chem-news | College of Science

The surprising role of CO₂ in cellular health

December 2, 2024

Normally, this works fine, but under stress, such as inflammation or a burst of energy use, oxidative stress damages cells at the genetic level.

This is because iron and H₂O₂ react in what’s known as the Fenton reaction, producing hydroxyl radicals, destructive molecules that attack DNA and RNA indiscriminately. But there’s a catch. In the presence of carbon dioxide — that pesky gas disrupting global climate systems — our cells gain a secret weapon in the form of bicarbonate which helps keep pH levels balanced.

A team of University of Utah chemists has discovered that bicarbonate doesn’t just act as a pH buffer but also alters the Fenton reaction itself in cells. Instead of producing chaotic hydroxyl radicals, the reaction instead makes carbonate radicals, which affect DNA in a far less harmful way, according to Cynthia Burrows, a distinguished professor of chemistry and senior author of a study published this week in PNAS.

“So many diseases, so many conditions have oxidative stress as a component of disease. That would include many cancers, effectively all age-related diseases, a lot of neurological diseases,” Burrows said. “We’re trying to understand cells’ fundamental chemistry under oxidative stress. We have learned something about the protective effect of CO₂ that I think is really profound.”

Co-authors include Aaron Fleming, a research associate professor, and doctoral candidate Justin Dingman, both members of the Burrows Laboratory.

“Just like opening up a can of beer. You release the CO₂ when you take your cells out of the incubator. It’s like doing experiments with a day-old glass of beer. It’s pretty flat. It has lost the CO₂, its bicarbonate buffer,” Burrows said. “You no longer have the protection of CO₂ to modulate the iron-hydrogen peroxide reaction.”

She believes bicarbonate needs to be added to ensure reliable results from such experiments.

Teaching Thousands

November 26, 2024

At the Department of Chemistry, excellence and innovation converge in an extraordinary educational endeavor: moving over 2,000 students each semester through foundational chemistry classes.

This remarkable feat is achieved through a cutting-edge curriculum delivered by six passionate educators known as the "teachers of thousands": Jeff Statler, Elizabeth Greenhalgh, Ryan DeLuca, Kaci Kuntz, Holly Sebahar, and Greg Owens. These instructors, all six of whom are featured here, possess a rare skill set that allows them to present fundamental chemistry with competence, patience, and an uncanny ability to inspire. In their classrooms and labs, aspiring chemists and future medical professionals alike find themselves immersed in an unparalleled learning environment. These six are supported by other faculty dedicated to curriculum development and fostering a robust space for scientific curiosity.

Greg Owens

Greg Owens

When Greg Owens walks into the classroom, he’s in paying-it-forward mode. He attended college in rural Georgia where two of his chemistry professors had just arrived from the U and inspired him to transfer there. They facilitated a spot for Owens in the REU program where he spent his summer after his junior year working in Tom Richmod’s lab, learning valuable skills and techniques. “That experience solidified my interest in academics and in going to graduate school,” he says.

Owens attended UCLA for graduate school where he focused on teaching and used his Utah connection to sneak a toe back in the door after finishing his dissertation. Since 2002, he has instructed classes ranging from 115 to 230 students, totaling over 19,000 students taught throughout his career so far. Owens' graduate work in inorganic chemistry provided him with comprehensive knowledge of the field, making general chemistry a natural choice for his teaching career. Even as a TA in graduate school, he enjoyed opening students’ eyes not only to the world of atoms and molecules but also to the satisfaction of problem-solving.

General chemistry represents for many students their first opportunity to apply mathematics and fundamental principles to understand how things work and how seemingly unrelated phenomena are connected. The course allows them to move beyond memorization and learn to navigate through a series of logical steps to solve complex problems.

In recent years, Owens’s teaching style has evolved from traditional lecturing of hundreds of students in a classroom setting to asynchronous instruction. In these “online courses,” students engage with course materials independently through Canvas, which includes textbooks, instructional videos, problem sets, practice quizzes, and discussion boards. There are no set class meetings, allowing students to study at their own pace and convenience. This approach offers flexibility and freedom while also placing significant responsibility on the student.

One of his favorite classes to teach is the first semester of chemistry for students aiming to enter nursing school. He often finds that many students in these classes initially believe they lack aptitude for math and science, leading to a lack of confidence at the start of the course. However, their strong motivation to succeed in nursing school drives them forward. “It’s rewarding to witness these students’ growing confidence as they recognize the subject’s relevance to their career path and discover their capability in science and math, far exceeding what they had previously believed possible.”

Reflecting on fond memories from these types of classes, he recalls a humorous incident involving Halloween and students’ cell-phones to which, in the early days, he had a particular aversion to especially when they rang ringing loudly during class, including during exams. One Halloween, a student surprised everyone by running down the lecture hall dressed in a homemade cell-phone costume, distributing candy to the audience amidst laughter.

Throughout Owens’s teaching career, he has managed to help his students see their world in very different ways and comprehend complex ideas they initially thought were beyond their abilities. “Every semester,” he says, “I’m in awe of the students who refuse to give up, overcoming enormous hardship and personal tragedy to excel in their studies. He believes in giving students space as wide as rural Georgia and opportunity to learn how to learn and make mistakes, advising incoming students interested in chemistry to get involved with a research lab as soon as possible. This is where students’ knowledge, skills, and interests can grow exponentially.

Jeff Statler

Jeff Statler

Originally from Iowa, Jeff Statler taught physics and chemistry in public high schools for about 22 years and worked with professors Ron Ragsdale, Jerry Driscoll, and Tom Bebee for many of those years. He has always had an innate drive to live around the mountains and the desert and moved to Utah about 35 years ago. In 2010, professors Ragsdale, along with Henry White and Greg Owens, recruited Statler to transition into the Department of Chemistry full-time where he’s been since 2011. Even with an early and abiding passion for the physical sciences and mathematics, chemistry was not his first choice, but he saw the need for chemistry teachers. It helps that he gets to do really cool demonstrations.

