UO Chem - Media Coverage
Faculty Profiles Graduate Studies Undergrad Studies
Facilities Research Programs Research Institutes Department Seminars

Below are some selected news stories that highlight some of the research and programs in the University of Oregon Chemistry Department.

"Environmental Awareness Fuels Green Chemistry"
Green chemistry is catching on and the UO is teaching the scientists of tomorrow about green concepts. Dr. Julie Haack, assistant department head for chemistry has created a green chemistry database used to bring teaching resources to other educators.
CNN.com/technology, October 9, 2007

"UO Chemist Dave Johnson Named First Haugland Foundation Chair"
The endowment established by the co-founder of Molecular Probes is provided to Dr. Johnson for his collaborative work with academia and industry.
Inside Oregon, April 30, 2007

"University Chemist Bags Guggenheim Fellowship"
UO's own Geri Richmond wins fellowship.
Oregon Daily Emerald, April 17, 2007

"University of Oregon's Richmond Named Guggenheim Fellow"
Professor Geri Richmond is awarded the prestigious fellowship.
UO Pulbic and Media Releases, April 6, 2007

"UO Gives Area Schools the Gift of Science"
Graduate students help teach science as part of the Material Science Institute's outreach program.
Oregon Daily Emerald, February 22, 2007

"Chemistry Professor Named to Federal Hydrogen Fuel Committee"
Geri Richmond, a faculty member in the chemistry department, has been named to the Department of Energy's Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee.
Inside Oregon, July 10, 2006

"University Receives New Gradutate Training Grant"
The $3.2 million grant helps fund the Materials Science Institute's graduate internship program.
Inside Oregon, July 10, 2006

"New Integrative Science Complex Launched"
The UO begins construction of the $76 million dollar Integrative Science Complex.
Inside Oregon, June 12, 2006

"Darren W. Johnson named a Cotrell Scholar"
Inside Oregon, June 12, 2006

"Professor's Career Melds Science with Advocacy"
Highlights Richmond's advocacy for women and her successful career as a scientist.
OPN News, May 8, 2006

"Geri Richmond Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences"
Inside Oregon, May 1, 2006

"Oregon Chemist Geri Richmond to Receive Council for Chemical Research Diversity Award."
EurekAlert.org, April 26, 2006

"Geri Richmond Named AAAS Fellow"
Richmond is named to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Chemical and Engineering News, April 26, 2006
Forbes.com, April 24, 2006

"Undergrad Researchers Find Encouragement at UNCA Conference"
Professor Geri Richmond addresses the gender gap in the sciences.
 Citizen-Times.com, April 7, 2006

"Chemists Advance Ammonia Quest"
"The pursuit to produce ammonia, the fertilizer that made the “Green Revolution” in agriculture possible, is making progress thanks to a recent discovery by professor David Tyler and two graduate students, John Gilbertson and Nate Szymczak, of the University chemistry department."
Oregon Daily Emerald, July 14, 2005

"'Holy Grail' of Chemical Process Found"
Professor David Tyler and grad students John Gilbertson and Nate Szymczak have successfully converted nitrogen to ammonia.
Register Guard, July 6, 2005

"New Way to 'Fix' Nitrogen Discovered"
Professor David Tyler and students John Gilbertson and Nate Szymczak have produced ammonia from nitrogen at room temperature.
Inside Oregon, July 6, 2005

"Technology Company Teams Up With University Researchers"
"University of Oregon nanotechnology expertise and equipment will play a major role in a two-year, $750,000 research contract recently awarded to a Beaverton-based technology company." Professors Mark Lonergan and Jim Hutchison will be working with Voxtel to develop microwave circuits for telecommunications and optical devices.
Inside Oregon, June 3, 2005

"Expanding ONAMI"
The big picture on the University's plans for the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute.
Oregon Daily Emerald, May 16, 2005

"Despite Ranking, Oregon Nanotech Vibrant"
The future looks bright for nanoscience in Oregon, and ONAMI is a part of that. ONAMI, the Oregon Nanosciene and Microtechnologies Institute, is a collaboration of Oregon State University, the University of Oregon, Portland State University, and the UO.
Portland Business Journal, April 15, 2005

