chemistry

K Science Majors Present at Undergraduate Research Conference

Posted on
Six students who presented at the West Michigan Regional Undergraduate Science Research Conference
Scientific presenters at the West Michigan Regional Undergraduate Science Research Conference included (l-r): Carline Dugue, Josh Abbott, Amanda Bolles, Mara Livezey, Kelly Bresnahan, and Chelsea Wallace. Not pictured are Erran Briggs, Michael Hicks, Nicolas Sweda, and Associate Professors of Chemistry Laura Lowe Furge and Regina Stevens-Truss.

Nine Kalamazoo College science majors and two chemistry department faculty members (Regina Stevens-Truss and Laura Lowe Furge) attended the recent West Michigan Regional Undergraduate Science Research Conference in Grand Rapids. The students were Carline Dugue ’12, Chelsea Wallace ’13, Nicholas Sweda ’12, Mara Livezey ’13, Michael Hicks ’12, Kelly Bresnahan ’12, Josh Abbott ’12, Amanda Bolles ’14, and Erran Briggs ’14. Hicks and Wallace are biology majors; the others are majoring in chemistry. They presented results of their summer and academic year research experiences, including Senior Individualized Project work for Dugue, Bresnahan, Sweda, and Abbott. More than 170 posters from colleges across West Michigan were part of the conference’s poster session, and some 400 people participated in the conference. Dugue’s research focused on semiconductor quantum dots and charge transfer; she worked with Western Michigan University professor Sherine Obare. Abbott’s work focused on the role of a specific liver enzyme (CYP2B6) in the way the body processes the cancer drug cyclophosphamide. He did this work in the lab of Professor Paul Hollenberg at the University of Michigan. Bresnahan completed her SIP at the University of Michigan laboratory of Professor James Woods. She worked on animal models for testing of molecules called cholinergic receptor agonists for aid in smoking cessation studies. The other six posters described research done at Kalamazoo College. Sweda presented ongoing studies from Professor Stevens-Truss’s lab on suramin selective inhibition of nitric oxide synthases, part of a chain of events that affects production of nitric oxide in the human body. An excess of nitric oxide is associated with conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. This work is the basis of a manuscript in preparation with Sweda and Alyssa McNamara ’11 as co-authors. Wallace’s research (with Associate Professor of Biology Blaine Moore) showed that BCL-2 is able to rescue neuroblastoma cells from ethanol toxicity. Livezey, Hicks, Bolles, and Briggs each presented individual posters with results of three projects from Professor Furge’s lab on the interactions of inhibitors with human cytochrome P450 enzymes. These enzymes metabolize compounds, including medicines, in the liver, and the inhibition of those enzymes may influence the effectiveness of current and new medicines. The work presented by Bolles and Briggs is currently being prepared in a manuscript for publication with both students as co-authors along with Livezey. The posters presented by Hicks and Livezey are the basis of a current NIH grant renewal to support ongoing opportunities for student research in the Furge lab. In addition to the poster sessions, students attended several lectures and were able to meet with graduate school recruiters.

K Connection Spans 30 Years in Internship

Posted on

Cassandra Fraser and Michael Paule-CarresCassandra Fraser, Class of 1984, is a chemistry professor at the University of Virginia. This summer she hosted Michael Paule-Carres, Class of 2014, in her laboratory, where he did research for his Senior Individualized Project. “It was kind of scary to contemplate that 30 year gap!” wrote Fraser, who had a good antidote for any mild “gap fear.” The formula included the excellence of the lab work Paule-Carres conducted. “He synthesized and characterized a luminescent polymer that will be used to make oxygen nanosensors for wound diagnostics, tumor hypoxia imaging, and other medical uses,” Fraser explained. And for extra measure, a few funny photos were added. “We took some research group pictures, including some of Mike (right) and me together, the Kalamazoo College chemists. We even attempted to make K’s with our bodies, not so successfully mind you, but maybe it’s the thought that counts.” Mike has returned to campus for the beginning of men’s varsity soccer practice.

 

Interference Implications

Posted on
Kalamazoo College student at a conference in San Diego
Mara Livezey discussing the work with other scientists in San Diego.

The peer-reviewed publication Drug Metabolism Letters has accepted for publication the manuscript “Molecular Analysis and Modeling of Inactivation of Human CYP2D6 by Four Mechanism Based Inactivators.”

In addition to Associate Professor of Chemistry Laura Furge, the senior and corresponding author, the manuscript has six student co-authors: Mara Livezey ’13, Leslie Nagy ’09, Laura Diffenderfer ’11,Evan Arthur ’09, David Hsi ’10, and Jeffery Holton ’13.

Their work described in this paper contributes to the understanding of how some drugs can halt the activity of an enzyme. In this case, the enzyme studied is one that is important for the body’s processing of about 20 percent of medicines, particularly treatments for arrhythmia and other heart diseases, depression, and other maladies. Such understanding is vital because many people’s health depends on daily regimens of multiple medicines. Sometimes one drug can interfere with the very enzymes responsible for the processing and clearance of other co-administered drugs. This and other unwanted side effects are the number one cause of hospitalization in America.

