Author: admin

Sara has passed her final Ph. D. exam with flying colors. Her catalysis CVs did not look like ducks but were still very impressive indicating a real possibility of liquid fuel production from the air, the sun, and a touch of chemicals.

Dr. Alexandra Barth, a postdoctoral research scholar in the Castellano research group, has been selected as one of just 35 participants worldwide for the prestigious 2025 CAS Future Leaders Program. The program recognizes early-career scientists and supports their development as emerging leaders in the chemical sciences through leadership training, professional development, and global networking opportunities.

This honor highlights Dr. Barth’s deep commitment to mentorship and leadership within the scientific community. In the Castellano Lab, she is known not only for her scientific talent but also for her unwavering willingness to assist others—regularly contributing her knowledge, time, and support to help her lab mates thrive. She creates a lasting impact through her dedication to fostering a collaborative and intellectually vibrant research environment. Dr. Barth’s recognition as a CAS Future Leader not only celebrates her scientific accomplishments but also honors the meaningful ways she uplifts and inspires the next generation of researchers.

We are proud to announce that Prof. Castellano has been honored with the 2025 Alumni Association Outstanding Research Award at NC State University. In addition, he has been inducted into the NC State Research Leadership Academy (RLA), one of the university’s highest honors for faculty engaged in research leadership and mentoring.

This prestigious award recognizes Dr. Castellano’s outstanding contributions to the advancement of scientific research and innovation. His visionary approach and sustained excellence in research have had a lasting impact across disciplines at NC State and beyond.

Beyond his own scientific achievements, Dr. Castellano is widely recognized for fostering a collaborative and inclusive research environment. His dedication to mentorship and interdisciplinary teamwork has shaped a dynamic group committed to addressing complex scientific challenges.

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Castellano on this well-deserved recognition!

Congratulations to Austin on passing his final Ph.D. oral defense! the title of his dissertation was “Probing 1st Row Transition Metal Complexes for Radical Generation and Photoredox Applications” . Austin has been one of the most talented and prolific synthetic chemists in the group, and he also succeeded in time resolved visible, infrared, and EPR spectroscopies. We wish him the best of luck in his future career endeavors.

Manuscript No.: ic-2025-00650w (acs.inorgchem.5c00650)
Title: Direct Evidence for Buffer-Enhanced Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Generation of a High Valent Metal-oxo Complex .
Authors: Matthew Carl Kessinger, Silvia Grandi, Thomas Whittemore, Evgeny O. Danilov, Felix N. Castellano, Stefano Caramori, Gerald J. Meyer

Reem Alameh has successfully passed her PhD final oral defense exam. The title of her dissertation was “Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications of Rhenium(I) Complexes“. Reem was the first graduate student who used femtosecond IR transient absorption setup with femto- to microsecond delay built at the IMAKS. Excellent and unique results, Reem! Congratulations!

When: Tue, May 6, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Where: The StateView Hotel, Autograph Collection, 2451 Alumni Dr, Raleigh, NC 27606

What’s on the agenda:

A portion of the discussions will focus on envisioning the future of our department and the implementation of a hiring plan to shape that future. 

While there are many uncertainties at this time, it still appears helpful to have a vision and a plan despite the unpredictable landscape ahead of us.  

In order to enact a hiring plan, we need to identify our priorities, and I hope to shape those priorities at the retreat based on everyone’s input.

In preparation for the retreat, I would like you to ask yourself the following question:

If you could freely choose a particular initiative or theme that you could imagine yourself getting really excited about, what would that be? 

Could you imagine coming together with a group of colleagues at NC State to drive that mission or initiative into the future?

Please be ready to share your vision at the retreat. 

The goal is to collect all the different perspectives and to coalesce towards shared visions that we can agree on in order to build joint strategies and a joint hiring plan for the future, even if that is an uncertain future. 

Please consider themes and initiatives in the realms of 

• infrastructure and support to inform staff hiring
• teaching and education to inform professional track hiring
• research and technological innovation to inform tenure track hiring

Fundamentally the question is: 

Can we create teams that get together in our department to build innovative programs for our future that will then be augmented with targeted hiring to create a welcoming and world-renowned Dept. of Chemistry at NC State? Thank you for considering these broad questions in advance and I look forward to the discussions at the retreat

Friday, April 25, 2025 • 11:00AM – 1:00PM ET

For Researchers at:

University of North Carolina

North Carolina State University

Medical University of South Carolina

Follow this link for the virtual exhibition hall: https://live.lsevirtualevents.com/

FREE T-SHIRT:

When you login for the conference this week, please provide your T-Shirt selection while supplies last. To receive your FREE T-Shirt, please go to the Exhibit Hall, and click on the T-Shirt Banner on LSE’s booth to complete the T-Shirt Selection Form.

LUNCH WILL BE PROVIDED:

You can enjoy a complimentary DoorDash e-Gift Card to order your lunch on us. When you arrive inside of the virtual event, please find our booth in the Exhibit Hall for more details.

EXHIBITING VENDOR COMPANIES:

Discover the latest in new equipment, supplies, reagents & techniques all in one location from vendors in the Life Science Industry. As you explore the event, you will earn points through the gamification point system! Earn points and win prizes as you visit exhibitor booths, chat with vendor representatives at the booths, network with colleagues and download booth content. Network with vendors nationwide with ease from the comfort of your desk. Enjoy lunch at your convenience and connect to vendors online without disruption within your laboratory.

Please join students, faculty mentors, staff and the greater NC State community at 2025 Spring Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium where CH 425 class participants will present their research.

The agenda is:

April 22, 2025

Oral Session A in Talley 3222   10:00-11:20

Poster Session 1 in Piedmont/Mountains Ballroom 11:35-12:35

Poster Session 2 in Piedmont/Mountains Ballroom 1:30-2:30

Oral Session B in Talley 3222 2:45-3:45

April 23, 2025

Oral Session A in Talley 3222 & 3210  9:00-10:00

Visitation with Campus Partners & Companies in Piedmont/Mountains Ballroom 10:00-3:00*

Poster Session 1 in Piedmont/Mountains Ballroom 10:15-11:15

Poster Session 2 in Piedmont/Mountains Ballroom 11:30-12:30

Poster Session 3 in Piedmont/Mountains Ballroom 12:45-1:45

Poster Session 4 in Piedmont/Mountains Ballroom 2:00-3:00

Oral Session B in Talley 3222 3:15-4:15 & 3210

The link to the conference webpage is https://undergradresearch.dasa.ncsu.edu/symposium

Our Coherent sales representative for many years Evan Raba has left the company. We enjoyed working with him – he will be missed. Our new representative is John Miles

John Miles
Staff Sales Engineer
Mid-Atlantic and Southeast Regions

p. (703) 451-3800
e. John.Miles@Coherent.com