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August 2024

Profs. Rosalynn Quiñones, Michael Norton, and Shin Moteki were part of an interdisciplinary team led by Marshall Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Iyad Hijazi that was awarded nearly $340,000 by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to acquire a state-of-the-art Rigaku SmartLab SE X-ray Diffraction system, to be housed in the College of Science at Marshall University. This grant was awarded through the NSF’s Major Research Instrumentation Program, which supports faculty members in obtaining expensive, cutting-edge research tools that are also user-friendly. The X-ray diffraction system will significantly enhance structural characterization in critical fields such as energy materials, semiconductors, ceramics, minerals, organics, pharmaceuticals, and nanomaterials. Other members of the team included co-principal investigators Assistant Professor Dr. Kimberly S. Kunkler (Forensic Science), Assistant Professor Dr. Nasim Nosoudi (Biomedical Engineering), and Assistant Professor Dr. Mohammed Ferdjallah (Electrical Engineering). The team also includes Senior Personnel: Professor Dr. Asad Salem (Mechanical Engineering) and Professor Dr. Ali El-Shazly (Geology).
Although the primary focus of the new X-ray diffraction equipment is research, it will also be integrated into teaching laboratories, benefiting at least 60 students annually.

Amber Adkins has joined our department as the new Administrative Assistant.  Amber is an alumna of Marshall University, where she earned her B.A. in Education. Before coming to Marshall, Amber spent five years working as an elementary teacher in Cabell County. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Sawyer, and her two labradors. She also enjoys reading, drawing, and cross stitching with friends.

July 2024

On July 26th ten STEM student researchers presented summaries of their efforts performed over 10 weeks of the summer in a variety of laboratories on the Marshall campus. The objective of the SURE program is to enhance the intellectual infrastructure of the state by supporting undergraduates who are interested in performing research in any STEM field (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). This program has been conducted at Marshall since 2005. SURE awards are determined through a competitive process in which proposals are evaluated by a committee of STEM experts. “We want students to know how strongly Marshall supports learning through undergraduate research. This is the time when these young minds start exercising their research skills in preparation for graduate school” said Dr. Michael Norton, who directs the program. Students receive stipends totaling $4,800 each for their research for a period of ten weeks uninterrupted by classes during the summer.   Nine of the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Fellowship stipends were funded through the West Virginia Challenge Fund, which is administered by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, Science, Technology and Research Division. One of the SURE stipends was supported by the West Virginia Space Grant Consortium.  

Sophomore student Eugene Kim (major: Biochemistry) performing research with mentorship from Dr. Yongick Kim received Creative Discovery and Research Award for Fall 2024 ($1,750 (for student) + $750 (for faculty)) from Marshall University.  They will investigate the effects of essential minerals on the circadian clock, which regulates the body’s physiology. Elderly individuals often experience deficiencies in various essential minerals, including magnesium, potassium, calcium, zinc, copper, and manganese. Each of these minerals plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health and physiological functions. Interestingly, these minerals may also influence circadian rhythms. Our research aims to uncover the biochemical mechanisms through which these minerals affect the circadian clock using in vitro reconstitution.

Amy K. Lester has joined our department as its new stockroom manager.  She is a Huntington native and an alumna of Marshall University, graduating with a B.S. degree in Biology.  Amy has spent most of her career working in the wastewater field, most recently as a Laboratory Manager at a wastewater treatment plant in Columbus, Ohio.  She loves all things Marshall and is excited to return to campus in her new role.  Outside of work, Amy enjoys reading, gardening, and spending time outdoors appreciating nature, especially on her small farm in Cabell County.

June 2024

In a third summer program, focused on the development of STEM student capability, two high school students began an Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) sponsored research program in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Norton.  Working as part of a team, their project is to develop arrays of single molecule sensing devices based on DNA Origami constructs. The Marshall site is funded through a grant from the AEOP with Dr. Shelvy Campbell as the Principal Investigator. As a part of this program, four other students are working in other labs on campus this summer. 

