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Collaborative Research in the Chemical Sciences |
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Research ProgramsYou will need to select the three research groups you are most interested in working with before completing the online application. |
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Craig Aspinwall and Robin Polt : Glycosylation of Bioactive Peptides as a Route for Increasing Bioactivity This project seeks to identify the factors controlling the interaction of glycopeptides with cell membranes and cell membrane mimics (e.g. surfactant micelles), and to investigate the effects of glycosylation on cellular activation. As an REU student participant in this project, you will prepare one of a series of glycosylated analogues of glucagon-like peptide-I (GLP-1), a potent glucose-dependent stimulator of insulin release, using solid phase peptide synthesis in the Polt laboratory. You will then characterize the membrane binding properties and the biological function of both the synthetic and wild type GLP-1 peptides in the Aspinwall laboratory. Membrane binding properties will be investigated by micellar and liposomal capillary electrochromatography, and the effects on cellular function will be investigated via fluorescence microscopic measurement of intracellular Ca2+ concentrations at the single cell level. The unique combination of synthetic skills and analytical characterization of these laboratories will provide you with an excellent training environment while experiencing truly collaborative research activities. Aspinwall Polt |
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Michael F. Brown and S. Scott Saavedra : Membrane Interactions in Parkinson’s Disease Apart from cancer and cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease rank as two of the most prevalent ailments of an aging population. A common trait in neurodegenerative diseases is the deposition of misfolded and insoluble protein aggregates in the brain and other neural tissues. As the REU student participant on this project, you will investigate the membrane affinity of monomeric and oligomeric alpha-synuclein, this hallmark protein of Parkinson’s disease, as well as the detrimental effect of this protein upon domain-forming mixed-bilayer membranes. In the Brown lab, you will explore the membrane binding and folding of full-length alpha-synuclein and truncated fragments, together with the role of the membrane lipid composition, using plasmon waveguide resonance (PWR) spectroscopy. In the Saavedra lab, you will utilize techniques of forming planar-supported membranes by vesicle fusion. These in vitro studies of the conditions and mechanisms of alpha-synuclein oligomerization will contribute to the design of anti-aggregative medicinal agents for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Brown Saavedra |
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Richard Glass and Dennis Evans and Dennis Lichtenberger : Coupling Redox Processes to Drive Chemical Reactivity: New Catalysts for Hydrogen Production * In this collaborative project, three subdisciplines of chemistry, synthesis, electrochemistry, and theoretical/photoelectron spectroscopy, are marshaled to develop an inexpensive and effective catalyst for hydrogen production. As the REU participant on this project, you will learn synthetic methodology, spectroscopic structural elucidation and electrochemical methodology as well as work as a team member in a collaborative project that is relevant to green energy production. You will synthesize a potential iron-based catalyst with low potential organic redox ligands (Glass) and study it electrochemically and evaluate it as a catalyst for H2 production (Evans). The coupling between redox ligand and the diiron center is crucial to the design and will be probed using MO analysis based on PES and computations (Lichtenberger). High school students, UA undergraduates and REU students have all previously participated in this program. With proper mentoring and judicious choice of goals, all of our participants are successful. Glass Evans Lichtenberger |
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Victor J. Hruby and Minying Cai : Targeting Melanocortin Receptors with Peptides and Peptide Mimetics The melanotropin peptides (α-MSH, β-MSH, γ-MSH, ACTH, etc.) and the melanocortin receptors (MC1R, MC2R, MC3R, MC4R and MC5R) are ubiquitous hormones and neurotransmitters throughout all animal life. They are of central importance for many biological functions and diseases including feeding behavior, sexual behavior, pain, immune response, pigmentation, obesity, diabetes and neuropathic pain. We are designing receptor specific peptides and peptidomimetics that act as specific agonist or antagonists for one of these receptors. As the REU participant, you will design, synthesize, purify, analyze new ligands, and as time permits examine their binding affinities and in vitro biological activities. You will learn state-of-the-art synthesis and analytical methods for the purification and analysis of peptides and peptide mimetics including flash chromatograph, RP-HPLC, low and high resolution mass spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, etc. and also cell culturing, binding and second messenger assay methods in a high throughput format, etc. We collaborate extensively with pharmacologists, biochemists, medical doctors, biologists, etc. Hruby |
