chemistry – Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences

‘Titans in a Jar’ Possible Answer to Crucial Questions Ahead of 2026 NASA’s Space Exploration

Science Times Originally Posted: July 3, 2019 It may be possible for Southern Methodist University (SMU) researchers to determine if icy moon of Saturn, Titan, has ever been home to life long before NASA completes an exploration visit to its surface by a drone helicopter. In late June, NASA announced that its "Dragonfly" mission would launch toward Saturn's largest moon in 2026 with an expectation to arrive in 2034. The purpose of the mission is to use a rotorcraft to visit dozens of promising locations on Titan to investigate the chemistry, atmospheric, and surface properties that could lead to life. Also in June, SMU got an award of a $195,000 grant to reproduce what is happening on Titan in a laboratory setting. The Houston-based Welch [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-07-04T20:48:44-07:00 July 5th, 2019|Chemistry, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Faculty News|Comments Off

Three Dedman College students receive prestigious fellowships and awards

Dedman College News Originally Posted: June 24, 2019 Congratulations to three accomplished Dedman College students. Megan Brown and Megan Latoya are 2019-2020 Fulbright Fellowship winners and Siddhakshi Solanki won the highly competitive Boren and Gillman Scholarships. According to an SMU press release, Brown and Latoya, both Ph.D. candidates in the Department of Anthropology, “are two of over 2,100 U.S. citizens who will study, conduct research, and teach abroad for the 2019-2020 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as their record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields.” Megan Brown will be going to Monteverde, Costa Rica and Megan Latoya will be going to Recife, Brazil. [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2019-06-26T06:28:39-07:00 June 25th, 2019|Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Graduate News, Undergraduate News|Comments Off

Tower Center Spotlight: Noelle Kendall ’19

SMU Tower Center Blog Originally Posted: November 9, 2018 Highland Capital Management Tower Scholar Noelle Kendall ’19 is majoring in biological sciences and earning minors in chemistry and french in addition to her Tower Scholars Program minor in public policy and international affairs. We asked her about her experience as a Highland Capital Management Tower Scholar and about why science and public policy matter to her. READ MORE

By Katherine Nickles| 2018-11-12T11:07:52-07:00 November 12th, 2018|Biology, Chemistry, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Tower Center, World Languages and Literatures|Comments Off

Watch: Big on Business – W. Holt Garner

SMU Video Originally Posted: July 10, 2018 “SMU makes my passion for accounting and biology easy to maneuver. SMU’s approach to interdisciplinary study has shaped me into a more critical thinker who can approach a problem from both business and scientific perspectives. And as I prepare for medical school, my dual degree plan gives me a competitive edge. I am able to pursue diverse internship opportunities, including those that focus on the business and clinical aspects of health care.” — W. Holt Garner, Accounting and Biology double major and Chemistry minor. https://youtu.be/eqww8B51c0E

By Katherine Nickles| 2018-08-07T18:37:18-07:00 August 7th, 2018|Biology, Chemistry, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Undergraduate News|Comments Off

Crunching data to crush bacteria

SMU Magazine Originally Posted: July 1, 2018 Peng Tao, assistant professor in SMU’s Department of Chemistry, received the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award to support his research in fighting antimicrobial resistance. Tao’s innovative strategy involves developing computational methods and an advanced theoretical framework to predict protein evolution. “There are a special group of proteins called beta-lactamases in bacteria causing infections,” explains Tao. “The main function of these proteins is destroying antibiotics. And these proteins evolve very quickly leading to so-called ‘superbugs’. We are developing theoretical models to understand how these proteins carry out their functions as machines and predict how these machines may evolve when encountering new antibiotics. If successful, our models could be used by other researchers and pharmaceutical companies to develop new generation of antibiotics with [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2018-07-30T09:49:31-07:00 July 30th, 2018|Chemistry, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Faculty News|Comments Off

KIPP students get an inside look at professor Zoltowski’s lab

Dedman College News Originally Posted: July 26, 2018 KIPP at SMU is a free 5-week college experience for students entering their junior or senior year at a KIPP charter school. During the summer, participants will live on campus at SMU, take one college level course with University faculty, earn college credit and live the life of a college student. These specific students were from all across Texas and had a variety of academic interests. Professor Zoltowski discussed some of the research he's currently conducting in the chemistry department. KIPP, which stands for Knowledge Is Power Program, is a charter school company that works to close the college graduation gap between students from rich and poor families. The schools are usually in ZIP codes with large [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2018-07-26T10:26:37-07:00 July 26th, 2018|Chemistry, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences|Comments Off

SMU Chemistry Professor Receives NSF CAREER Award

Dedman College News Originally Posted: June 12, 2018 Peng Tao, Assistant Professor in SMU’s Department of Chemistry, was awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award to support his research in fighting antimicrobial resistance. Dr. Tao’s innovative strategy involves developing computational methods and an advanced theoretical framework to predict protein evolution. “There are a special group of proteins called beta-lactamases in bacteria causing infections,” explains Dr. Tao. “The main function of these proteins is destroying antibiotics. And these proteins evolve very quickly leading to so-called ‘superbugs’. We are developing theoretical models to understand how these proteins carry out their functions as machines and predict how these machines may evolve when encountering new antibiotics. If successful, our models could be used by other researchers and pharmaceutical companies [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2018-06-12T11:12:26-07:00 June 12th, 2018|Chemistry, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Faculty News|Comments Off

Congratulations! Kenneth Martin selected as 2018 Humanity in Action Fellow

Humanity in Action Originally Posted: May 6, 2018 Humanity in Action has selected Southern Methodist University's Kenneth Martin for one of the 2018 Humanity in Action Fellowship programs in Europe and the United States. 67 students and recent graduates were selected for the 2018 Fellowship programs out of an extremely competitive pool of 564 applicants from universities and colleges across the United States. Martin will participate in the Warsaw Fellowship program. Martin will join Fellows from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Germany, Greece, France, the Netherlands, Poland and Ukraine. Intensive and demanding, the Humanity in Action Fellowship programs brings together international groups of university students and recent graduates to explore past and present examples of resistance to intolerance, with a goal of encouraging future leaders to be engaged citizens and responsible [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2018-05-11T09:04:05-07:00 May 11th, 2018|Chemistry, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, English, History, Undergraduate News, World Languages and Literatures|Comments Off

International health advocate: Ben Chi ’18

SMU News Originally Posted: May 2018 Benjamin H. Chi, a biochemistry, health and society major, is SMU’s first Schwarzman Scholar. The Schwarzman program provides a one-year master’s degree in global affairs from Tsinghua University in Beijing. When SMU senior Benjamin Chi travelled to the city of Harbin in northern China for diabetes research in 2016, it signaled a major milestone in his growing passion for healthcare. Now a senior, he’s headed back to China after graduation for a master’s degree in global affairs from Tsingua University, courtesy a prestigious Schwarzman Scholarship. The Schwarzman Scholars program is modeled on the Rhodes Scholarship, which was founded in 1902 to promote international understanding and peace. Schwarzman Scholars live in Beijing for a year of study and cultural immersion, attending [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2018-05-09T12:32:51-07:00 May 9th, 2018|Biology, Chemistry, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Dedman College Research, Undergraduate News|Comments Off

Lunch With D CEO and Dedman College alumnus: Dr. Jeffrey Whitman

D CEO Originally Posted: April 2018 “Everybody who thinks enough of their teeth to get them checked, should get their eyes checked,” says the familiar-looking man in the blue scrubs. Dr. Jeffrey Whitman is responding after I tell him I can’t remember the last time I got my eyes examined, even though I get an annual physical and my teeth cleaned every six months. I started using cheap reading glasses on my 40th birthday, nearly 25 years ago. I’m using my cheap glasses now to order lunch at Cindi’s New York Deli and Bakery on North Central Expressway north of Royal Lane, across the highway from the new multimillion-dollar Key-Whitman Eye Center, where Whitman is president and chief surgeon. We both order the chicken [...]

By Katherine Nickles| 2018-04-16T08:15:06-07:00 April 16th, 2018|Chemistry, Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences|Comments Off