News

Paul Edmiston Develops Substance to Clean Up Toxic Liquid Spills
December 14, 2007 - Two recent discoveries by Paul Edmiston, associate professor of chemistry at The College of Wooster, are likely to have major global implcations.

Explosive Sensor Could Have Major Impact on America's War on Terror
September 25, 2007 - A new explosive sensor could have a major impact on America's War on Terror. Paul Edmiston, associate professor of chemistry at The College of Wooster, has developed a sensor that can detect miniscule traces of TNT and other explosives. The significance of the sensor is that it can identify these explosive materials with perfect selectivity, meaning that its reliability is virtually flawless, even in environments where other chemicals are present.

Wooster Professor Chosen to Grade AP Chemistry Exam
June 30, 2007 - Paul Bonvalled was one of 200 readers of some 93,000 AP Chemistry exams during a weeklong session at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Atomic Absorption Spectrometer Expands Opportunities for Chemistry Students
June 14, 2007 - A new atomic absorption spectrometer, purchased recently by the Department of Chemistry, will enable students and faculty members to conduct a wider range of experiments.

Nine Wooster Professors Named to Endowed Positions
June 14, 2007 - Paul L. Gaus has been appointed to the Brown Professorship in Chemistry.
Virginia B. Pett has been appointed to the Robert E. Wilson Professorship in Chemistry.

The College of Wooster Honors Employees
May 21, 2007 - Rebecca Davis was recognized for 10 years of employment at the College. She has been in Department of Chemistry since February 2004. Prior to joining the department, she worked the Front Desk at The Wooster Inn.

National Science Foundation Recognizes Wooster Students and Recent Graduates
April 16, 2007 - Daniel Shai ('07), a physics and chemistry double major, was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

Wooster's Helen Murray Free Honored with Endowed Lecture
March 9, 2007 - Helen Murray Free, a 1945 College of Wooster graduate, was honored with the inaugral Helen Murray Freen Endowed Lecture. The lecture series was established by Helen's children and endowed through the Al and Helen Free Foundation. Each year, this endowed fund will bring to campus a renowned chemical scientist.

College of Wooster Organic Chemistry Professors Talk Turkey with Students
November 17, 2006 - Judy Amburgey-Peters and Paul Bonvallet, professors of organic chemistry at The College of Wooster, though it would be fun - and educational - to present a lesson on the chemistry of Thanksgiving just days before the annual feast.

WOOSTER PEOPLE: Tamutenda Chidawanyika ('08)
November 14, 2006 - Chidawanyika, a junior chemistry major from Mutare, Zimbabwe, has packed a lot into her first two years at Wooster, from participating in the college's ambassadors program - a group of international students who do presentations in the community about their countries' culture, history, and current events - to a role in the theatre department's projection of Tartuffe. This year, she is serving as president of the International Students Association, working as a resident assistant, and volunteering with the student wellness center as a first responder.

WOOSTER PEOPLE: Judy Amburgey-Peters
November 1, 2006 - Judy Amburgey-Peters knows that she can't be all things to all people, but that hasn't stopped her from trying. An associate professor of chemistry at The College of Wooster, Amburgey-Peters is dedicated to nurturing and challenging her most gifted students while spending just as much time, if not more, working with those who need extra attention. "My end game is to help students learn," she says. "I am committed to doing whatever I can to make that happen."

WOOSTER PEOPLE: Danny Shai ('07)
September 20, 2006 - By choosing to major in both chemistry and physics, Danny Shai falls somewhere in the range between brilliant and crazy. A senior from nearby Copley, Ohio, Shai chose The College of Wooster, not because of its proximity to home, but because of its reputation for excellence in the sciences.

A Tribute to Ted Williams
September 2006 - The American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry is sponsoring a symposium, titled Remembering Ted, in honor of the late Ted Williams, professor of chemistry at The College of Wooster for more than 40 years, who passed away last year. The session, scheduled during the ACS meeting in San Francisco, September 10-14, was organized by one of his proteges, Paul Edmiston, associate professor of chemistry at Wooster, who said that it will recognize, celebrate, and in many ways continue what Ted began. The session, which will focus on mentoring, education, and giving of oneself - all passions of Wooster's legendary professor - will not only provide the chemistry community with a chance to share stories about one of its friends, but also inspire them to be better in their profession and their lives. The list of speakers includes Williams' former colleague Dick Bromund, former students Eric Roberts, Anne Fischer, Lee Limbird, and F. Ann Walker, and his daughter Alison.