Statler has also taught analytical chemistry, physics, and mathematics, but general chemistry may be his favorite. On a Wednesday before Labor Day weekend, he opens a classroom jam-packed with about 350 students with careful, deliberative class procedurals. He is quick to reiterate what the learning objectives are of chapters, distinguishing between what students will be tested on and what content is strictly for their enrichment. He is aware of how big his subject is and how distracting some lines of inquiry can become. “Don’t worry about chapter two until this weekend,” he says. “There’s a lot physics and a lot of quantum mechanics, mostly enrichment stuff, not part of the learning objectives.” He talks strategy, as if he’s enrolled himself. “I won’t test you on that,” he says answering a question about prioritizing.”Pretty much all the rest of this it’s all chapter one and essentials.” The rest of it? “Be mesmerized, bewildered, by it, but, no you don’t have to memorize anything. I’ll give you all the equations you will need. I’ll emphasize the equations you’ll need and we’ll practice them.” The way he scans the bank of students above him in class is intimate, improbably giving eye contact, it seems, to everyone.

Clearly, he’s skilled at reassuring students that there’s a sequence of things. “I’m big not on memorization but on patterns… We’re almost anti-memorization,” around here.

As he introduces the subject matter for the class—why white light is made of the colors of the rainbow and electromagnetic fields–prisms and spectrums—he projects five statements on the multiple screens throughout the lecture hall: some of the statements are true, others are false and others are just made up. “Mingle, chat, ask your neighbor what they think,” he says and suddenly, his TAs are trailing up the stairs, scanning the clusters of chatting students, listening in on the conversations, making themselves available for questions, making comments . . . being present.

This interactive, “inverted classroom” approach meets students where they are. In these large classes of between 250 to 350 students, getting students to interact with each other is crucial. His favorite aspect about teaching students who are not necessarily studying chemistry is simply sharing his fascination with science and nature with all STEM students. “Teaching and learning are always so individual in many ways,” he admits, and he can only hope that whatever impact he might have is overall positive and motivating. How he has been impacted is not so variable. “Students always inspire and motivate me and keep me ‘thinking young’ with their fresh questions, perspectives, and unique needs and backgrounds.”

Just the herculean endeavor of teaching 12,000 students over his 35-year career to thrive and flourish in chemistry brings Jeff Statler all the rewards he could ever hope for. And his embodied wonder as he conducts the light experiments his face down close and itself awash in light, the detail of it, in turn, projected above, is chemistry in action, pedagogy in the flesh.

HOLLY L SEBAHAR

Holly Sebahar

It all started with frogs. “I had a strong interest in frog ecology so I had declared a biology major which meant I was required to take organic chemistry,” says Holly Sebahar, a first-generation college student from Minnesota. “I fell in love with the subject and could not get enough of it.” In particular, she says, it was the mechanistic side of organic chemistry. “The fact that a small set of rules can be used to predict and explain a wide range of reactions was fascinating to me. I also love applying our knowledge of organic chemistry to understand biochemical pathways and how drugs work.”

After earning her PhD, she interviewed for both industrial and academic jobs. “Eventually it was my love of interacting with students that helped me to decide to become a professor.”

At the U, with class sizes that range from 200 to 340, Sebahar aspires to challenge her students and to provide a supportive and encouraging environment with lots of resources to help them find success. “I believe that having a large team of teaching and learning assistants and supplemental instructors is the key to supporting so many unique students,” she says. “We try offer a wide variety of office hours and review sessions, a diverse set of communication styles, lots of chances to talk about the chemistry and ask questions . . . and learn from their mistakes.”

Learning from mistakes is embedded in Sebahar’s course culture, “where mistakes are embraced and utilized instead of feared.” Tapping not only TAs but learning assistants through the College of Science’s Center for Science and Mathematics Education, she claims that because these leaders have recently taken the class “they remember how challenging it was and are able to provide excellent advice about how to study and how to approach each of the challenging topics.” Instructional staff also serve as mentors and provide important major/career advice.

The diversity in Sebahar’s large lectures is staggering: older students with different levels of family and job responsibilities; those with little or no preparation in chemistry and few if any established study skills and test-taking abilities; gender; preferences for working independently and those who prefer group work; race, gender . . . differing goals. It requires that the instructor be nimble, flexible and innovative.

As an HHMI UPSTEM Faculty Fellow, an instructor in Being Human in STEM, a member of the Chemistry Articulation Team and an inaugural member of the Department of Chemistry’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, all inform her attempt to create an inclusive classroom setting. “I try to constantly ask myself ‘who will be left out if I design my course this way?’ she writes in her teaching philosophy statement, an ambitious, comprehensive and detailed plan for reaching and succeeding with students across multiple spectra. “I strive to create a highly structured class with clear expectations, several lines of communication, and as much flexibility as possible to try to reach the many learning styles and accommodate the busy schedules inherent in a class of 300 students.”

An example of this penchant for innovation, Sehabar held Zoom lectures for students that thrive having a set schedule and who wish to interact with the instructor, other students, and the TAs during lecture. The recorded lectures are also posted for those students that work the night shift prior to the lecture or wish to watch the lecture at their own pace with the ability to pause and rewind as desired.

Sebahar maintains a 6:1 ratio between students and TAs who are aware when a student is going through a difficult time. “This has become increasingly important to me as I have witnessed more and more students struggling with mental health issues each year,” she says. “Adding the pandemic, recession, and protests on top of the normal stressors has been extremely difficult this year. [2023-24]... By identifying issues early, we have been able to refer several students to the counseling center, the student emergency fund and the Dean of Students.”

To countervail attrition in student enrollment and graduation, attention must be paid not only to securing resources but recognizing varied signals of student distress. It’s a high-touch approach to student success that over the past 22 years—700 students per year—has grandly totaled over 15,000 students. Her mantras? “Don’t focus on the negatives. Take time to get to know your students and enjoy their energy, enthusiasm and unique gifts and talents. Keep learning so your passion for the subject doesn’t fizzle.”

With that navigation set, it’s little wonder that Holly Sebahar found her bliss in teaching not in spite of a frog pond but because of it.

Kaci Kuntz

Kaci Kuntz

For Kaci Kuntz, the louder the groan, the happier she is. This may take some explaining.

Known for her expressive personality and love of glitter, this associate professor (lecturer) decorates her office and coordinates her wardrobe with sequins and bright colors. Students appreciate her exuberant teaching style, and her tradition of sharing daily jokes helps engage them in the learning process.

