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Search for an Inorganic Chemist Begins
West Chester University of Pennsylvania Department of Chemistry seeks an Inorganic Chemist at the tenure-track Assistant Professor level beginning Fall of 2021. West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a growing and vibrant environment whose excellence is reflected in its diversity and student success. The Department of Chemistry is ACS-approved and has an excellent reputation of providing the highest quality of chemical education to undergraduate students at a State-school price. We seek others who share our commitment and mission. Responsibilities will include teaching inorganic chemistry at the advanced and intermediate levels and inorganic synthesis lab, general chemistry, and other chemistry courses in the general education program as needed, advising students, developing a robust research program in Inorganic Chemistry, and serving the University and community.
Details on the position can be found on the NeoGov site. Application deadline 1 December 2020.
Dr. Michael J. Moran: An Appreciation upon his Retirement
The Department of Chemistry wishes Dr. Michael J. Moran all the best upon his retirement making this is our first semester without him since he joined the faculty of West Chester University in 1981. Please join us in thanking him for his decades of dedicated service to the students and community of WCU. You can read more about his long and successful career here .
Work on Luminescent Nanostructures Published
The pandemic may have stopped our students from going back into the lab but it didn't stop them from anyalyzing their data and writing up the results. Three of our recent granduates – Teresa Lee, Benjamin Roe and Joseph Swanson – have had their work published in this article Response of Photoluminescence of H-Terminated and Hydrosilylated Porous Si Powders to Rinsing and Temperature.
Fall 2020 Remote Instruction
All all chemistry lecture and laboratory courses will be taught remotely in the Fall semester. Office visits for advising and tutorials will be remote. Your instructor will provide links and passwords to classes and office hours. You will need the Zoom application. If you haven't installed it already, visit the Getting Started with Zoom page.
Classes will meet remotely via Zoom at the regularly scheduled time unless your instructor notifies you otherwise. Check D2L announcements and WCU email regularly for updates. Please communicate with your instructors only from your WCU account.
International Collaboration Leads to Publication
A collaboration involving undergraduate researchers Joseph Swanson and Bret Unger directed by Professor Kurt Kolasinski together with researchers from the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Connecticut have published their result on nanostructure formation in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.
International Year of the Periodic Table Commemorated
WCU celebrated the International Year of the Periodic Table on November 4 by receiving Proclamations from the PA State Senate and PA State House of Representatives. The event took place in front of the Department’s Interactive Periodic Table display; picture are (L to R) Dr. Jeff Evelhoch (donor of the Periodic Table Display), State Senator Andrew Dinniman, State Representative Carolyn Comitta, Dr. Melissa Cichowicz (Chair, Department of Chemistry) and Dr. Radha Pyati (Dean, College of the Sciences and Mathematics).
Chemistry Scholarships
The deadline for Fall 2019 applications is 22 November 2019 by 5 pm. Details can be found here.
Podcast on Nanoscience.
Listen to some reflections on nanoscience in this podcast from Prof. Kolasinski. This podcast series features voices from the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI). Researchers and innovators discuss their work at the nanoscale, the challenges they’ve faced, and how they’ve connected with the NNI.
ACS Award for Excellence in Chemistry
Senior Erica Knorr was awarded the Scholastic Achievement Award by the Philadelphia
Section of the American Chemical Society. Congratulations
Erica!
Alchemists host Chem Craze
The Alchemist kicked off another year of events by hosting a group of 42 middle and high school students. The group brought together by YMWIC literally mixed it up with the Alchemists. Thank you to Kelsey Dittmar, Teague Smith, Savannah Fay, John Griffith, Lidia Gebre, Olivia Kimber, Erica Knorr, Zane Christmyer, Zach Karounos, Piper Johnson, Regan Gillespie, Hannah Evanik, Jackie Dipietro and Vishal Forde, who all attended.
NSF Grant Awarded
Professor Kurt Kolasinski was awarded $168,927 by the National Science Foundation for a research projected titled Regenerative Electroless Etching for the Production of Si Nanostructures. The grant will help to fund student researchers as they investigate ReEtching and MACE for the production of porous silicon, silicon nanowires and hierarchical silicon nanostructures. Recent results have been published in ACS Nano.