The Blakemore Laboratory
Inspired by the pursuit of sustainability, our group studies mechanisms of redox-induced chemical reactions, particularly those involving actinides, lanthanides, and carbon dioxide. We draw on perspectives from inorganic/organometallic chemistry, molecular electrochemistry, and surface science.
RECENT BLAKEMORE GROUP NEWS
6 February 2024 – Our undergraduate Cecilia Paranjothi has been selected by the University of Kansas to be nominated for the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. As described by the Goldwater Foundation, this scholarship is "one of the oldest and most prestigious . . . in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics in the United States, [and] seeks to identify, encourage, and financially support college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming this Nation’s next generation of research leaders in these fields." Cecilia is one of only four students nominated this year. Brava, Cecilia!
1 February 2024 - Congratulations to our undergraduate Colleen Thach, who has been selected to be a McNair Scholar at KU! Through this program, Colleen will receive support for conducting an original research project in our laboratory. Colleen's project will be using NMR spectroscopy to examine the behavior of lithium cations in non-aqueous media, a topic of relevance to lithium ion battery chemistry. Congratulations, Colleen!
22 January 2024 – This week, James is attending the GRC on Chemical Separations in Galveston, Texas. This meeting is focused on some of the biggest challenges in chemical science and engineering, including work on separation of critical elements and development of strategies for handling of carbon dioxide for storage or conversion. Thanks to Dr. Vanda Glezakou (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) and Dr. Mark Shiflett (KU) for their leadership on the meeting, and the invitation to serve as Discussion Leader on the topic of "Separation of Critical Materials."
3 November 2023 – Today, our group was happy to join with the KU Department of Chemistry in welcoming Prof. Bill Evans of UC Irvine to campus and our department to deliver the 22nd Annual Brewster Lecture in Inorganic Chemistry. Bill is a leader in the field of the organometallic chemistry of the rare earth and actinide elements, and spoke in his lecture about how synthetic chemistry can contribute to the interdisciplinary arena of quantum science. Thanks to Bill for a great visit, a tremendous presentation, and enlightening conversations about the chemistry of the heavy elements!