News and Achievements

@Sivey_Lab_at_TU


Research in the Sivey Lab focuses on environmental chemistry in aqueous systems. We support full participation by underrepresented groups in STEM, including women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, immigrants, veterans, transfer students, and first-generation students.


October 2024

Matthew Broadwater, Class of 2017, received a Distinguished Young Alumni Award from Towson University. Many congratulations, Matthew!

Matthew Broadwater (second from L) and guest

 

— Group member Sydney Braithwaite, alumnus Matthew Broadwater, and Prof. Sivey were featured in a TU video highlighting the importance of research fellowships.

 

–Group alumnus, Dr. Ryan Dias, started a new position as an Applications Chemist at Astrotech Corporation in Austin, TX. Congratulations, Ryan!

 

— Prof. Sivey and collaborators from the University of Iowa evaluated the toxicity of herbicide safeners in a manuscript published in Critical Reviews in Toxicology.


September 2024

Ryan Kearney’s thesis research on carrier solvents was published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters. Sydney Braithwaite (Sivey Lab manager), Seth McCoy (Sivey Lab alumnus), Prof. Keith Reber (TU), and Prof. Dan McCurry (USC) also contributed to this paper. Excellent job, everyone!


Summer 2024

John Colwell and Alex Dreyer joined the group. Welcome, John and Alex!

John Colwell Alex Dreyer

Jacob Damrow was featured in a TU News story. Congratulations, Jacob!

Jacob Damrow doing research on campusJacob Damrow

Ryan Kearney and Vincent DiPietri successfully defended their Master of Science in Environmental Science theses. Excellent job!

Ryan Kearney and Vincent DiPietri

 


May 2024

Six members of the group are degree candidates in Spring/Summer 2024: Zolani Grady (BS), Julian Maycock (BS), Jacob Damrow (MS), Vincent DiPietri (MS), Feonil Limiac (BS), and Ryan Kearney (MS). Congratulations to all!

L to R: Zolani Grady, Julian Maycock, Jacob Damrow, Vincent DiPietri, Feonil Limiac
Not pictured: Ryan Kearney

— Group member Julian Maycock was honored as the Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year at TU. Congratulations, Julian!

Julian Maycock and TU Athletic Director Steve Eigenbrot

April 2024

Julian Maycock accepted an offer to join the PhD program in Environmental Health Engineering at Johns Hopkins University beginning in Fall 2024. Congratulations, Julian!

— Group member Zolani Grady has been admitted to the Master of Science in Environmental Science program at TU. Congratulations, Zolani! We look forward to continuing our work together.

Zolani Grady

Lucas Hoffman joined the group as a new undergraduate researcher. Welcome, Lucas!

Lucas Hoffman

Jacob Damrow was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Many congratulations, Jacob!

 


March 2024

— MS student Jacob Damrow has accepted an offer to join the PhD program in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Southern California. Congratulations, Jacob!

— MS student Vincent DiPietri has accepted an offer to join the PhD program in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University in Fall 2024. Congratulations, Vincent!— Group member Sydney Braithwaite was awarded a 2024 Raspet Summer Research Fellowship. This fellowship will support Sydney’s full-time research this summer at Towson University. Congratulations, Sydney!

Sydney Braithwaite

January 2024

— Alumnus Mark Bickley started a new position as an Advanced Practice Pharmacist at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital. Congratulations and welcome back to Maryland, Mark!

Mark Bickley, PharmD, BCPP

— The Sivey Lab welcomes Alaina Hetrick as a new undergraduate researcher. Welcome, Alaina!

 

Alaina Hetrick

December 2023

Julian Maycock received a prestigious Research Impact Award from Towson University for his research on copper corrosion inhibition. Excellent work, Julian!


November 2023

Zolani Grady was admitted to the Accelerated BS-to-MS Program at TU! Congratulations, Zolani!


September 2023

Vincent DiPietri successfully defended his MS thesis proposal! Congratulations, Vincent!

— Group alumnus Ryan Dias successfully defended his PhD dissertation in analytical chemistry at the University of Alberta. Congratulations, Dr. Dias!


August 2023

— The lab welcomes Sydney Braithwaite as a new undergraduate research student. Welcome, Sydney!

Sydney Braithwaite

Destin Maleka joins the group as a new undergraduate research student. Welcome to the group, Destin!

Destin Maleka

Zolani Grady joins the group as a new undergraduate research student. Welcome, Zolani!

Zolani Grady

— Congratulations to Ryan Kearney on successfully defending his MS thesis proposal. Keep up the excellent work, Ryan!

