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FSU chemists using light-activated molecules to kill cancer cells

Igor V. Alabugin is an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at FSU. He specializes in a branch of chemistry known as photochemistry, in which the interactions between atoms, small molecules and light are analyzed. [More]

Honorary FSU doctorate awarded to legendary Hoffman

An Honorary Doctorate of Science has been conferred on FSU Professor Emerita of Chemistry Katherine "Kitty" Blood Hoffman for distinguished contributions to the institution she has loved and served--as a student, alumna, faculty member, administrator and benefactor--for 75 years. The ceremony was part of Florida State University's annual Fall Meeting of the General Faculty, Sept. 20. [More]

FSU chemistry professor named fellow of Biophysical Society

Timothy A. Cross, the Earl Frieden Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at FSU and director of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory's Nuclear Magnetic Resonance program, is one of only five scientists recognized this year by the Biophysical Society out of its membership of 8,000. [More]

FSU researchers to study effects of climate change in Minnesota peatlands

William T. Cooper, a professor of analytical and environmental chemistry in the department of chemistry and biochemistry, and oceanography Professor Jeff Chanton, have received a research grant in the amount of $493,448 from the National Science Foundation to study the carbon balance in Minnesota's peatlands -- a possible indicator of climate changes brought on by global warming. The grant to FSU is part of a larger $3-million grant that also includes the University of Minnesota, Syracuse University, the University of Maine and the U.S. Geologic Survey. [More]

Picture this: FSU professor's research could lead to vastly improved medical imaging

Naresh Dalal, the Dirac Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at FSU, recently conducted experiments with other researchers from FSU, the University of Colorado and the National Institute of Standards and Technology that uncovered unique properties in a molecular magnet-properties that could significantly increase the resolution of MRIs. Their paper, "Efficacy of the Single-Molecule Magnet Fe8 for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agent Over a Broad Range of Concentration," was published in the current issue of Polyhedron, a rigorously peer-reviewed science journal. [More]

FSU researchers reap $1 million grant to make medical implants safer

Joseph Schlenoff, the Mandelkern Professor of Polymer Science, chairman of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at FSU, and a member of FSU's Center for Materials Research and Technology (MARTECH), is the principal investigator on a research project that will receive $1.07 million from the NIH over four years. Working with him is the project's co-principal investigator, Thomas Keller, an associate professor of biology at FSU. [More]

Chaos research linked to sudden cardiac death

Optical tomography allows the spatially resolved measurement of absorption and concentration values in three-dimensional systems. The group of Prof. Oliver Steinbock uses this technique to investigate rotating reaction-diffusion waves in the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction. Dynamically similar vortices exist in the human heart and have been linked to sudden cardiac death. A recent study on this topic, co-authored by his former postdoc Tamas Bansagi, Jr., has been highlighted on the cover page of the AIP journal 'Chaos'. Further information can be found in 'Chaos' 18, 026102 (2008) (8 pages). Journal cover reprinted with permission from 'Chaos'. Copyright 2008, American Institute of Physics.

Alan Marshall to received 2009 EAS Award for Outstanding Achievements in Mass Spectrometry

Dr. Alan G. Marshall, Robert O. Lawton Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at FSU and Director of the Ion Cyclotron Program at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, has been selected to receive the 2009 Eastern Analytical Symposium (EAS) Award for Outstanding Achievements in Mass Spectrometry. The award consists of a plaque and an honorarium that will be presented at a one-half day symposium in Prof. Marshall's honor during the upcoming EAS meeting, to be held 15 to 18 November, 2009 in Somerset, New Jersey. Prof. Marshall is just the third recipient of this relatively new award, his 14th national/international award during his 15 years at FSU.

Stiegman group laser-initiates classic thermite reaction

The study of the dynamics of highly exothermic reactions such as the classic thermite reaction is difficult due to the excessive heat they release. Recent work in the group of Prof. A. E. Stiegman and his graduate students Melissa Mileham and Chi-Dong Park in collaboration with Bert van de Burgt in the Chemistry Department Laser Lab have developed a laser-based technique whereby these reactions can be photothermally initiated and the dynamics of their energy release studied using time-resolved spectroscopy. A recent report where hybrid metastable interstitial composites composed of a high-energy organic phase and a binary inorganic phase composed of 100 nm AI and micron-scale Fe2O3 which were studied using this technique was featured on the cover of page of the ACS journal, The Journal of Physical Chemistry A. Further details con be found in J. Phys. Chem. A, 2008. 112. Pg. 12568-12571.