And so it goes that when her “joke of the day” elicits a massive groan from over 300 students Kuntz knows that though they disdain her jokes, they comprehend the chemistry behind them. Mission accomplished.

As with her Teaching Thousands colleagues, whose teaching style is interactive and inclusive, Kuntz is also keen on historical context. In General Chem 1, state -the-art science starts at 460 BCE when philosophers hypothesized that matter was made of fire, water, air, and earth. Over the course, she advances all the way to the current “state-of-the-art” science. It is truly unique to cover 680+ years of science and its advancement in a single course.

Then, in General Chemistry II, she dives more deeply and applies chemical concepts to experimental conditions with all of the complexities encountered. In Kuntz’s opinion, General Chemistry II is the most useful course in chemistry because it teaches how to design a proof-of-concept experiment for investigating a hypothesis. She loves teaching this course knowing that students can walk out of it with the skills needed to become scientists. Since starting at the U she has taught lectures with as few as 30 students and as many as 360 for a career total of around 4,000 students so far.

“The student mind is compassionate and has much to learn,” she states. “I cannot speak on behalf of the students, but I hope I’ve empowered them to be confident in their knowledge and their ability to succeed in chemistry, their education, and their career pursuits.”

In class, Kuntz follows brief lectures with interactive problem-solving sessions, allowing students to apply concepts and address common misconceptions. When students hesitate, she sits beside them to offer guidance—a practice she acknowledges with a glittering laugh that might seem 'annoyingly' interactive, though students appreciate her approach and authenticity. Her commitment to student advocacy includes revamping General Chemistry labs to reduce fees and enhancing laboratory safety procedures.

Ryan DeLuca

Ryan DeLuca

If the classroom is a molecule writ large, Ryan Deluca is the bonding agent of its constituent atoms, his students. Standing at the front of a class of 250-plus he is the glue that, in chemistry, defines the smallest identifiable unit into which a pure substance can be divided and still retain the composition and chemical properties of that substance.

A Utah native and U alumnus who returned to the U to teach after a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University, DeLuca is captivated by the intricacies of molecular mechanisms, the art of synthesizing compounds, and the analytical challenge of elucidating reaction pathways. But this hydrogen bond-of-a teacher of thousands is also captivating to his acolytes who the first week of class may find such subjects baffling.

DeLuca loves introducing students from various disciplines to the marvels of organic chemistry or “o-chem.” “It’s incredibly rewarding for me to see students, who may not have a primary interest in chemistry, develop an appreciation for the subject,” he says.

O-chem is relevant to many fields, and DeLuca enjoys helping students understand its applications and significance in their respective areas of study. He facilitates this by by employing a problem-based teaching approach, believing that students learn best through active engagement and practical application of concepts. While o-chem, a requirement for pre-med/pre-nursing students and other majors, can be daunting, DeLuca finds that tackling challenging problems helps students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. He emphasizes the importance of perseverance and provides ample resources to support students’ learning journeys.

To ensure effective learning in diverse class settings (from 25 students to 350), DeLuca utilizes peer-directed learning and provides strong support from teaching assistants. Overall, DeLuca has recorded 29 chemistry courses over the past seven years, reaching a total of approximately 3,600 students best served, he believes, by doing problem-solving in real time. In this way he believes students can better understand the thought process behind tackling difficult questions. “I emphasize the importance of engaging actively with the material and understanding that chemistry is a cumulative subject,” he says, “where each concept builds on the previous one.”

These active learning strategies for students take place not only in lectures but in those micro- even atomic-sized interactions with DeLuca out of class, with TAs, and, critically, with one another. Ever the chemical bonder, DeLuca engineers each semester, and in each course, a dynamic, intricate-as-a-clock (or a galaxy) molecular structure where student atoms move, interact, vibrate, rotate and translate with success within differing materials and environments.

Elizabeth Greenhalgh

Elizabeth Greenhalgh

Unlike her Teaching Thousands compatriots, Elizabeth Greenhalgh is emerging on the scene, but she plays to the strengths of being the new kid on the quad. What she’s brought to her gig in the Department of Chemistry is solid and broad-thinking: connecting general chemistry, organic chemistry, and biology in a way that highlights the significance and relevance of these subjects.

This integrated approach allows students to explore the “why we care” aspect that often unappreciated until the subjects are brought together. From this foundation, she is currently in the process of discovering what teaching methods work best for her.

A strong advocate for a mixed approach that combines traditional lecturing with sample problems and an active learning discussion session, Greenhalgh believes her methods might evolve over time, noting, “ask me again in five years and we’ll see how this has changed!” Right now a traditional lecture component, she believes, is crucial for demonstrating the thinking, logic, and problem-solving behind the science.

At present, she teaches a fall lecture course with just over 300 students and a spring biochemistry lab with nearly 100 students, with plans to increase lab capacity in the coming years. In addition to her general chemistry lab in the spring and biochemistry courses in the summer, she interacts with nearly 1,000 students each year and has taught over 2,500 students during her career.

One of Greenhalgh’s favorite aspects of teaching biochemistry is working with students who are not necessarily studying chemistry as a major. She finds it particularly rewarding that, of the approximately 300 students in this class, only about a third are chemistry or biochemistry majors. The diversity of perspectives in the classroom leads to engaging connections and conversations that she might not otherwise experience.

How does she manage that diversity? First, she encourages new students to use the initial classes to explore what genuinely interests them. General chemistry and organic chemistry lay the groundwork for many exciting topics that students won’t encounter until later. Second, she encourages students to actively engage with all available resources beyond instructors and TAs. This includes attending office hours, participating in supplemental instruction (SI) sessions, tackling bonus practice problems from textbooks, and studying with classmates.

Being new on the scene is an asset for Greenhalgh in that the student diversity she’s experiencing in class is an opportunity for rich feedback. So far, her approach has, she’s been told by students, significantly influenced how they tackle topics outside of her class. She finds this kind of feedback incredibly gratifying, again, underscoring her belief that she’s here not just to teach chemistry, but how to learn and how to figure out the “why I care” which is a student’s motivation to succeed in higher education and in life more generally. This belief gives real oxygen to the mantra of “meeting the student where they are.”

Elizabeth Greenhalgh’s teaching journey has already been marked by a deep appreciation for the interconnectedness of scientific disciplines and the vibrant community of students.

By Julia McNulty and David Pace

A microscopic view of global challenges in chemical separations

November 18, 2024

An illustration from Aurora Clark's Science at Breakfast lecture on the microscopic view of global challenges in chemical separations.

Our environment is filled with mixtures, whether it is the air we breathe, the water we drink, or the earth we walk on. Often, separating mixtures is key to human health — for example, creating clean water supplies or recycling materials. Understanding how mixtures are separated, and optimizing this process, is a challenging task — and this is exactly what University of Utah Chemistry Professor Aurora Clark is doing.

Clark was the featured presenter November 7th at the College of Science’s Science at Breakfast event staged at the Natural History Museum of Utah.

“A major issue is that separating materials currently consumes a massive amount of energy,“ Clark explains, citing distillation as an easy example. “As such, chemists try to develop low-energy separation methods to create an environment where such isolation will happen spontaneously.” Achieving spontaneity means that chemists have to leverage the laws of thermodynamics, which include the energy stored in matter (called enthalpy) and entropy (which represents how energy is distributed in matter). Likening the reaction to a rock atop a hill, spontaneity means that that rock will begin rolling without the need of an extra push.

Such a breakthrough would have monumental effects on the recycling of rare materials. For example, the palladium in mobile phone capacitors is sourced to just a handful of areas, with Russia producing roughly 40% of the world's supply. As geopolitical tensions rise, the incentive to recycle this palladium grows in turn, but such isolation is tricky. It is difficult to develop a separation system that selectively grabs palladium in the complex mixture found in cell phones while ignoring other metals. The question of how to remedy this, by using changes in entropy, is the focus of Clark’s research, which uses the power of the U’s supercomputer to simulate the separations process. Computational geometry and data science play a key role in this pursuit.

By studying the patterns of interactions in complex mixtures, Clark seeks to control the amount of entropy change, which in turn makes it favorable for molecules and metals to selectively move across a separating barrier. Although in its early stages, the idea of using entropy to improve the efficiency of separating mixtures is moving at a rapid pace because of the technological advances of supercomputers and data science. If mastered, the recycling of critical materials like palladium would be significantly simplified, massively reducing energy consumption and optimizing our own self-sufficiency.

Aurora Clark is a relatively new addition to the U’s faculty, having joined in 2022. She completed a PhD at Indiana University, postdoctoral work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and spent almost two decades as a professor of Washington State University’s Department of Chemistry.

By Michael Jacobsen

Science @ Breakfast is a lecture series that features U faculty sharing their latest, cutting-edge research — while enjoying a meal. If you would like to be invited to our next Science @ Breakfast, please consider a donation to the College of Science at https://science.utah.edu/giving.

2023 Distinguished Alumni, Chemistry

November 15, 2024

Zlatko Bačić: Tectonic Science

“When two people limited to different ways of thinking come together, you have a synergy that couldn’t exist otherwise,” says Zlatko Bačić PhD’81, speaking on the vital importance of collaborating across the divisions of science. First-hand experience with this synergy is deeply embedded in his history, from serving as the inaugural director of the Simon Center for Computational Physical Chemistry to studying the quantum dynamics of molecules in Los Alamos

He compares the sciences to tectonic plates, constantly moving in varying directions, uncovering the most exciting discoveries where they collide at the edges. “It’s at those interfaces that the most interesting things happen!” he explains. And just as the Earth’s plates change the landscape, so too can the scientific landscape be terraformed in turn.

Bačić’s journey has not only taken him across the field of theoretical chemistry but across the world, studying everywhere from Croatia to Chicago to Jerusalem to Utah. He found a deep love of the culture and cuisine of New York and Philadelphia, while also delighting in the environment and people in the Four Corners area. He loves the town of Telluride,Colorado but also enjoys visiting his daughter in Seattle, creating a bewildering decision when considering a destination for a far-out retirement. He takes every opportunity he can to travel and experience every area to its fullest potential.

Bačić carries this attitude into his teaching as well. As a current professor at New York University, he has uplifted the lives of countless students and overseen the publication of over 150 papers. “Basic research is at the heart of everything,” he tells his students. “If you think you can guide it somehow, you’re missing the point. It is only unguided research that will illuminate the mysteries you know nothing about.” Championing the value of “unguided research,” he delights in providing opportunities for postdocs, creating an environment for them to prove their worth, opening every door for collaboration to let them show what they can do under optimal circumstances. ~ Michael Jacobsen

Amy Barrios: A world-class education

A Professor of Medicinal Chemistry in the College of Pharmacy, Amy Barrios’ passion for inorganic chemistry began at the University of Utah as a high schooler during a summer chemistry program and propelled her through a career in academia to Professor of Medicinal Chemistry in the U College of Pharmacy.

Barrios BS'95 grew up in Salt Lake City. During her time as an undergrad, she engaged in radiobiology research about Chernobyl victims with radiobiologist Scott Miller, now research professor emeritus at the U's School of Medicine.

Barrios ventured from Salt Lake to the East coast to earn her PhD in chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2000. There, she dove deeper into bio-inorganic chemistry with Steve Leopard. “My focus was on making molecules that would mimic the activity of metalloenzymes. And I specifically looked at urease, which was actually the first enzyme ever discovered,” says Barrios. “I was making dinuclear nickel complexes that hydrolyzed urea.”

After graduate school, Barrios returned to the west coast and spent some time in California, first in a postdoctoral position at University of California, San Francisco, and later as a professor at University of Southern California.

Finally, Barrios returned home to the U in 2007, this time as a professor. Throughout her education and career, Barrios has visited many institutions and says she’s “...continually impressed by the quality of education that I got here at the U.”

“Our chemistry department, particularly, does an amazing job of educating undergraduates and graduate students, helping us understand all the things we need to know, all the tools we need to go on to be successful in whatever career we go into. So that's something I think is important for our students to recognize: they really get a world class education here.”

