Hook Professor gives invited talk at SERMACS

A. L. Hook Emerging Professor in Science and Mathematics Jen Dabrowski was invited to present at the 70th annual Southeast Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society.

A. L. Hook Emerging Professor in Science and Mathematics Jen Dabrowski was recently invited to present her work in sustainable chemistry in the Undergraduate Green Chemistry session at SERMACS.

Research in the Dabrowski lab focuses on developing methods at the intersection of renewable resources, catalysis and consumer products. In other words, how can we make the specialty products that society needs (e.g., medicines) from non-oil based starting materials employing chemical methods? Emphasis is placed on educating the next generation of science-educated researchers and health professionals to envision a world that is less dependent on crude oil and utilizes the breadth of chemistry knowledge to make a difference.

“Crude oil is still a leading source for chemical feedstocks used to prepare consumer products, in part due to the wealth of chemical knowledge used transform it. Harnessing the power of catalysis and applying it to renewable resources in order to access the same ends offers a more sustainable option. Our efforts toward this goal entail utilizing the myriad roles of trispentafluorophenylborane [B(CF)] to selectively convert sugars to deoxygenated scaffolds.”

The talk was well-received by experts and undergraduates alike and resulted in additional invited talks and a request to be the primary judge for the chemistry demonstrations competition.