Newsletter - Winter 2012 - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Newsletter - Winter 2012 - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Newsletter - Winter 2012 - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
detected by scanning tunneling microscopy andtheoretical studies of protein folding potentialenergy surfaces.Greg joined the faculty of Cal Poly in the fall of2011 as an assistant professor in the Departmentof Chemistry and Biochemistry where he isteaching in the General Chemistry sequence. Heis passionate about chemical education, both inimproving learning outcomes for Cal Polystudents, but also in working toward achievingeducational equity through K-12 outreach. Greghas continued research interests in the optoelectronicproperties of local single-moleculechemistry as well as in the application ofdiffusional dynamics for low-barrier kinetics.Shanju Zhang is currentlyan assistant professor ofPolymers and Coatingsprogram in the Department ofChemistry and Biochemistryat California Polytechnic StateUniversity San Luis Obispo.He received his B.Sc. inchemistry from JilinUniversity in 1993 and hisPh.D. in polymers from thesame university in 1998. In 1998-2000 he was anassistant professor at Changchun Institute ofApplied Chemistry at the Chinese Academy ofSciences. He received an Alexander vonHumboldt fellowship at Technical University ofBerlin in 2000-2002. He did his postdoctoralresearch at University of Cambridge in 2002-2006.Before he joined the faculty of Cal Poly in 2011,he was a research scientist at Georgia Institute ofTechnology (2006-2009) and Yale University(2009-2011). Dr. Zhang has published around 60papers in the peer-reviewed journals in the areasof synthesis, structure, processing and propertiesof polymers and liquid crystals. His currentresearch is focused on polymers and coatings withapplications in energy conversions, coveringconjugated polymers, semiconducting nanotubes/nanowires, and polymer nanocomposites.Michael Everest hasalways been fascinatedwith science. In high school,chemistry was the subjectthat tapped into thisfascination the most. It alsohelped that, compared to theway physics and biologywere taught, he could figurethings out on a chemistryexam without having verymuch information committed to memory. Hecontinued his interest in chemistry by completingthe ACS-certified B.S. at Wheaton College(Wheaton, IL). At that time, he decided thatteaching chemistry at a primarily undergraduateinstitution was his intended career goal. Hecompleted a Ph.D. at Stanford studying ionmoleculereaction dynamics under the direction ofRichard Zare. (While in graduate school, hefinally saw the value of having informationcommitted to memory, though it is an ongoingstruggle!)Michael’s Ph.D. work required a large lasersystem, a large vacuum system, and a largetandem mass spectrometer inside the vacuumsystem. Being aware of the levels of fundinggoing to undergraduate institutions, he decided tochange fields to an area that would require onlyone of those three components: cavity ring-downspectroscopy. After a post-doctoral stint at TrinityUniversity (San Antonio, TX), he taught chemistryat George Fox University (Portland, OR) from2001-2011. He also spent 12 months in Greeceworking to develop a cavity-enhanced variety ofellipsometry. Most of his research has involvedthe application of optical-cavity-enhancedtechniques to the study of processes at interfaces.Michael is thrilled to be joining the faculty atWestmont College where he plans to continueteaching physical chemistry and overseeingundergraduate research projects.***
Westmont New Faculty Continued…Kristi Lazar, a 2000Westmont Collegealum, has returned as anassistant Professor ofChemistry. Lazar earned amaster’s degree atPrinceton University and adoctorate from theUniversity of Chicago,where she conductedbiochemistry researchunder the direction of Stephen C. Meredith andwrote her dissertation on “Non-amyloid proteinaggregates.” Lazar returned to Westmont as avisiting professor in January of 2010 and beganher tenure-track position last fall. Her area ofexpertise is in protein aggregation, includingdeposits of misfolded proteins thought to beresponsible for amyloid diseases. Lazar undertooktwo years of postdoctoral research at Genentech,Inc., a biotech company, before applying toWestmont. Her research at Genentech exploredthe long-term stability of monoclonal antibodydrug products at sub-zero temperatures.***Coke Zero’s Secret FormulaExcerpt from C&EN Newscripts post byLauren WolfI’ve always thought the reason that I disliked thetaste of Diet Coke was that it contains aspartame.However, after reading the label more closely andchatting with some people at [Atlanta’s World ofCoca-Cola] museum, I noted that Coke Zero,which I think tastes great (and more like CokeClassic), contains aspartame as well. So whatgives?Coke Zero contains aspartame and acesulfamepotassium, another high-potency sweetener. “Theblend of aspartame and acesulfame-K is veryunique,” says Ihab E. Bishay, director of businessdevelopment and application innovation atAjinomoto Food Ingredients. “There is significantadditive synergy between the two sweeteners.Acesulfame-K has a very quick sweetness onset,which is followed by a bitter/metallic aftertaste,and aspartame has a slower onset, with a slightlylonger-lasting sweetness. Together, the blendprovides the product formulator with a tasteprofile that is closer to the taste of sugar thaneither sweetener by itself.” So this might explainmy preference for Coke Zero.Neither expert, however, thinks that’s the wholestory. “When formulating a beverage like a cola,formulators can modify the flavor system,acidulates, sweeteners, and myriad other variablesto arrive at the desired flavor and taste profile,”Bishay says. Shelke agrees, adding thatformulators probably alter other ingredients in thebeverages to give them a pH that maximizessweetness for their particular sweetener system.While I was at the World of Coca-Cola, I chattedwith an employee who told me that Diet Cokeuses a different syrup base (the preservatives andnatural flavors advertised on the label) than CokeClassic. Coke Zero, the employee said, uses asyrup that is closer to Coke Classic’s. That couldalso be a contributing factor in my dislike of DietCoke. But because the company isn’t about toreveal its secret formula for either beverage, I’mnot sure that I’ll ever know precisely.Plenty of sci-curious folks have tried to ascertainCoke’s exact ingredients and their proportions. Ileave you with one person’s interesting take on it.Well, I checked in with some experts to try to findout. “There are people for whom most highpotencysweeteners, such as aspartame andsaccharin, taste slightly bitter or metallic,” saysKantha Shelke, founder of consumer packagedgoods consultancy Corvus Blue. I’m guessing thatI’m one of them.