Barrios is keen to deliver a message of belonging as she continues in academia. “It's so important, I think, for students to be able to feel like they belong here,” she says. “We need scientists from all backgrounds and with all kinds of different interests and all kinds of different skills. So, I think that's really important also for young people to recognize and for us as faculty and instructors to help them feel that this is a place for them, that we need their talents, and their talents are valued. I hope that they get that message here.”
~ Lauren Wigod

Roger Leach: lifelong learning and agility

Originally from Chicago, Roger Leach Phd'84 first journeyed to the University of Utah for a summer REU program while pursuing his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Augustana College in Illinois. The program allowed him to explore hands-on scientific research for the first time and, captivated by the unique outdoor access and balanced lifestyle he enjoyed in Salt Lake, City Leach returned to the U for graduate school.

Reflecting on his time here, Leach fondly remembers Joel Harris, a distinguished professor whose openly enthusiastic teaching style and love for science still inspire Leach today. “Everything about it was like, the door’s open, walk in, and let’s talk,’ he recalls. “My whole career after Utah, that was sort of my motto you know, ‘What would Joel do?’”

After finishing his graduate degree at the U, Leach began his career working as an analytical chemist in the textile fibers department at DuPont. Though he recalls the initial nerves he felt upon joining the company, Leach acknowledges the U for preparing him well: “[At Dupont], you could meet people who had really moved the bar in terms of technology development that made people’s lives better. So I felt intimidated a little bit, but there was never a time when I felt inferior in terms of my education and preparation.”

Since his days at DuPont, Leach’s career has led him to Viridos, a biotech company focused on algae-based biofuel. For the last few years, Leach has been helping to push the boundaries of renewable energy technology, hoping to create a more sustainable future. Currently a resident of Solana Beach, California, Leach emphasizes the importance of continuing to foster curiosity throughout his career: “The thing that strikes me is how many things we understand today and use today in our daily lives that didn't exist when I was at the University of Utah,” he remarks.

“And the process of keeping yourself relevant as a STEM contributor to society is an exercise in lifelong learning and agility.”
~Julia St. Andre

Mitch Johnson: reinventing and modernizing formulations

Mitch Johnson first joined the University of Utah as a graduate student in 1994 after finishing his undergraduate degree from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He knew he was interested in doing research and was drawn by the U’s outstanding research facilities and small university feel. During graduate school, Johnson worked in Joel Miller’s lab where he gained valuable skills in problem-solving and perseverance. “If I had like four or five ideas, Dr. Miller was very patient and listened to all of them,” Johnson recalls. “I learned that you have to put the work in. You really do have to spend the time and invest yourself completely into solving the problem.”

For Johnson, chemistry truly runs in the family. His father, a chemical engineer, sparked his interest in the subject at a young age. Later, at the U, he met his wife, who was also pursuing a degree in chemistry. Their shared passion for the field often sparks discussion over dinner, and they even keep a whiteboard nearby for spontaneous problem-solving. Fascinated with creating things and solving problems, synthetic chemistry was the ideal path for Johnson. His career took him to General Plastics, developing specialized thermoplastic materials for use in aerospace engineering and satellite work. He started at the company in 2008 as a product development chemist, with the mission of reinventing and modernizing their formulations. Since then, the company has expanded significantly, and Johnson made his way through the ranks, eventually taking over the company as President and CEO in 2017.

Looking back on his education, Johnson emphasizes the lasting impact of his time at the U: “The staff and faculty here are fantastic. They really do cultivate very good students and very well-trained professionals.” he says. “A lot of the success I’ve had over my career, it all started here at the U.”
~ Julia St. Andre

Biochar Robots win $500K Wilkes Climate Launch Prize

September 26, 2024

The resulting product is deposited back onto the field, simultaneously increasing soil health, improving crop yields, reducing fertilizer needs, and providing a carbon removal and storage solution that lasts millions of years.

Jason Aramburu, CEO and co-founder Applied Carbon, receives Wilkes Climate Launch Prize in September 2024. CREDIT: University of Utah

The 2024 Wilkes Climate Launch Prize is one of the largest university-affiliate climate awards in the world and is geared to spur innovation and breakthroughs from organizations at all stages, both for-profits and nonprofits—anywhere in the world—to help fund and accelerate solutions to climate change.

“People talk about the ‘missing middle’ of funding in climate tech. For early-stage research, you use government grants to prove the science. Once you have a working design, you might get VC money. But when it comes to building your first few prototypes, investors can’t take the risk,” said Jason Aramburu, CEO and co-founder Applied Carbon. “Programs like the Wilkes Climate Launch Prize are really important to fill a crucial funding gap.”

William Anderegg, director of the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy, awarded the prize to Aramburu during an evening reception held in partnership with the Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine (SWISIE), a multi-institutional enterprise in which the U and collaborators confront climate challenges facing the desert Southwest and spur economic development in the region.

“Applied Carbon’s bold climate solution addresses a major opportunity for agriculture to contribute to removing carbon from the atmosphere, benefiting farmers and soil health at the same time,” said William Anderegg. “It’s exactly the type of scalable and impactful solution that the Wilkes Climate Launch Prize seeks to supercharge.”

Aramburu and Applied Carbon COO and co-founder Morgan Williams dreamed of a better system that could pick up crop waste and produce and distribute biochar in one pass. Now, they’ve developed an agricultural robot called a pyrolizer that does it all in-field, in one pass.

Scientists awarded 1U4U Seed Grants

September 10, 2024

Six faculty members in the College of Science are members of winning teams awarded seed grants of up to $50,000 as part of the 1U4U Seed Grant Program.

The program supports cross-campus/cross-disciplinary research teams to solve some of the greatest challenges of our local, national, and global communities. College of Science faculty among the winning teams included Jon Wang, (biology), Colleen Farmer (biology), John Lin (atmospheric sciences), Jody Reimer (biology & mathematics), Michael Werner (biology) and Qilei Zhu (chemistry).

Bonderman Field Station at Rio Mesa (Photo courtesy of Zachary Lundeen)

The theme of the 2024-2025 program was “The Future of Sustainability.” Sustainability is a foundational goal that cuts across multiple intellectual topic areas (e.g., healthcare, water, energy, wildfire, critical minerals, education, food security) and can be interpreted widely.

At the University of Utah, faculty have engaged sustainability across a wide range of domains, including but not limited to environmental, social, communal, health, economic, technical, and legal.

Some of the topics of winning projects include the impact of air quality on elite athletic performance, study of suicide behaviors, and improving health by linking silos.