The paper’s contribution to the understanding of how certain classes of drugs cause this interference with key enzymes will hopefully lead to more effective prevention of the phenomenon in the future.

The K research was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and by the Department of Chemistry Hutchcroft Fund. The latter was established by a gift from alumni Alan ’63 and Elaine (Goff) Hutchcroft ’63.

The final version of the study was presented at the San Diego meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Science Grant Benefits Breast Cancer Research

Posted on
Professor Furchak at Dow with four chemistry majors
Professor Furchak in the Dow Science Building with Kalamazoo chemistry majors (l-r) Vinay Sharma ’12, Lydia Manger ’13, Eric Glanz ’13, and Amy Ong ’11

Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Assistant Professor of Chemistry Jennifer R. Furchak has received a 2011 Cottrell College Science Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. She will use the $35,000 award to further her work into the development of a multiplexed assay for the analysis of breast cancer metastasis.

“The potential impact of this work in detection and understanding of breast cancer metastasis lies in improvements in simplicity, accuracy, and speed over current methods, which could allow for improved patient treatment and prognoses,” she said. “Ultimately, additional sample throughput will result in better understanding of disease progression.”

According to Furchak, five student researchers at “K” have worked on this project thus far. It’s been the foundation for three completed Senior Independent Projects, and another is in progress this summer. Furchak’s grant is one of 48 Cottrell grants this year totaling $1.8 million and intended to support early career scientists at liberal arts colleges and primarily undergraduate universities.

Undergraduate students must be involved in the research in meaningful ways. Founded in 1912, Research Corporation for Science Advancement is the second-oldest foundation in the United States and the oldest foundation for science advancement.

SIPs Presented at 59th Annual Spectroscopy Meeting

Posted on
Aidan Klobuchar
Niclas West ’12

Seniors Aidan Klobuchar and Niclas West presented posters describing their Senior Individualized Project research at the 59th annual Western Spectroscopy Association Meeting at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, California, in January.

Klobuchar worked on the project “Revealing Orientation Using Circularly Polarized Light” with Associate Professor of Chemistry Jeff Bartz. West based his poster, “Revealing Molecular Dynamics Through DC Slice Ion Imaging,” on his research with Professor Simon North at Texas A&M University. Both students have worked with Professor Bartz on laser-based research since Summer 2008. Klobuchar and West will attend graduate school in physical chemistry this fall.

Alum Vicky Minderhout Receives “Professor of the Year”

Posted on

Vicky Minderhout ’72, a professor of chemistry at Seattle University, was named the State of Washington’s “Professor of the Year” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. She was one of 27 state-level winners in 2011; four others were national-level winners. Minderhout was cited for her innovations in teaching, particularly biochemistry.

“Her research in Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning as applied to biochemistry has been a national model for many years now,” said Associate Professor of Chemistry Laura Furge,“I have met Vicky many times, and always introduce my students to her when we see her at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology meetings.”

ASBMB’s newsletter, ASBMB Today, published an interview with Minderhout in which she was questioned about teachers who influenced her classroom methods. In her answer she describes a quantum mechanics class that was taught by Associate Professor of Chemistry Ralph Deal. She also cites the enthusiasm that characterized Professor of Chemistry Kurt Kaufman’s interactive lectures. King TV in Seattle did a feature story on Minderhout’s Socratic style that includes the voices of many of her students.

“We Were Googled!”

Posted on

Study co-authors Kelly Usakoski, Jeff Bartz and Nic West.
Study co-authors (l-r): Kelly Usakoski, Jeff Bartz; and Nic West.

Or—alternate headline: “How to Ruin a Spring Break.” Though Professor of Chemistry Jeff Bartz quickly notes that the ruination was sweet indeed, given that it led to the publication of a paper in the The Journal of Chemical Physics (September 7, 2011) on which he and two students—Nic West ’12and Kelly Usakoski ’14—are co-authors.

The story begins last spring break when Bartz was getting ready for the start of a new term. Scientists in the department of chemistry at Texas A&M wanted to do an experiment on molecular imaging, and to start they did a literature search seeking similar experiments. In that search they discovered an abstract of experimental work West had presented in June 2010 at the 65th International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy at the Ohio State University.

They contacted Kalamazoo College—“We’d been Googled!” laughs Bartz.

Thus began a research collaboration on further imaging experimentation that culminated in this month’s publication of “A method for the determination of speed-dependent semi-classical vector correlations form sliced image anisotropies.” The paper involves work that Usakoski performed in Bartz’ lab during spring quarter 2011.

In addition to his on-campus contributions to the partnership last spring, West also traveled in the summer to A&M’s College Station campus and conducted related work that is the basis of his Senior Individualized Project. And Bartz “lost” a spring break to the start-up of the “K” and A&M research collaboration. “It was well worth it,” he says. Pictured are the study’s three Kalamazoo College co-authors (l-r): Kelly Usakoski, who is considering declaring her major in either chemistry or physics this year; Jeff Bartz; and Nic West, a chemistry and physics double major.