Chemistry Department Bids Farewell to 28 Seniors at 2009 Commencement
Furman’s class of 2009 included 28 chemistry majors who have distinguished themselves by both their performance while at Furman and their post-graduation plans. Seven are immediately entering Ph.D. programs in chemistry and another eight are entering medical school. Several others are entering pharmacy programs, optometry programs, masters programs in chemistry, or directly into the workforce. This group also includes a recently commissioned officer in the US Army and a student entering the Peace Corps. Thanks for the memories and congratulations Class of 2009!
Laura Wright Garners Top Faculty Honor
Known as a demanding professor who goes the extra mile for her students, Professor Laura Wright was honored at the 2009 Furman University commencement exercises with the Alester G. Furman, Jr. and Janie Earle Furman Award for Meritorious Teaching. Though she teaches lecture courses both at the introductory level and at the advanced and graduate levels in her areas of expertise, she is perhaps best known for her tireless efforts in "Techniques in Chemistry", a laboratory intensive course for majors. Her leadership during the redevelopment of the chemistry curriculum has been invaluable. Laura becomes the sixth chemistry professor to be honored with this award since its inception in 1969. Congratulations Laura!
Furman Chemistry Faculty Recognized for Innovation in Education
Professors Brian Goess and Greg Springsteen were recently awarded an InnoVision Technology Award for their work in developing an e-textbook for a bioorganic chemistry course. Using a wiki engine, the textbook is being developed by students as part of their innovative course structure. [More]
Junior Chemistry Major, Chris Turlington, Named Goldwater Scholar for 2009-10 School Year
Turlington, a junior from Mills River, N.C., is the latest in a series of chemistry majors to be awarded one of the nation’s most prestigious academic scholarships. Chris first worked in a Furman chemistry laboratory as a high school student and this summer (2009) will mark his third year as an undergraduate student researcher in the area of inorganic photochemistry. Congratulations Chris! [More]
Chemistry Department Receives Beckman Scholars Program Institutional Award
Furman University was one of only nine schools (either baccalaureate or major research institutions) to receive this prestigious award from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation in 2009. Chemistry professor Paul Wagenknecht is PI for the program which will fund an intensive research experience for four undergraduates over the next three years. [More]
Class of 2008 Graduates with Distinction
Twenty-five chemistry majors graduated in Furman’s class of 2008, including two winners of the Scholarship Cup, Melissa Allen and Greg Amend. Among this distinguished group include one attending an M.D./Ph. D. program, eight attending medical school, and two attending Ph. D. programs in chemistry. Five others have entered various masters programs and others have gone into high school teaching, industry, veterinarian school, or dental school. Congratulations Class of 2008!
Furman Sophomore Jennifer Myers Named Goldwater Scholar for 2008-09 School Year
Myers, a chemistry major from Orangeburg, was awarded the 2008-09 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, one of the nation’s most prestigious academic scholarships. Chris Turlington, a sophomore chemistry major, was also honored by being named to the Goldwater Scholars’ honorable mention list. [More]
Furman Receives $1.2 Million HHMI Grant to Support Science Education
Chemistry Professor John Wheeler directed Furman's effort to be part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's initiative with liberal arts colleges, and will serve as the program director at Furman. The grant will allow Furman to develop new interdisciplinary programs in math and science as well as create a broad range of unique research experiences for undergraduates. For more information, go to the HHMI-Bridges Initiative website at http://www.furman.edu/hhmi/.
Priedemann Awarded Knowles Foundation Science Teaching Fellowship
Chemistry graduate Chris Priedemann ('07) has recently been awarded one of only eleven Knowles Foundation Science Teaching Fellowships in the physical sciences for 2008. Priedemann, an M.S. candidate working with Drs. John and Sandy Wheeler, will be attending a secondary science certification program in his home state of New York following the completion of his M.S. degree in the summer of 2008. This highly competitive national award will provide funding for graduate tuition, a monthly stipend, support for travel, funding for mentor support and materials purchases in the first teaching appointment up to a maximum of five years.
Bridges wins NCAA and Southern Conference Graduate Scholarships
Senior Chemistry major Page Bridges has recently been awarded prestigious postgraduate fellowships from the NCAA and Southern Conference for her outstanding performance both in the classroom and as an athlete. Bridges, who has competed both in cross-country and track events for four years at Furman, was one of only 58 recipients nationally to be awarded a $7,500 NCAA postgraduate scholarship. In addition, Page has been named as the recipient of the David Knight Graduate Scholarship, one of only six athletes in the Southern Conference to receive a postgraduate award for 2008. Page, who holds the school record in the 3000-meter steeplechase, is a Beckman Scholar working under the direction of Drs. John and Sandy Wheeler since 2006. She will attend the M.D./Ph.D. program at UNC-Chapel Hill beginning in the fall of 2008.
Brian Goess receives grants totaling over $80,000
In his first year as a member of Furman?s chemistry department, Dr. Brian Goess received the prestigious Cottrell College Science Award from the Research Corporation and a grant from the American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund. The grants will support Dr. Goess? work in the area of synthetic organic methodology, specifically, expanding the known reactivity of cyclopropanes.
Paul Wagenknecht receives National Science Foundation grant for $272,000
Inspired by natural systems, the Wagenknecht research group's research projects are directed toward a better understanding of energy transfer of the type that occurs in photosynthesis. The group's research is also directed toward applications involving solar energy conversion. The funded proposal, entitled "Photochemistry and Photophysics of Macrocyclic Chromium(III) Complexes: An Investigation of Electronic Energy Self Exchange" was based on key results obtained by recent undergraduates. The grant will fund several undergraduates and a postdoctoral researcher for 2007-2010.
Biochemist Dr. Karen Buchmueller Joins Furman Faculty
Karen joins us as the new biological chemist in the department. She started her professional career at Wake Forest University, where she taught biochemistry and initiated a research program with undergraduate and master's students. Her research focuses on diversifying DNA function and she is continuing her research at Furman. As demonstrated by her co-authorship of seven peer-reviewed scientific articles with undergraduates, Karen has been successfully working with student researchers for many years, including previous work as a Dreyfus Postdoctoral fellow at Furman. Prior to her postdoc, Karen received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she studied the folding of catalytic RNA. Karen is a native of Ohio, but has been happily living in the Carolinas for the past ten years.
Twenty-five Chemistry Majors in Class of 2007 Graduate with Distinction
Included in the class of 2007 are twenty-five chemistry majors who have distinguished themselves by their post-graduate plans. Six are entering Ph. D. programs in areas ranging from biomedical sciences to materials chemistry and several others have been accepted into graduate programs in genetic counseling, pharmacy, and public health. Two members of this class are commissioned army officers and seven more have been accepted into medical schools. Several others will be applying to M. D. and M. D. /Ph. D. programs after another year of research or work. Five of our graduates will be continuing their studies in Furman?s masters program. Congratulations to the Class of 2007!
Chemistry Major Michael Vagnini Wins Several Awards
The Scholarship Cup is given each year to the graduating senior with the highest academic average and was shared between Michael Vagnini, Lauren Hund, and Elizabeth Crockett at the 2007 Commencement ceremony. Michael was also awarded one of two General Excellence Awards given each year by the Furman faculty to the outstanding senior man and woman. He is also the recipient of two highly competitive national graduate school fellowships, namely, the National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship. Michael will be attending graduate school in chemistry at Northwestern University this fall.
Chemistry Majors Gillespie and Needham Commissioned as Officers in US Army
In a ceremony that preceded graduation, William Gillespie and Michael Needham were commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the United States Army. Will Gillespie will train to become a tank commander with the Armor division at Fort Benning, Georgia. Mike Needham will enter medical school at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. Our congratulations to Mike and Will, and we thank them for their commitment of service to our country.
Tim Hanks Awarded $270,000 from the NSF for Chemistry REU Site
Furman University?s Department of Chemistry has received a three-year, $270,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to operate a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site. The award will support researchers from Furman and other regional colleges and universities to investigate ?Grand Challenges? of chemistry. [More]