Dear Friends,
We are excited to bring you the Winter 2023 edition of ChemConnections!
A year ago, I informed you about the impending restructuring of IUPUI. The planning process is complete and a definitive agreement between the two universities was signed last June. We are now in the execution phase. The Chemistry Department will be a part of Indiana University Indianapolis (IUI) starting July 1, 2024. Beginning in Fall 2024, we will be teaching chemistry not only to IU Indianapolis (IUI) students but also to Purdue University Indianapolis (PIN) students. Even though we will be restructuring our values will not be changing – we will be as singularly engaged in student success, research, and connecting with our community as before.
This fall we welcomed two new colleagues – Dr. Lyneisha Ward joined us as an assistant professor and Elijah Guess as an instrument engineer. Lyneisha’s research area is in chemical education.
Several new grants have come in since my letter to you in the Spring. Drs. Sébastien Laulhé, Ian Webb, and Yongming Deng all secured the NIH MIRA award. Dr. Rajesh Sardar secured another NSF grant and Dr. Nick Manicke secured an NIH R01 grant. In total, the department has 20 grants and contracts at the moment.
This calendar year we graduated 7 PhD students and 5 MS students. We welcomed 8 PhD and 7 MS students in our department. This year several of our students have done internships at local industries such as Corteva, Eli Lilly, and Heritage. Our students are securing outstanding internships, jobs and postdoctoral positions. Our signature annual event, the Welcher Lecture, occurred in November of 2023. Prof. John Hartwig from the University of California Berkeley gave two wonderful talks. Our graduate program was ranked in 2023 by the U.S. News and World Reports as 119 along with several other reputable universities.
Over the past several years, the Chemistry Department has been supported by our donors, friends, and alumni. Gifts to the department can profoundly impact many areas, including providing student scholarships, hosting visiting scholars and lectures, and meeting critical needs. More than ever, we need to support our students and research efforts. There are many ways you can make a lasting impact here in our Chemistry Department. Please consider making a gift.
You are at the heart of this department. This is your university, and IUPUI and the department are successful because of your success. Please feel free to contact Kitty O’Doherty with updates at czinski@iupui.edu, or follow us on Twitter @ChemIUPUI.
I wish you and yours a Happy New Year and an excellent 2024!
Sincerely,
Partha Basu, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology