Alumni

Chip NataroChip Nataro has been awarded the 2022 ACS Award for Research at an Undergraduate Institution. Chip is on the faculty at Lafayette College in Easton, PA, where he is currently the Marshall R. Metzgar Professor and Head of the Chemistry Department. At Lafayette College, he has championed undergraduate research. Many of his former students have gone on to graduate school and had very successful careers, including faculty positions at highly-ranked research universities. He received his PhD in 1997 at ISU where he completed his dissertation research with Prof. Bob Angelici.

 


Mahdi Abu OmarMahdi Abu-Omar received the 2022 ACS Award for Affordable Green Chemistry. Mahdi is currently Professor and Mellichamp Chair of Green Chemistry at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has broad research interests in organometallic chemistry as applied to catalysis and synthesis. He received his PhD in 1996 at ISU and was a student in Prof. Jim Espenson’s research group.

 

 

 


Karen NordellKaren Nordell Pearson, an award-winning educator, researcher and educational-outreach expert, will receive the Outstanding Alumni Award from the Department of Chemistry at a ceremony on Thursday, October 21, 2021 in Ames, Iowa. The award recognizes outstanding alumni from the Department of Chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State.

Pearson taught at several colleges, including Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. An outstanding leader, she earned many awards for her teaching, student-faculty collaborative research and innovative programming, which engaged young women in math and science.

After joining Hope College in Holland, Michigan, as an associate professor of chemistry, Pearson later served as the college’s associate dean of teaching and learning, as well as interim provost. Pearson was named program director for Research Experiences Across Cultures at Hope (REACH), which provides summer research opportunities for underserved high school students. She also served as director of the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Midwest Consortium for Math and Science.

Pearson is currently the president of Kids Hope USA. This nationally recognized, faith-based program partners elementary schools with churches and trains volunteers who are paired with children who need caring, reliable mentors. 

Pearson earned her Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from Iowa State and her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.


Adamis Announces Appointment of Iowa State Chemistry alum, Meera Desai, Ph.D., to Board of Directors. 


ISU PhD alum, Dr. Stacey Stoffregen hosted a pannel of faculty from primarily undergraduate institutions (PUI) as part of the 2020 MU3C hosted by Iowa State over the summer. 


Danniel ArriagaDanniel Arriaga, a December 2019 graduate in chemistry and chemical engineering from Iowa State, remembers his eighth grade Science Bound project. “It was about water flowing through sticks, and how a filter on the top affects the flow. I studied something like that in an electrodynamics course at Iowa State. It was still important.” Read complete story at https://www.foundation.iastate.edu/s/1463/giving/interior-1col.aspx?sid=1463&gid=1&pgid=2512.

 

 


James WalkerJames Walker, 2017 PhD from Stanley Group, currently of Dow shares his passion for chemistry, the firm’s rotational program for early-career researchers, and volunteering in schools https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/industry/industry-matters/early-career-chemist/james-walker-feb-27-2020.html.

 

 


Jakoah Brgoch pictured with a colleague at University of Houston2012 PhD alum, Jakoah Brgoch, at University of Houston, from the Miller Group has been named a 2020 Sloan Research Fellow. 

 

 


Brad BueckerAlum Brad Buecker has published again in Power Engineering, read his article on wet-limestone at https://www.power-eng.com/2020/11/19/wet-limestone-scrubber-enhancement-chemistry-improves-heat-rate-for-coal-fired-plants/#gref. Buecker has a B.S. in chemistry from Iowa State University with additional course work in fluid mechanics, energy and materials balances, and advanced inorganic chemistry.

 


Maureen Connolly and Bryan FeareyBryan Fearey and Maureen Connolly met during their graduate work at Iowa State University, where they both earned PhDs in physical chemistry. Bryan spent 32 years at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) while Maureen taught science to students ranging from college level to preschool.

The couple created the Fearey/Connolly Endowed Scholarship for Science and the Arts to honor their enduring commitment to science serving the nation’s national security needs and to provide financial support to students with a similar interest with chemistry at its core and a passion for performance music and/or visual arts. The initial endowment will provide a $10,000 four-year scholarship ($2,500 a year for up to four years) to one recipient annually. Learn more about the scholarship at https://losalamosreporter.com/2020/02/03/bryan-fearey-and-maureen-connolly-endow-a-chemistry-scholarship-for-students-passionate-about-the-arts/.


Jeff and Jodi KingCongratulations to PhD Alum Jeff King on 30 Years running his own company, Keystone Laboratories, https://www.newtondailynews.com/2020/01/07/keystone-laboratories-celebrates-30-years-of-business/a82xrqc/.

 


Alumni from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will be recognized for their professional and community contributions during the LAS Honors and Awards Ceremony on Oct. 24, 2019 at the ISU Alumni Center. The private ceremony will honor alumni receiving departmental, college and Iowa State University Alumni Association (ISUAA) awards. Sue-Lein Wang (Ph.D. ’85 physical chemistry) was selected for the Chemistry Outstanding Alumni Award.


Jackie ApplegateRead a Q&A with alum Jackie Applegate at https://www.agriculture.com/crops/qa-jacqueline-applegates-perspective-on-embracing-change. Applegate has a B.S in chemistry from Wright State University, a PhD in organic chemistry from Iowa State University, and an MBA from Rockhurst University.

 

 


Dan GegoryCongratulations to alum Dr. Dan Gregory, appointed as new provost at St. Cloud State University.

 

 


Brad Buecker headshotRead an article by alum Brad Buecker at https://www.power-eng.com/articles/2019/01/the-integral-benefits-of-iro…. Buecker has a B.S. in chemistry from Iowa State University with additional course work in fluid mechanics, energy and materials balances, and advanced inorganic chemistry.