July 2023

— Members of the Sivey Lab shared their research at the Gordon Conference on Water Disinfection, Byproducts and Health in South Hadley, MA. Vincent DiPietri received Honorable Mention Poster Award recognition at this international conference. Excellent job!

Prof. Urs von Gunten (Conference Chair), Vincent DiPietri, Tionna Harris, and Andrew Psoras.

— Prof. Sivey and collaborators from the University of Minnesota, the University of Alaska, and Johns Hopkins University have been awarded a new grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to study opportunistic pathogens and disinfection byproducts in drinking water.


June 2023

— Lab member Julian Maycock was selected to receive the Alan & Eileen Wingrove Endowment for Chemistry Scholars Award. Congratulations, Julian!

— Members, alumni, and friends of the Sivey Lab gathered for our annual summer celebration at Prof. Sivey’s new home in Baltimore County.

— Group alumnus Matthew Broadwater completed an MBA from the Carey School of Business at Johns Hopkins University. Matthew also finished a pharmacy administration and leadership residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Later this summer, Matthew will begin a new position as Clinical Pharmacy Manager of Critical Care and Operating Rooms at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC. Congratulations, Matthew!

Matthew Broadwater, PharmD, MBA, BCPS

May 2023

— Group members Kelsey Evans and Tionna Harris graduated with their Bachelor of Science degrees at the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics Commencement Ceremony. Tionna delivered the student address. Congratulations, Kelsey and Tionna!

Kelsey Evans Tionna Harris

 

Tionna Harris successfully defended her Honors Thesis. Congratulations, Tionna!

Julian Maycock accepted a summer internship at Scientific Purity LLC through the North Carolina Center for Biotechnology. Congratulations, Julian!


April 2023

— Group members Tionna Harris and Vincent DiPietri were recognized for their academic achievements at the TU Celebration of Excellence hosted by the Office of Competitive Fellowships and Awards.

Tionna Harris and Vice Provost Muhoro Vincent DiPietri and Vice Provost Muhoro

— Senior Kelsey Evans’s involvement in the highly successful Hill-Lopes Scholars Program was featured in the TU Magazine.

Andrew Psoras’s thesis research on ipso substitution of bromine-containing aromatic compounds was published in Environmental Science & Technology. Seth McCoy (Sivey Lab alumnus), Prof. Keith Reber (TU), and Prof. Dan McCurry (USC) also contributed to this paper. Great job, everyone!

— Group alumnus Andrew Psoras received a Graduate Student Research Award, the top research honor for graduate students at TU. Excellent job, Andrew!

— Senior Tionna Harris was selected to be the student speaker for the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics Spring 2023 Commencement Ceremony. Later this year, Tionna will begin Ph.D. studies in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. Congratulations, Tionna!

Colorado School of Mines


March 2023

— Group alum Andrew Psoras received Honorable Mention recognition from the C. Ellen Gonter Awards, a national award sponsored by the ACS Division of Environmental Chemistry. Congratulations, Andrew!

— Congratulations to group member Tionna Harris for being awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Tionna’s accomplishments are featured in a TU News story. Outstanding job!

— Members of the Sivey Lab took time for a spring photo shoot.

L to R: Feonil Limiac, Vincent DiPietri, Kelsey Evans, Prof. Sivey, Tionna Harris, Ryan Kearney, Julian Maycock. Not pictured: Jacob Damrow.

January 2023

Jacob Damrow was selected as a national semifinalist for a Point Foundation Flagship Scholarship. Congratulations, Jacob!


December 2022

— The Sivey and Reber laboratories at TU collaborated with researchers at the University of Iowa on a new publication in Environmental Science and Technology Letters on biotransformation pathways of dichloroacetamide safeners. Great job everyone!


November 2022

— Julian Maycock joins the group as a new undergraduate researcher. Welcome, Julian!

— Group member Kelsey Evans was awarded an undergraduate research grant from the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics. Congratulations, Kelsey!


October 2022

Prof. Sivey received a Towson University Presidential Faculty Award for Excellence in Research and was selected by the Provost’s Office as a nominee for a University System of Maryland Regents Faculty Award for Research. 

Acting Provost Cynthia Cooper, Prof. John Sivey, and Interim President Melanie Perreault

September 2022

— The Sivey Lab, in collaboration with Prof. Joel Moore’s geosciences lab at TU, was awarded a grant from the Maryland Water Resources Research Center. Through this project, the Sivey and Moore labs will characterize the extent and effects of salinization in Metro Baltimore drinking water sources.

Tionna Harris is a national finalist for the prestigious Quad Fellowship. Congratulations, Tionna!

