Scholarship and Recognition - Dr. Matthew Polinski, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

Matthew Polinski, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, had a recent publication (published June 23, 2020) in the American Chemical Society journal Inorganic Chemistry which features three chemistry and biochemistry alumni as co-authors (Kristi Brittain ’17, Todd Poe ’18, and Natasha Brenner ’20) and collaborators from Creighton and Florida State University. The paper is titled "Trivalent f-Element Squarates, Squarate-Oxalates, and Cationic Materials, and the Determination of the Nine-Coordinate Ionic Radius of Cf(III)."  In this work, they prepared new materials containing the radioactive elements, Americium and Californium, the latter of which is the last element on the Periodic Table for which bulk/large scale chemistry can be performed. They were also able to calculate, for the first time ever, the ionic radius of Cf(III) in a nine-coordinate environment. This publication was made possible by our recent acquisition of the Bruker D8 Quest single crystal x-ray diffractometer.


Retrieved from the Week Ahead 7/20/2020

Pamela Smith Named ASHA Fellow

Pamela Smith, Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders, has been recognized as a 2020 recipient of  Fellowship of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Smith has distinguished herself as an outstanding member of the speech pathology profession and was nominated in the areas of Clinical Education and Academic Teaching, Service to ASHA, and Service to and Leadership Positions in State Speech-Language-Hearing Associations and/or Other Related Local, Regional, National or International Professional Organizations (not ASHA).

The status of Fellow is retained for life and is one of the highest honors this professional organization can bestow. It recognizes professional or scientific achievement and is given to a member who has shown outstanding contribution to the professions-contributions that are significant and would be so regarded within and beyond one's community or state.

Retrieved from the Week Ahead 7/20/2020

Bloomsburg University chapter of Beta Beta Beta named nation's Outstanding Chapter

The Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania chapter of Beta Beta Beta (Tri-Beta), the national biological honor society, was awarded the Lloyd M. Bertholf Award as the nation's Outstanding Chapter for the 2018-19 academic year. The group is advised by faculty members Abby Hare-Harris and Cynthia Surmacz.

Beta Beta Beta is a national honor society established in 1922 with over 430 chapters across the United States. The mission of Tri-Beta is to stimulate scholarship, disseminate scientific knowledge, and promote biological research.

The Bertholf Committee bases the award upon four criteria: member activity in conducting and publishing research, participation in district and national conventions and other scientific meetings, chapter programming and activities, and orderly record-keeping and communication with the national office. Only activities of the preceding year are considered. The application considers the number of members in each chapter thus allowing both large and small chapters to win the award. The BU chapter has more than 60 student members and 14 faculty members.
Activities of BU's chapter included hosting a regional scientific conference for area colleges and universities, holding mock interviews for students applying to graduate and professional schools, and giving a reception for graduating seniors. Chapter members also supplied coffee and donuts during finals week, provided weekly tutoring sessions for students in introductory biology courses, donated to both a national and local research scholarship, and sponsored a BU student to attend a national scientific conference. It also held activities for residents at a nursing home, held biology trivia contests, helped Girls Scouts earn science badges, and provided biology-related activities for children at BU's Sibling and Children's Weekend.


retrieved from The Week Ahead 7/6/2020