Department of Chemistry
The City College of New York-CUNY


News & Highlights
(Selected)
Scientific American on May 2, 2008 in the news, “A Silver Coating in the Fight against Microbes”.

The New York Times on April 9, 2008 in Technology Innovation, “Harnessing Biology, and Avoiding Oil, for Chemical Goods”.

Prof. John featured in ‘Mathrubhumi’, National Newspaper, India on March 09, 2008.
  Biobased Organic Synthesis  |  Molecular Gels and Drug-Delivery  |  Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Catalysis  |  Polymers and Coatings
Self-Assembled Functional Architectures  |  Undergraduate Research

Research - Undergraduate Research

Awards, Publications & Conferences by Undergraduates/master’s students from john’s soft materials research laboratory

COLLEEN ACHONG (Undergraduate Research and now Master Student): Synthesis and Development of Molecular Gels and Drug-Delivery

  • Soft Materials conference organized by New York Academy of Sciences, April 09, 2008 (invited student presentation).
  • Co-authored a peer-reviewed paper in Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy (JBMB) (in press) to be published in 2008. (Details next page).  
  • 2 TIMES Best Poster Award in the symposium in Biological Sciences held at William Paterson University, NJ, April 2007 and April 2008.
  • The Urban University Conference Series 2007 held by the New York City Alliance for Minority Participation (April 2007)
  • Participated in the Sagamore CSTEP Conference held in Lake George (April 2007)
  • Participated in the ACS-NY Chapter Conference held at St. John’s University (April 2006)
  • Best Poster Award in the ABRCMS National Conference held in Anaheim California (November 2006). Participated in the 2007 ABRCMS meeting in Texas too.
  • Participated in the CCAPP Annual Conference held at City College (November 2007)
  • Participated in the CCAPP Annual Conference held at City College (November 2006)
  • Participated in the CCAPP Annual Conference held at City College (November 2005)
  • Brescia Award for academic excellence from CCNY
  • Masters Program in Chemistry (AMP&RISE Scholar), 2007

UNAIZA ASLAM (Undergraduate Student): Biocatalytic Synthesis of Ascorbic acid Amphiphiles

  • CCAPP Annual Conference held at City College (November 2005)
  • ACS-NY Chapter Conference held at Saint John’s University (April 2006)
  • ACS Fall meeting in Boston. Co-author of an abstract submitted (August 2007)
  • Co-author of a ACS-journalChem. Mat. 19,138-140 (2007).

KUJTIM BIZATI (Undergraduate Student): Synthesis of Liquid Crystal Systems
(Currently employed at Momentive Performance Materials Inc.)

  • Co-authored a peer-reviewed paper in ACS Journal Chem. Mater. 19, 5203-5206 (2007).

KAREEM DOUGLAS (Undergraduate Student): Synthesis of Gels and Polymers and Coatings
(Currently admitted to Masters Program in the Chemical Engineering at MIT)

  • Co-authored a peer-reviewed paper in Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy (JBMB) (in press) to be published in 2008.

ERIC HONG (Undergraduate Student)

  • Currently involved in developing nanoparticle embedded antibacterial paints from vegetable oils.

SANDRA MARTINEZ (Undergraduate Student)

  • Currently involved in design and synthesis of biosurfactants by organic synthesis and biocatalytic methods.

GREGORY A. CRUICKSHANK (Master Student): Synthesis, Assembly and Drug-delivery of Acetaminophen Molecular Gels and Drug-Delivery.

  • Currently employed as a technical scientist at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine. 

JASESONG SHIM (Master Student): Synthesis of Hydroxyurea Gels for Drug-Delivery Applications.

  • Currently employed at SK Pharmaceuticals, South Korea, 2008.

ARTICLES IN PEER REVIEWED JOURNALS

  • Vemula, P., Douglas, K., Achong, C., Kumar, A., Ajayan, P., John. G. ‘Autoxidation Induced Metal Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Catalysis Synthesis in Biobased Polymeric Systems: A Sustainable Approach in Hybrid Materials Development’ Journal of Biobased Materials and Bioenergy (in press).
  • Vemula, P. K., Mallia, V., Bizati, K., John, G. ‘Cholesterol Phenoxy Hexanoate Mesogens: Effect of meta Substituents on Their Liquid Crystalline Behavior and In Situ Metal Nanoparticle Synthesis’ Chem Mater. 19, 5203-5206 (2007).
  • Vemula, P., Aslam, U., Mallia, A., John, G. ‘In Situ Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Catalysis Using Molecular Gels and Drug-Delivery and Liquid Crystals from Vitamin-C Amphiphiles’ Chem. Mat. 19,138-140 (2007).
  •  

CONFERENCES

  • Kareem Douglas, Colleen Achong, George John ‘In Situ Synthesis of Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Catalysis in Biobased Polymers and Coatings’ Undergraduate Symposium to be held at William Paterson University, NJ, April 26, 08. BEST POSTER AWARD.
  • Colleen Achong, Vemula. P., John, G. New York Academy of Sciences, meeting on Soft Materials Research Annual Conference, April 09, 2008. (Selected as the special invited student speaker).
  • George John, Praveen Kumar Vemula, Ajay Mallia, Unaiza Aslam, Kareem Douglas        Colleen Achong and Gregory A. Cruikshank, ‘In situ synthesis of metal Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Catalysis in self-assembled soft materials’  New York Academy of Sciences, meeting on Soft Materials Research Annual Conference, April 09, 2008.
  • Colleen Achong, Praveen Kumar Vemula, George John, AMP Urban City Poster Presentation, the City College of New York, Spring 2007.
  • Praveen Kumar Vemula, Colleen Achong and George John ‘Urea Based Amphiphiles as Hydro/Organogelators: Versatile Hosts for In Situ Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Catalysis’. American Chemical Society’s 234th National Meeting, Fall August 19-23, 2007, Boston.
  • Collen Achong, Praveen Kumar Vemula and George John ‘Novel amphiphiles for self-assembled small Molecular Gels and Drug-Delivery’ ABCRMS meeting, BEST POSTER AWARD, Anaheim, California 2006.
  • Collen Achong, Praveen Kumar Vemula and George John ‘Novel amphiphiles for self-assembled small Molecular Gels and Drug-Delivery’ Undergraduate Symposium held at William Paterson University, NJ. BEST POSTER AWARD. December 2006.
  • Collen Achong, Praveen Kumar Vemula and George John ‘Novel amphiphiles for self-assembled small Molecular Gels and Drug-Delivery’ ACS 54th Undergraduate Symposium, NY Chapter, April 29, 2006.
  • Unaiza Aslam, Praveen Kumar Vemula and George John ‘Synthesis and characterization of sugar derived amphiphiles for use as organogelators’ ACS 54th Undergraduate Symposium, NY Chapter, April 29, 2006.

 

Underlined are names of the Undergraduate research students.


 
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Department of Chemistry | Division of Science | The City College of New York | Graduate Center of CUNY | CUNY
© 2008 George John's Soft Materials Research Group.