University of Iowa Department of Chemistry
¡ Fourth-year chemistry student at the University of Iowa (2009-present)
¡ Attended Peoria Notre Dame High School from 2005-2008 (where I took this exact class with Mr. Johnson!) before moving to North Carolina
¡ Fourth-year chemistry student at the University of Iowa (2009-present)
¡ Student Research Assistant, Jan Uwe-Rohde Group, University of Iowa Department of Chemistry (2010-present)
¡ Vice President of the University of Iowa Student Affiliate of the American Chemical Society (2011-present)
¡ And, hopefully, saving y’all from being assigned chemistry homework for tonight! :D (Pleeeeease, Mr. Johnson?)
¡ General Focuses: Inorganic and organic synthesis, structure determination of compounds using various spectroscopic, spectrometric, and X-ray crystallographic methods
¡ Primary Focus: Synthesis of biologically active natural products
§ “A natural product is a chemical compound or substance produced by a living organism - found in nature that usually has a pharmacological or biological activity for use in pharmaceutical drug discovery and drug design (Wikipedia).”
Taxol (Anti-cancer), an Example of a Synthetically Attainable Natural Product
Tetrafibricin: Background
• Tetrafibricin is a natural product that has shown promising efficacy as an anticoagulant.
• Tetrafibricin is the topic of much research throughout the world.
• To date, no literature has been published toward its total synthesis.
• Problem: Tetrafibricin, although promising as a natural anticoagulant, is prohibitively rare to isolate from nature for wholesale pharmaceutical marketing, and its total synthesis, although having not yet been successfully performed, is expected to be so expensive and difficult as to prohibit its plausibility for wholesale pharmaceutical marketing as well.
• Possible Solution: Mimic molecule
• In 2011, I successfully prepared a possible synthetic analog to the C25-C40 fragment of the tetrafibricin mimic molecule our group has drafted. The synthetic target was 15-Azidopentadecan-2-one, the structure of which is shown below.
Synthetic Route to 15-azidopentadecan-2-one
• The described three-step synthetic route to 15-Azidopentadecan-2-one utilized all relatively inexpensive, safe, and readily available starting materials.
• All three steps of the overall synthesis proceeded successfully with reasonable to good yields.
• Once all synthetic analogs have been prepared, our group will combine them in an attempt to construct the larger mimic molecule.
– If successful, the molecule will be sent to our collaborators in the UI Carver School of Medicine to be assayed for possible anticoagulative efficacy.
[Co(bpy)2(μ-OH)(μ-O2)Co(bpy)2]
Just a Few of the Many Science Concentrations Offered at Most Universities
Just a Few of the Many Science Concentrations Offered at Most Universities
§ Engineering (biomedical, chemical, civil, computer, genetic, mechanical, agricultural, etc.)
How Best to Prepare Oneself for a Major in the Sciences
¡ Necessary Mathematical Expertise: Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, functions, calculus
¡ Necessary Technical Expertise: Intermediate computer skills, especially skill in using Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel
¡ Necessary Science Expertise: Dependent on one’s elected major for the most part, but most sciences will require general chemistry as well as mathematics (at least up to basic calculus)
How Best to Prepare Oneself for a Major in the Sciences
¡ Don’t let these requirements scare you—by no means are you expected to have all these skills under your belt before declaring a science major in college—many of them you will be able to pick up along the way or learn on your own time
§ Many resources are available for teaching yourself these skills
▪ E.g., Microsoft Excel 2010 for Dummies, Trigonometry for Dummies, etc.
Is a Science Major Right for Me?
¡ In answering this question for yourself, you need consider one—and only one—factor: “Does this field interest me? Is it something I can see myself being passionate about?”
§ If so, then a science major could be right for you!
¡ Don’t worry if you’ve never been strong in math or science (I never was at your age)—these things can be learned easily enough.
§ More important than anything is a curious mind and a passion for your field of study!
Is a Science Major Right for Me?
¡ If you think you might be interested in an education in science, you might take the following steps:
§ Consider major research universities (Univ. of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana), Northwestern Univ., Harvard Univ., etc.)
§ Start building your mathematical, technical, and scientific skills now (classes, self-instructive books, etc.)
§ Talk to people who have been there (e.g., teachers like Mr. Johnson)
Succeeding Academically in College
¡ Hit the ground running: Be prepared to make the transition from high school to college before you get there. Expect to work harder and more often than you might have had to in high school.
¡ Plan ahead: Hard work is essential, but so is having direction. You don’t have to know exactly what you want to major in as soon as you step on campus, but the sooner you decide on a general direction, the easier your life will be.
Succeeding Academically in College
¡ Stay on top of things: Falling behind in college is easy…catching up is hard. Try your best to stay on top of your work by managing your time effectively
¡ Seek out a few go-to study spots right away: Between dorms, roommates, parties, etc., college presents a lot of distractions. Seek out a few spots where you can remove yourself from any distractions when you need to study
Succeeding Academically in College
¡ If you find yourself struggling in a certain subject, seek help immediately. You’ll be glad you did!
§ Teaching Assistants (T.A.s)
§ Your professor’s office hours
¡ Name: Jay Quentin Bell II
¡ Email: jay-bell@uiowa.edu
¡ Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have regarding today’s presentation or any other questions you may have regarding college in general—I’d be more than happy to help in any way I can!