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Dr. Katherine Whitaker earned a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, where her dissertation involved in situ characterization of the kinetic stability and thermodynamic properties of vapor-deposited organic glasses. She has taught classes in general chemistry and physical chemistry, and also a first year experience course.

Degrees & Institutions:
Ph.D. Physical Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.S. Chemistry, Stonehill College
B.A. Mathematics, Stonehill College

Current Courses:
CHM 2045 General Chemistry I
CHM 2045L General Chemistry I
Lab CHM 2046L General Chemistry II Lab
Publications:
Whitaker, K. R.; Tylinski, M.; Ahrenberg, M.; Schick, C.; Ediger, M. D. Kinetic Stability and Heat Capacity of Vapor-Deposited Glasses of o-Terphenyl. The Journal of Chemical Physics 2015, 143 (8), 084511.

Dr. Karen Sinclair Molek, Department Chair and Professor of Chemistry, is the recipient of mentoring awards and more than $3 million in outside funding.

Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring, nominee 2022
Inspiring Program in STEM Award from INSIGHT into Diversity Magazine
National American Chemical Society Zaida C. Morales-Martinez Prize for Mentoring ACS Scholars  
UWF Excellence in Teaching and Advising Award
UWF Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award
UWF Distinguished Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activities Award 
UWF President's Award for Leadership in Diversity

Molek, who began teaching at UWF in 2008, has helped raise more than $3 million in outside funding. This includes $2.7 million in grant awards from the National Institutes for Health to increase the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds pursuing biomedical-relevant research careers through PhD or MD/PhD degrees. The funding established and continues to support the NIH-funded UWF MARC Scholars Program. The National Science Foundation awarded $649,888 to increase retention, academic performance, degree attainment, employment, and graduate school matriculation rates among financially disadvantaged, academically talented students in STEM majors. This funding established the NSF S-STEM Scholars Program (2016-2021) and the STEM Living Learning Community (2016 - present).  

Molek's goal is to empower students to achieve successful STEM careers beyond UWF. She said research shows that economically disadvantaged and ethnically underrepresented students are less likely to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math careers. She empowers students through teaching and providing support through Scholars Programs and undergraduate research. Molek is the director of UWF鈥檚 Chemistry Scholars Program, which was established in 2011 as the first Scholars Program at UWF. Chemistry Scholars won the 2021 Inspiring Program in STEM Award from INSIGHT into Diversity Magazine. The success of Chem, MARC, and S-STEM Scholars led UWF to support Molek and a faculty/staff team to establish UWF STEM Scholars in 2021. STEM Scholars is designed to support students persisting and successfully completing STEM degrees in 4-years.  

Molek has a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Georgia and a B.S. in Chemistry from Mercer University. Her research covers several areas: development of a safety relay for high vacuum systems; rebuilding reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometers surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization of materials using RTOF-MS; synthesis and characterization of transition metal oxide nanopowders; synthesis and characterization of zinc oxide quantum dots; and development of a physical chemistry laboratory experiment measuring the speed of sound using nitrocellulose.

She has personally mentored 71 undergraduate research students, 166 Chemistry Scholars, 34 NIH MARC Scholars, and 25 NSF S-STEM Scholars, with more than 70% from financially or ethnically disadvantaged backgrounds. She and the STEM Scholars faculty/staff team have mentored 155 STEM Scholars and more than 575 STEM Living Learning Community residents.  

 

Degrees & Institutions:
Ph.D. Physical Chemistry, University of Georgia
B.S. Chemistry, Mercer University

Research:
Her research covers several areas: development of a safety relay for high vacuum systems; rebuilding reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometers surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization of materials using RTOF-MS; synthesis and characterization of transition metal oxide nanopowders; synthesis and characterization of zinc oxide quantum dots; and development of a physical chemistry laboratory experiment measuring the speed of sound using nitrocellulose.

Dr. Ellina Bernard is an SNSF Ambizione Fellow at Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Science and Technology, where she works for the development of alternative low embodied energy CO2 binders. Dr. Bernard is one of the two 2022 Gustavo Colonnetti medallists. Her presentation "Cement and clay chemistry for the development of low embodied CO2 binders and their durability”, presented in March 2022 during the 75th RILEM Anniversary webinar, can be found here. She co-chairs the new TC MBC, MgO-based concrete, and is a member of two other recent TCs: TC PEM, Processing of earth-based materials, and TC MCP Accelerated Mineral Carbonation for the production of construction materials. Her research looks at the hydration, stability, strength, and durability of alternative materials based on clays and/or cementitious materials. Her research interests mainly focus on the hydration/carbonation mechanisms and kinetics of the reactions but also on the structures, the compositions, the surface properties, and the stability of the phases composing such binders.

Wade Van Horn is an assistant professor in the School of Molecular Sciences and is an investigator with the Biodesign Institute's Center for Personalized Diagnostics, and the Magnetic Resonance Research Center. He joined Arizona State University in 2012 after an American Heart Association postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in the Department of Biochemistry and the Center for Structural Biology. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Utah's Department of Chemistry. His current interests focus on the interplay between biomolecular function and structure, especially as it relates to human physiology and pathophysiology.



Education

Ph.D. Chemistry, University of Utah 2007