Chemistry majors have the opportunity to build collaborative research partnerships directly with Meredith faculty and participate in projects in the renowned Research Triangle Park, a hub of research and scientific achievement. Chemistry students may also receive financial awards to present the results of their research projects at local and national conferences.

Research

• A chemistry student worked as part of a team to study DNA Extraction and Regeneration of Tylosema exculentum and Tylosema fassoglensis.
• A team of chemistry students investigated an efficient synthetic route of Isoptilocaulin which has been shown to have medicinal properties making it a formidable antibiotic against both gram negative and gram positive bacteria. It has also been shown to be an effective chemotherapeutic agent against leukemia cells in vitro.
• A student explored a novel chelation method for removing metal contaminants like arsenic and lead from water supplies.

Presentations

Research Presentations at Professional Meetings of the American Chemical Society (ACS)

• Six undergraduate research students (Zeenat Razvi, Julia Bair, Nooria Razai, Sally Yacout, Meredith Hyatt, and Brittney Mitchell) attended and presented April 8-12, 2013 at the 245th National American Chemical Society Meeting in New Orleans, LA.  The following list includes all citations from Meredith (Meredith students/faculty are bold):
• “Science of art:  From creation to authentication to preservation” Dr. Kassy A. Mies and Sayyeda Zeenat Razvi
• “Reductive mechanism of iron release from the iron-siderophore, ferrioxamine B, by NaDH in the presence of the iron(II) chelator, TPEN,” Dr. Kassy A. Mies and Sayyeda Zeenat Razvi
• “Investigation of the roles of several iron(II) chelators in the release of iron from ferrioxamine B via reduction by NADH,” Julia Bair and Dr. Kassy A. Mies
• “FbpA:  A continuum between bacterial transferring and periplasmic binding protein,” Dr. Claire J Parker Siburt, Dr. Sambuddha Banerjee, D. Aruna Weerasinghe, Dr. Timothy A. Mietzner, and Dr. Alvin L. Crumbliss
• “Efficient synthetic route to isopitlocaulin utilizing an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction,” Dr. William A. Dupont, Devin E. Montague, Nooria Razai, and Sally M. Yacout
• “Probing Diels-Alder adducts of anthracene and maleimide as mechanically active functional groups,” Meredith G. Hyatt, Zachary S. Kean, Bobin Lee, and Professor Stephen L. Craig
• “Metal coordination polymer networks of iron(II) and ruthenium(II) tris(bipyridine),” Kristina M. Vaillonis, Mallory, M. McVannel, Meredith G. Hyatt, Marian L. Pippin, and Dr. Al D. Schwab
• “Spatial variation of organic volatile compounds associated with gas production operations in southwestern Pennsylvania,” Brittney L. Mitchell, Brandon Miller, Robert Swarthout, Dr. Yong Zhou, and Dr. Barkley C Sive
• “Hydrocarbon emissions associated with hydraulic fracturing in northeastern Colorado and southwestern Pennsylvania:  A lot of fracking gas,”  Barkley C. Sive, Robert Swarthout, Brandon Miller, Brittney Mitchell, Emily Horsman, Rachel Russo, and Yong Zhou
• Razvi, S, Folk, D, & Franz, K. (2011, September). Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Copper Chelators: Pro-oxidants or Anti-oxidants? Poster session presented at the 125th North Carolina American Chemical Society Sectional Meeting, Raleigh, NC.
• “Metal coordination polymer networks: A modular approach,” Meredith G. Hyatt, Miriam L. Pippin, and Alexander D. Schwab; 243rd National Meeting of the ACS, San Diego, CA, March 2012.
• “Examination of the beta-amyloid peptide and its copper complexes using spectroscopic methods,”  Michelle D. Maiden and Kassy A. Mies; 243rd National Meeting of the ACS, San Diego, CA, March 2012.
• “Examination of the binding of iron(III) to the amyloid-beta peptide and its potential implications in Alzheimer’s disease,” Sarah S. Murray and Kassy Mies; 243rd National Meeting of the ACS, San Diego, CA, March 2012.
•  “Investigation of the interaction between zinc and the beta amyloid peptide,” Rodda A. Ouma and Kassy Mies; 243rd National Meeting of the ACS, San Diego, CA, March 2012.
•  “Hydrophilic and hydrophobic copper chelators: Pro-oxidants or anti-oxidants?” Sayyeda Zeenat A. Razvi, Drew S. Folk and Katherine J. Franz; 243rd National Meeting of the ACS, San Diego, CA, March 2012.

Research Presentations at Meredith College

• Destiny McDuffie – “Autoinhibitory Regulation in Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor H1 (GEF-H1)”
• Tia Joyce – “The Effects of Asparagusic Acid on Glutamate Dehydrogenase”
• Crystal Gunther – “Synthesis and analysis of a carbozole-based dye and its use in a Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell”
• Kimberly Hinton – “Connecting Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry through Synthesized Inhibitors and Succinate Dehydrogenase”
• Julia Bair – “Investigation of the roles of Several Iron (II) Chelators in the Release of Iron from Ferrioxamine B via Reduction by NADH.”
• Sarah Beno and Rachel Serrano – “DNA extraction and PCR of Tylosema esculentum and DNA extraction, PCR, and Gene Amplification of nifH in Rhizobium leguminosarum.”
• Callie Davis – “A Novel Chelation Method from Removing Toxic heavy metals from water Supplies.”
• Sayyeda Zeenat Razvi – “An Exploration of the Iron Release Mechanism of the Naturally occurring Siderophore, Ferrioxamine B.”
• Sarah White – “Investigating Porphyrins and Phthalocyanine as Iron (II) Chelators that Facilitate Iron Release from a Siderophore through Reduction by NADH.”
• Sally Yacout, Nooria Razai, Devin Montague, and Elizabeth Jaimes – “An Efficient Synthetic Route to Isoptilocaulin: Making the Aminocycopentene.”
• Michelle Maiden – “A Possible Link Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Copper”
• Sarah Murray – “A study of interactions between Iron and the Amyloid-beta peptide: Potential implications in Alzheimer’s Disease”
• Meredith Hyatt – “Metal Coordination Polymer Networks:  A Modular Approach”
• Sayyeda Zeenat Razvi and Kassy Mies – “Iron Release Mechanisms and potential medicinal Applications of naturally Occurring Siderophores”

Celebrating Student Achievement Day: Poster Presentations

• Amanda Krzywinski – “Converting Green Fluorescent Protein into Alternate Colors Using Site-Directed Mutagenesis.”
• Amanda Krzywinski – “Converting Green Fluorescent Protein into Alternate Colors Using Site-Directed Mutagenesis.”
• Devin Montague, Nooria Razai and Elizabeth Jaimes – “Convergent Approach to Synthesis of Isoptilocaulin.”
• Sarah Beno, Rachel Serrano and Anum Imran – DNA Extraction and Regeneration of Tylosema esculentum and Tylosema fassoglensis
• Emma Keim, Katy Martin and Sally Yacout – Asteroid Search
• Rodda Ouma – An investigation of the interaction between zinc and the beta amyloid peptide:  A possible cause of the senile plaques characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease