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Two gold medals stand in display cases with a third medal resting on a table between them. The cases are labeled “Guowei Wei” and “Piotr Piecuch.”
December 15, 2023
Michigan State University researchers Piotr Piecuch and Guowei Wei were formally recognized as outstanding faculty at an investiture event held by the College of Natural Science.
Michigan State University researchers helped show how fungus like Aspergillus sydowii, shown here, can restructure their cell walls to survive in extremely salty conditions.
November 8, 2023
Researchers led by Tuo Wang, the inaugural Carl H. Brubaker Jr. Endowed Associate Professor at Michigan State University, have revealed how microorganisms known as halophilic fungi restructure their cell walls to survive in extremely salty conditions. The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, helps deepen our understanding of how life has adapted to our planet’s harshest environments.
MSU chemist James McCusker believes that new approaches to the science of solar energy conversion need to include a focus on abundant, scalable materials that can capture and convert light into useable chemical potential. Toward this end, he and his team of students combine synthesis with ultrafast spectroscopy in order to develop a fundamental understanding of the interplay between the chemical structure and/or composition of a molecule and the mechanism by which that molecule redistributes energy it absorbs in the form of light.
September 7, 2023
Michigan State University Research Foundation Professor James K. McCusker is the recipient of the prestigious 2024 Josef Michl American Chemical Society (ACS) Award in Photochemistry. This honor recognizes outstanding experimental and theoretical research in the fields of photochemistry and photophysics as applied to organic, inorganic or biological molecules or solids. McCusker will receive a certificate and a prize of $5,000, which will be presented at the ACS Spring 2024 meeting in New Orleans.
Using notoriously challenging ingredients, Michigan State University chemists have created single-molecule magnets that could enable new data storage and computational technology
June 6, 2023
Recent research from a team of MSU chemists has unveiled a new class of magnetic molecule. Reporting in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers led by Selvan Demir have brought together famously challenging building blocks to push single-molecule magnets a step closer to their promising applications, which could include pushing hard drives to a whole new level and opening doors to emerging technologies such as quantum computers.
MSU College of Natural Science 2023 NSF Early CAREER Award recipients (L to R): Tuo Wang, Department of Chemistry; Yang Yang, Deparment of Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering; and Nathan Whitehorn, Department of Physics and Astronomy.
May 31, 2023
Three Michigan State University researchers in the College of Natural Science – Tuo Wang, Nathan Whitehorn and Yang Yang – are recipients of National Science Foundation (NSF) Early CAREER Faculty Awards. The award is one of NSF’s most prestigious and is given to faculty members who demonstrate leadership in research and education and have a passion for integrating the two.
Understanding why the piezoelectric effect occurs in ionic liquids (room temperature molten salts) will provide insight into the unusual properties of ionic liquids and point the way toward purpose-driven design of piezoelectric liquids.  which is one of the potential applications possible based on this discovery. Other applications include energy harvesting like solar or wind power that can be stored for later use and tactile sensing of pressure such as someone’s grip strength.
April 6, 2023
The piezoelectric effect was first discovered in 1880 and is used in applications ranging from spark sources for stoves and gas furnaces to accelerometers in mobile phones for orientation and in automobiles to deploy airbags. While this effect has been known for a long time in solid materials, Gary Blanchard, a professor in the Department of Chemistry in MSU’s College of Natural Science and his graduate student, Md. Iqbal Hossain, were able to see the piezoelectric effect in a liquid for the first time — a finding that opens possibilities for new applications.
Illustration of invasive fungal infection to lungs.
February 12, 2023
Michigan State University chemist Tuo Wang was recently awarded a 4-year, $1.9 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grant. The funds will support the development of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) technology that allows enhanced understanding of the nanoscale structure of the fungal cell wall to promote development of antifungal therapeutics.
Iota Sigma Pi is a national honor society for women in chemistry that promotes the advancement of women in chemistry by recognizing women who have demonstrated superior scholastic achievement and high professional competence. The society, which as was founded in 1902, has more than 11,000 members and 46 local chapters in various colleges, universities, and metropolitan areas.
September 16, 2022
Angela K. Wilson, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at MSU, is recipient of the 2022 National Honorary Member Award from Iota Sigma Pi, a national honor society for women in chemistry. The award is the organization’s highest honor, bestowed triennially on an outstanding woman chemist. Wilson, a professor in the Department of Chemistry in the MSU College of Natural Science, is also NatSci associate dean for strategic initiatives and current president of the American Chemical Society.

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