WOOSTER PEOPLE: Alicia Cattaneo (/07)
August 30, 2006 - Summer research programs provide undergraduate students at The College of Wooster with invaluable hands-on experience. In the case of Alicia Cattaneo, however, the project turned out to be as much "hands-in" as "hands-on."

WOOSTER PEOPLE: Jim Graham ('08)
August 23, 2006 - Jim Graham Finds Adventure and Excitement in the Lab

Mark Snider Presents Research at Prestigious Gordon Research Conference
August 17, 2006 - Mark Snider learned about the importance of sharing at an early age, and he continues to embrace that philosophy, even when it comes to complicated scientific information. An assistant professor of chemistry at The College of Wooster, Snider revealed the results of his recent research at the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Enzymes, Coenzymes and Metabolic Pathways, hosted by the University of New England last month in Biddeford, Maine.

Ann Walker (1962) receives the American Chemical Society 2006 Alfred Bader Award. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to bioorganic or bioinorganic chemistry.

Former Faculty Member Dies
June 18, 2006 - Donald Tarr, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at St. Olaf College and an active member of the Northfield Community, died suddenly on June 18 at age 73. He taught in the Department of Chemistry at The College of Wooster for six years.

Wooster Impress Scientists at Annual ASBMB Meeting
April 14, 2006 - Six College of Wooster students and two faculty members presented their latest research at the American Society of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Meeting (ASBMB) earlier this month in San Francisco. Seniors Logan Andrews, Juliana Anquandah, Erin Gustely, Hai Dang Nguyen, B. Dan Pipitone, and Julianne Rutt were joined by professors Dean Fraga and Mark Snider.

Two Wooster Students Chosen as Goldwater Scholars
March 22, 2006 - Stephen Poprocki and Margaret Timmers, both juniors at The College of Wooster, have been selected as Goldwater Scholars. Poprocki, a physics major from Amherst, and Timmers, a chemistry major from Midland, Mich., will receive scholarships to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board in their senior year up to a maximum of $7,500.

WOOSTER PEOPLE: Juliana Anquandah
March 10, 2006 - Juliana Anquandah is "very focused," says Mark Snider, assistant professor of chemistry. "She's someone who really loves to ask questions and figure things out."

ALUMNI RELATIONS: Philip Verhoef ('97)
January 26, 2006 - Former chemistry and biology major mixes medicine with music.

Cottrell College Award Paves Way for Next Generation of Technology
December 7, 2005 - Cell phones, digital cameras, computer monitors, television screens, and just about anything else with a lighted display are likely to operate more efficiently and less expensively if Paul Bonvallet's research goes according to plan.
An assistant professor of chemistry at The College of Wooster, Bonvallet has received a two-year, $36,000 Cottrell College Science Award from Research Corporation for his efforts to streamline the way organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays produce colored light. The project, officially titled "The Synthesis, Characterization, and Supramolecular Properties of a Light-Emitting Polymer," involves the color tuning of a single material by supramolecular means instead of the current method of covalent synthesis - the piece-by-piece formation of chemical bonds to create many different compounds.

Memorial Service Pays Tribute to Ted Williams
December 5, 2005 - Family, friends, faculty, and former students gather on Saturday afternoon in McGaw Chapel to pay tribute to legendary professor Ted williams, who passed away Nov. 11 at the ager of 75. A crowd of more than 1,000 assembled to celebrate the life of the man who dedicated himself to ensuring that all peoplr, particularly women and minorities, would have equal access to education so they could reach their full potential.

Wooster Mourns the Passing of Ted Williams
November 11, 2005 - Theodore Roosevelt Williams, The College of Wooster's venerable professor of chemistry for more than four decades, died early Friday morning (November 11) following a period of declining health.
A memorial service will be held at McGaw Chapel (340 E. University St.) on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Wooster Chamber Music Series, c/o Diane Gordon, Greater Wayne County Foundation, Inc., 133 S. Market St., P.O. Box 201, Wooster, Ohio 44691, or to the Black Alumni Theodore R. Williams Scholarship Fund, c/o The College of Wooster Development Office, Galpin Hall, Wooster, Ohio 44691.

Amburgey-Peters to Discuss Creative Trends in Organic Chemistry
October 2005 - Judy Amburgey-Peters will reveal the creative side of science when she presents "Designer Molecules: Modeling Mother Nature" at the final Faculty at Large lecture of the fall semester on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 11 a.m. in Room 009 of Severance (Chemistry) Hall.