— Prof. Sivey co-authored a publication in Applied Catalysis B: Environmental that explores the ability of pyrogenic carbonaceous matter to catalyze the hydrolysis of TNT. This study was led by Prof. Wenqing Xu’s research team at Villanova University.

— Prof. Sivey was quoted in a local news story about drinking water quality published by the Baltimore Banner.


August 2022

— Group members Vincent DiPietri and Kelsey Evans co-authored a paper published in Environmental Science and Technology. The study, led by collaborators at the University of Michigan, explores the effects of chloride ions on chlorination of DNA.

— The lab had a fun photo shoot this month starring Tionna Harris, Vincent DiPietri, Prof. Sivey, and our toilet-on-a-cart.

Photo Credit:  Alexander Wright

 

Andrew Psoras completed the Master of Science in Environmental Science degree. Congratulations, Andrew!


July 2022

— Prof. Sivey co-authored a publication in the Journal of Labelled Compounds and Radiopharmaceuticals. This investigation was led by Prof. Reber and two undergraduates from the Reber Lab.

Andrew Psoras successfully defended his MS thesis. Excellent work, Andrew!


June 2022

— The Sivey Lab gathered with alumni, collaborators, and friends for our annual summer party in Cecil County.

— Members of the Sivey Group joined our colleagues from Prof. Joel Moore’s geosciences group for a tour of the Ashburton Water Filtration Plant in Baltimore.


May 2022

— Congratulations to the Sivey Lab members who graduated with their Bachelor of Science degrees:  Jacob Damrow, Vincent DiPietri, Thomas FitzGibbon, Ryan Kearney, and Seth McCoy.

Seth McCoy, Jacob Damrow, Vincent DiPietri, Ryan Kearney, and Prof. Sivey

 

— Group member Jacob Damrow was selected to be the student speaker for the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics Commencement Ceremony. Congratulations, Jacob!

Tionna Harris, Kelsey Evans, Seth McCoy, and Prof. Sivey facilitated a STEM outreach event at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Springs, Maryland. 

— Group member Jacob Damrow received an Undergraduate Student Award from the ACS Division of Environmental Chemistry. Great job!

Feonil Limiac joins the lab as a new undergraduate researcher. Welcome, Feonil!


April 2022

— Prof. Sivey delivered a guest lecture about environmental chemistry to students at Oxon Hill High School, Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Seth McCoy has accepted an offer of admission to the PhD program in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno. Congratulations, Seth!


March 2022

— Sivey Lab alum Garrett Taggart successfully defended his PhD in inorganic chemistry from the University of Delaware. Next, Garrett will join Microtrac as an application scientist. Congratulations, Dr. Taggart!

— Members of the Sivey Lab presented their research at the ACS National Conference in San Diego, CA. Great job, team!

Seth McCoy (left) shares his paraben halogenation research with Dr. Reber. Tionna Harris, Ada Sivey, and Jacob Damrow pose with their poster about salicylate halogenation.

 

— Group alum Mark Niedzwiecki co-authored a paper with collaborators from Prof. Salice’s and Prof. Reber’s laboratories at TU. This paper focuses on the chemical composition and ecotoxicity of agrochemical formulations containing a dichloroacetamide safener. This work was published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Congratulations!

Tionna Harris and Jacob Damrow were awarded travel grants from the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry at TU to present their research at the ACS National Conference in San Diego. Congratulations!


February 2022

Tionna Harris was awarded a 2022 Raspet Summer Research Fellowship. Well done, Tionna!

Jacob Damrow and Vincent DiPietri were each awarded an undergraduate research grant from the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics. Congratulations!

— Group alum Hanna Hudson accepted a position at AstraZeneca in Frederick, MD. Congratulations, Hanna!

— Prof. Sivey has been appointed Vice Chair of the 2023 Gordon Research Conference on Water Disinfection, Byproducts and Health.

— Group member Tionna Harris received the Greater Washington Institute of Chemists Student Award from the Department of Chemistry at Towson University. Congratulations, Tionna!

— The Sivey Research Lab has moved to the new Science Complex at Towson University. Many thanks to all of the group members who contributed to this move.


January 2022

— Prof. Sivey delivered a guest lecture for the Planetary Health seminar hosted by Emory University.


December 2021

— The Sivey lab and the Reber lab collaborated with colleagues at the University of Iowa on a project examining the hydrolysis of dichloroacetamide safeners. The results of this project were published in Environmental Science and Technology.
— Prof. Sivey delivered an invited talk at the Pacifichem symposium on Analytical Development Relevant to Environmental Exposure and Effects.
— Prof. Sivey visited collaborators at the University of Southern California and enjoyed catching up with Sivey Lab alum Marella Schammel, who is working on her PhD in environmental engineering at USC.

