Melissa Fernandez and Jessica Hellinger Presented with SAS Undergraduate Award at SciX
The Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS) presented students Melissa Fernandez and Jessica Hellinger with the SAS Undergraduate Student Award on Sunday, October 13, at SciX 2019 in Palm Springs, California.
The Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS) presented students Melissa Fernandez and Jessica Hellinger with the SAS Undergraduate Student Award on Sunday, October 13, at SciX 2019 in Palm Springs, California. The award is given to junior or senior undergraduate students in recognition of outstanding research in the area of spectroscopy.
Melissa Fernandez
Fernandez is an undergraduate biomedical engineering student at South Dakota School of Mines (Rapid City, South Dakota), where she is pursuing a medical career in oncology. With two years of experience working toward her goals, she has learned valuable scientific techniques that will help her to become a better physician. Her award recognizes her work in the development of portable and near-real time analytical technology for carcinogen detection, STEM education among the public, and statistical analysis using chemometrics.
Jessica Hellinger
Hellinger studied chemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)in Troy, New York. She received the Research in Science and Engineering (RISE) internship under DAAD, the German Academic Exchange Service. There, she worked in Prof. Carsten Englehard’s laboratory in Seigen, Germany, analyzing sliver nanoparticles in fish using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. Over the last three years she has been part of Prof. Jacob Shelley’s laboratory at RPI, working to pair mass spectrometry and optical emission spectroscopy using a solution cathode glow discharge ionization source. Her award is in recognition of a project to simultaneously obtain elemental and small molecule information with a novel plasma source, the Solution Cathode Glow Discharge (SCGD), via optical emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.
Getting accurate IR spectra on monolayer of molecules
April 18th 2024Creating uniform and repeatable monolayers is incredibly important for both scientific pursuits as well as the manufacturing of products in semiconductor, biotechnology, and. other industries. However, measuring monolayers and functionalized surfaces directly is. difficult, and many rely on a variety of characterization techniques that when used together can provide some degree of confidence. By combining non-contact atomic force microscopy (AFM) and IR spectroscopy, IR PiFM provides sensitive and accurate analysis of sub-monolayer of molecules without the concern of tip-sample cross contamination. Dr. Sung Park, Molecular Vista, joined Spectroscopy to provide insights on how IR PiFM can acquire IR signature of monolayer films due to its unique implementation.
The Effect of Heat Exposure on BPA and Phthalate Content in Commercial Bottled Water
May 8th 2024This study aimed to assess the levels of phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) in various popular bottled waters compared to tap water. Additionally, it investigated whether exposure to high temperatures, akin to those in a car during summer, would elevate these levels. Using GC/MS analysis, samples were examined. Results showed that phthalates and BPA were either absent or well below safety thresholds in all bottled and tap water samples. Moreover, heating did not significantly affect phthalate concentrations, and BPA was undetectable in all samples.
