Undergraduate
Research
in the
Arduengo Group
Undergraduate
research plays an important role in the Arduengo group. The research
conducted by undergraduates complements a variety of efforts within the
group ranging from the scouting of prospective programs, to logistical
support of on-going programs, and the prosecution of independent
research programs. Undergraduate members of the group have access
to the world-class chemistry laboratories in Shelby Hall and many
members also benefit from internships overseas in laboratories with
which the Arduengo group has collaborations.
Undergraduate researchers from Professor Arduengo's group have an opportunity for summer research experence in foreign
laboratories. Both Joshua Dolphin and Keith Bentley were
undergraduate members of Professor Arduengo's group from Fall 2005 to 2007.
Personnel exchange was a key feature of the JSPS-NSF
“Core-to-Core”
research program and
in Summer 2006 UA's Josh Dolphin spent time in Hiroshima, Japan in
the laboratories of Professor
Yohsuke Yamamoto. Josh
documented his
experiences in his blog.
On June 25, 2006 Keith Bentley left the U.S. for a summer research stay in
the research group of Professor
Rainer Streubel in Bonn,
Germany.
This U.S./Germany exchange is sponsored by the Deutscher
Akademischer Austausch Dienst
(DAAD, German
Academic
Exchange Service). Professors Arduengo and Streubel continue to
develop new collaborations and personnel exchanges in connection with
their research. Dr. Arduengo's lab at the
University of Alabama hosted numerous exchange visitors at all academic
levels from overseas (Mr. Oliver Steinhof, Braunschweig; Mr. Hideaki
Yamamichi, Hiroshima; Mr. Holger Helten, Bonn; Bianca Milde, Chemnitz;
Susanne Sauerbrey, Bonn; Sven Arenz, Köln; Christoph Schinnen; Armin Auch, and Christiane Knappke, Köln).
In 2013, a special group of undergraduate researchers from The University of Alabama's Emerging Scholars Program
joined the Arduengo group's research programs in the energy related
sciences (chemical hydrogen storage and solar photovoltaics). As part
of the Undergraduate Research & Creative Activity Conference,
Brittany Allums, Connor Smith, and Wes Taylor presented some of their
preliminary results on chemical hydrogen storage and
photovoltaics. Summary descriptions of that work can be found here.
During the Summer of 2013 Sarah McFann spent a Summer internship in the laboratory of Professor Yohsuke Yamamoto
in Hiroshima, Japan. Sarah's research focus in Tuscaloosa has
been on dyes for nonlinear optical and photovoltaic applications.
In Hiroshima Sarah works on ligands for light activated
catalysis. Sarah decided to chronicle her experiences in Japan on
her travel blog.
Exchange Experiences for University of Alabama Students:
The Arduengo group provides regular exchange opportunities for
undergraduate researchers in laboratories around the world. The
experiences of Joshua Dolphin, Keith Bentley, and Sarah McFann in
laboratories in Japan and Germany were mentioned above. For his
Spring Semester of 2014, Wes Taylor spent his time at the Technical University in Braunschweig,
Germany. Wes remained enrolled as a UA student taking UA
off-campus courses in Braunschweig that allowed him to continued
undelayed progress toward his degree while experiencing study and
research abroad. In Braunschweig, Wes's undergraduate research
focused on projects of joint interest to the Arduengo research group
and that of Professor Dr. Matthias Tamm
in Braunschweig. During his stay abroad, Wes was able to develop
fluency in the German language, an understanding of the German culture,
and the outlook on and approach to science in another country.
For the Spring Semester 2015 two more UA undergraduates will spend their Semester in Mainz, Germany at the Johannes Gutenberg Universität in collaboration with the research group of Professor Dr. Till Opatz.
Previous
and Current Undergraduate Members
of the Arduengo Research Group
Gregory
B. Ames (1977-8, U. of
Illinois)
Thomas E. Stumpf
("Synthesis and Complexes of N-Methylmonoaza Crown Ethers",
1979, U. of Illinois)
Robert L.
Burger, Jr.
("Design and Synthesis of a Crown Ether Ligand for Transition
Metals", 1979, U. of Illinois)
Thomas D. Paloumpis
("Studies in the Chemistry of Thioheptalenes", 1980, U. of Illinois)
Eric K. Eisenhart
("Synthesis of Dioxa Analogs of the Trithiapentalene System,"
1980, U. of
Illinois)
Daniel
C. Alter
("The ylides of Diazotetrakis(trifluoromethyl)cyclopentadiene",
1983, U. of Illinois)
Brian L. Benac
("Approaches to the Synthesis of
5-diazo-1,2,3,4-Tetrakis(trifluoromethyl)cyclopentadiene", 1983, U. of
Illinois).
Mark B. Mizen
("Attempts toward the Synthesis of the first 10-N-3 Species,"
1984, U. of Illinois)
G. Peyton Wood, Jr.
("The Metallation of Oxy-Arenes", 1984, U. of Illinois)
Julia Cooper
("Hydrogen-Bonding Networks of Imidazolium Salts," 2001, U. of
Alabama)
Geoffery
Hudson (2002, U. of Alabama)
Uriah
Kilgore
("Synthesis of Imidazolium Chlorides and Creating a Metal
Complex," 2002, U. of Alabama)
Michael
Phillips (2004, U. of Alabama)
Keith
Bentley (2005-2007, U. of Alabama)
Joshua
Dolphin (2005-2007 U. of Alabama)
Ashley
Hunter
("Hydrogen Storage with Unusual Valence Structures," 2006, U. of
Alabama)
Andrew Huddleston (2006-2007, U. of
Alabama)
Joseph Nelson (2007-2011, U. of
Alabama)
David Dorn (2008-2010, U. of
Alabama)
Michael Eddins (2009-2011, U. of
Alabama)
Stefan Osborn (2009-2011, U. of
Alabama)
Minne Lahoti (2011-2013, U. of
Alabama)
Cody Mimms (2012-2013, U. of
Alabama)
Qiyang Chen (2012-present, U. of
Alabama)
Sarah McFann (2013, U. of
Alabama)
Garrett Taylor (2013, U. of
Alabama)
Connor Smith (2013, U. of
Alabama)
Brittany Allums (2013, U. of
Alabama)
Wes Taylor (2013-2014, U. of
Alabama)
Matthew Studer (2014-present, U. of
Alabama)
Tristan McGinnis (2014-present, U. of
Alabama)