"Nanoscience Makes Chemist See Green"
Professor Jim Hutchison discusses the important advantage of taking the green path toward discovery in nanoscience. Scientists now have an opportunity to make nanoscience green from the beginning.
EETimes Online, April 25, 2005

"Green Gold"
Jim Hutchison's work with gold nanoparticles...
Sustainable Industries Journal Northwest, April 1, 2005

"Journeys; 36 Hours | Eugene, Ore."
New York Times travel writere Chris Dixon passes some time in our home town.
New York Times, April 1, 2005

"UO Researcher Wins Nanotech Patent"
Professor Jim Hutchison, along with grad students Gerd Woehrle and Marvin Warner, has developed "a greener approach to creating self-assembling structures..."
Portland Business Journal, March 31, 2005

"UO-ONAMI Researcher Gets Patent for Nanoparticle-Based Electronic Devices"
See above.
PhysOrg.com, March 31, 2005

"Gift Boosts UO's 'Small Science'"
Hewlett Packard has donated a scanning auger microscope to the UO, which will be housed in the university's CAMCOR facility. The instrument is valued at about $1 million.
Inside Oregon, March 30, 2005

"ONAMI Appoints Leaders"
ONAMI, the Oregon Nanosciene and Microtechnologies Institute, is a collaboration of Oregon State University, the University of Oregon, Portland State University, and the UO. Professor David Johnson, of the UO is co-director.
Portland Business Journal, March 9, 2005

"American Chemical Society Lauds 'Coach' of Women Scientists"
Geri Richmond and the Committee on the Advancement of Women Scientists that she heads wins an ACS award. The mentoring group she started six years ago gets recognition.
Inside Oregon, March 7, 2005

"A Greener Route to Gold Nanoparticles"
The Hutchison lab makes progress in developing a greener method to synthesize gold nanoparticles."
Environmental Science & Technology Online, March 1, 2005

"Simulations Predict Chemistry"
Professor Marina Guenza "uses computer simulations to predict how untested chemicals will perform outside the lab."
Oregon Daily Emerald, February 11, 2005

"Duo Create Molecular Trap for Arsenic"
Professor Darren Johnson and graduate student Jake Vickaryous have discovered a new way to form self-assembled supramolecular arsenic complexes.
The Register Guard, December 1, 2004

"Cancer Researcher Gains National Honor"
Professor Peter von Hippel has been inducted into the American Philosophical Society. The society was founded by Ben Franklin in 1743 and has had many famous names on its membership list.
Inside Oregon, November 14, 2004

"UO Scientist Wins International Award"
Professor Geri Richmond is honored with the Spiers Medal by Great Britian's Royal Society of Chemistry.
The Register Guard, October 7, 2004

"Smiley Pete Among the Elite"
Professor Pete von Hippel, a memeber of the National Academy of Sciences since 1978, has been elected to the prestigious American Philosophical Society.
Oregonian, August 4, 2004

"Million-Dollar Lab Will Help Research on Nanoscience"
The UO plans to build a "Laboratory for Quantum Control" as part of the Oregon Cener for Optics. Professors Andy Marcus and Michael Raymer (physics) will oversee the lab.
The Register Guard, July 19th 2004

"Science Institute Will Open Today"
The Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute, a collaboration of Oregon Universities, the state of Oregon, and industry, has opened on the Corvallis campus of Hewlett-Packard. ONAMI hopes to one day be a national leader in nanoscience and microtechnology.
Statesman Journal, May 27, 2004

"UO Innovation Advances Science of Nanotechnolgy"
Professor Jim Hutchison has patented a new process that allows researchers to create gold nanoparticles in a "greener" way.
Register Guard, May 13, 2004

"New Patent Provides an Environmentally Benign Solution to an Important Challenge in Nanotechnology"
"A process developed by chemistry professor Jim Hutchison eliminates the need to use two highly toxic chemicals in the production of functionalized gold nanoparticles."
Azonano.com, May 4, 2004

