Carroll Chemistry Newsletter - Spring 2024
Passing of a Saint
The Chemistry Department was saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Emeritus Guido Bugni on December 22, 2023. Guido Bugni was both a Carroll College chemistry professor and graduate of 1958. The Chemistry Department feels blessed to have inherited his legacy of being student-centered, fostering a supportive department, maintaining high academic standards, and ensuring a culture where faculty are accessible and eager to help students.
In October, Professor Bugni sat down for an interview with chemistry senior Tyler Dailey. The interview is available here. Tyler’s research in summer 2023 was funded by the Guido Bugni Professorship at Carroll. A beautiful tribute to Professor Bugni can be found here.
Why I Give:
Perspective of One Early Career Alumnus
I give to make it possible for future students to participate in an incredible educational environment. Carroll provided me opportunities to perform research and interact with and independently use some instrumentation routinely used in real-world research settings that even my time in graduate school didn’t provide. People donated to provide that to me. So, giving to Carroll College is my way to say thanks to those earlier donors, the school at large, and the great professors in the chemistry department who were role models, inspirations, and friends. They played an integral part in helping me become the person I am today.
After I graduated from Carroll, I got my Masters of Science in chemical engineering in 2018. I then began to work for Bayer at their elemental phosphorus plant in Soda Springs, ID, the only one in the western hemisphere. I’ve had two positions there: as the process engineer over the environmental control processes and overseeing the rotary kiln process where we process 240 tons per hour of phosphate ore. As of September, I’ve been in St. Louis, MO at Bayer’s Crop Science headquarters on a short-term assignment doing research in their chemical process technology group.
Carroll helped me find connection with others, explore my interests and culture, and constantly strive to be a more empathetic and well-rounded citizen of the world. It sounds a little grandiose written down, but I really mean it. For these reasons, I’m inspired to donate.
~ Nathan Bollar, Chemistry, Class of 2015
Professor Carpenter Leads Student Trip to Ecuador
Last summer Professor Carpenter led a service learning trip to Ecuador with five Carroll students. Here is some of what the students had to say about their trip:
"We saw the cloud forest and the Amazon and stayed in communities that were so welcoming. We were able to hike around and see incredible landscapes such as peaks and waterfalls! We learned so much about the culture of Ecuador as well how each community is self-sufficient. We even learned how to make cheese and jam! "
~ Addie B. (Nursing ‘25)
"I would definitely recommend that other students take a trip like this. It was an enjoyable and safe way to experience more 'off the grid' areas than a typical tourist might. In addition, the volunteering aspect of this trip made me feel like I was actually making a difference in the lives of the people and animals we encountered."
~ Chloe J. (Biology ‘25)
Saints Giving Day
March 21-22, Noon to Noon
You can support the Chemistry Department as they raise funds to support undergraduate research during our third annual Saints Giving Day.
This social and digital fundraising campaign will last for 24 hours beginning at noon on Thursday, March 21, and run through noon Friday, March 22.
The top 5 ways you can support the chemistry program
Support from our alumni comes in so many forms. Here are five ways you can support the chemistry program and the students we serve:
- Share your Carroll story with someone new in a face-to-face conversation (or on social media).
- Share internship and job opportunities with the chemistry faculty so we can pass them on to our students.
- Attend an upcoming alumni event.
- Share your update with us so we can include it in the alumni updates section of these newsletters.
- Give to support the creation of endowed professorships or to our upcoming 24-hour Saints Giving Day Campaign.
Save the Date – A Celebration of Undergraduate Research
You are invited to our Celebration of Undergraduate Research on Wednesday May 8, 2024, from 4-6 pm on the Carroll College campus in the Fortin Science Center Scola. This event will feature student research talks, student research posters, light hors d'oeuvres, and drinks provided by the Knights of Columbus.
Please join the faculty and our amazing students as we celebrate, promote, and recognize the impact of undergraduate research.
Alumni Updates
We often receive updates from our alumni. We are proud to learn of your successes and momentus events. Below is a list of recent alumni updates we have received:
Victoria Kong ‘17, Chemistry – Cover art and editorial in Macromolecules. (Adapted with permission from Macromolecules. Copyright 2023, American Chemical Society.) - Jasmine Phan '16, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Prof. David Hitt – published the x-ray crystal structure of a novel cyclopentadienyl ruthenium complex as an open access structure in the Cambridge Structural Database (CCDC) - Experimental Crystal Structure Determination, 2024, DOI: 10.5517/ccdc.csd.cc2j7644
- Alex Flynn ‘23, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology – has been accepted into the Biochemistry PhD program at Montana State. He is currently doing a rotation in Professor Lemon’s lab making fluorophores using proteins and modified heme-metalloenzyme complexes.
Would you like to share your update with the other chemistry and biochemistry alumni? Email a faculty member and they will work with you to include your update in a future newsletter.