Structure of the COPII Coat reveals unique geometry

Prof. Scott Stagg and colleagues have determined the structure of the coat protein complex II (COPII) coat. The COPII proteins are involved in the secretory pathway, which is the process by which proteins and other molecules are transported from the inside of cells to the outside. Secretion is a critical process, and is one of the ways that specialized cells maintain their identities. The study by Prof. Stagg and colleagues reveals the COPII coat to have a unique geometry that allows it to expand and contract to accommodate a wide variety of cargo molecules. These findings provide insights into the fundamental biochemical process of secretion and also into the molecular origins of chylomicron retention disease and craniolenticulo sutural dysplasia: diseases that result from malfunctions in secretion. This study was recently published in the journal 'Cell.' [More]

Rafael Bruschweiler elected APS Fellow

Professor Rafael Bruschweiler has been selected as a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), Division of Biological Physics. In selecting Professor Bruschweiler, APS cited his "fundamental contributions to methodology and applications of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in combination with novel computational approaches for the dynamic characterization of proteins in solution." Fellowship in APS is limited to no more than one half of one percent of the membership per year, and is a recognition of Rafael's outstanding contribution to physics. This award adds to Professor Bruschweiler's honors, including Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Gunther Laukien Prize for his development of covariance NMR spectroscopy. He joins six prior APS Fellows from FSU's Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry: Michael Kasha, Ray Sheline, Leo Mandelkern, Alan Marshall, Geoffrey Bodenhausen, and Naresh Dalal. [More]

Alan Marshall to Receive 2009 New Frontiers in Hydrocarbons Award

Alan G. Marshall, the Robert O. Lawton Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Florida State and director of the Ion Cyclotron Resonance Program at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, has been named the co-recipient of the 2009 New Frontiers in Hydrocarbons Award. The prize recognizes "internationally significant results in the development of technologies for the efficient use of hydrocarbons with particular reference to the activities of exploration, production, transport, distribution and transformation." Marshall was cited for his research group's development of "petroleomics", an entirely new branch of chemistry that seeks to predict the properties and behavior of petroleum and its products. [More]

Research in Functional Nanomaterials at FSU receives a boost!

FSU is thrilled to announce that Sourav Saha have joined the faculty at Florida State University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Integrative NanoScience Institute (INSI). His research program will develop new functional nanomaterials based on molecular recognition and self-assembly. [More]

ANDRÉ STRIEGEL AUTHORS POLYMER CHROMATOGRAPHY BOOK

Thirty years after publication of the first edition "Modern Size-Exclusion Liquid Chromatography," this classic book has received a complete makeover at the hands of FSU assistant professor Andre Striegel, lead author of the newly published second edition. Numerous developments in polymer chromatography have occurred during the last three decades, and this completely up-to-date textbook includes the latest in separation fundamentals, experimental methodology, chemical and physical detection methods, characterization of polymer architecture, and two-dimensional polymer chromatography.

Ken Knappenberger receives Young Investigator Award

Dr. Kenneth L. Knappenberger, Jr., Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at FSU, has been selected to receive the 2010 Young Investigator Award from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. According to the announcement, the objective of the program is to foster creative research in science and engineering and to enhance the early career of young investigators showing exceptional ability and promise for conducting basic research. In addition to the award recognition, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research will provide funding to support the Knappenberger Research Group's efforts in energy and electron transfer processes in magnetoplasmonic nanoparticles.

The latest addition to the FSU Chemistry Department

FSU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is excited about the great addition of Dr. Hedi Mattoussi to its faculty. Dr. Mattoussi holds a Ph.D. and a Habilitation to direct research from the University of Pierre and Marie Curie (Paris VI), Paris, France. Following postdoctoral stints at UMass Amherst (Polymer Science Department) and MIT (Center for Materials Science and Eng.), he spent 12 years at the Naval Research Laboratory, Washington. He has developed strong research track records in understanding various aspects of semiconductor quantum dots, interfacing nanomaterials with biotechnology, as well as polymeric materials. His effort culminated in several high impact publications (including reports in Nature Biotechnology, Nature Materials, PNAS and JACS). He holds several patents and was awarded two top Navy awards: the 2008 Thomas Edison Sigma Xi Award in Pure Science and the 2008 Delores M. Etter Top Scientists and Engineers of the Year Award.