“It is exciting to fund so many teams working on sustainability projects,” said Dr. Jakob Jensen, associate vice president for research at the U. “The teams are considering sustainability across a wide range of topics from forest management and urban heat islands to physical therapy and mental health. These seed projects will drive significant innovation and impact communities throughout the region.”

Winning teams with College of Science faculty include the following:

Research Team: John Pearson (medicine) & Jonathan Wang (College of Science — biology)
Application Title: Heat and Healing: The Influence of Urban Heat Islands on Postoperative Outcomes

Research Team: Colleen Farmer (College of Science — biology), Ajla Asksamija (Architecture & Planning), Zach Lundeen (Bonderman Field Station), Jorg Rugemer (Architecture & Planning), Atsushi Yamamoto (Architecture & Planning)

Research Team: John Lin (College of Science — atmospheric sciences) & Tanya Halliday (Health)
Application Title: Impact of Air Quality on Elite Athletic Performance: from Salt Lake to Beyond

Research Team: Jody Reimer (College of Science — biology and mathematics), Brigham Daniels (Law), Beth Parker (Law), Michael Werner (College of Science — biology)
Application Title: Understanding Great Salt Lake microbialite ecology to inform sustainable water management policy

Research Team: Qilei Zhu (College of Science — chemistry) & Tao Gao (Engineering)
Application Title: Ion-Conductive Membrane-Enabled Sustainable Industrial Electrochemical Production

For more information about the 1U4U Seed Grants and a complete list of this year's awardees click here.

Cool Science Radio: Luisa Whittaker-Brooks

September 6, 2024

Solutions for these issues, and many others, can be found in the materials used in the products we create.

Luisa Whittaker-Brooks, assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Utah is on the leading edge of these technologies and developments.

Whittaker-Brooks' research group at the U focuses on the study and manufacture of ultra-thin electronics materials and nanoscale circuits, while she encourages women and minorities to choose careers in STEM disciplines.

Whittaker-Brooks was awarded the L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award for her work and was recently feature on KPCW's Cool Science Radio.

Listen to the podcast here.

Humans of the U: Nathan Patchen

August 12, 2024

In my first year, however, I had some great experiences with the university’s chemistry department and fell in love with chemistry. Since then, I have decided to double major in biochemistry and biology. My goal is to pursue an MD-PhD, so I can do both research and work with patients.

I am passionate about improving the quality of life for patients, allowing them to lead healthier and hopefully more fulfilling lives. I hope to do this by working in the field of genetics/genomics and using gene editing techniques to find new tools to combat diseases that are otherwise untreatable. Additionally, I am interested in understanding why and how we age and improving patient outcomes through this process.

These interests are reflected in the research I have been a part of on campus as an undergraduate. The prestigious research that happens at the U is one of the reasons I was drawn to the school. Though research can be frustrating, time-consuming, and tedious, I have found it to be the most enriching part of my education. The incredible opportunity to participate in the forefront of science has drastically expanded my capabilities not only as a scientist but as a person.

Recently in my lab, the principal investigator (PI) assigned me to learn how to synthesize a compound we use for our experiments in an effort to bring our costs down. It was a difficult process to optimize the protocol for our lab, but through extensive troubleshooting and consulting with other labs, I became an expert on the topic.

After months of running the process over and over again without success, my PI and I discovered the error was occurring in a step I was not in control of. We were so excited to have found the solution After correcting the problem, I was able to successfully produce the desired product. Better yet, the new method dropped the cost of our experiments from $60 per experiment to less than a cent. It is exciting that I could play such a key role in helping my lab achieve a research goal that opens realms of possibility. It feels great to be able to contribute to something larger than myself.

I have recently been recognized as a Goldwater scholar which is exciting because it is a testament to my commitment to pursue science and my desire to make an impact on the world through discovery. To me, receiving this award is a great honor, it tells me that someone believes in me, and is willing to invest in my development. It is my goal to live up to that expectation, whether it be through science, medicine, or some other field, my goal is to serve and improve the lives of others.

—Nathan Patchen, a junior in the Honors College studying biochemistry and biology and a 2024 Goldwater Scholarship recipient

This story originally appeared in @TheU.

Fueling Utah’s Booming BioTech Sector

August 12, 2024

In teaching labs through the Science Research Initiative (SRI) students learn by doing, starting their first year in the College of Science.

There has been a steady stream of articles about billion-dollar valuations for Utah startups and consistently low unemployment. Amid these headlines, there is growing recognition among analysts and policymakers in Utah that the biotechnology and life science sectors are playing a significant role in that growth. A recent report from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute found that the industries created $8 billion in GDP in 2022, part of a total statewide economic impact of $21.6 billion. Job growth in the sector has been particularly impressive; Utah’s 5.7% annual job growth rate significantly outpaces the national average of 3.2%. Due to these steady increases, Utah now has the highest share of statewide employment among all states nationally except Massachusetts. These jobs are also high-paying positions. Wages in the sectors average $96,000, which is 48% higher than the $65,000 average in other industries.

The University of Utah and the College of Science play an important role in this booming expansion, helping supply a sizable portion of talented employees and researchers. According to National Center for Education Statistics graduation data, the U awards roughly 37% of life science-related bachelor’s degrees and 95% of graduate degrees given by schools in the Utah System of Higher Education. Graduates from the College account for nearly two-thirds of those undergraduate degrees and over one-third of the PhDs. As they build their careers, alumni have the opportunity to take principles they learn by working with award-winning faculty and then applying them in professional settings.

“Innovation in biotechnology is touching on every aspect of our lives, from climate change and agriculture to health and wellness,” says Fred Adler, professor of mathematics and current director of the School of Biological Sciences (SBS), the largest academic unit in the College. “As discovery and innovation accelerate, so do the links between basic science and applications. In the SBS, faculty are making transformative contributions to drought-resistance crops based on fundamental discoveries in genetics, testing of drug safety based on research of animal behavior, and to neuroscience through new ways of imaging cells at the finest resolution.”

EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION

In the School of Biological Sciences, faculty are making transformative contributions to drought-resistance crops based on fundamental discoveries in genetics. Credit: Mathew Crawley

The pipeline from the classroom, and the lab, to a successful career is most fruitful when exceptional instructors and researchers provide mentorship and guidance for students. College faculty have been recognized with a range of teaching and research awards, spanning honors like the National Medal of Science (given to three faculty members from the College of Science over the years) and MacArthur Genius Grants (four recipients) to the Rosenblatt Prize, the U’s highest honor for teaching and research (11 recipients). The College has also had 15 members elected to the National Academy of Sciences, 10 of whom are still actively teaching and pursuing research. These individual honors underscore the quality of the researchers’ academic units and are reflected in their national rankings: the SBS graduate program is ranked #13 and the Department of Chemistry comes in at #18 among public universities nationwide by U.S. News & World Report.

Chemistry and biological sciences, which educate a significant number of students that join the biotech and life science sectors, are the top-ranked programs in their fields in Utah and hold top-ten rankings among both public and private schools in the West. The two units also received over $28.4 million in external research funding during fiscal year 2023. These resources provide unique opportunities for students to learn relevant science in hands-on settings and engage in transferable research skills. Considering this impressive track record, it makes sense that life science and biotechnology-related faculty continue to garner recognitions in their fields.

Take, for example, Distinguished Professor and Thatcher President Endowed Chair of Chemistry Cynthia Burrows who won the prestigious Linus Pauling Medal Award. The Burrows Lab hosts organic, biological, analytical and inorganic chemists interested in nucleic acid chemistry, DNA sequencing technology and DNA damage. The team focuses on chemical processes that result in the formation of mutations which could lead to diseases such as cancer. Studying site-specifically modified DNA and RNA strands and DNA-protein cross-linking, Burrows and her group are widely known for expanding studies on nanopore technology to detect DNA damage. Burrows’ research in altering nucleic acid composition can provide valuable information in genetic diseases as well as manipulating the function of DNA and RNA in cells.

The Caron Lab studies the mushroom body of the Drosophila (fruit fly) to better understand how brains are developed to learn.

Another U chemist, Aaron Puri, has also drawn national attention as one of five recipients of the Simons Early Career Investigator Award in Aquatic Microbial Ecology and Evolution. The award will provide $810,000 to the Puri Lab over the next three years and, according to Puri, “will enable our research group to work at the interface of biology and chemistry to decipher the molecular details of interactions in methane-oxidizing bacterial communities.” His research looks at the molecular details of interactions in these communities, aiming to solve big problems with microscopic solutions. “These communities provide a biotic sink for the potent greenhouse gas methane,” he continues, “and are a useful system for understanding how bacteria interact with each other and their environment while performing critical ecosystem functions.”

Nearby, in the Skaggs Biology Building, is the lab of Ofer Rog, who recently won an Early Career Medal from the Genetics Society of America. Rog was recognized for work visualizing meiotic exchange between “sisters,” exploring synaptonemal complex proteins and tracking single molecules. Building on this work, the Rog Lab published a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in December that outlined a groundbreaking way to study the synaptonemal complex. Rog explains of the complex, “You can think of it like a zipper. The axes of the chromosomes are like the two sides of your shirt. The synaptonemal complex (SC) is kind of like the teeth of the zippers that lock onto each other and can pull and align the two sides of the shirt correctly.” Rog’s team was the first to pinpoint the exact position where the SC interacts with itself to facilitate genetic exchanges. Looking forward, unlocking the SC’s role in meiosis may lead to a stronger understanding of fertility in humans.

Another esteemed faculty member in biology is Sophie Caron, a U Presidential Scholar, who uses the Drosophila mushroom body — a computational center in the fruit fly brain — as a model system to understand how brains are developed to learn. With work described as “stunning” and “breathtaking,” Caron has built an interdisciplinary research program by drawing on computational models, species-comparative studies and various anatomical and behavioral techniques to elucidate the structural, functional and evolutionary pressures that shape the mushroom body’s learning function. In addition to her research, Caron — who was also awarded an outstanding teaching and mentorship award last year— designed and teaches an extremely popular neurobiology class (BIOL 3240), a course taken by hundreds of students.

FROM THE CLASSROOM TO THE BOARDROOM

Graduates from the College of Science also play crucial roles in Utah’s burgeoning biotechnology community. Equipped with cutting-edge knowledge learned in classrooms and research labs throughout campus, these alumni are at the forefront of research and development, contributing to significant advancements in life science fields. Their expertise not only drives the success of numerous biotech companies but also attracts substantial investment to the state. By bridging academic excellence with industry needs, alumni ensure a steady pipeline of talent that sustains the growth and dynamism of Utah’s biotechnology sector.

Tom Robbins and Amy Davis of bioMérieux.

There are many examples of these types of professional outcomes. Randy Rasmussen (PhD’98 biology) and Kirk Ririe (BS’05 chemistry) were two of three co-founders of BioFire Diagnostics. The company pioneered instruments that shortened DNA analysis techniques from hours to minutes. Using this technology, they created molecular diagnostics that now simultaneously test for multiple infectious agents, allowing healthcare professionals to get quick and accurate results from onsite instruments. In 2013 BioFire was purchased by bioMérieux, a French biotech firm, for over $450 million. The company is now one of Utah’s largest life sciences employers, with over 3,400 employees throughout its six sites. While Rasmussen and Ririe have since moved on to other projects, College of Science graduates like Amy Davis (PhD’03 biology), vice president of molecular biology, and Tom Robbins (PhD’04 mathematics), vice president of software development, continue to play significant roles in the company’s work.

Some College alumni have also found ways to share their experiences with a new generation of students. Ryan Watts (BS’00 biology) discovered a passion for research while an undergraduate. After he finished his degree, he earned a PhD from Stanford University and eventually co-founded the biotech startup Denali Therapeutics, focused on defeating neurodegeneration. The company went public in December 2017, breaking that year’s record for an initial market valuation of a biotech company. Today, Denali has over 400 employees and a market cap of over $3 billion, including a growing presence in Utah. Despite his busy schedule as CEO, Watts taught a winter semester course for five years at the U which tracked the biotechnology industry and introduced biology students to processes around drug discovery, business strategy, programming and portfolio decision-making.