Nathan Ming, a high school student supported by an Army Educational Outreach Program grant to Dr. Michael Norton for the summer of 2023, presented a paper titled “Comparison of Reaction Kinetics of Three Reducing Agents Used for Synthesis of Gold Nanotriangles” on June 24th, 2024, at the 98th ACS Colloid & Surface Science Symposium held on the campus of the University of Washington.  The paper was authored by Nathan Ming and Dr. Michael Norton.  The objective of the study was to find alternative approaches for the rapid production of plasmonic structures with potential use as single molecule sensor devices.  Plasmons are the excited wavelike states of electrons in metallic particles enabling photons to reside in particles which are much smaller than the wavelength of the light they absorb.  Because the light is now in a smaller space (for example 500 nm light in a 100 nm triangular particle in the reported studies), one might think of the light as more concentrated by the particles.  In a way the particles act like a lens or magnifier.  In the case of triangular particles, the intensity of the light (the electric field intensity) is greatest at the vertices (tips) of the particles.  By creating binding sites at these vertices, binding of an analyte (target molecule) will maximally impact or perturb the wavelike states of the particle, causing a shift in the resonance frequency of the waves. 

Professor Laura McCunn received a three-year, $75,000 grant from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund to study “Pyrolysis Reactions of Polyvinylchloride Derivatives.”  The objective of this project is to elucidate how chemical structure affects the pyrolysis reactions of chlorinated hydrocarbons that are produced during the pyrolysis of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a plastic derived from petroleum.  (Pyrolysis involves heating compounds to decomposition in the absence of oxygen.)  A specific aim of the proposed work is to identify the thermal decomposition products of several chlorinated aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, including (2-chloroethyl)-benzene, 2-chlorophenol, 2-chloro-2-methylpentane, and 3-chloro-3-methylpentane.  A second specific aim of the proposed work will examine high-temperature reactions in a mixture of furan and chlorobenzene, representative of chemical species produced from pyrolysis of biomass and PVC, respectively.

May 2024

The Department of Chemistry conducts an annual Chemistry Research Summer Program (CRSP) that serves to strengthen the culture of research among our student scientists. It serves as an opportunity to meet new people, enhance scientific presenting skills, and have fun! The Program includes educational as well as recreational activities. This year, student scientists participated in a Kick-off Symposium, during which they presented slides that outlined their summer research project. In addition, they took part in a tour of the WV State Forensic Lab and canoed at Carter Caves State Resort Park. Pictures shown are from the CRSP Tournament, during which research labs compete with one another to win a trophy; this year’s theme was Chemistry Olympics, and the victors were the McCunn Group. At the end of this week, formal presentations on science completed over the summer will be presented at Chemistry’s 2024 CRSP Final Symposium.

Dr. Michael Norton administers the WV Higher Education Policy Commission, Science, Technology and Research Division’s SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research Experience) Program at Marshall.  Ten students, in STEM areas ranging from Chemistry to Bioengineering, began this year’s 10 weeklong program in May and ends with a public presentation of the student research on July 26th. Four of the students work with Chemistry faculty (Drs. Kim, Kolling, Markiewicz, and McCunn).  Preference is given for distribution to faculty early in their time at Marshall and students who have not been supported by the SURE program previously. 