- Page 1 and 2: The California Los Padres Sectionof
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detected by scanning tunneling microscopy <strong>and</strong>theoretical studies <strong>of</strong> protein folding potentialenergy surfaces.Greg joined the faculty <strong>of</strong> Cal Poly in the fall <strong>of</strong>2011 as an assistant pr<strong>of</strong>essor in the <strong>Department</strong><strong>of</strong> <strong>Chemistry</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Biochemistry</strong> where he isteaching in the General <strong>Chemistry</strong> sequence. Heis passionate about chemical education, both inimproving learning outcomes for Cal Polystudents, but also in working toward achievingeducational equity through K-12 outreach. Greghas continued research interests in the optoelectronicproperties <strong>of</strong> local single-moleculechemistry as well as in the application <strong>of</strong>diffusional dynamics for low-barrier kinetics.Shanju Zhang is currentlyan assistant pr<strong>of</strong>essor <strong>of</strong>Polymers <strong>and</strong> Coatingsprogram in the <strong>Department</strong> <strong>of</strong><strong>Chemistry</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Biochemistry</strong>at California Polytechnic StateUniversity San Luis Obispo.He received his B.Sc. inchemistry from JilinUniversity in 1993 <strong>and</strong> hisPh.D. in polymers from thesame university in 1998. In 1998-2000 he was anassistant pr<strong>of</strong>essor at Changchun Institute <strong>of</strong>Applied <strong>Chemistry</strong> at the Chinese Academy <strong>of</strong>Sciences. He received an Alex<strong>and</strong>er vonHumboldt fellowship at Technical University <strong>of</strong>Berlin in 2000-2002. He did his postdoctoralresearch at University <strong>of</strong> Cambridge in 2002-2006.Before he joined the faculty <strong>of</strong> Cal Poly in 2011,he was a research scientist at Georgia Institute <strong>of</strong>Technology (2006-2009) <strong>and</strong> Yale University(2009-2011). Dr. Zhang has published around 60papers in the peer-reviewed journals in the areas<strong>of</strong> synthesis, structure, processing <strong>and</strong> properties<strong>of</strong> polymers <strong>and</strong> liquid crystals. His currentresearch is focused on polymers <strong>and</strong> coatings withapplications in energy conversions, coveringconjugated polymers, semiconducting nanotubes/nanowires, <strong>and</strong> polymer nanocomposites.Michael Everest hasalways been fascinatedwith science. In high school,chemistry was the subjectthat tapped into thisfascination the most. It alsohelped that, compared to theway physics <strong>and</strong> biologywere taught, he could figurethings out on a chemistryexam without having verymuch information committed to memory. Hecontinued his interest in chemistry by completingthe ACS-certified B.S. at Wheaton College(Wheaton, IL). At that time, he decided thatteaching chemistry at a primarily undergraduateinstitution was his intended career goal. Hecompleted a Ph.D. at Stanford studying ionmoleculereaction dynamics under the direction <strong>of</strong>Richard Zare. (While in graduate school, hefinally saw the value <strong>of</strong> having informationcommitted to memory, though it is an ongoingstruggle!)Michael’s Ph.D. work required a large lasersystem, a large vacuum system, <strong>and</strong> a larget<strong>and</strong>em mass spectrometer inside the vacuumsystem. Being aware <strong>of</strong> the levels <strong>of</strong> fundinggoing to undergraduate institutions, he decided tochange fields to an area that would require onlyone <strong>of</strong> those three components: cavity ring-downspectroscopy. After a post-doctoral stint at TrinityUniversity (San Antonio, TX), he taught chemistryat George Fox University (Portl<strong>and</strong>, OR) from2001-2011. He also spent 12 months in Greeceworking to develop a cavity-enhanced variety <strong>of</strong>ellipsometry. Most <strong>of</strong> his research has involvedthe application <strong>of</strong> optical-cavity-enhancedtechniques to the study <strong>of</strong> processes at interfaces.Michael is thrilled to be joining the faculty atWestmont College where he plans to continueteaching physical chemistry <strong>and</strong> overseeingundergraduate research projects.***
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