Wichita State University
A Publication of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
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Message from the Chair
Greetings from Wichita State University Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry! Some exciting things are going on in the department as we start the new school year. Our mission remains focused on delivering excellence in chemical and biochemical education, high-level, internationally-recognized research and service to our community.
A key part of our educational mission, beyond offering our important service courses to students from many different majors, is to provide applied learning for our majors. Towards this goal, every faculty member in the department mentors undergraduate researchers to provide opportunities to “get their feet wet” with an initial experience in independent and original research. In fact, all of our majors conduct research for at least one semester. Many students continue on with their projects and often present results at meetings or as manuscripts for publication.
In research, our department continues to be as productive as ever. Last year the department produced 26 peer-reviewed journal articles in top ranked journals and delivered 63 presentations at conferences.
Doug English
To fund their research, faculty depend on external grants and contracts from agencies, industry and foundations. In addition to individual research grants, last year the department was successful in securing $600,000 for the acquisition of a state-of-the-art 500 MHz nuclearmagnetic resonance spectrometer.
This effort was led by Prof. Jim Bann together with help from Profs. Beck, Pugh, Groutas and Wu. The Department recruited Dr. Dustin Nevonen from the University of Tennessee to hold the position of Instrumentation Manager and oversee the use and maintenance of our new NMR. This new instrument, and Dr. Nevonen’s expertise, is available for researchers across campus and beyond.
Student Spotlight
Rory Mata
Rory Mata is a senior chemistry undergraduate student, who is from Atchison, Kansas. Rory has two majors: Chemistry and Spanish. Rory chose to study chemistry because it is a subject that she really enjoyed throughout high school and the beginning of college.
Rory Mata
Rory studied Spanish for four years in high school and decided to continue in college in the hopes of learning to translate or interpret.
So far, Rory has really enjoyed her laboratory classes, as well as her research in chemistry and linguistics. Outside of the classroom, Rory enjoys painting, baking, learning Tae Kwon Do, and stargazing with the astronomy club, Club Nova.
In the future, Rory plans to study astrochemistry in graduate school and hopes to become a chemistry professor. Rory also intends to continue studying Spanish, and to become a certified translator or interpreter. This year Rory was selected for a WSU-NASA Applied Learning research grant.
Faculty Spotlight
Professor Jian Wang
Prof. Jian Wang at JPL NASA
Dr. Jian Wang joined WSU at the beginning of the Fall semester of 2019. Over the last five years, Prof. Wang has established an energetic research lab in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. His lab conducts synthesis of novel inorganic functional materials.
These materials have unique nonlinear optical properties, quantum characteristics, or low-dimensional (nanoscale) features, and thus can be applied to optical, superconducting, and battery technologies, respectively.
Prof. Wang's lab has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals since he joined WSU. His research has been supported by two NSF grants and one NASA grant recently.
Prof. Wang's lab is also passionate in passing knowledge to next-generation chemists. A diverse group of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral researchers are diligently working in his lab, and they have learned a lot with fruitful results.
Prof. Jian Wang at faculty and staff Olympics.
For instance, 12 peer-reviewed journal papers included undergraduate students; one undergraduate student won the national 2021 ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry Award for her excellent undergraduate research, and was admitted to the Graduate School of Cornell University.
Prof. Wang is always seeking talent in the form of highly motivated undergraduate and graduate research students.
Prof. Wang strives for a strong work life balance, finding time to prioritize both his family and his research. To quote Dr. Wang, “I’m working hard in the lab, but dedicating my time to family when I’m at home.”
Spotlight on Ryan Steinert - A Journey through Chemistry at WSU
Meet Ryan Steinert, a recent Ph.D. graduate from WSU, whose academic journey has been shaped by a passion for chemistry, meaningful connections, and a desire to contribute to the field of education.
Ryan Steinert
When asked about what prompted him to pursue a Ph.D. in Chemistry at WSU, Ryan fondly recalls the influence of his undergraduate advisor, Dr. Arvin Cruz, who received his Ph.D. from WSU and worked in Dr. Paul Rillema’s lab. His senior year research at Fort Hays State University was closely related to Dr. Rillema’s work at the time, creating a natural progression for Ryan to continue his studies at WSU.
At WSU, Ryan initially leaned towards joining an inorganic lab. However, a meeting with Dr. Katie Mitchell-Koch presented a unique opportunity to explore something entirely new and take a break from wet lab chemistry. This decision proved to be a pivotal moment in his academic journey.
