Research

Undergraduate Co-Authored Research Papers

Undergraduates are very often credited for contributing key experimental results and insights to a project that is later published as a research paper in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Names of USF undergraduates are shown in bold.

• J. K. Arbitman, C. S. Michel, C. Castro,* and W. L. Karney,* "Calculations Predict that Heavy-Atom Tunneling Dominates Möbius Bond Shifting in [12]- and [16]Annulene," Org. Lett. 2019, 21, 8587-8591.
• D. Ho, W. Hetrick, N. Le, A. Chin, and R. M. West,* "Electric Field-Induced DNA Melting with Detection by Square Wave Voltammetry." J. Electrochem. Soc. 2019, 166 (4), B236-B242. (Editors' Choice article)
• C. S. Michel, P. P. Lampkin, J. Z. Shezaf, J. F. Moll, C. Castro,* W. L. Karney,* "Tunneling by 16 Carbons: Planar Bond Shifting in [16]Annulene," J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141, 5286-5293.
• S. Luo, A. J. Kuhn, I. Castano, C. Castro, and W. L. Karney,* "Hydrogen Shifts in Aryl Radicals and Diradicals: The Role of m-Benzynes," J. Org. Chem. 2018, 83, 314-322.
• A. Otten, M. Wooten, A. Medrano, Y. Fathi, and G. Meloni,* “Investigation of Oxidation Reaction Products of 2-Phenylethanol Using Synchrotron Photoionization,” J. Phys. Chem. A 2018, 122, 6789-6798.
• M. Winfough, K. Voronova, G. Muller, G. Laguisma, B. Sztaray, A. Bodi, and G. Meloni,* “Furfural: The Unimolecular Dissociative Photoionization Mechanism of the Simplest Furanic Aldehyde,” J. Phys. Chem. A 2017, 121, 3401-3410.
• M. Winfough, R. Yao, K. Catani, and G. Meloni,* “Synchrotron Photoionization Investigation of the Oxidation of Ethyl tert-Butyl Ether,” J. Phys. Chem. A 2017, 121, 1460-1469.
• M. Y. Ng, B. M. Bryan, J. Nelson, and G. Meloni,* "Study of tert-Amyl Methyl Ether Low Temperature Oxidation Using Synchrotron Photoionization Spectroscopy," J. Phys. Chem. A 2015, 119, 8667-8682.
• E. E. Irace, E. Brayfindley, G. A. Vinnacombe, C. Castro,* and W. L. Karney,* "Stone–Wales Rearrangements in Hydrocarbons: From Planar to Bowl-Shaped Substrates," J. Org. Chem. 2015, 80, 11718-11725.
• E. Brayfindley, E. E. Irace, C. Castro, and W. L. Karney, "Stone-Wales Rearrangements in Polycyclic Hydrocarbons: a Computational Study", J. Org. Chem. 2015, 80, 3825-3831.
• Chang, C.-C., Greaney, M., Nguyen, M., Moy, D., Liu, C., Dancer, J., Margerum, L. D. "PAMAM dendrimers on controlled pore glass: The effect of tethered dendrimer size and tethered affinity groups NTA and terpy on metal ion and indicator dye uptake", Inorg. Chim. Acta 2014, 409, Part A (0), 127-136
• Martin Y. Ng, Jordan Nelson, Craig A. Taatjes, David L. Osborn, and Giovanni Meloni "Synchrotron Photoionization Study of Mesitylene Oxidation Initiated by Reaction with Cl (2P) or O (3P) Radicals", J. Phys. Chem. A 118, 3735-3748 (2014)
• Elizabeth Cochran and Giovanni Meloni "Hypervalence in Monoxides and Dioxides of Superalkali Clusters", J. Chem. Phys. 140, 204319/1-204319/13 (2014)

Undergraduate Awards

Our undergraduate researchers have been the recipients of a variety of awards based on their research.

• Arthur Furst Award - Open to all undergraduates at USF.
• Barry Goldwater Scholarship - National competition for sophomores and juniors.
• American Chemical Society Awards - Women Chemists Committee (WCC) Travel Grant - National competition for graduate and undergraduate women chemists to travel to an ACS national meeting.
• Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Award - National competition for undergraduates with an outstanding academic record majoring in the sciences, engineering, and medicine.

Student Research Presentations at Conferences

In addition to the rigorous coursework in chemistry at USF, research plays a major role in students’ training and development. Our undergraduate and masters’ students work alongside faculty mentors on projects, publish papers, and present their work at local, regional, and national conferences. Here are some of the recent presentations by USF students at scientific meetings.