DEC 11
ACS Webinar - "3D Printing: From Molecules to Manufacturing" (read more...)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Nov 10
Congratulations to Keren Zhang for receiving the NSF ACS Symposium travel award for Controlled Radical Polymerization symposium at the American Chemical Society Meeting in San Francisco, CA
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
OCT 29
Timothy Long Named New Director of Macromolecules and Interfaces Institute
Timothy Long, a professor of chemistry and associate dean for research and international outreach in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, has been named director of the university's Macromolecules and Interfaces Institute, announced Robert W. Walters, vice president for research. (read more...)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Oct 20
MII Awards Scholarships to Deserving Students
Each year MII awards scholarships to deserving students. For the 2014-2015 academic year, one student will receive the 2014-2015 Adhesive Manufacturers Association (AMA) Undergraduate scholarship Award in Adhesion Science. Joyci Kuang (Chemistry) conducted her research on "Synthesis of Aminocurdlans for Strong Interactions with Proteins,” under the direction of Prof. Kevin Edgar.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sept 30
Shengfeng Cheng Uses High-performance Computing to Design New Materials
Shengfeng Cheng, assistant professor physics, has developed a high-performance computing system to design molecules at the atomistic scale and create new materials with highly sought after properties. (read more...)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sep 30
Randy Heflin Named Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in College of Science
The College of Science at Virginia Tech has selected Professor of Physics Randy Heflin to be the new Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies. (read more...)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sep 15
MII Awards Scholarships to Deserving Students
Each year MII awards scholarships to deserving students. For the 2014-2015 academic year, one student will receive the 2014-2015 James P. Wightman Scholarship in Adhesion. Chainika Jangu (a graduate student in Chemistry) is conducting her research was on “Examining Structure-Morphology-Property Relationships of Novel Styrenic-Based Macromolecules afor Emerging Applications,” under the direction of Prof. Tim Long. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sep 9
Prof. John Matson Receives Powe Junior Faculty Award
Prof. John B. Matson has received a highly-competitive 2014 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award. This is the third consecutive year that a Chem faculty member from VT has won the award (Tijana Grove in 2012 and Amanda Morris in 2013). The $5,000 Powe Award, which is matched by Virginia Tech, will be used by the Matson lab to pursue new synthetic routes to bottlebrush polymers. These specialized polymers have unique mechanical properties and are currently being studied as new elastomeric materials for applications in vibration-damping materials, as well as synthetic mimics of the shock-absorbing biopolymers present in human cartilage. Through this work, the Matson lab will develop methods to simplify their synthesis through a strategy that combines two powerful polymerization catalysts.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jul 14
Rachael Parker Receives Protein Society Award
Rachael Parker, a third-year graduate student in Tijana Grove’s research group, has been selected to receive The Finn Wold Travel Award from The Protein Society. Supported by contributions from the Society and its members—and named in honor of one of the Society’s founding members—the Wold Award is given to outstanding students based on scientific merit. In addition to financial support to contribute to the 28th Annual Symposium of The Protein Society (this year in San Diego), awardees will be recognized during the plenary awards session. Rachel’s work targets the design of a synthetic module that specifically binds the Mycobacteria cell wall. Her studies have implications in the development of inexpensive point-of-care diagnostic devices for TB.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
JUN 30
Deborah Kelly receives young investigator award from the Concern Foundation
Deborah Kelly, an assistant professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, was named a recipient of a young investigator award from the Concern Foundation. This grant will provide funding for an analysis of how oxidative damage can give rise to breast cancer in BRCA1 gene mutations at a molecular level.
Oxidative damage is caused by the body’s inability to cleanse excess chemicals that result from cells exchanging information. Scientists think that this damage can induce uncontrollable cell division and lead to cancer. The damage is even more pronounced when the BRCA1 gene is mutated and loses its natural tumor suppressing control.
Kelly’s research uses innovative imaging techniques to view molecular details in a near-native state. By examining exactly how the BRCA1 protein interacts with other gene regulatory complexes in the cell, Kelly can learn how DNA damage accumulates to give rise to BRCA1-related cancers.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jun 23
In memoriam: Eva Marand, Professor of Chemical Engineering
Eva Marand, 55, of Blacksburg, Virginia, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Virginia Tech, beloved mother of Alena Clarke, Alex Marand, and Anika Marand, and exceptional wife of Herve Marand, daughter of Vera and Pierre Dobrovolny, sister to Lucie Casiello, and friend of many, passed away at sunrise on June 22nd 2014, surrounded by her family in her home and sanctuary in the Catawba valley. As Eva took her final breath, the birds awoke and began to sing. (read more...)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
May 12
Plastics to dust -- a dream about to come true
Wolfgang Glasser says he was hesitant at first when a start-up company asked him to be their chief scientific officer. But then the professor emeritus of sustainable biomaterials realized that cycleWood Solutions Inc. could make his dream — biodegradable plastics from a plentiful natural resource — a reality. (read more...)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
May 29
Bump Accepts Viers Award
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
May 20
In memoriam: James McGrath, University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry
James McGrath, University Distinguished Professor and Ethyl Corporation Professor of Chemistry in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, died Saturday evening after a long battle with brain cancer. He was 79. (read more...)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Apr 23
MII Alumni Receive The "Tech Transfer Challenge" Award
The Tech Transfer Challenge award went to Atieh Haghdoost and Mehdi Kargar of P&P Coating, a Virginia Tech spin-off formed around the patent-pending technology platform of low-cost porous coatings completely made of earth-abundant metals.
The team will received $100,000 worth of mentorship and business support services over two years, including assistance in developing the overall business strategy as well as the presentations and plan documents needed for investor discussions and product launch.
Other teams that competed in the Tech Transfer Challenge were Hydrokinetic Energy Systems, LIN System and pheno-CHIP.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mar 3
Prof. Tim Long received the 2014 Robert L. Patrick Fellowship (read more...)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mar 3
Department of Chemistry Doctoral Student, Keren Zhang, Wins Alan Gent Award
During the annual meeting of the Adhesion Society, two types of awards are given to
graduate students. The first type of student award is the Peebles Award for Graduate
Student Research in Adhesion Science. Several of these are given each year. The
selection of awardees is based on abstracts submitted as contributions to the Annual
Meeting. These awardees receive partial support to attend the meeting, and will
present their paper at an oral symposium with the other award winners. The second
award is the Alan Gent Distinguished Student Paper Award, sponsored by Henkel.
The winner is chosen from the Peebles awardees.
MII would like to congratulate Ms. Keren Zhang, a PhD Chemistry major, for winning
the Alan Gent Award, Keren was one of 7 students competing for this award.