"Sometimes Being Very Small Can be Very Big: ONAMI and Nanotechnology"
The Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute gets rolling. ONAMI is a a collaboration of Oregon Universities, the state of Oregon, and industry.
UO Computing News, Spring 2004

"Wolfe the Watchdog"
Ray Wolfe professor emeritus in chemistry, launches a second career in television with "In the Public Interest" on community television.
Oregon Daily Emerald, April 28, 2004

"UO Thinks Small with Big Research Center"
The UO plans to build a new building at the Riverfront Research Park devoted to nanotechnology and tech transfer.
The Register Guard, April 26, 2004

"Oregon Boosts Nanotechnology Funding"
Govenor Ted Kulongoski promises $20 million in state funding for Oregon's Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute.
eetimes.com, April 2, 2004

"Bevin Parks gets Real World Experience at PNNL"
Graduate student Bevin Parks, a student in Jim Hutchison's lab, spent last summer working at Pacific Northwest National Labs in Redmond, Washington as part of the IGERT program. See page two of the PNNL Newsletter to read about her collaboration.
PNNL Newsletter, March 2004

"Oregon's Nanotech Researchers are Thinking Commercialization"
With funding from Congress earmarked for nanotechnology, Oregon's researchers are gearing up for big projects.
Small Times, February 18, 2004

"Professor to Hold Number 2 Spot on Board"
Professor Geri Richmond is named vice president of the State Board of Higher Education.
Register Guard, January 24, 2004

"Students Study Avalanches with Realistic Experiments."
Professors Jim Hutchison and Julie Haack have created a class to study the chemistry of skiing.
Oregon Daily Emerald, January 5, 2004

"Deep Sea Vent Life Entices Student"
Biology graduate student Kristy Henscheid of the Berglund lab dives into the deep to study life in the hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor.
Register Guard, December 8, 2003

"Science Gains Extra Traction in the Classroom"
The Materials Science Institute's GK-12 program pairs graduate students with science teachers in grade schools and high schools in an effort to improve math and science skills in these age groups.
Register Guard, November 24, 2003

"Nurturing an Interest in Science"
The Materials Science Institute's GK-12 program pairs graduate students with science teachers in grade schools and high schools in an effort to improve math and science skills in these age groups.
Inquiry, Fall 2003

"Nanomaterials, Human Products"
Mark Lonergan has received a grant through the National Science Foundation for the study of nanotechnology.
Inquiry, Fall 2003

"Science Gains Traction in the Classroom"
The Materials Science Institute's GK-12 program pairs graduate students with science teachers in grade schools and high schools in an effort to improve math and science skills in these age groups.
The Register Guard, November 24, 2003

"UO Scientist Named AAAS Fellow"
Geraldine Richmond has been named American Association of American Scientists Fellow.
Campus News, November 4, 2003.

"UO Ranked with Best in Published Research"
"A Swiss research center has ranked the University of Oregon 44th best in the world in terms of publications impact."
Campus News, August 27, 2003

"University of Oregon Nano Researchers Aiming for Marketable Products"
"It was an unassuming branch of science until a few years ago, when researchers and high-tech companies began touting it as The Next Big Thing, the harbinger of a technological revolution bigger than the advent of the computer chip, maybe even bigger than the Industrial Revolution."
Small Times, July 8, 2003

