You can find recent updates and news articles relevant to the SWOSU Department of Chemistry & Physics below!
SWOSU Hosts Tech Tours and Activities to Showcase Technology Careers
Article Date: October 26, 2022
Students from local high schools participated in a variety of activities and demonstrations at SWOSU aimed at showcasing technology-related programs and career fields. The Tech Tour program, which took place on Oct. 25, was a cross-campus event where multiple programs and departments collaborated to offer six different hands-on experiences focused on chemistry/physics, computer science, engineering technology, engineering physics, graphic design, and information technology.
Playing a scrimmage in the SWOSU Esports arena was a highlight for many of the participating students. Additionally, students heard from SWOSU admissions, financial aid, residence life, and the wellness center.
“Tech Tours was an overwhelming success – we engaged prospective students and showcased all SWOSU has to offer for in-demand technology fields,” said Dean of Enrollment Keith Sayles. “We look forward to offering similar events in the future where we can connect prospective students with potential careers.”
2022 OK Chemist Award Presented to Dr. Tim Hubin
Article Date: October 24, 2022
The Oklahoma Chemist Award is the most prestigious award given to a chemist within Oklahoma. The award consists of $1000 as well as a plaque to memorialize the award. A brief description of the accomplishments by the recipient are engraved on the plaque and are submitted, along with a photo of the winner, to Chemical and Engineering News for official publication in a forthcoming issue. Chemical and Engineering News is a major publication of the American Chemical Society and has world-wide distribution. The Oklahoma Chemist Award for 2022 was presented to Dr. Tim Hubin on Saturday, October 8 at the ACS Pentasectional meeting in Bartlesville, OK. Dr. Hubin is the first SWOSU faculty to be given the award, and his achievements at SWOSU have been impressive since he was hired by former SWOSU Chemistry & Physics Chair turned Provost Dr. Blake Sonobe in 2005. Dr. Sonobe is one of the award nominators, and he has a lot to say about Dr. Hubin:
“Hiring Tim Hubin was one of the final and most significant decisions I was involved with prior to my departure from the Department and surely the most consequential for the students, department and university. Tim clearly ranks as one of the most, if not the most, accomplished faculty members in SWOSU’s history. The depth and breadth of his activities are innovative and expansive. Upon arrival at SWOSU, he overhauled our traditional inorganic chemistry lab into a project-based lab giving each student a specific project through which they would learn synthetic inorganic methods and analysis of inorganic intermediate and final products. This produced immediate results in greater student interest and enthusiasm and that translated into increased interest in undergraduate research. Coupled with the research being conducted by other faculty members, the number of chemistry majors, students engaged in undergraduate research, students participating in summer research programs at SWOSU and other institutions and students enrolling in PhD programs upon graduation began growing and continued to grow for many years.”
Another nominator Dr. Cammi Valdez, a former student of Dr. Hubin, cited her experience in Dr. Hubin’s Inorganic Chemistry course, which he redesigned two years prior as a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE). Dr. Valdez recalled the lab portion consisted of “synthesizing a metal complex through a series of 5 reactions (condensation, alkylation, reduction, complexation, and oxidation) and using mass spectrometry, IR, and UV-Vis to confirm intermediate products after each reaction.” Dr. Valdez highly valued the research question focused approach and utilization of the chemistry techniques taught in lecture to answer research questions. Dr. Hubin’s Inorganic Chemistry course had a lasting impression on Dr. Valdez, as it was the first time she had experienced a course lab that wasn’t recipe or single session based. Dr. Hubin later published Valdez’s class’s results, and she was surprised to receive a publication from her undergraduate coursework. An accomplished faculty member now, Dr. Valdez models her teaching and mentoring after Dr. Hubin to ensure continued student success.
Other nominators spoke of Dr. Hubin’s dedication to undergraduate education, impact on the development and careers of future scientists, and excellence as a mentor to undergraduates in internationally leading research. Dr. Hubin has offered undergraduates opportunities in advanced research in the areas of medicinal inorganic compounds, macrocyclic chemistry, and supramolecular structures. Undergraduates working with Dr. Hubin have produced publishable results and many have moved on to postgraduate study.
To date, Dr. Hubin has 55 refereed publications with 55 unique undergraduate co-authors, 60 presentations at national meetings and invited seminars, and 6 patents while at SWOSU. He has also been the recipient of more than $2.3 million in research funding from INBRE, EPSCoR, OCAST, the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation in Science (OK-LSAMP), ACS Petroleum Research Fund and a Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Unrestricted Grant. In the past 17 years, Dr. Hubin has mentored over 75 students in undergraduate research at SWOSU. Dr. Archibald, a long-time colleague of Dr. Hubin, has worked closely with many of his undergraduate research students. According to Archibald, “Tim has been well recognized for his research and achievements with numerous awards. In my opinion, he has laid the foundations for even greater impact in the future. The legacy of skilled scientists he has trained and the collaborative invention of compounds that are likely to proceed to clinical trials are a huge achievement. He is an innovative scholar, an excellent scientist, and a community leader.”
