Chemistry Department News

Faculty Members Attend BCCE

Dr. Anne Rammelsberg, Chair and Associate Professor of Chemistry, Dr. Gwen Baumann, Adjunct Professor of Chemistry, Dr. Clarence Josefson, Professor of Chemistry, and Dr. George Bennett, Associate Professor of Chemistry attended the 20th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, which was held at Indiana University July 27-31. Dr. Rammelsberg presented a paper on "Portfolios for Enhancing Student Learning in Essentials of Organic and Biochemistry." Dr. Josefson presented a paper on "Block Chemistry: Thirty Days of Intensive, Integrated, Lab-Centered First Semester General Chemistry." Dr. Bennett presented a poster on "Eleven Years of Green Chemistry at Millikin University." Dr. Bennett also finished second overall and first in the 35- to 39-year-old male group in the conference 5K cross country race.

Department Chair Honored

On July 17, 2008 Dr. Anne Rammelsberg, Chair and Associate Professor of Chemistry, was recognized at the ADM biennial award ceremony for helping ADM recieve US Patent #7,368,138 issued on May 6, 2008. The patent covers the extraction of phytosterols from corn fiber using green or environmentally benign solvents and will help ADM provide ingredients that when added to foods will lower cholesterol when consumed. This is her second US Patent for work completed at Archer Daniels Midland Company while on sabbatical in 2001-2002. The first US Patent #6,982,328 was issued on January 3, 2006 and included research collaborators from Batelle Memorial Institute (Richland, WA) as well as those at ADM.

Alumna Featured on Millikin's Homepage

Sarah Stopek-Hirsch ('97) is the owner and president of Sublime Promotions, a promotional merchandise company located in Chicago which she started in 2004. Read more about Sarah here.

Faculty Member Receives Award

Associate professor George Bennett was named one of the inaugural recipients of a Millikin University Research and Artistic Achievement Award. The award includes a $1,000 research stipend.

Department Awarded Pittcon Grant

The Department was awarded a 2008 Pittsburgh Conference National Memorial College Grant in the amount of $10,000. In combination with university and department funding, this grant went toward the purchase of a new Bruker Tensor FTIR spectrophotometer with Near IR scanning capability.

Presentations at the 235th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society

Seniors Keith Kunz and Andy Dunn presented their research posters accepted for presentation at the 235th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in New Orleans. Keith worked with Dr. Ed Acheson on an HPLC method to detect progesterone in local water samples. Andy worked with Dr. Anne Rammelsberg on using gold nanoparticles to detect DNA in impure solutions. Their poster symposium was held on April 7, 2008.

Homecoming 2007

The student chapter of the ACS brought back Dr. Stephen Hippler, M.D. ('80), currently Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Illinois-Peoria, Director for the Center for Clinical Research for the OSF Medical Group, and Director for Wellness Services at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, for the 5th Annual ACS Alumni Lecture. Dr. Hippler's presentation was at 3:00 p.m. in 001 LTSC on Friday, October 5. The event was supported in part by a grant from the Decatur-Springfield Local Section of the ACS.

Chemistry at Millikin is approved by the
Committee on Professional Training
of the American Chemical Society.