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Dominic McGrath and Neal Armstrong : New Methods for the Preparation of Naphthalocyanine Chromophores and their Incorporation as Donor Materials into Enhanced Performance OPVs High efficiency “Generation III” organic solar cells (OSCs) will require development of new strongly light absorbing donor and acceptor materials that self-organize into assemblies with high absorptivities and large exciton diffusion lengths, both critical properties for harvesting solar radiation with efficiencies approaching more expensive inorganic materials. As the REU participant, you will first create a member of a library of new solution-processable, self-organizing dendritic naphthalo¬cyanine dyes in the McGrath group using recently developed polymer supported synthesis and “click chemistry” technologies. You will then work in the Armstrong group using visible-near-IR spectroscopies, reflection-absorption FT-IR (RAIRS), powder diffraction and low-angle X-ray reflectivity studies to determine the type of packing of your dye in thin film formats. Finally, you will fabricate a first generation OSC on conventional transparent oxide substrates and compare it with recently reported small molecule and polymer OSCs. This is an ambitious goal, made possible by the mentoring the student will receive in both groups. McGrath Armstrong |
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Oliver L.A. Monti and Jeffrey Pyun : Developing a New Class of Nanosized Catalysts for Solar Hydrogen Production Wide-spread use of solar energy conversion will require the development of efficient methods for energy conversion into hydrogen or some other fuel. Novel core-shell noble metal / cobalt oxide nanoparticles are a promising candidate to catalyze solar water splitting, since the bandgap of this material is matched to the solar spectrum while the noble metal has the ability to store and shuttle electrons for a multi-electron reduction. As the REU student participant you will learn how to synthesize core-shell nanoparticles in the Pyun group, and characterize them using electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and other state-of-the-art tools. You will then work in the Monti group to investigate the electronic and spectroscopic properties of these particles using surface-enhanced Raman scattering and absorption spectroscopy, both in ensemble and single particle measurements. Finally, you will test the efficiency of this material in a photocatalyzed dye-degradation experiment. The ongoing collaborative efforts between the Monti and Pyun research groups will ensure an ideal learning environment for a student interested in synthesis and characterization of cutting-edge materials. Monti Pyun |
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Jeanne Pemberton and Raina Maier : The Effect of Biosurfactants on the Fate and Transport of Toxic Heavy Metals Soil bacteria produce multiple classes of biosurfactants that can influence toxic heavy metal fate and transport. The rhamnolipids complex heavy metals such as Pb2+ and Cd2+ more strongly than any other naturally occurring complexing agent such as the humic or fulvic acids. However, the structures and stoichiometries of these metal complexes are completely unknown, and the extent of interaction of the native rhamnolipids with soil surfaces is uncertain. Understanding the molecular details of this chemistry is essential for the development of accurate models of the fate and transport of heavy metals in soil environments. As the REU participant, you will harvest rhamnolipids from bacterial cultures in Prof. Maier’s group, and then investigate rhamnolipid-metal complex structure and stoichiometry using a combination of molecular spectroscopies (e.g. FTIR, Raman, NMR, ESI-MS) and potentiometry in Prof. Pemberton’s group. Adsorption and surface aggregation characteristics of the native rhamnolipids and their heavy metal complexes are being investigated using surface spectroscopies (FTIR, XPS) and atomic force microscopy. Pemberton |
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S. Scott Saavedra and Jeffrey Pyun and Neal Armstrong : Photosensitized Electron Transfer in Semiconductor-Supported Nanoparticle Thin Films and Polymer Hybrid Materials Controlling the composition and properties of light absorbing and energy conversion materials at the nanometer-scale will lead to more efficient and low-cost solar energy technologies. The Armstrong and Pyun groups are creating new types of semiconductor nanoparticle (SC-NP)/polymer hybrid materials for low-cost, readily processed photovoltaic thin films. The Saavedra and Armstrong groups have ultra-sensitive electroactive waveguide technologies for characterizing electron transfer rates of conductive organic films on indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrodes, and they are now in the process of extending this to tethered SC-NPs. As the REU participant, you will prepare suspended and tethered SC-NPs (Pyun and Armstrong) and characterize their optical and electrochemical properties of, focusing on the effects of the structure and length of the tether molecule(Saavedra and Armstrong). Time permitting, this approach will be extended to small molecule and polymer environments that approximate those found in PV devices. The project ultimately will define NP microenvironments that produce the highest photopotentials and photocurrents in photovoltaic cells. Saavedra Pyun Armstrong |