Drs. Rosalynn Quiñones and John Markiewicz have published a paper titled “Biocompatible antibiotic-coupled nickel-titanium nanoparticles as a potential coating material for biomedical devices” in the Heliyon (2024, 10, e31434) with Sarah McGlumphy (B.S. Major in Forensic Chemistry, Marshall University Master’s in Public Health program), Aakriti Damai (B.S. Major in Biochemistry, MU School of Medicine MD program), Lena Salameh (B.S. Major in Chemical Sciences, M.U. School of Pharmacy Pharm.D. program), Gabriell Corbin (B.S., Major in Biochemistry student), professors Dr. Jennifer Mosher and Dr. Nadja Spitzer (Marshall University Biological Sciences department), and Qiang Wang (Shared Research Facility, West Virginia University).
The challenges facing metallic implants for reconstructive surgery include the leaching of toxic metal ions, a mismatch in elastic modulus between the implant and the treated tissue, and the risk of infection. These problems can be addressed by passivating the metal surface with an organic substrate and incorporating antibiotic molecules. Nitinol (NiTi), a nickel-titanium alloy, is used in devices.  However, unmodified NiTi carries a risk of localized nickel toxicity and inadequately supports angiogenesis or neuroregeneration due to limited cell adhesion, poor biomineralization, and little antibacterial activity. To address these challenges, NiTi nanoparticles were modified using self-assembled phosphonic acid monolayers and functionalized with antibiotics via the formation of an amide. Modifications were stable for more than a year.  B35 neuroblastoma cells exhibited no inhibition of survival and showed high biocompatibility. The ability to support neural cell growth and differentiation makes modified NiTi nanoparticles a promising coating for surfaces in metallic bone and nerve implants.

April 2024

The Department of Chemistry is proud to announce its 2024 Award and Scholarship winners. Graduating students include:

• Alexander Laverty – Outstanding Graduating Senior Award
• Trace Clark and Khaled El-Shazly –Chemistry Outstanding Senior Chemist Award (co-winners)
• Brendin Flinn – Alpha Chi Sigma Graduate Research Award

A complete list of our award winners and departmental scholarship recipients is provided on our Scholarship and Awards webpage.

Dr. Laura McCunn won Marshall University’s Marshall & Shirley Reynolds Outstanding Teacher Award. The award is presented to a faculty member who demonstrates superior teaching and is Marshall’s highest award for instruction. The process of selecting the winner is comprehensive and intense. Each applicant fills out a multipage questionnaire about their teaching practices, philosophy, and provide both self-reflections and external evaluations. The selection committee observes the candidates on multiple occasions, receives letters of recommendation from colleagues, and meets with the departments for additional information. The committee then selects the year’s best instructor. Laura’s approach to teaching can be summed up from her application: “The chemist within me wants my students to understand, both qualitatively and quantitatively, how matter and energy are transformed in chemical systems. The teacher within me wants my students to recognize what is true and how we know it is true. … I also want my students to understand the limitations of our knowledge and our abilities. … Finally, I want my students to be in awe of how the universe works. I love seeing my students peer into a beaker full of newly formed purple crystals with a sense of pride in what they made.” An enormous strength of Laura is her adaptability. As with almost all teachers everywhere, the COVID pandemic moved students out of classrooms and behind computer screens for an extended period of time. Laura showed how she was able to turn that difficult situation into a way to increase her interaction with students in office hours and improve her instruction by creating out-of-the-classroom videos to enhance her instruction. Laura has taught in our freshman sequence of courses, including all four lectures and laboratories and both physical chemistry courses. She was a leader in the redesign of those courses when the one-semester physical chemistry course was deleted. She also co-developed, with biochemistry professor Derrick Kolling, a senior level special topics course: Brownies, Beer, and Bacon Chemistry. To summarize, in the words of one of her colleagues “Fifteen years ago, we had a large retirement coupled to the departure of a few junior faculty members and we set out to create a nationally competitive Department of Chemistry. To do that, we examined the best departments and the practices they employed. In doing so, we found a type of faculty member upon which to build our future. That required effective classroom instructors who would also be both excellent researchers and mentors to our students. In recruiting Laura to Marshall, we found a major piece of that future. We could not be more pleased with her.”