"UO Researcher Wins Guggenheim Fellowship"
"For the past 20 years, Jeffrey Cina, a professor of theoretical physical chemistry at the University of Oregon, has studied processes such as photosynthesis, the method by which plants convert sunlight into chemical energy, to determine how molecules behave as they pass this energy from one to another, like firefighters passing water buckets right on down the line."
Register Guard Newspaper, April 18, 2003
"Platinum in an aromatic ring"
"A direct route to the first platinabenzene has been discovered by chemists who are developing a general synthesis of metallabenzenes. When postdoc Volker Jacob and associate professor of chemistry Michael M. Haley at the University of Oregon, Eugene, lithiated the 3- vinylcyclopropene derivative shown here (Ph = phenyl) and treated it with a 1,5-cyclooctadiene (cod) platinum complex, they expected to get an intermediate vinylcyclopropene platinum complex. Instead, the reaction went all the way to the platinabenzene"
Chemical & Engineering News, September 23, 2002
"Business Basics / Jane Scheidecker: Sustainable practices increasing"
An op/ed piece noting the increase in sustainable practices around the community, including green chemistry at the UO.
"Under the Surface"
UO Professor Geri Richmond has earned high acclaim in science, but she also has great chemistry with people.
A peek into the daily life and scientific success of Professor Geri Richmond.
Oregon Quarterly, Summer 2002
"UO Leads the Way to Green Chemistry
Tyler Trust Grant funds a new green organic chemistry lab. Professors Jim Hutchison and Ken Doxsee, along with a team of graduate students, help pave the way to a new way of teaching organic chemistry using less toxic chemicals.
"WCC Awards for Diversity"
Professor Geraldine Richmond received an award from the Women Chemists Committee of the American Chemical Society recognizing her contribution to diversity in chemistry. Richmond is the founder of COACH, Committee on the Advancement of Women in Chemistry.
"UO teaching green chemistry inside a new $1M green lab"
The new green chemistry lab opens to fanfare.
Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, June 25, 2002 - sorry, no link.
"University Chemistry Lab Hailed as Nation's Greenest"
Green organic chemistry lab continues to receive recognition. Learn more about green chemistry at the University of Oregon by visiting the green chemistry website: http://www.uoregon.edu/~hutchlab/greenchem and viewing the articles listed below.
"UO Honors Three with Prestigious Teaching Awards"
UO President Dave Frohnmayer surprised Associate Professor Mike Haley with the Faculty Achievement Award for Distringuished Teaching.
"New UO Lab Will Prepare Next Generation of Chemists for Jobs in 'Greening' Industries"
A grant from the Alice C. Tyler Perpetual Trust will help the chemistry department showcase it's growing green chemistry program with a new instructional laboratory. The Trust is providing $300,000 toward the project. The Green Chemistry Institute is matching $100,000 of the grant.
"High-tech Institute Listens to Business, Preps Students with Practical Training, Internships"
The Materials Science Institute, a collaborative group of physicists and chemists at the UO, has had success with it's internship programs for master's and doctoral students. The program allows students to gain hands-on experience in industry while working toward graduate degrees in chemistry or physics. A growing number of industrial partners have helped the program grow. Participants include LSI Logic, Hynix, Intel, Triquint, Novellus, Micron, Hewlett-Packard, Neste Resins, Borden Chemical, Forrest Pain, Willamette Valley, and Bend Research.
"Adding Women to the Solution"
Geri Richmond began the Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists four years ago to encourage girls and women to consider a career in science. According to this feature on Dr. Richmond, just 90 out of 2,300 of the full professors in the United States are women.
"Oil and Water Play Tug of War"
Professor Geri Richmond and grad students Larry Scatena and Mac Brown have observed interactions of water and a hydrophobic liquid surface using internal reflection vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy. It was previously thought that water did not interact with hydrophobic surfaces.
"Green Chemistry: CHEMRAWN Conference explores the progress and prospects of chemical research and science policy in advancing global sustainable development"
Cover Story - The UO's Green Organic Chemistry lab for undergraduates is touted as a successful program with NIH backing. Professor Jim Hutchison and Ken Doxsee, along with a group of graduate students, worked to create the lab. Find out more on the green chemistry website: http://www.uoregon.edu/~hutchlab/greenchem/
"Support for a Rare Breed: Tenured Women Chemists"
Professor Geri Richmond founded the Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists, an organization created to improve the status of professional women in science. The group also provides networking and support for women in science.
"In Their Elements: Water"
