DEPARTMENT OF
Chemistry
We are pleased to announce that Morgan Lehtinen, PhD Student in the Liu Group, is the recipient of 2021 SGS Award in Leadership, Innovation, and Community Engagement! This award recognizes exceptional graduate students who are making a meaningful difference in the world while also demonstrating the highest standards of academic excellence. Congratulations!
Grad student, Matt Sanger and grad alumnus Kyle Boniface of the Jessop group are celebrating the publication of their work in Nature Chemistry in a joint paper with Walter Leitner and his team at RWTH in Germany. The paper describes a heterogeneous catalyst that switches its selectivity when CO2 is introduced or removed, even though CO2 is not involved in the catalyzed reaction.
The government has renewed Dr. Philip Jessop's position as Canada Research Chair in Green Chemistry.
The Department of Chemistry wishes to congratulate its spring graduates for 2021! This is a tremendous achievement and we celebrate your continued success. The undergraduate class photo is available for download here. (PDF, 8.1 MB).
Congratulations class of 2021 video.
Dear Queen’s Chemistry Community,
On behalf of the Department of Chemistry, I want to express the horror that we feel in response to the act of anti-Muslim hate that occurred in London, Ontario, last Sunday. This department is moved to state unequivocally that we condemn terror and racism in all its forms. While we mourn the loss of a family, we are also called to action.
This terrorist attack comes after increasing incidents of anti-Muslim, anti-Asian, and other racially motivated acts over the past year. We are also undergoing a reckoning with the traumatic legacy of Canada’s residential schools.
Diversity is a source of strength for our department. Building on our anti-racism statement from last year, we wish to reiterate that we are resolutely committed to creating and maintaining a safe working and learning environment. We are also committed to self-education and outreach. Specific actions include:
If anyone, including staff, faculty, and students, feel they need support or help in any way, please feel free to contact the Department Head at any time. You can also reach out to the Department’s Ombudsperson or Student Wellness Services for support.
Igor reported a new low-energy way to separate organic products from water. That's important because biomass conversion to organic products usually produces a mixture of product & water. Removing the water is the most energy-costly step in the entire conversion process. If you would like to view the paper, please visit the Royal Society of Chemistry website.
The collaborative work of Allingham, Craig & Evans labs was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. This publication demonstrates the ability to produce a truncated synthetic derivative of the actin-targeting marine toxin mycalolide B impairs ovarian cancer cell motility and invasion of extracellular matrix. This is an important and exciting step toward developing a new class of cancer therapeutics that can inhibit cancer metastasis. Cancer metathesis accounts for approximately 90 percent of the annual deaths, and this approach is an important step in dealing with this dreadful disease.
Congratulations to Anne Petitjean on receiving the Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching! The Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching is awarded to a Queen’s teacher who shows outstanding knowledge, teaching ability, and accessibility to students. Inspiring, dedicated, and supportive are words many students use to describe Dr. Petitjean, who is known for going above and beyond to help her students succeed in the classroom and the lab. Dr. Petitjean’s teaching greatness was featured in the Queen’s Alumni Article.
Congratulations to our 4th year undergraduate students for completing their thesis projects! Special congratulations to the recipients of the Walter MacFarlane Smith Prize in Chemistry, Kristen Harrington and the M. Sullivan and Son Limited Scholarship, Josh Zacks.
Each year, the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance nominates a professor who demonstrates outstanding teaching qualities to receive the Award. Through descriptions from Dr. Beauchemin’s students, she was able to present difficult course material in an engaging manner while advocating on your students' behalf through remote learning and promoting an interest in research! In addition to this achievement, Dr. Beauchemin was also the recipient of the Chemistry DSC's 4th Year Excellence in Teaching award!