Undergraduate Research Showcase Celebrates Wooster's Strengths
October 2005 - Science on a Saturday morning? You bet: biology, chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, geology, and more, as well as psychology and mathematics. It's all part of The College of Wooster' inaugural Undergraduate Research Showcase, which will be held in conjunction with Family Weekend on Saturday, Oct. 8.

NSF Grant to Support Computational Chemistry Research at Wooster
September 2005 - Wingfield Glassey was one of eigth faculty members from leading liberal arts colleges across the nation involved in a grant proposal that will be funded by the National Science Foundation's Division of Chemistry.

College Promotes Three to Professor, Two to Associate Professor
September 2005 - Paul Edmiston was among those promoted to Associate Professor effective August 25.

College of Wooster Faculty at Large Lectures Cover Wide Range of Topics
August 2005 - Judy Amburgey-Peters, associate professor of chemistry at Wooster, will reveal the creative side of science when she presents "Designer Molecules: Modeling Mother Nature" at the final lecture of the fall semester on Tuesday, November 15.

Teachers Rekindle Passion for Education at Science Workshop
August 2005 - Twenty-five fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade teachers from school districts in the Tri-County area attended a workshop at the College titled Expanding Connections in Science Education. The workshop was sponsored by The College of Wooster, the Tri-County Educational Service Center, and Wooster City Schools through a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Future workshops will address the life and physical sciences.

Teachers Learn New Tricks at Flinn Scientific Foundation Workshop
July 2005 - Once again, chemistry high school teachers came to campus and returned to class for a week of instruction at the Flinn Scientific Foundation Workshop, hosted by The College of Wooster, July 11-15.

The College of Wooster Honors Employees
May 2005 - Jerry Patterson was recognized for 5 years of employment at the College as the Chemistry Department's Stockroom Manager.

Wooster Sophomore Severin Pouly Receives Goldwater Scholarship
May 2005 - Severin Pouly, a sophomore Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Major, has been chosen to receive a Goldwater Scholarship for the 2005-2006 academic year. The national awards are presented annually to sophomores and juniors in the fields of mathematics, science, and engineering. The scholarships are granted on the basis of academic merit to approximately 300 students, selected from a field of more than 1,000 applicants. Goldwater Scholars are nominated by faculty members at colleges and universities nationwide. Those selected receive up to $7,500 to cover the costs of tuition, fees, books, and room and board. Award winners have impressive academic qualifications, and most go on to obtain a Ph.D. in their chosen field of study.

Matthew Linman Receives James T. McFarland Poster Award
May 2005 - Matthew Linman, a senior chemistry major, received the top poster award at The College of Wooster's James T. McFarland Poster Session.

Wingfield Glassey Elected to MERCURY Consortium
March 2005 - Wingfield Glassey, assistant professor of chemistry at The College of Wooster, has been elected to the MERCURY Consortium for the promotion of molecular education and research in computational chemistry at primarily undergraduate institutions.

Wooster Awarded $800,000 Grant by Howard Hughes Medical Institute
May 2004 - An $800,000 grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) will enable The College of Wooster to broaden science outreach and access with a four-pronged program that includes the establishment of an on-campus resource center for elementary school science teachers in and around Wooster.

Wooster Honors Employees at Service Recognition Luncheon
May 2004 - Diane Rossey was recognized for 25 years of employment at the College.

Wooster Scientists Receive $320,300 NSF Grant
May 2004 - Mark Snider, assistant professor of chemistry and principle investigator (PI) for the grant, Paul Edmiston, assistant professor of chemistry and co-PI, and Dean Fraga, associate professor of biology and co-PI, have been awarded a three-year, $320,300 grant from the National Science Foundation to study the nature of an enzyme involved in the muscle function of most, if not all, organisms.

Students Present Research at American Chemistry Society Meeting
April 2004 - Thirteen students, accompanied by Mark Snider and Judy Amburgey-Peters, presented research at the 227th National American Chemical Society Meeting in Anaheim, California.

Chemistry Students Honored at Poster Session
April 2004 - Posters adorned the hallways of Severance Hall on April 23, 2004 during The College of Wooster's Second Annual James T. McFarland Senior Independent Study (I.S.) Poster Session.

WOOSTER PEOPLE: Greg Dallinger ('05)
March 14, 2005 - Greg Dallinger Redefines Excellence in Chemistry

WOOSTER PEOPLE: Stacey Dean ('05)
February 11, 2005 - Wooster Experience Makes Lasting Impression on Stacey Dean