Dr. Rosalynn Quiñones won Marshall University’s Distinguished Artists and Scholars Award for senior faculty. This is the university’s most prestigious award recognizing research or scholarship. In her 11 years at Marshall, she has amassed 17 peer-reviewed publications in three distinct areas of research: surface science, forensic chemistry, and chemical education. Successfully pursuing three lines of inquiry at a university like Marshall is nearly unheard of. Her research has brought over $700,000 in external funding to Marshall. As a primarily undergraduate institution, involving students is central to our mission and Dr. Quiñones has had 25 different Marshall undergraduate students providing 33 co-authorships, six different Marshall graduate students with nine co-authorships, and several with local high school students and teachers. Dr. Quiñones has established a large number of external research collaborations with colleagues at Washington & Jefferson College, WVU, Amherst College, California State University at Stanislaus, University of Charleston, and Duquesne University as well as colleagues in other departments at Marshall University. Dr. Quiñones and members of her research group have made 29 presentations at professional meetings and at universities. Of these, 12 were invited presentations and 13 were presentations by her students.
In Dr. Quiñones’ research in surface science, she has coated nanoparticles with specialized acids, which may provide a new delivery system for therapeutic. In forensic chemistry, she has analyzed the cannabinoid content of some consumer products. Her work has shown that quality control of some of these products needs to be improved. Finally, in educational research, her group has merged scientific inquiry with traditional instructional approaches to develop engaging and novel experiments that may be conducted in analytical teaching labs. Describing her research goals, she wrote “… my main objectives are being an excellent mentor, to stimulate students’ curiosity, and to create and publish world-class scientific research. In addition, I want students to step out of their comfort zones and adventure into research and have laboratory experience while they learn how to navigate into their future careers. I have promoted this kind of interaction in my research by having open communication, “hands-on” experiences, and by encouraging the exploration of chemistry.”

We congratulate the graduates of the Spring 2024 semester!

The faculty of the Department of Chemistry wish our graduates the best as they move on to the next phase of their lives and careers.

March 2024

Dr. Rosalynn Quiñones has published a paper titled “An Evaluation of the Cannabinoid Content of the Liquid and Thermal Degradation Analysis of Cannabis-Labeled Vape Liquids” in the Journal of Forensic Sciences (2024, 69, 905-918) with former chemistry undergraduate forensic chemistry major and current student in the Marshall University Forensic Science Master’s program Sara Moreno and professors Lauren Richards-Waugh (Marshall University Forensic Science department) and Ashley Trouten-Ebert (a forensic science graduate student at Duquesne University).  This paper examined nine CBD vaping pens sold commercially in the US for cannabinoid content.  The amounts and identities of the component cannabinoids were studied using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.   The study found that long term storage can lead to varying cannabinoid content and that, even new, the samples showed significant differences in composition as compared to the labeled amounts.

Dr. Michael Norton will lead one of three sub-projects funded by an award from the Army Educational Outreach Program through an agreement with the Marshall University School of Medicine with Shelvy Campbell-Monroe as Principal Investigator. Awarded March 6, the $36,000 program will support a total of 6 AEOP High School Internships, with two of the students studying DNA based nanostructures with Dr. Norton this summer.  This program is designed to increase participation in STEM college majors by students in historically underrepresented groups, which includes the children of military personnel.  Participation in this program continues a long-running tradition in Dr. Norton’s lab of mentoring high school students doing research during the summer as a way to increase their interest in science.

Dr. John Markiewicz, Dr. Rosalynn Quiñones, and Perin Schray (biochemistry senior) each ran a section of Science Olympiad.

Dr. John Markiewicz and AXE (professional chemistry fraternity) ran a Boy Scout Merit Badge session.

Dr. Rosalynn Quiñones was named treasurer of the ACS Colloid & Surface Division.

February 2024

The Dr. Rosalynn Quiñones, students from her research laboratory and volunteers from First2Network and AXE participated as judges for a science fair in Lawrence County, OH.

Chemistry staff member David Neff and Holden Young (Specialty Agriculture major) presented at Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol (URDC). At URDC, Holden presented an evaluation of three distinct methods of virus particle enrichment with subsequent amplification of virus genome by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).   Ultimately, the PCR data are compiled weekly into a report that goes to CDC and WVBPH and local partners including the Cabell County Health Dept.  Holden and David are the longest serving members of the MUIDSL (Marshall University Infectious Disease Surveillance Lab) which was founded in 2020.

