With over seventy total researchers during the summer, the Furman University Chemistry Department boasts one of the largest undergraduate research programs in the nation. The summer of 2014 marked the 50th consecutive program in which undergraduates, masters students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty mentors, and visiting faculty from area schools work together over a ten-week period in a wide variety of scientific research projects. The undergraduate students, who receive stipends for the summer, carry out independent investigations in the areas of analytical, inorganic, physical, organic and bio-organic chemistry. This program would not be possible without the support of wide variety of public and private sources.
These student/faculty collaborations produced the following research papers that were published in peer-reviewed journals.
Submissions from 2014
Computational approaches for the prediction of pKa values, George C. Shields and Paul G. Seybold
Structural Analysis of α-Fetoprotein (AFP)-like Peptides with Anti-Breast-Cancer Properties, Berhane Temelso, Katherine A. Alser, Arianne Gauthier, Amber Kay Palmer, and George C. Shields
Synthesis of trans bis-alkynyl complexes of Co(III) supported by a tetradentate macrocyclic amine: A spectroscopic, structural, and electrochemical analysis of π-interactions and electronic communication in the C≡C—M—C≡C structural unit, Parth U. Thakker, Roberto G. Aru, Chivin Sun, William T. Pennington, Adam M. Siegfried, Elyse C. Marder, and Paul S. Wagenknecht
Synthetic control of the cis/trans geometry of M(cyclam)(CCR)2]OTf complexes and photophysics of cis-Cr(cyclam)(CCCF3)2]OTf and cis-Rh(cyclam)(CCCF3)2]OTf, Parth U. Thakker, Chivin Sun, Levan Khulordava, Colin D. McMillen, and Paul S. Wagenknecht
Submissions from 2013
Study of the Halogen Bonding between Pyridine and Perfluoroalkyl Iodide in Solution Phase Using the Combination of FTIR and 19F NMR, Briauna Hawthorne, Haiyan Fan-Hagenstein, Elizabeth Wood, Jessica M. Smith, and Timothy W. Hanks
Polydiacetylene-Based Smart Packaging, Sarah C. Hill, Yamin Htet, Jennifer Kauffman, Inyee Y. Han, Paul L. Dawson, William T. Pennington, and Timothy W. Hanks
A Departmental Focus on High Impact Undergraduate Research Experiences, Robin B. Kinnel, Adam W. Van Wynsberghe, Ian J. Rosenstein, Karen S. Brewer, Myriam Cotten, George C. Shields, Charles J. Borton, SueAnn Z. Senior, Gregory S. Rahn, and Timothy E. Elgren
The Small Molecule Dispergo Tubulates the Endoplasmic Reticulum and Inhibits Export, Lei Lu, Rami N. Hannoush, Brian C. Goess, Shankar Varadarajan, Matthew D. Shair, and Tom Kirchhausen
Surface modification of polypyrrole/biopolymer composites for controlled protein and cellular adhesion, Paul J. Molino, BinBin Zhang, Gordon G. Wallace, and Timothy W. Hanks
Broadband Fourier Transform Rotational Spectroscopy for Structure Determination: The Water Heptamer, Cristóbal Pérez, Simon Lobsiger, Nathan A. Seifert, Daniel P. Zaleski, Berhane Temelso, George C. Shields, Zbigniew Kisiel, and Brooks H. Pate
Silver clusters as both chromophoric reporters and DNA ligands, Jeffrey T. Petty, Banabihari Giri, Ian C. Miller, David A. Nicholson, Orlin O. Sergev, Taylor M. Banks, and Sandra P. Story
A silver cluster-DNA equilibrium, Jeffrey T. Petty, Orlin O. Sergev, David A. Nicholson, Peter M. Goodwin, Banabihari Giri, and D. R. McMullan
DNA-Templated Molecular Silver Fluorophores, Jeffrey T. Petty, Sandra P. Story, Jung-Cheng Hsiang, and Robert M. Dickson
Structure and Thermodynamics of H3O+(H2O)8 Clusters: A Combined Molecular Dynamics and Quantum Mechanics Approach, Berhane Temelso, Thorsten Köddermann, Karl N. Kirschner, Katurah Klein, and George C. Shields
From formamide to adenine: a self-catalytic mechanism for an abiotic approach, Jing Wang, Jiande Gu, Minh Tho Nguyen, Greg Springsteen, and Jerzy Leszczynski
From formamide to purine: an energetically viable mechanistic reaction pathway, Jing Wang, Jiande Gu, Minh Tho Nguyen, Greg Springsteen, and Jerzy Leszczynski
From formamide to purine: a self-catalyzed reaction pathway provides a feasible mechanism for the entire process, Jing Wang, Jiande Gu, Minh Tho Nguyen, Greg Springsteen, and Jerzy Leszczynski
Efficient Production of Fluorescent Polydiacetylene-Containing Liposomes for Pathogen Detection and Identification, Cassandra Wright-Walker, Caroline E. Hansen, Michael A. Evans, Emily S. Nyers, and Timothy W. Hanks
Submissions from 2012
Quantum dot photoluminescence quenching by Cr(III) complexes. Photosensitized reactions and evidence for a FRET mechanism, Peter T. Burks, Alexis D. Ostrowski, Alexander A. Mikhailovsky, Emory M. Chan, Paul S. Wagenknecht, and Peter C. Ford
Electron spin resonance investigation of H2+, HD+, and D2+ isolated in neon matrices at 2 K, Matthew D. Correnti, Kyle P. Dickert, Mark A. Pittman, John W. Felmly, John J. Banisaukas, and Lon B. Knight
A Multistep Synthesis Featuring Classic Carbonyl Chemistry for the Advanced Organic Chemistry Laboratory, David B. Duff, Tyler G. Abbe, and Brian C. Goess
Photoactive Chromium(III)-Cyclam Complexes with Axially Bound geminal-Diethynylethenes, William P. Forrest, Zhi Cao, H. R. Hambrick, Boone M. Prentice, Phillip E. Fanwick, Paul S. Wagenknecht, and Tong Ren
Introduction: The Concept of Biomimicry and Bioinspiration in Chemistry, Timothy W. Hanks and Gerhard F. Swiegers
A unified mechanism for abiotic adenine and purine synthesis in formamide, Jeremy S. Hudson, Joseph F. Eberle, Raj H. Vachhani, Luther C. Rogers, James H. Wade, Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy, and Greg Springsteen
Hydration of the Bisulfate Ion: Atmospheric Implications, Devon E. Husar, Berhane Temelso, Alexa L. Ashworth, and George C. Shields