Another alumnus, Berton Earnshaw (PhD’07 mathematics) used his academic experience to join the founding team of Red Brain Labs in 2012. When the machine learning-focused company was acquired by Savvysherpa in 2014, Earnshaw stayed on as a principal and senior scientist. Eventually, Earnshaw became director of data science research at Recursion Pharmaceuticals, a young clinical-stage biotech and drug discovery company based in Salt Lake City. In a succession of senior roles, Earnshaw has helped guide the company’s foundational machine learning and AI development, assisting in the company’s rapid growth to over 500 employees and an international expansion. Earnshaw started teaching courses at the U on machine learning and neural networks beginning in 2018. In 2024, he accepted a role as a senior fellow with the College of Science, in part to provide an industry perspective into the dynamic world of deep learning and AI.

LOOKING FORWARD

Berton Earnshaw, Recursion.

Unwilling to rest on its laurels, the College of Science is devoting significant resources to prepare graduates for what the Utah Department of Workforce Services deems accelerating growth in the rapidly changing fields of biotech and life sciences. The Department of Mathematics, School of Biological Sciences, and Kahlert School of Computing recently announced a new undergraduate degree in bioinformatics. New faculty hires throughout the College have included individuals with expertise in areas like data science, genomics, machine learning, gene editing and next-generation imaging techniques. More undergraduate students are participating in bioscience-related research than ever, either through the celebrated Science Research Initiative or direct placements in labs throughout campus. Together, these investments help ensure that future students will be well-prepared after they enter the workforce.

The notoriety of Utah’s burgeoning biotechnology and life sciences sectors continues to be indelibly linked to the College of Science in a feedback loop that benefits the economy, the community, and the University of Utah.

by Eliot Wilcox
Operating Manager, College of Science, University of Utah

This story is featured in Synthesis, the College of Science's annual magazine.

Two New Interim Department Chairs

June 24, 2024

Peter Armentrout

A Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Armentrout was appointed the Henry Eyring Presidential Endowed Chair in 2018. He will begin his term on July 1, replacing Matt Sigman.

Earlier, Armentrout served as Department Chair from 2001 to 2007. During that time, he instituted several reforms regarding parental leave and secured funding for the David M. Grant NMR Center (Gaus House) and partial funding for the Thatcher extension to the South Chemistry Building.

Armentrout whose research spans thermochemistry, kinetics and the dynamics of simple and complex chemical reactions, early on invented and constructed the guided ion-beam tandem mass spectrometer which has provided highly accurate thermodynamic measurements on a multitude of chemical species. He says of the appointment to interim department chair, “I am honored to be asked to take the reins of this exceptional department for a couple more years. The research and teaching abilities and collegiality of this faculty are second to none and will enable us to collectively advance and lead within the U. I look forward to working with them as well as our supporters outside the university system in the near term.”

Peter Trapa, dean of the College of Science, said of the appointment, "In addition to being a world-class chemist with a towering international reputation, Peter is also an exceptional teacher, mentor, and administrator. His appointment as interim chair will continue to advance Utah's Chemistry Department as one of the best in the world. I look forward to working with Peter as we continue to build on the department's strengths.”

Trapa continued, “I'm also deeply grateful to Distinguished Professor Matt Sigman for his outstanding leadership as chair over the past five years. Matt’s contributions to the department, especially his unwavering commitment to excellence, will be felt for many years to come.”

A member of the American Chemical Society, American Physical Society (fellow), American Society for Mass Spectrometry, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (fellow), Armentrout presently has over 560 research publications that have appeared in the literature. Forty-four students have received their PhDs with Professor Armentrout.

In 2011, he received the prestigious Rosenblatt Prize for Excellence from the U — the university’s highest honor awarded to a faculty member.

Kip Solomon

Solomon holds the Frank Brown Presidential Chair in the Department of Geology & Geophysics and will replace William Johnson as department chair also beginning July 1, 2024.

Solomon has a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Waterloo and BS and MS degrees from the U’s Department of Geology and Geophysics. He joined the department in 1993 and served as chair from 2009-2013.

His research includes the use of environmental tracers to evaluate groundwater flow and solute transport processes in local-to regional-scale aquifers. He has developed the use of dissolved gases including helium-3, CFCs and SF₆ to evaluate groundwater travel times, location and rates of recharge, and the sustainability of groundwater resources. He constructed and operates one of only a few labs in the world that measures noble gases in groundwater. His research results have been documented in more than 120 journal articles, book chapters, and technical reports.

Outgoing chair Johnson said of his replacement, “Kip will be a steady lead as ... [recent] changes settle and as additional institutional changes occur.”

Solomon thanked his predecessors: “Geology and Geophysics is a great department and has been strengthened considerably by the hard work and dedication of previous chairs Thure Cerling and Bill Johnson. With new hires and academic programs, the future looks very bright.”

In September Solomon will receive the 2024 O.E Meinzer Annual Award by the Geological Society of America.

By David Pace and Ashley Herman

The surprising role of CO₂ in cellular health

The cells in our bodies are like bustling cities, running on an iron-powered system that uses hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) not just for cleaning up messes but also for sending critical signals.

Teaching Thousands

At the University of Utah, six chemistry professors are the face of their discipline to thousands of students.

Separation Issues

In 'People vs. the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics' chemist Aurora Clark addresses a microscopic view of global challenges in chemical separations.

2023 Distinguished Alumni, Chemistry

Four alumni have been honored as distinguished alumni for 2023 in the Department of Chemistry.

Zlatko Bačić: Tectonic Science

Amy Barrios: A world-class education

Roger Leach: lifelong learning and agility

Mitch Johnson: reinventing and modernizing formulations

Biochar Robots win $500K Wilkes Climate Launch Prize

Applied Carbon, formerly known as Climate Robotics, has developed a mobile, in-field solution that picks up crop waste left after harvesting and converts it into carbon-rich biochar in a single pass.

scientists awarded 1U4U Seed Grants

Six College of Science faculty members are members of winning teams awarded seed grants of up to $50,000 as part of the 1U4U Seed Grant Program.

cool science on the Nanoscale

Our modern society faces many challenges, two of which being alternative energy sources and low cost electronics for daily use.

Humans of The U: Nathan Patchen

“Initially, I chose to attend the University of Utah because I heard they had an excellent biology program and many opportunities for pre-medical students. I understood that the U was a top research school, and I knew I wanted to pursue a career in the biological sciences.

Fueling Utah's Booming Biotech Sector

Over the last few years, opening a newspaper and seeing Utah at the top of the national economic rankings has become commonplace.