|
|
|
Chemistry Professors Receive NSF RUI Awards July 1, 1998 
 l to r: Professors Charles Beam, Shannon Martinez, and Kristin Krantzman The Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) activity is part of the Foundation's effort to help assure a broad base for science and engineering research, and thereby enhance the scientific and technical training of students in undergraduate institutions. The specific objectives of the RUI program are to: (1) support high quality research by faculty with active involvement of undergraduate students, (2) strengthen the research environment in academic departments that are oriented primarily toward undergraduate instruction, and (3) promote the integration of research and education at predominantly undergraduate institutions. Through RUI, NSF provides support for research and research instrumentation for investigators in non-doctoral departments in predominantly undergraduate institutions. Charles Beam and Shannon Martinez reecievd $145,000 from teh NSF-RUI program. The focus of their work is the preparation of benzopyranones, benzothiopyranones, benzoquinolines and benzacridines, compounds with potential for intramolecular proton transfer in the electronic excited state. Many of the proposed target molecules have potential as radiation scintillators, luminescent solar concentrators and laser dyes. The students working on the project will have the experience of conducting organic synthesis and carrying out steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic studies on many of the compounds prepared. With this Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) award, the Synthetic Organic Program is supporting the research of Drs. Charles F. Beam and Shannon S. Martinez of the Department of Chemistry at the College of Charleston. Work will focus on the preparation and photophysical study of heterocyclic compounds with the goal of understanding intramolecular proton transfer in the electronic excited state. The research will serve to enhance the education of a number of undergraduate participants Kristin Krantzman is supported by a $121,500 RUI grant from the Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Program to perform molecular dynamics simulations of the high-energy bombardment of organic targets on Cu(001) microcrystallites with polyatomic projectiles. She will examine the emission yield of molecules and molecular fragments, and estimate the surface damage. She will also study the energy deposition into the solid and the distribution of energy density in the solid support. The objective of the research is to shed additional light on the mechanism of Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) and Fast Atom Bombardment Mass Spectroscopy (FABMS). A good portion of the work will be performed in collaboration with Barbara Garrison at Penn State University. SIMS and FABMS are analytical mass spectroscopic sampling techniques that are used in such diverse research applications as imaging human blood cells, detecting pesticide residues on leaves and soil, and analyzing the composition of Martian meteorites and the processing of semiconductor devices. Through the use of molecular dynamics simulations, Krantzman will elucidate the fundamental processes that occur at the molecular level in these sampling techniques. |