2022 WIS Conference Activity & Outreach
Article Date: October 6, 2022
The Department of Chemistry & Physics was represented at the 2022 Oklahoma Women in Science Conference by Dr. Hubin and Dr. Bigley. The event was focused on exposing middle school through high school students from across the state to a variety of STEM experiences with an educational focus.
The SWOSU Chemistry booth demonstrated Charles’s Law by submerging balloons in liquid nitrogen then removing the balloons with decreased volume from the doers and letting them re-inflate in front of the students.
Dr. Bigley would tell you that our experiment is not cool – in fact, it’s very cold.
OK-LSAMP Research Program at SWOSU
Article Date: August 24, 2022
The Oklahoma Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (OK-LSAMP) is designed for students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the OK-LSAMP program began in 1994 when several Oklahoma institutions of higher education joined forces to significantly increase the recruitment, enrollment, and retention of under-represented minority students in STEM disciplines. The OK-LSAMP program is named after retired Ohio Congressman Louis Stokes, who is responsible for numerous minority focused programs throughout the NSF. The ultimate goal of OK-LSAMP is to increase the number of degrees earned in STEM disciplines by students from under-represented populations. Current goals and activities of OK-LSAMP focus on undergraduate research experiences, graduate school preparation, and international experiences.
The OK-LSAMP program has helped thousands of students from various under-represented populations graduate with degrees in STEM fields. Nationwide, approximately 30% of all STEM degrees earned by Native Americans are completed in Oklahoma Institutions. Oklahoma continues to graduate more Native American students than any other state.
Requirements
Requirements of the OK-LSAMP program include:
- Minimum 3.00 cumulative or graduate/retention GPA
- Full-time student status in approved STEM field (Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering Physics, & Mathematics)
- U.S. citizenship or permanent residency
- Demonstrated intent in pursuing undergraduate research and a graduate degree in STEM discipline
- Participation and contribution to program activities
- Membership of the following under-represented groups: African American, American Indian, Hispanic, Native Pacific Islander, White (must be first-generation college student)
There is no annual deadline to apply for OK-LSAMP, but the sooner you apply, the sooner you can start participating and receiving benefits!
More information about the OK-LSAMP program can be found on the Oklahoma State University (Lead Institution) website: https://diversity.okstate.edu/departments/ok-lsamp/index.html
If you are interested in participating in the OK-LSAMP STEM research program at SWOSU, complete an application on the Oklahoma State University website, or contact SWOSU OK-LSAMP Coordinator Dr. Tim Hubin at tim.hubin@swosu.edu.
SWOSU / DRG Launch Aerospace and Defense Initiative
Article Date: June 7, 2022
SWOSU announced today that it has launched the aerospace and defense workforce initiative. The initiative will promote current students and degrees as well as the university’s rich aerospace & defense heritage.
The initiative is a partnership between SWOSU and Oklahoma City-based Delaware Resource Group with a mission to place a greater emphasis on the impressive accomplishments of SWOSU’s degree programs, which include accredited programs in Applied Engineering Management and Manufacturing Engineering Technology. Degrees in Engineering Technology, Engineering Physics and Computer Science set students on the best possible career path to explore their passion for aerospace and defense, Oklahoma’s second-largest industry.
“We’re thrilled to launch this initiative alongside our esteemed partners and longtime benefactors at Delaware Resource Group,” said SWOSU President Dr. Diana Lovell. “We know just how beneficial our degrees are to students striving to excel in aerospace and defense, and we want to ensure that prospective students and employers from around the world are just as aware.”
SWOSU, with locations in Weatherford, Sayre and Yukon, has produced numerous graduates who have achieved an extraordinary level of success in aerospace and defense. SWOSU alumni have excelled and continue to serve at NASA, the U.S. Armed Forces, government institutions such as the CIA and FAA) and leading aerospace and defense corporations such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
Distinguished alumni, faculty and partners include Brian Busey and Philip Busey, John Aaron, Herbert Fix, Benny Hill, Gina Ligon, Harry C. McCool, J.R. Pratt, General Thomas Stafford, and Tom Weichel, all of whom have made pivotal contributions to the history and development of global aerospace and defense.
About Delaware Resources Group
Established in 2002, Delaware Resources Group (DRG) is a Native American-owned leading global aerospace defense contractor based in Oklahoma City. The company is a total training systems integrator providing services and support all over the world. Thousands of service men and women around the world count on DRG to provide critical training and logistics services for many of today’s modern military programs and aircraft. DRG is a certified Minority-owned Business and a recognized Indian Economic Enterprise.
For more information on SWOSU and DRG’s joint Aerospace & Defense Workforce Development Initiative, email SWOSU Chief of Staff, Garrett King or call 580.774.3706.
SWOSU Department of Chemistry & Physics 