Faculty
Born and raised in Missouri Valley, Iowa (30 minutes from Omaha, NE), I spent many hours working on my grandfather's farm. In high school I enjoyed science courses and sports, namely football and wrestling. Before starting college I enlisted in the Army Reserves as an x-ray technician with the 82nd Field Hospital.
Majoring in chemistry, I received my B.S. degree from the University of Nebraska-Omaha (Go Mavericks!) in 1987. I then traveled to West Lafayette, IN, where I studied Inorganic Chemistry at Purdue University (Go Boilermakers!). My thesis research, directed by Dr. Bob Leidner, involved the study of organoruthenium porphyrin complexes (of course you know what they are). This project used synthetic chemistry, electrochemistry, and several spectroscopy instruments to understand the redox chemistry of the ruthenium based cytochrome P450 (biological iron complex) models.
After earning my Ph.D. in 1992 at Purdue, I then travel to the University of Utah for a post-doctoral position under the direction of Professor John Gladysz. During this one year term, I studied the chemistry of several chiral rhenium complexes. This involved investigation of aldehyde binding modes to the rhenium fragment, CpRe(PPh3)(NO)+, and studies of carbon chains bridging two rhenium centers.
I then accepted a tenure track position here at the University of Southern Indiana (go Eagles) in 1993. I enjoy teaching General Chemistry for both science and non-science majors. At the advanced level, I teach Inorganic Chemistry (my specialty). In addition I lecture in Polymer Chemistry and Chemical Literature and Seminar.
I also have an active undergraduate research program. My interests include computational chemistry and organometallic catalysts. Students have presented their research at national ACS meetings (Boston, Dallas, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Orlando, Washington, D.C.).
Please stop by, give me a call, or drop me an e-mail, and I would love to chat with you about the chemistry department here at USI. It is a great place to get a start on a career in chemistry.
Research
- Chem 499
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