More than $1.3 million awarded by NSF program to two 91传媒 early-career chemistry faculty
Contact: Sarah Nicholas听听听听听听听听
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擬ore than $1.3 million is being awarded to two Mississippi State chemistry assistant professors by a prestigious National Science Foundation program supporting early-career achievement.
Xin Cui and Colleen N. Scott are being honored with CAREER awards by the NSF鈥檚 Faculty Early Career Development Program, which recognizes outstanding faculty exhibiting potential as academic role models in research and education. The award also is given for leadership in advancement of departmental or organizational missions.
鈥淭he NSF-CAREER Award is the pinnacle achievement for junior faculty and today remains the single most prestigious and central pre-tenure goal, measure and validation of our聽research and education聽competitiveness,鈥 said Dennis W. Smith Jr., 91传媒 Department of Chemistry professor and head. The department is in 91传媒鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences.
Cui鈥檚 proposal, 鈥淩uthenium-Catalyzed Stereoselective and Site-selective Functionalization of Carbon-Hydrogen Bond,鈥 is being funded with a five-year $650,000 NSF Division of Chemistry award.聽
This award will help develop new ways to access organic molecules and effective approaches to fill the long-standing gap in the chemistry of stereoselective carbon鈥揾ydrogen bond functionalization. Cui said the goal of synthetic organic chemistry is to improve quality of life, and he hopes to impact diverse groups of young generations.聽
鈥淲ith pharmaceutically important and biologically active molecules as targets, our research investigates three-dimensional behavior of chemical transformations, which is key to stereoselective production of drug candidates and bioactive molecules,鈥 said Cui, whose work could open practical and step-economic pathways to new optically active bi- and polycyclic molecules he said are 鈥減harmaceutically and biologically important.鈥
An 91传媒 faculty member since 2016, Cui鈥檚 team wants to improve chemistry education to attract and encourage young students who need help with chemistry coursework and want to pursue STEM degrees and careers. A specific focus is reaching students from underserved regions in Mississippi.
Using a 鈥渟tudent-to-student鈥 format, Cui said the goal of this outreach effort is to popularize modern organic chemistry concepts and familiarize youth with real-life applications, while also encouraging 91传媒 and other university undergraduate students 鈥渢o grow into experienced future educators.鈥
Cui currently partners with 91传媒 chemistry, chemical engineering and geosciences students, the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, and the T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability, while also seeking alliances with organizations beyond the university. 聽
A China native, Cui received his Ph.D. in 2008 and bachelor鈥檚 degree in 2003, both in chemistry, from the University of Science and Technology of China. In 2012, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in chemistry at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He then became a USF research assistant professor before joining the faculty at Baruch College at City University of New York and serving until 2016.
Scott鈥檚 $675,000 CAREER award for 鈥淒esign and Synthesis of Heterocyclic Aryldiamine Polymers: Towards a New Class of Processable and Electrochemically Stable Conducting Materials,鈥 also is funded for five years by the NSF Division of Chemistry.
鈥淭his award is a validation of my ideas and professional work, as well as a reward for patience, hard work and perseverance. I hope it will allow me to pursue my research ideas to develop materials to be used in all different areas of organic electronics such as sensors, organic magnets, electromagnetic interference shielding and electrochromic materials.鈥
Her research aims to extend the longevity of materials used in common, everyday devices such as TVs, cell phones and medical devices, among others. She said her success is fundamental to the advancement of technologies used to improve and promote human health, prosperity and welfare.
鈥淚 also hope to motivate and inspire young kids鈥攁t risk of failing their primary education鈥攖o persevere and not only finish, but also pursue a secondary education and become productive community citizens,鈥 Scott said, noting she intends to use this award to provide learning opportunities to 91传媒 students through research experiences and coursework.
Her current implementation of 鈥淪cience with Dr. Scott鈥 at Ms. Smith鈥檚 Educational Service in Starkville has integrated polymer chemistry activities for at-risk students into this K-12 learning environment, an after-school tutoring and alternative graduate services program.
鈥淪uch activities engage student curiosity, increase enthusiasm for science and motivation to continue their education, and ultimately create an informed citizenry excited about discovery and innovation,鈥 she said.
A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Scott earned her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in 2005 and bachelor鈥檚 degree from Auburn University in 1998. She joined the 91传媒 faculty in 2015.
Scott refers to work in her laboratory as 鈥渉ighly interdisciplinary,鈥 exposing students and post-doctoral fellows to a wide variety of equipment and characterization techniques. The lab focuses on the design, synthesis and characterization of advanced organic materials, utilizing organic chemistry tools to create macromolecules with interesting properties and functions. These include sustainable thermoplastics, conducting plastics and chemistry/biological sensors.聽Her polymer research has a range of application from adhesives, coatings and industrial fabrics to structural components in the construction, biomedical and aerospace industries.
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