Ryan expresses his overall satisfaction with the coursework during his time in graduate school, highlighting the excellence of the classes offered. He specifically found the teaching aspect rewarding and credits the 24/7 access to BeoShock High Performance Computing for making his dissertation possible.
Ryan’s advice for other grad students emphasizes the importance of networking with other graduate students. He encourages forming connections and engaging in activities outside of the lab and classroom to create a supportive community.
Ryan acknowledges that his graduate work has equipped him with the skills and credentials needed to apply for teaching jobs. Beyond practical achievements, he values the connections and friendships he has formed. His favorite memory from WSU involves the summer of 2020 which was marked by memorable barbeque parties with fellow graduate students.
When asked about staying motivated throughout his academic journey, Ryan's love for chemistry since high school shines through. Ryan Steinert's journey through the WSU Chemistry program exemplifies the fusion of passion, community, and a willingness to explore new opportunities. Since graduating in May, Ryan has joined the science staff at Geo Chemicals in Hutchinson, Kansas where he is working in the analytical lab.
Pay it Forward
Have you ever wanted to start an endowed scholarship fund for WSU chemistry majors? Endowments start with a $50,000 contribution to the WSU Foundation. For most people that is too much to consider. Now you can contribute to the Pooled Chemistry Fund. The Pooled Fund was started in 2022 as an endowment that was funded by many smaller donations. As of 2024 it has nearly $50,000 in permanent funds that will provide a $2,000 scholarship to an undergraduate chemistry or biochemistry major every year. Your donation will increase the endowment and the annual scholarship. Please consider donating by contacting our representative at the WSU Foundation, Matthew Fisher (316) 978-3078, matthew.fisher@wichita.edu.
Awards
Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Chemistry Scholarship Recipients
- Dr. & Mrs. Robert V. Christian & Dr. Robert Christian, Jr. Scholarship - Colton Baliel
- W. Mack Barlow Endowed Scholarship in Chemistry - Joshua Brooks, Mark White
- Fletcher-McKinley Endowed Scholarship - Rory Mata
- The E.W. "Pete" Armstrong Endowed Scholarship in Chemistry - Julie Tran
- Jerry Cohlmia LAS Chemistry Scholarship - Monica Whalen
- Frank Clifford Malone Research Scholarship - Kendah Ballout
- Charles M. Buess Chemistry/Business Scholarship - Rachel Wahlgren
- Alan & Sharon Fearey Endowed Scholarship in Chemistry - Paige Rentschler
Erach R. Talaty Endowed Scholarship in Chemistry
Prof. Erach R. Talaty
- Landon Stark
- Kaleb Black
- Johnny Dang
- Garrison Wright
WSU 2024 Undergraduate Award in Biochemistry
Cynthia Hoang
2023-2024 K-INBRE Research Scholarships
- Summer 2023 - Julie Tran, Mentored by Dr.Beck
- Fall and Spring 2023 - Yousaf Khan, Mentored by Dr. Bann
- Spring 2024 - Drew Glennemeir, Mentored by Dr. Beck
- STAR TRAINEE 2023-24 - Alia Michaelis, Mentored by Dr. Beck
Wichita Section of the American Chemical Society Local Section Award
- Outstanding Freshman: Carson Tucker
- Outstanding Sophomore: Zane Hubble
- Outstanding Junior: Rory Mata
- Outstanding Senior: Josh Brooks
- 2024 ACS Division of Organic Chemistry Outstanding, Senior Organic Chemistry Student - Raddek Thomas and Tariq Izard
- 2024 ACS Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry – Zane Hubble
- ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry Undergraduate Award in Inorganic Chemistry – Danielle Goodwin
- ACS 2024 Undergraduate Award in Physical Chemistry – Rory Mata
Major Instrument Acquisition - Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
Prof. Jim Bann and Instrumentation Manager Dr. Dustin Nevonen.
- 500 MHz AVANCE NEO with Liquid Nitrogen Cryoprobe - allowing for an approximate 4X increase in signal-to-noise over a conventional room-temperature probe
- Superior resolution with complete automation
- Funded by $606K NSF-MRI grant (2216453) from Sep. 2022 - August 2025: a large collaborative effort led by Prof. Jim Bann
- Available for use since November 2023
TopSpin spectral processing software, which is complementary to the hardware, is free for all WSU-affiliated users. Anyone interested in running NMR on their liquid systems is encouraged to contact Dr. Dustin Nevonen (dustin.nevonen@wichita.edu) for consultation and/or scheduling.
