Tag: Chemistry

Simeon Schum
Chemistry

I arrived at Michigan Tech in Fall 2013 after receiving my Bachelor’s degree in chemistry from University of Alaska, Fairbanks the previous spring. After arriving, I joined Dr. Lynn Mazzoleni’s group, which is primarily focused on investigating the molecular composition of atmospheric organic aerosol using ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry.

My research has focused on the analysis and interpretation of organic aerosol collected at the Pico Mountain Observatory, which is located on Pico Island in the Azores Archipelago, within the north Atlantic Ocean. Through this work I was able to go to the site in the summers of 2014 and 2017 for a total of ten weeks and helped operate and maintain the site so that samples and observations could be obtained for researchers at Michigan Tech and other collaborating institutions. Some of my work from the site highlighted interesting questions about the aging processes that organic aerosol undergo based on the ambient conditions in the atmosphere during long-range transport.

In addition to my work with organic aerosol, I learned how to write code in R and have used that knowledge to write a code package that includes functions that do molecular formula assignment, isotope filtering, signal to noise determination, and recalibration. These are all important for the analysis of ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry data.

First, I would like to thank Dr. Mazzoleni for her incredible assistance over the years in mentoring and providing me the opportunity to do things I may not have otherwise done. I would also like to thank the Michigan Tech Graduate school for awarding me this finishing fellowship, which will allow me to focus on finishing my dissertation and journal publications related to my work.

Xin Yan
Chemistry

I came to Michigan Tech in August 2012 and work in chemistry lab with my advisor, Dr. Lanrong Bi for 6 years. Before my graduate studies, I earned my bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the University of Science and Technology of China.

My current research focuses on designing of novel fluorescent probes which are used to label targeted lysosome and mitochondria. These probes can be used for facilitating early cancer diagnosis, cancer prevention and cancer therapy. Besides research projects, I also worked as a teaching assistant in several chemistry laboratories. These teaching experiences also benefits me a lot.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Graduate School for providing me with this financial support. This fellowship allows me to focus on my dissertation and complete my PhD degree on time. I am also grateful to my advisor and the chemistry department. I feel proud to be a student in Michigan Tech.

Mingxi Fang
Chemistry

I joined Dr. Haiying Liu’s group at Michigan Tech in spring, 2014. This is my 5^th year as a PhD student in chemistry major. My research interests focus on design and synthesis of novel near-infrared fluorescent probes for biological sensing and imaging application. Near-infrared fluorescence is very useful in biomedical research because it penetrates deep tissue without dealing damage to bio-systems.  Besides research experience, I have been teaching General Chemistry, Instrumental Analysis, Quantitative Analysis (laboratory) and Recitation class (lecture) as a graduate teaching assistant since 2014. Those precious experience really helps me a lot in life as well as academia.

I also like sports. I learned to ski in Houghton as I never saw so much snow in winter before. Downhill skiing is so exciting and relaxing that I can relieve and take a deep breath from research when things did not go well.

I really want to express my gratitude to Graduate School and the Dean’s Advisory Panel for providing me the Finishing Fellowship in fall semester. The fellowship will help me focus on writing dissertation and finishing defense in a timely manner.

Shanshan Hou
Chemistry

I came to Michigan Tech in January, 2013 and work in the chemistry lab with my advisor, Dr. Lanrong Bi. I earned my BSc. Degree in Pharmacy in my home country, China. Currently, my research focuses on the design and synthesis of fluorescent dyes. These fluorescent dyes could target and label the organelles, thus shining light on cell’s inner workings. I learned and got a lot in my five-year PhD life, I feel so proud to be a student at Tech.

I want to give my sincere thanks to Graduate School for providing me with the Doctoral Finishing Fellowship. With this fellowship, I will be able to focus on my dissertation so that I could expect to graduate this semester. I am also greatly thankful to my advisor and department for their big support.