Larry Scatena, Mac Brown and other graduate students in the Richmond lab work with water - a topic that's a little more complicated than it seems once you look below the surface.
Chemistry Professor Andy Marcus Unveils New Technique to Study Microscopic Parts of Cells
Marcus' new technique, Fourier Imaging Correlation Spectroscopy, allows researchers to illuminate small regions of a cell with projected light patterns. The Marcus lab, in conjunction with the biology lab of Professor Rod Capaldi, have been using the new technique to study mitochondria.
Chip Camp Brings the Chemistry and Physics of the Semiconductor Industry to Undergrads
This summer the Materials Science Institute launched Chip Camp, a week-long all-expense-paid introduction to the microelectronics industry for undergraduates in chemistry and physics. As part of the camp, students fabricate their own LEDs and other devices in the new Semiconductor Processing Lab.
Doctoral Student Wins Green Chemistry Award
Scott Reed, a fifth-year doctoral student in chemistry, won the Hancock Award in Green Chemistry for his role in developing the world's first organic green chemistry instructional laboratory for undergraduates at the UO. Offered by the American Chemical Society to just one student per year, the award carries tremendous prestige.
Intel Donates Instrumentation to Department
Intel recently donated $425,000 worth of instrumentation to the Materials Science Institute. The new equipment is being used in chemistry, physics and biology labs. The gift included two optical light microscropy stations with CCD cameras and vibration isolation tables. A large sputter deposition system was also donated and parted out to various MSI laboratories, inlcuding six cryopumps, five turbo pumps, roughing pumps, and associated vacuum harware and power supplies. The system measured over ten feet square and weighed several tons. The Materials Science Institute fosters research between chemistry and physics at the University of Oregon.
"Green Chemist Awarded for his Efforts"
Scott Reed, a fifth-year doctoral student in the Hutchison lab, won the Hancock Award in Green Chemistry for his role in developing the world's first organic green chemistry instructional laboratory for undergraduates at the UO. Offered by the American Chemical Society to just one student per year, the award carries tremendous prestige.
"UO Already Working Toward Govenor's Sustainability Goals"
Oregon Govenor John Kitzhaber outlined programs at the UO that are helping move the state toward its sustainability goals, including the green chemistry lab for undergraduates.
"Green Chemistry for a Better World"
Professors Ken Doxsee and Jim Hutchison worked with graduate students to produce the first green organic instructional lab in the world. The lab teaches students organic chemistry using less toxic solvents and reagents to produce similar reactions. The department has plans to turn all organic instructional labs green by fall, 2001.
"Scaling the Barrier to Smaller Microchips"
The tiny transistors used in semiconductor chips are about as small as they're going to get with today's technology. But research in Cathy Page's lab may eventually hold the solution. Research is focused on creating new materials which could allow manufacturers to create transistors far smaller than those on semiconductor chips today.
"Green Experiments for the Organic Lab"
Chemical & Engineering news story highlights the green organic lab at the Univeristy of Oregon.
"Practical Green Chemistry at the University of Oregon"
"University of Oregon Green Chemistry Laboratory"
Journal of Green Chemistry, Issue 1, 2000 See "Forum" for pdf of story
"Organic Chemistry Goes for the Green."
"University Finds It's Easier Being Green"
"Green Chemistry Makes Class Safer"
"Green Chemistry Comes to UO Classroom"
Oregon Scientist, December 1999
"Better Learning through 'Green' Chemistry"
Instructor Deborah Exton incorporates environmental values into her general chemistry classes by using less toxic materials to conduct experiments in class. Because so many student take the class each term, the reductiion in waste can be huge.
"Going for the Green"
This story highlights student enthusiasm for the new green organic chemistry lab at the UO.
"Chemical Balance: A UO Scientist Finds a Way to Meld Research and Relationships"
A day in the hectic life of Professor Geri Richmond.
Internship Master's Program Provides Education & Jobs
The and Industrial Internship Program through the Materials Science Institute pairs chemistry physics students with industry. Students spend time in class and on the job and typically end up with a high-paying job when they're done.
"A Man of Many Patents"
Professor John Keana has 40 patents - more than any other academic in the state. Keana's patents include neuroprotective drugs used to minimize brain damage due to stroke, head injury or heart attack. Making licensing agreements with companies can be a wonderful benefit to the department, Keana's research, and the public.
"The Patent Scientist - Getting Inventions to Market"
More in-depth story than the one above.

 


Photo of North Umpqua by Bernd Mohr.

WEBMASTER
lynde@uoregon.edu