January 2024

Dr. Michael Wade Wolfe will join the Department in August of this year.  He will teach in our organic course sequence.  Dr. Wade Wolfe has a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry with Highest Honors from Emory University in 2016 and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 2022 under the direction of Prof. Nathaniel Szymczak.  His dissertation was titled “Advancing Boron Medicated Fluroalkylation Reactions.”  After completing his doctorate, he moved to the University of Oregon for a post-doctoral fellowship working with Prof. Michael Pluth.  Dr. Wolfe has published five papers in major research journals.  At Marshall, he plans to conduct research in areas such as degradative functionalization of polyfluoroalkyl substances and C-F bond activation.

Dr. Derrick Kolling and researchers from his group, Kara Joseph, Hayden O’Dell, Trace Clark, Jessica Crislip, and Brendin Flinn published an article with their collaborators in PLOS One titled “Chemobiosis reveals tardigrade tun formation is dependent on reversible cysteine oxidation.”  The work was conducted in collaboration with Prof. Leslie Hicks and her students at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.  (Dr. Hicks (Prof. of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) and one of her research students, Amanda Smythers, are graduates of Marshall University with degrees in chemistry.). Tardigrades, commonly known as ‘water bears,’ are eight-legged microscopic invertebrates renowned for their ability to withstand extreme stressors, including high osmotic pressure, freezing temperatures, and complete desiccation. Limb retraction and substantial decreases to their internal water stores results in the tun state, greatly increasing their ability to survive. Emergence from the tun state and/or activity regain follows stress removal, where resumption of life cycle occurs as if stasis never occurred. This paper reports the mechanism(s) through which tardigrades initiate tun formation. It describes the use of chemobiosis to demonstrate that tardigrade tun formation is mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Tuns are dependent on reversible cysteine oxidation, and that this reversible cysteine oxidation is facilitated by the release of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS).
This paper is a major advance in the field of understanding tardigrade cryptobiosis and has been summarized in a variety of popular science publications for the general public such as Scientific American, the New Scientist, and Science News.  Even the major chemistry trade publication, Chemical and Engineering News devoted a page to this important paper.

February 2020

Dr. Leslie Hicks (B.S. in Chemistry, ACS Certified, Class of 2001) won the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s William C. Friday/Class of 1986 Award for Excellence in Teaching.  “The award, created by members of the class of 1986, recognizes one member of the faculty per year who has exemplified excellence in inspirational teaching. The winner is selected from all full-time faculty who teach undergraduates.”  Dr. Hicks is a bioanalytical chemistry faculty member in the Chemistry Department at UNC.  In her award interview, she credited Bill Price of this department as being the best teacher she has had.

October 2019

Prof. Rosalynn Quiñones was a participant in the (West Virginia) Women & Technology Conference held in Charleston on October 21 at the Embassy Suites Hotel.  This year’s conference addressed “the under-representation of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), while also encouraging women to excel in these fields.”  Rosalynn was one  of only four faculty members selected to make a presentation.  More information about the conference and a list of all 25 presenters may be found at West Virginia Press.

July 2019

Professor emeritus Gary D. Anderson was named an American Chemical Society Fellow.  The ACS Fellows program  recognizes members of ACS for outstanding achievements in and contributions to science, the profession, and the Society.  Gary’s accomplishments are incredible both in sheer number and in importance.  For example, he has occupied every senior role in the chemistry professional fraternity Alpha Chi Sigma and won its lifetime achievement (John Kubler) award.  He has played a senior role at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. Gary has chaired and been a member of numerous ACS committees as well.  At Marshall, Gary was the first chemistry faculty member to win the university’s Distinguished Service Award and was instrumental in introducing electronic courses on campus.

April 2019

Jessica Crislip and Yiannakis Lysandrou are two of ten Marshall undergraduates selected to participate in its Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Fellowship program.  Each year, ten students are selected for this program, which is sponsored by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s Division of Science and Research.  The students spend 10 weeks working in the laboratory of a faculty member (Profs. Derrick Kolling and John Markiewicz, respectively) to better develop their scientific skills.  The Huntington Herald Dispatch covered this with an article.