— Group member Tionna Harris was selected as a TU Nominee in the Goldwater Scholarship national competition. Congratulations, Tionna!Image

Ryan Kearney joins the group as a new undergraduate researcher. Welcome to the team, Ryan!


November 2021

Reginald Briscoe III was accepted into the Doctor of Pharmacy program at the University of Maryland. Congratulations, Reggie!

— Group alum Olivia Driessen and collaborators from the University of Southern California published a paper in Environmental Engineering Science on the training advantages of multi-institutional, online research meetings.


October 2021

Andrew Psoras successfully defended his MS thesis proposal. Congratulations, Andrew!


September 2021

— Prof. Sivey, members of Prof. Reber’s lab, and collaborators at Villanova University joined forces to publish a paper in Science of the Total Environment that explores the chemistry of chloroacetamide transformations in systems containing sulfide and black carbon. Great job to all!


Summer 2021

— Group members Seth McCoy and Andrew Psoras presented their research at the ACS National Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. Andrew and Seth also had an opportunity to connect with collaborators from the University of Southern California, including Sivey group alum Marella Schammel.

— Prof. Sivey has been appointed as the director of Environmental Science Graduate Programs at TU.

— Group alumni Marella Schammel, Kayla Martin-Culet, and Garrett Taggart co-authored a paper examining the effects of organic compound structure on bromination kinetics, published in Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. This paper was selected by the editors as a 2021 HOT article. Congratulations!

Seth McCoy received a travel grant from the Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry to support his trip to the ACS National Meeting in Atlanta. Well done, Seth!

Andrew Psoras received a travel grant from the TU Graduate Student Association to support his trip to the ACS National Meeting in Atlanta. Congratulations, Andrew!

— Group members, alumni, collaborators, and friends gathered at Prof. Sivey’s home for our annual group party. Many thanks to everyone who traveled to join us!

— Group alum Matthew Broadwater graduated with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Matthew now embarks on his next adventure in The Johns Hopkins Hospital Health-System Pharmacy Administration and Leadership residency program. Congratulations, Matthew!

Gage Fogler and Ada Sivey join the group as high school summer researchers. Welcome!


May 2021

— Four members of the Sivey Lab graduated with their Bachelor of Science degrees. Congratulations Max Denn, Bryce Collingwood, Olivia Driessen, and Reginald Briscoe III on this significant achievement!  

Olivia Driessen successfully defended her honors thesis and was featured as a TU Momentum Maker. Congratulations, Olivia!

Tionna Harris was awarded a University System of Maryland LSAMP 2021 Summer Research Fellowship. Congratulations, Tionna!

— Group alum Garrett Alexander II will begin medical school at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine this fall. Garrett was also selected for the Abigail Geisinger Scholars Program. Congratulations, Garrett!

— The group is happy to welcome Kelsey Evans as a new undergraduate researcher. Welcome, Kelsey!

— Prof. Sivey was selected as the TU Honors College Professor of the Year for 2021.


April 2021

— Congratulations to Olivia Driessen, who was selected as the Spring 2021 commencement banner carrier for the Honors College. Great job!

— The group welcomes Tionna Harris as a new undergraduate researcher. Welcome, Tionna!

Olivia Driessen has accepted an offer of admission to the Ph.D. program in chemistry at the University of Toronto. Well done, Olivia!

Bryce Collingwood has accepted an offer of admission to the Ph.D. program in chemistry at Temple University. Congratulations, Bryce!


March 2021

— Congratulations to group member Olivia Driessen for being awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Excellent job!

— Congratulations to group member Andrew Psoras for receiving honorable mention recognition for his National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship application. Well done!

Max Denn has accepted an offer to join the M.S. in Forensic and Investigative Science program at the West Virginia University. Congratulations, Max!


February 2021

— The group welcomes Jacob Damrow as a new undergraduate researcher. Jacob is an environmental science major at TU with a concentration in environmental chemistry.

— Group member Thomas FitzGibbon was awarded a Raspet Summer Research Fellowship by the Department of Chemistry at TU. Congratulations, Thomas!

— Prof. Sivey delivered an invited seminar (online) for the Department of Chemistry at Whitman College.


January 2021

— Prof. Sivey hosted a virtual symposium entitled Preparing for Faculty Positions at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (Jan 13 – 15, 2021). An archived copy of the advertisement for this symposium is available here.