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Vicki Wysocki and Donna Wolk : Comparison of Multiplex-PCR and PCR-MS Approaches for Rapid Detection of Infection Profs. Wysocki and Wolk are collaborating on rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Stapholococcus aureus (MRSA) and rapid detection of emerging pathogens in samples from emergency room patients. A newly installed PCR-MS from Ibis/Abbott, located in the Genomic Analysis Technology Core, and multiplex PCR instruments in the Wolk laboratory are all located in UA BIO5 Institute for Collaborative BioResearch and will be utilized in these studies. As the REU participant, you will capture organisms on immobilized antibodies or peptides prepared in the Wysocki lab, and purify their DNA. Comparisons will be made between multiplex PCR approaches and PCR MS approaches for rapid detection of infection. This project is an interesting real-world application of analytical technology and the instrumentation is eventually planned for use by lab technicians. Wysocki |
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Mark A. Smith and Jonathan Lunine : Growth of Complex Organic Molecules in Prebiotic and Interstellar Environments Titan, as an astrobiological object, is an excellent laboratory for the study of chemical development as it might have occurred on Early Earth and also for potential prebiological development outside of the Earth’s envelope. The major source of complex organics on the surface of Titan is the settling of organic aerosols from the atmosphere. This material is the feedstock for the development of a prebiological chemistry in the presence of oxygen, in the form of frozen water ice on the surface. As the REU participant, you will study the kinetics and mechanisms involved in the transformation of aerosol analogues to Titan organics with water and ammonia/water eutectics. Using mass spectrometry you will follow the kinetics of complex organic mixtures (1000’s of components) as they convert to CHNO compounds. This data can be used to provide a possible picture of the kinetic development on the colder outer planets as well as chemistry that may have been active on Early Earth. Smith |
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Hamish S. Christie: Development of Improved Catalysts for Organic Synthesis Organic synthesis occupies a vital place in molecular science research. The construction of densely functionalized, stereochemically complex compounds, including many natural products and pharmaceutical agents presents many challenges. New synthetic methods are continuously sought to more efficiently prepare organic compounds with increased yield, stereoselectivity, and efficiency. A major area of research in the Christie group involves investigation of new reagents and catalysts that exert their effects by exploiting multiple, simultaneous, attractive electrostatic interactions with reactants. Methods for enantioselective, acylation, reduction, and carbonyl addition reactions are being investigated. New compounds for storage and use of hydrogen are also being studied. As an REU participant in the Christie group you will be involved in the synthesis and testing of new catalyst compounds. By engaging in this research you will inevitably gain experience with laboratory methods for synthetic organic chemistry. A variety of different reaction procedures will be encountered, various purification methods will be utilized, and you will become familiar with the use of various analysis methods, including NMR spectroscopy. Christie |
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Rene Corrales: Solvation of Amino Acids in Iionic Liquids: A Computational Approach Undergraduate research in the Corrales group focuses on employing molecular dynamics computer simulation codes to study the solvation of amino acids in ionic liquids. The theoretical approach is based on quantum and classical statistical mechanical numerical methods that together form a hierarchical modeling scope that cover a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Starting at the molecular level and extending to condensed states, electronic structure methods are used to characterize the electronic structure properties, excited states and high-energy molecular species, and heterogeneous interactions such as interfacial properties. Classical methods are used to carry out large-scale simulations of extended systems to characterize mesocscale structure and, in general, to characterize dynamical behavior. Feedback is provided between scales and therefore between approaches to gain an understanding of the formation of structure formation, of the response to electronic effects and chemical reactions, and of the relationship of molecular and mesoscale structure and properties. Corrales |
