was professor and doctoral supervisor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology’s College of Life Science and Technology, a member of the China Anti-Cancer Association’s Nano-on- Ling Hong cology Committee and national coordinator of the China Alliance for Rare Diseases. He received a doctorate in Biochemistry from the University of Arizona in
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1994 before doing postdoctoral research at the University of California at Berkeley. He contracted the novel coronavirus disease while battling the epidemic on the frontline. He died on Feb. 7 of the novel coronavirus-caused pneumonia at Wuhan Union Hospital.
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OUTREACH SMACS CHEMISTRY CLUB This semester has been one for the books. In an all-virtual format, being an outreach-based club is a little challenging. Starting in August, we began holding biweekly virtual meetings to introduce ourselves and to get new members familiar with the atmosphere of the club. One thing that we’ve been trying to implement is a monthly game night! Our members have said that they really just want a place to socialize with other humans during these weird times, and virtual multi-player games are just what we needed!
In addition, we were fortunate enough to be able to work with the UA Foundation to create a unique virtual Homecoming “Magic Show.” The officer board gathered (distantly) to record our most popular demonstrations and explain the science behind them as we would in a regular outreach activity. We have been able to send this video of the 2020 Chemistry “Magic Show” to several of the teachers we have previously done shows for, and their students love it! It’s a way for us to bring a little “magic” back into the classroom. Moving forward, we’re hoping to continue to get our members involved with virtual get-togethers, professional development talks, and study groups as we finish the school year off strong. —Isabelle Harrison
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ALPHA CHI SIGMA Amid these difficult times, the University of Arizona Beta Tau chapter members of the national chemistry fraternity Alpha Chi Sigma (ACS) are working to maintain and strengthen bonds of brotherly love and comradery both between other members and within the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. To comply with CDC guidelines and for the safety of all our members, all meetings have been moved to an online format via Zoom for the foreseeable future. We believe in the importance of maintaining social ties and, because of this, we have been actively working to foster a sense of community by holding virtual events. During the Fall 2020, we held several virtual social events, including a meet-and-greet with incoming first-year graduate students, a trivia night, and a Halloween party. We hope that 2021 brings an end to this global pandemic to give prospective members the full experience of pledging and initiation ceremonies. While social distancing measures remain in effect, we plan to conduct more virtual social events in Spring 2021 and incorporate professional development workshops for both fraternity members and non-members. —Jose Veleta
our professional development and outreach efforts to serve the CBC community directly. We’ve started to hold professional development seminars via Zoom with topics focusing on recent and relevant issues during the time of COVID-19. This semester we had a virtual seminar in which we discussed the importance of mental health through graduate school, and further learned how taking care of your mental health is integral and helpful when exploring a fulfilling and supportive career. We’ve also held seminars in which younger graduate students were able to ask questions of a panel of senior graduate students. This event provided a safe environment for questions to be asked about how to deal with certain graduate school challenges and issues arising from the pandemic, as well as provided a space to foster community in a time where many students are feeling disconnected. Seminars in the future will focus on other relevant topics, such as how to support and promote diversity and inclusion, and how to be a better ally in the workplace. For our future events, we will continue to hold seminars highlighting and discussing current issues in the sciences, both resulting from the pandemic and other systemic issues.
Joint Zoom Halloween Party with Alpha Chi Sigma and Program to Advance Women Scientists
PROGRAM TO ADVANCE WOMEN SCIENTISTS The Program to Advance Women Scientists (PAWS) has implemented many changes this year in the entirety of our programming. For those that are familiar with PAWS, you know our outreach normally focuses on educating and inspiring youth in the Tucson community, and our professional development events encompass everything from learning about future career opportunities to honing public speaking skills. However in light of COVID-19, we recognize that folks may be looking for support in other ways, and as such have focused
Additionally, in effort to further bring together the CBC community, we are partnering with ACS this year for social events so the department is able to virtually hang out and socialize with each other! Some joint events we’ve held so far include our Zoom Halloween Party and game nights. Although we are primarily a graduate student club, we are not requiring a membership fee this year, and we hope to reach a broader audience by doing so. All members of the CBC community are welcome to all of our seminars and events, undergraduates included! We hope to continue to gain members, foster community, and to meet more of the CBC community! —Holly Sofka
ONLINE EXTRAS
BIOCHEMISTRY CLUB The UA Biochemistry club has been actively adjusting to the ongoing pandemic this year. This fall the club shifted online to hold our biweekly general club meetings, as well as our biweekly journal club meetings. In prior general meetings we discussed topics many club members often have questions about such as how to apply to professional schools, a research lab Q&A, and where to find extracurricular experiences outside of the club. Previously our journal club was primarily held in the spring semester to read publications of our BECUR keynote speaker, but this year we decided to incorporate it in year long and encouraged members to present papers they are interested in! This fall we had the pleasure of participating in SARSEF’s AZ STEM Adventure program, which is sending out pre-recorded science experiments to students while they follow along at home with specially designed kits. We recorded two of our most popular demonstrations, DIY lava lamps and elephant toothpaste, and the video is now posted on our club website too. (Pictures below.) We also had the opportunity to host a COVID friendly fundraiser this fall at MOD pizza to help fund experiment supplies, and most importantly, our annual “BECUR” research conference held in the spring. While we are unsure the format of how this will be held, we are currently in the process of working out the details. We are hopeful that the spring semester will hold many more outreach opportunities, and we are excited to see the research that BECUR brings in! —Allison Tulino
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY | FALL 2020 | 47