UW-Eau Claire Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Hati–Bhattacharyay Research Lab tradition continues — our end of semester group lunch at Down to Earth to celebrate our students’ accomplishments. This year brought many highlights: Stewart Gundry (Chemistry with Biochemistry Emphasis), Liam O'Donnell (Chemistry with Biochemistry Emphasis), and Madi Shafman (Biochemistry/Molecular Biology) are graduating with departmental honors. Keegan Gunderson (Biomedical Engineering) and Gauna Her (Biology) are graduating as well. Keegan will be starting medical school this summer, while Gauna will begin working as a certified nurse assistant. Our rising seniors, juniors, and sophomores not only excelled in their coursework, but they also performed exceptionally well in collaborative research. All students shared their work at CERCA, through either poster or oral presentations. Oscar also presented his research at the Biophysical Society Meeting, a wonderful achievement. Wishing everyone the very best on finals and in their continued academic journeys.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of my former and current students who have worked with me on so many meaningful research projects over the past 20 years and who continue to do so today. Your trust in me, your dedication, and your willingness to push yourselves to learn new things have meant more to me than I can express. You have challenged me, inspired me, and helped me grow both professionally and intellectually. This recognition truly belongs to all of you as much as to me; without your contributions, this award would not have been possible. Thank you all!

-Dr. Sanchita Hati

UW-Eau Claire’s Dr. Sanchita Hati earns national award for mentorship UW-Eau Claire's Dr. Sanchita Hati earns CUR award for chemistry mentoring

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We piloted our for December Graduation Celebration yesterday evening with a gathering of students, faculty, and soon to be alumni! Four of our December graduates were able to attend braving the extra snow and cold temperatures to meet at Brewing Projekt to celebrate with their peers. A special thank you to Sheboygan Paint Company for sponsoring the catering for this event! We are so proud of all our graduates and are excited to see where they go next!

An amazing talk from Zach Davis from Veolia about hazardous waste chemical management brought out students from environmental sciences, public health, biology, and chemistry. Thank you for the informative and entertaining seminar!

A huge thanks to Vincent Purpero at the WI Department of Justice for making the trip to inform us of the operations of the forensic crime lab and the specifics of DNA analysis! While fascinating to see analytical chemistry and biochemistry in action, the connections of forensic chemistry to real crime cases in Wisconsin is a sobering and important application! Another great seminar talk!

Our fourth annual Open House was a well attended event for continuing students and new students exploring the department. Events included research lab tours (analytical, biochem, computational, synthetic, etc), tie-dye a chem shirt or tote bag, engage in a laser demo or X-ray demo, meet the faculty, meet the peer mentors, and engage in the chem and safety demos featuring color changing reactions and fire! Thank you all who made this event so much fun and for all the familiar and new students who came to have fun with us! Each year this event grows a bit grander. It's hard to believe that next year will be our last Open House in Phillips Hall!

Friday's seminar featured students who opted into receiving credit for their summer internship experiences. Interns included Ella Josephs at Sheboygan Paint Company, Jamie Neumann at the University of Kansas REU program, Diana Abarca Palma at Labcorp, and Andy Skoug at Nestlé. These four shared their experiences with their peers and faculty and offered excellent advice for opting into future opportunities!

Happy Halloween! Department Chair Dr. Jennifer Dahl was out bright and early today handing out candy to students, including a trip to Dr. Gerlach’s Industrial Chemistry course.

What a fantastic way to start Friday morning! We had the pleasure of listening to our brilliant biomedical innovation scholars present their research, conducted in collaboration with Mayo Clinic physicians and UWEC faculty, to an audience that included both UWEC campus members and Mayo Clinic professionals. Many of these students are focused on advancing diagnostic techniques and improving patient outcomes. We are especially proud of three Chemistry majors, Cally Robertson, Samuel Morehead, and Hunter Heinzen, who are studying Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. They presented their research titled: "Use of Raman Spectroscopy as a Noninvasive Tool for Cancer Detection in Human Saliva." Their work exemplifies the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and the impact of undergraduate research in shaping the future of healthcare.