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Indraneel Ghosh: Designing Peptides, Proteins, and Organic Macromolecules for Targeting Human Disease and Biosensor Applications Undergraduate student have been integral to the ongoing research in the Ghosh lab, working at the interface of chemistry and biology. Numerous undergraduate students have co-authored peer-reviewed publications focusing upon Cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other human diseases. The Ghosh group focuses upon: i) designing inhibitors of protein kinases and protein/protein interactions implicated in a wide array of human disease utilizing small molecule and biological selections; and ii) designing protein biosensors for peeking inside cells and developing new methods for studying Systems level Biology. REU students have successfully participated in the above projects where they have learned about peptide/protein synthesis, design and selections of small molecules, DNA, RNA, and protein binding biosensors, and numerous chemical, biological, biophysical and analytical techniques. The ongoing research is highly multidisciplinary in nature and can also allow REU students to also participate in laboratories that we often collaborate often with, such as Prof. Nafees Ahmed (Virology), Prof. Craig Aspinwall (Analytical Chemistry), and Prof. David Segal (Molecular Biology). Ghosh |
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Douglas Loy: Sol-gel Approaches to hybrid organic-inorganic nanoparticles for membranes My group is investigating the sol-gel chemistry associated with making hybrid organic inorganic particles for preparing membranes and colloidal crystals (opals). As an REU participant you will perform sol-gel polymerizations of bridged alkoxysilane monomers to form spherical nanoparticles, characterize their size using dynamic light scattering, and assemble the particles into colloidal crystals for evaluation as membranes. Suspensions (sols) of the particle will be cast onto porous membranes to form asymmetric membranes through a size exclusion process. Fluorescent co-monomers will incorporated into some of the spherical particles to permit rapid characterization of membrane thickness on the supports. Ultimately these membranes will be used for energy saving gas separation membranes. Loy |
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Eugene Mash: Crystal Engineering of Piperazinediones Intermolecular interactions are of fundamental interest and practical importance in chemistry, biology, and materials science. The Mash group is presently using a self-assembly paradigm based on orthogonal interactions to study hydrocarbon chain interactions by spectroscopic, crystallographic and thermochemical methods. Piperazinediones that present "H"-shaped topographies have been synthesized, characterized, and shown to exhibit liquid crystal (LC) properties. As the REU participant, you will prepare piperazinediones that present "T"-shaped topographies from amino acid derivatives currently on hand and characterized in collaboration with scientists in UA research facilities. Mash |
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Katrina Miranda: Synthesis of Nitroxyl Donors for Treatment of Heart Failure Nitroxyl (HNO) donors exhibit pharmacological potential for treatment of diseases such as heart failure, cancer and alcoholism. At present, the only commercially available compound that spontaneously releases HNO under physiological conditions is an inorganic salt (Angeli's salt; Na2N2O3). Although Angeli's salt has been adequate to initiate biological study of HNO, its pharmaceutical use will be severely limited due to short half-life and lack of specificity. As the REU participant, you will synthesize a new generation of HNO donors containing organic moieties, which can be readily altered for a specific function, and characterize these donors both chemically (spectroscopic features, kinetics and profiles of nitrogen oxide release) and pharmacologically (cellular toxicity). You will thus be exposed to the interface between chemistry, biochemistry and pharmacology. Miranda |
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Bogdan Z. Olenyuk: Chemical Approach in Controlling Gene Expression Olenyuk |
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Andrei Sanov: Structure and Photochemistry of Gas Phase Cluster Anions Clusters represent a unique state of matter that is intermediate between isolated molecules and bulk materials. They allow studies of intermolecular interactions at a very detailed, molecular level. We use a combination of photoelectron imaging and time-of-flight photofragment mass-spectrometry to investigate the electronic structure and photochemistry of molecular cluster anions, such as, for example, (N2O)n-. The primary objective of this research is to unravel the covalent interactions in these clusters, including the formation of new chemical bonds and covalent dimer-anion species. Such dimer-anions are likely to open new photochemical pathways, leading to the formation of a diverse set of photofragments. Sanov |
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This material is based upon work supported by the REU Site Program of the National Science Foundation No. CHE-0453466. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. |
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Department of Chemistry · The University of Arizona |
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