| Starting in the spring of 2013, five
faculty from small R1 and primarily undergraduate
institutions formed the consortium ORDMOC to
facilitate monthly online research discussions:
Marion Emmert - WPI; Michael Findlater - Texas Tech;
Abby O'Connor and David Laviska - The College of New
Jersey; Nathan West - The University of the
Sciences, Philadelphia. All of us have experienced
the positive effects of such video chats through
postdoctoral and graduate work in CENTC, an NSF CCI,
and we plan to provide our students with a similar
educational experience. Members who joined later
include Kyle Grice (DePaul Chicago), Kayla Green
(TCU), and Jessica Hoover (WVU). Nathan West
discontinued participation in the project when he
took a position at Eastman Chemical in 2015. |
PIs
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Research in the
Emmert group focuses on the development of new,
sustainable processes. The group is developing new
ligands and oxidants for transition-metal catalyzed
C-H bond functionalizations, catalysts for aerobic
oxidations at low oxygen concentrations, as well as
recycling processes for rare earth containing
materials from end-of-life products. |
| Marion
Emmert |
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The Findlater
laboratory seeks to encompass a broad range of
research areas. These span such disparate topics as
C-H bond activation, Lewis acid catalysis, materials
applications and the chemistry of the lanthanide
elements. These projects are all grounded in the
rational design and preparation of catalysts capable
of converting low value substrates into important
products via a range of synthetic techniques. |
| Michael
Findlater |
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Research interests in
the O'Connor group are focused on the development of
more energy efficient and sustainable means to
produce our supply of fuels and chemicals. A
possible strategy is finding new homogenous
transition metal complexes for different catalytic
applications. In particular, we focus on finding new
ways to stabilize highly reactive intermediates of
catalysis using hemilabile groups. |
| Abby
O'Connor |
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Dr. Laviska worked as
an environmental chemist for 15 years before earning
his Ph.D. from Rutgers University. Dr. Laviska's
research projects include the utilization of iridium
pincer complexes for the activation and
functionalization aryl C-H and C-X bonds. |
| David
Laviska |
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My research is based on the study of inorganic complexes as catalysts for valuable reactions. My focus at DePaul University is on the selective and controlled transformation of strong bonds, but I am also very interested in metals in biology. |
| Kyle Grice |
 |
Our Research focuses
on the development and understanding of new
catalytic methods for organic synthesis. Catalytic
reactions are becoming more and more commonly used
in the synthesis of complex structures -
pharmaceutical molecules (medicines), polymers
(plastics, clothing) and fuels - among others.
Unfortunately, in the application of catalysis to
small molecules, its not always clear how the
reaction happens. If we can better understand the
reactions and the catalysts, then we can develop
improved methods. |
| Jessica Hoover |
 |
The Green research
group focuses on applications at the interface of
chemistry and biology. The areas of interest include
coordination chemistry of relevance to the treatment
of Alzheimer's disease with amine heterocyclic
ligands; responsive MRI sensors for oxidative
stress; and ferrocene-peptide conjugates as
biosensors for cancer markers. |
| Kayla
Green |