LSU chemist receives award from President Bush

Steven Watkins

LSU Associate Professor of Chemistry Steven Watkins has been named by President George W. Bush as a recipient of the 2004 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, or PAESMEM.

PAESMEM, a program supported and administered by the National Science Foundation, honors individuals and institutions “that have enhanced the participation of underrepresented groups – such as women, minorities and people with disabilities – in science, mathematics and engineering education at all levels.” Since its inception in 1996, the PAESMEM program has recognized 87 individuals and 67 institutions. Each award includes a $10,000 grant for continued mentoring work.

Watkins received his award in a ceremony at the White House on Monday, May 16.

This year, nine individuals and five institutions received the award. The 2004 individual awardees were drawn from institutions across the country, including Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Wisconsin and the University of Washington. According to the National Science Foundation, all of the winners “are highly regarded mentors and have pioneered innovative and resourceful programs.”

Watkins joins two other LSU professors who have received this Presidential Award in the past, Boyd Professor of Chemistry and Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives Isiah Warner, and Associate Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Jack Holmes Professor of Engineering Su-Seng Pang.

Watkins, director of the graduate studies program in chemistry, has been a driving force in a program that regularly produces the largest number of African-American chemistry doctorates of any university in the country. While credited with success in improving graduation rates, Watkins has also been involved in recruitment, retention and outreach activities, as well as advising other LSU departments on their minority-recruitment efforts. He has also helped graduates find gainful employment in the academic, governmental and corporate sectors.

“In chemistry, we have a very diverse department that has bought into what we are doing, so it has really been a group effort,” said Watkins. “It’s all about helping these young adults into and through the graduate program.”

Watkins took over his position as director of graduate studies in chemistry in 1990. He said he immediately began working with the associate dean of the graduate school at the time, Dan Fogel, to develop funding and initiatives to attract and retain minority students. He credits the 1992 arrival of Warner, who is also the Philip W. West Professor of Analytical and Environmental Chemistry, with helping to jump-start the program’s success in attracting African-American students from around the country.        Rob Anderson, LSU Today

Dr. Julia Chan was one of six U.S. junior faculty chose to attend the Alfred Nobel Symposium at Stockholm, Sweden June 18-22, 2005.  For more information please see the official press release. 

LSU Graduate student Evan Thomas chosen to meet with Nobel Laureates

Evan Thomas, a doctoral student in chemistry, was selected by the National Science Foundation as one of 25 "outstanding research participants" to attend the prestigious 55th Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students.

Thomas, a Baton Rouge native, holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Southern University. He will attend the meeting in Lindau, Germany, June 26 - July 1, and will participate in a variety of activities with a group of Nobel Laureates.

Nobel Laureates in chemistry, physics and physiology/medicine have convened annually in Lindau since 1951 to have "open and informal meetings with students and young researchers from around the world." Traditionally, the meetings rotate by discipline each year, but this year's event will be multi-disciplinary, focusing equally on chemistry, physics and medicine/physiology.

Thomas, whose research focus is on solid-state materials chemistry, was nominated by his faculty advisor, Associate Professor of Chemistry Julia Chan, and was selected after composing an essay that described why he thought he should be chosen and what he believed he could learn from attending the meeting. For more information please see the official press release.  

Assistant Professors Jayne Garno and Evgueni Nesterov and Receive  Petroleum Research Fund Grants.

Jayne Garno and Evgueni Nesterov received notification that they have won Petroleum Research Fund (PRF) type G starter grant awards for 2005.

 The Petroleum Research Fund was originally established as a Trust by seven major oil companies in 1944. The American Chemical Society, to whom the assets of the Fund were transferred in 2000, must use the income "for advanced scientific education and fundamental research in the 'petroleum field,' which may include any field of pure science which ...may afford a basis for subsequent research directly connected with the petroleum field." Grants are made to nonprofit institutions in the United States and other countries in response to proposals. Fundamental research is currently supported in chemistry, the earth sciences, chemical engineering, and in related fields such as polymers and materials science. 

