Department of Chemistry News

Spring 2014

Departmental Awards

Several Chemistry faculty received several significant awards this year.  Professor Kenneth Laali received the John A. Delaney Presidential Professorship Award, which recognizes a professor's significant accomplishments as a researcher.  The award, providing $7,500 in funding, covers a three year term beginning in Fall 2014 through Spring 2017.  Dr. Laali's research program is a strong record of scholarly activity in organic chemistry and synthesis, and is international in scope.  Dr. Michael Lufaso, Associate Professor of Inorganic Chemistry, received the Outstanding Faculty Scholarship Award for meritorious scholarship.  This recognition of Dr. Lufaso's research program includes and honorarium of $2,500.  A third faculty member, Assistant professor Dr. Amy Lane who teaches primarily in organic chemistry, was awarded the Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award which recognizes her excellence in teaching over the previous two years.  We are proud to name these people as our colleagues and friends and to raise a shout.  Congratulations!

Fall 2013

Annual Natural Sciences Student Research Poster Session

The Physics, Chemistry and Biology Departments share support of this activity which takes place each Fall.  Posters explaining research undertaken by students in each of the departments were showcased and on display in the courtyard at the Biology Building for a short period of time. The winner in the Chemistry section was Chad Drexler for his work with Dr. Thomas Mullen.   

Summer 2013

Dr. Radha Pyati assumed the duties of Chair in the Department of Chemistry in July 2013. This is not the first time that Dr. Pyati has taken on significant administrative duties in addition to her duties as a faculty member in the department. For several years she served as Director of the Environmental Center. Under her tutelage, that organization staged a number of campus-wide events such as Garbage on the Green, the ever-popular "dumpster diving" event where we find out just how much recyclable stuff we throw away. She also was co-author/co-PI with several others on the St. Johns River State of the River Report and in securing significant funding for the Center.