Dr. Susanne Striegler, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, will give a seminar titled "Developing nanogels with glycosidase activity" in CHEM 144 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24.

There will be refreshments available before the seminar starting at 3:10 p.m. in CHEM 105. The seminar will also be available on Zoom for those who would like to attend remotely. The talk is free and open to the public.

The lack of tools to conveniently access simple carbohydrates from complex natural sources represents a major obstacle in current efforts to find alternative energy sources for never-ending energy demands. To help solve this problem and provide an economic sustainable solution, the Striegler Lab has developed macromolecular catalysts. The catalysts combine the catalytic activity of transition metal complexes with matrix-imposed selectivity to access carbohydrates from natural sources. This approach leads to advanced materials with remarkable catalytic ability and selectivity for the hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds. Recent efforts, progress and obstacles in the synthesis and evaluation of water-soluble polyacrylate gels will be discussed - focusing on polymerization protocols of aqueous miniemulsions with embedded transition metal complexes, and the evaluation of their catalytic activity.

Striegler received her education in chemistry in Germany, and then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the California Institute of Technology with Dr. Frances Arnold (Nobel Prize 2018). She finished her habilitation back in Germany in 2003 and joined the faculty at Auburn University in Alabama in 2004. She joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the U of A in 2012. She has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications and holds two patents and one patent application. Her research, which centers on the development of macromolecular catalysts, has been continually supported by the National Science Foundation since 2008. Other research interests focus on the development of antimicrobial agents and glycosidase inhibitors.

Zoom meeting ID: 835 9661 3040
Passcode: 1AnylSem!