Patents

Henderson, G, Zhu, B.C-R., Laine, Roger A., 2005, "Extracts of Vetiver Oil as Termite Repellent and Toxicant, US Patent #6890960.

Zhu, BCR, G Henderson and RA Laine, 2005, "Dihydronootkatone and Tetrahydronootkatone as Repellents to Arthropods, US Patent #6897244.

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Robin McCarley

Presented an invited talk at the 4th International Dendrimer Symposium in May hosted by Jean Frechet, Donald Tomalia, Fraser Stoddart, and Sonke Svenson. For more information on this symposium, see Chemical and Engineering News: http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/83/8324dendrimers.html

Julia Chan

"A Chemist's Perspectives in the Search for Heavy Fermion Superconductors." Department of Chemistry, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden, June 17, 2005. 

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Frank Cartledge

Roy, A.; Cartledge, F., "Microstructure of Stabilized/Solidified Waste Forms", in C. Shi and R. Spence, Eds., Solidification/Stabilization of Hazardous, Radioactive, and Mixed Waste, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2005, pp. 199-227.

Roger Laine

Huixin Fei, Gregg Henderson and Roger A. Laine, 2005, "Trail-following Behavior of Coptotermes formosanus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) on Concentration Gradients of 2-Phenxyethanol" Sociobiology 45: 483-494.

Lixin Mao, Gregg Henderson, Yuxiu Liu, and Roger A. Laine, 2005, "Formosan Subterranean Termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) Soldiers Regulate Juvenile Hormone Levels and caste Differentiation in Workers" Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 98: 340-345.

Zhu, B.C.R., G. Henderson and R.A. Laine, 2005, A screening method for inhibitors against Formosan subterranean termite Beta-Glucosidases in vivo. J. Econ. Entomol. 98: 41-46.

Graca Vicente

W. Liu, T. J. Jensen, F. R. Fronczek, R. P. Hammer, K. M. Smith and M. G. H. Vicente. Synthesis and in vitro Studies of Non-aggregated Water-soluble Phthalocyanines. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2005, 48, 1033-1041.

J. C. Clark, F. R. Fronczek and M. G. H. Vicente. ?ovel??-Carboranylporphyrins for Application in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) of Tumors. Tetrahedron Letters 2005, 46, 2365-2368.

R. Paolesse, S. Nardis, M. Stefanelli, F. R. Fronczek and M. G. H. Vicente. Hemiporphycene from Expansion of a Corrole Ring. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2005, 44, 3047-3050.

S. Kawabata, R. F. Barth, W. Yang, G. Wu, V. Gottumukkala and M. G. H. Vicente. Evaluation of Carboranylporphyrins as Potential Delivery Agents for Neutron Capture Therapy of Brain Tumors. Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research, 2005, 46, 1122.

W. Liu, M. R. Kumar, M. G. H. Vicente, F. R. Fronczek and K. M. Smith. New Water-soluble Phthalocyanines and other Tetrapyrroles for Application in Photodynamic Therapy. Proceedings of SPIE, The International Society for Optical Engineering 2005, 5689, 39-47.

R. F. Barth, J. A. Coderre, M. G. H. Vicente and T. E Blue. Boron Neutron Capture Therapy of Cancer: Current Status and Future Prospects. Clinical Cancer Research 2005, 11, 3987-4002.

Robin McCarley

McMasters MJ, Hammer RP, McCarley RL, "Surface-induced aggregation of beta amyloid peptide by omega-substituted alkanethiol monolayers supported on gold" LANGMUIR 21 (10): 4464-4470 May 10, 2005.

Situma C, Wang Y, Hupert M, Barany F, McCarley RL, Soper SA, "Fabrication of DNA microarrays onto poly(methyl methacrylate) with ultraviolet patterning and microfluidics for the detection of low-abundant point mutations" ANALYTICAL BIOCHEMISTRY 340 (1): 123-135 May 1, 2005.

Ong W, McCarley RL, "Positive dendritic effects on the electron-donating potencies of poly(propylene imine) dendrimers", ORGANIC LETTERS 7 (7): 1287-1290 March 31, 2005.

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1.    E-mail Payroll at payroll@lsu.edu

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