Prof. Rosalynn Quiñones was granted tenure and was promoted to Associate Professor.  Rosalynn has accomplished quite a lot as an Assistant Professor.  She has mentored 17 different undergraduate students on research projects over the past six years, more than half of whom have presented their work at professional meetings.  She and her students have published an amazing 7 papers earning her Marshall’s junior faculty member Distinguished Artists and Scholars Award.  Her service has likewise been recognized through consecutive Faculty-in-Residence Awards from Marshall.  She routinely does national service as well, for example being a member of the Chemical Heritage Foundation’s content committee for their You Be the Chemist national competition for children since 2013.

This month, Profs. Laura McCunn, Bob Morgan, Mike Norton, and Rosalynn Quiñones and John Rakus led groups of students to the American Chemical Society’s National Meeting in New Orleans and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology’s national meeting in Orlando, respectively. In all, 12 undergraduate and 4 Masters students traveled to these meetings, nearly all of whom presented their work as part of the trip.

March 2019

Prof. Laura McCunn was awarded a 2-year, $100,000 grant by the US Department of Energy to study the thermal decomposition of cyclic, oxygenated hydrocarbons.  These molecules frequently occur in the processing of plant material into biofuels, so it is important to understand how they react at high temperatures in order to predict the efficiency and environmental impact of biofuels.  She and her students will also construct a quadrupole mass spectrometer to expand their capabilities in detecting thermal decomposition products.  The grant provides funds to hire two undergraduate students, in addition to purchasing supplies.  The Huntington Herald-Dispatch wrote an article on this grant.

Prof. Derrick Kolling published a paper in the journal Chemosphere titled “Characterizing the effect of Poast on Chlorella vulgaris, a non-target organism” (Vol. 219, pp. 704-712).  Amanda L. Smythers, Armin Garmany, Nicole L. Perry, Ethan L. Higginbotham, P. Ethan Adkins were student co-authors.  Smythers et al. determined that recommended applications of a commercially available herbicide, Poast®, result in catastrophic damage to the photosynthetic machinery of algae. Interestingly, the active ingredient, sethoxydim, in the herbicide formulation does not by itself induce this damage.

Professor Derrick Kolling and Ms. Amanda Smythers participated in Mad Scientist Day at Southside Elementary School on March 22, 2019. They edutained ~500 K-5 students during a morning assembly and ~100 1st graders in afternoon sessions. Students were shown and participated in chemistry demonstrations and activities, informed about research at MU, and which organizations support this research (NSF). The event was covered and photographed by the Herald Dispatch.

January 2019

Prof. Emeritus Joseph L. Roberts passed away at his home in Amity, GA.  He was 89 years old.  Joe received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Oglethorpe College in 1953, an M.S. in Chemistry from the University of South Dakota in 1955, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati in 1964.  He was a faculty member in chemistry at Marshall from 1966 until his retirement in 1997.  After retirement he split his time between Huntington and Amity.  Joe had longstanding interests in music (he played for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in college), firefighting, and computers.  He was an avid Marshall sports fan as well.  Joe is survived by his wife June, children Darryl and Mike, and grandchildren Chris, Sarah, Evy, William, and Thomas.  We will miss him.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated 2019 as the International Year of the Periodic Table in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the formation of the modern periodic table by Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869.   The American Chemical Society held a national contest for groups to represent the periodic table in ways they thought would be interesting.  A student, Amanda Smthyers, suggested that we create a large, human periodic table.  The Department brought together faculty from across the College of Science and School of Medicine, students, administrators on the main basketball court in the Cam Henderson Center to accomplish this.  Joining us were President Gilbert, Provost Taylor, and Vice-President for Research Maher (who is also a chemist).
It was an amazingly fun event, which was sponsored by Contemporary Galleries of Charleston.