2024 Graduates
ACS BS in Chemistry
- Mariah Hart (Cum Laude)
- Ellie Buresh (Magna Cum Laude)
- Danielle Goodwin (Magna Cum Laude)
Chemistry Pre-Med BS
- Erin Murphy (Magna Cum Laude)
- Kevin Ta (Summa Cum Laude)
- Luke Cole (Summa Cum Laude)
- Katie Loi
- Kevin Nguyen (Summa Cum Laude)
- Hannah Patenaude
Chemistry General Studies
- Ricardo Claudio (Cum Laude)
- Chelsea Hallacy (Cum Laude)
- Jami Moore (Magna Cum Laude)
- Calvin Stockton (Magna Cum Laude)
- Carson Wheeler (Cum Laude)
Biochemistry Field Major
- Jaden Jespersen
- James Davies
- Kayla Polinsky
- Ibrahim Touffaha (Summa Cum Laude)
Chemistry Business Field Major
- Randi Baker
- Grace Lucian
Chemistry Field Major
- Kirk Bomgardner
Recent Publications
Faculty/Staff in Bold
Undergraduate students in Italic
Drug discovery against SARS-CoV-2
- Dampalla DS, Kim Y, Zabiegala A, Howard DJ, Nguyen NH, Madden TK, Thurman HA, Cooper A, Liu L, Battaile KP, Lovell S, Chang KO, Groutas WC. Structure-guided design of potent coronavirus inhibitors with a 2-pyrrolidone scaffold: biochemical, crystallographic and virological studies J Med Chem. 2024, 67, 11937-11956
Discovery and characterization of new inorganic and organometallic materials
- Nevonen, D. E.; Wagner, J. C.; Brückner, C.; Ziegler, C. J.; Nemykin, V. N. Magnetic Circular Dichroism of Porphyrinoid Silver Complexes: Evidence of the Electronic Structure Inversion upon Protonation of the N-Confused Core. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2023, 14, 7382-7388.
- Zixian Jiao, Jasmine Quah, Bingbing Zhang, Fei Wang, Jian Wang. Synthesis, Crystal and Electronic Structures, Linear and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Oxyhalides CeHaVIO4 (Ha=Cl, Br; VI=Mo, W). Dalton Trans. (Invited paper), 2024, 53, 2029-2038.
- Zixian Jiao, Osvaldo Medina Mireles, Kevin Ensz, Fei Wang, Mingli Liang, P. Shiv Halasyamani, Bingbing Zhang, D. Paul. Rillema, Jian Wang. Heteroanionic LaBrVIO4 (VI=Mo, W): Excellence in Both Nonlinear Optical Properties and Photoluminescent Properties. Chem. Mater. 2023, 35, 6998-7010.
- Kromer, J.R.; Oberley, A.J.; Kadel, L.R.; Vonarx, D.; McNeil, J.; Haskin, J.; Steinert, R.M.; Mitchell-Koch, K.R.; Moore, C.E.; Eichhorn, D.M.; “Synthesis and X-ray crystal structures of mononuclear and multinuclear metal complexes of 3-substituted 4-cyanopyrazole ligands”; Polyhedron 2023, 243, 116546.
High-resolution separation of challenging analytes
- Thurman HA, Wijegunawardena G, Berthias F, Wu H, Jensen ON, Shvartsburg AA. Multiplatform High-Definition Ion Mobility Separations of the Largest Epimeric Peptides. Anal. Chem. 2024, 96, 2318-2326.
Structure-function relationships in proteins relevant to cancer metastasis
- Albraiki S, Ajiboye O, Sargent R, Beck MR. Functional comparison of full-length palladin to isolated actin binding domain. Protein Sci. 2023, 32, e4638.
Total synthesis and structural analysis of glycosylated proteins implicated in Alzheimer’s Disease
- Wijegunawardena G, Castillo E, Henrickson B, Davis R, Condello C, Wu H. Total Chemical Synthesis of Glycosylated TREM2 Ectodomain. ACS Chem. Neurosci. 2023, 14, 2243–2251.
Quick Facts
- 128 Grant proposals submitted in 2023.$4.2 M in active grant funding.
- 27 Ph.D., 7 MS students.
- 26 Peer-reviewed publications.
- 63 Presentations in 2023 at regional and national conferences by faculty members, students and staff.
- 4 New patents issued since 2020 involving vaccines for anthrax, antivirals for COVID and antibiotics with novel mode of action.
New to the Department
Merrie Housdon, the new Office Coordinator joined in July 2024. Dustin Nevonen, the
new Instrumentation Manager joined in May 2023.