December 2020

Olivia Driessen was awarded a Research Impact Award from Towson University. The Research Impact Award is the most prestigious research honor bestowed on undergraduates at TU. Congratulations, Olivia!


November 2020

— A TU News article featured Prof. Sivey and discussed his receipt of a Henry Dreyfus Teacher Scholar-Award.


October 2020

— Prof. Sivey received a Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award from The Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation. Prof. Sivey is one of eight recipients of this national distinction that “honors young faculty in the chemical sciences who have created an outstanding independent body of scholarship and are deeply committed to education with undergraduates”.

— Congratulations to group members Bryce Collingwood, Max Denn, Olivia Driessen, and Hanna Hudson on being awarded undergraduate research grants from the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics at TU. Great job!


September 2020

— Group member Andrew Psoras and group alum Allison Ricko co-authored a paper exploring reductive transformations of dichloroacetamide safeners that was published in the journal Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts. Congratulations!


August 2020

— Prof. John Sivey and Prof. Keith Reber were awarded a new National Science Foundation grant entitled “Parabens as a Tool for Interrogating Halogenation in Environmental Systems: Products and Pathways”. This project is in collaboration with Prof. Dan McCurry’s lab at the University of Southern California.


July 2020

— Group member Olivia Driessen is the recipient of a 2020 ACS Division of Environmental Chemistry Undergraduate Student Award. Great job, Olivia!

— The group welcomes Wasilat Dosunmu, who joins us this summer as a research intern. Welcome, Wasilat!


June 2020

— Group alumnus Mark Burton recently defended his PhD dissertation in physical chemistry (with an astrochemistry emphasis) at the University of Arizona. Mark will be joining the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore, CA) as an optical spectroscopist. Many congratulations, Dr. Burton!


Dr. Mark Burton

— Prof. Sivey and collaborators from Villanova University published a paper examining the ability of black carbon to enhance transformation rates of dichloroacetamide safeners.


May 2020

— The group welcomes Andrew Psoras as a new graduate student in the Environmental Science MS program at TU. Welcome, Andrew!

Marella Schammel successfully defended her honors thesis entitled, “Investigating Electrophilic Aromatic Halogenation in Synthetic and in Natural Waters.” Congratulations!

— Prof. Sivey and collaborators from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins University published an article examining exotic electrophiles in chlorinated and chloraminated water in Environmental Science and Technology Letters. This paper was selected as an ACS Editors’ Choice article due to its potential for broad public interest.


April 2020

Matthew Broadwater (2017 TU Chemistry and Sivey Group alumnus) was elected to the National Executive Committee of the American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists as a National Member-at-Large. Congratulations, Matthew, on this impressive honor!

— Group members Marella Schammel, Olivia Driessen, and Thomas FitzGibbon presented their research at the (Online) Student Research and Creative Inquiry Forum as a part of Research Week at TU. Nice work!

Olivia Driessen was awarded a Raspet Summer Research Fellowship to support her continued research in the Sivey Lab during Summer 2020. Congratulations, Olivia!

Reginald Briscoe was selected to participate in the 2020 Summer Research Opportunities Program at the University of Iowa. Great job, Reggie!


March 2020

— Group member Marella Schammel has been awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. This highly prestigious fellowship is valued at $138,000 and will support three years of Marella’s graduate studies. Excellent job, Marella!


Marella Schammel has accepted an offer to join the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Southern California as a PhD student. Congratulations!

Shipping to University of South California


February 2020

— Group alumnus Matthew Broadwater (PharmD candidate at UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy) received an American Pharmacists Association National Student Leadership Award. Matthew is one of only four third-year PharmD students in the country selected for this honor. Matthew was also inducted into Phi Lambda Sigma, a prestigious national leadership society for student pharmacists demonstrating exceptional service and leadership abilities. Many congratulations, Matthew!

Matthew Broadwater

 

— Congratulations to group members Bryce Collingwood and Max Denn on their receipt of research grants from the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics at TU. Great job!

— Prof. Sivey delivered a sabbatical seminar at TU entitled “Sabbatical Adventures in Environmental Chemistry: From Bromine to Black Carbon.”

— The Sivey Research Group is now accepting applications from current high school students for a Summer 2020 Research Internship position. More details are available here.


January 2020

— The Sivey Group took advantage of the spring-like weather to snap a group photo.

From L to R:  Marella Schammel, Max Denn, Reginald Briscoe, Thomas FitzGibbon, Olivia Driessen, Bryce Collingwood, and Hanna Hudson

 

Reginald Briscoe joins the group as a new undergraduate researcher. Welcome, Reginald!


December 2019

— The group welcomes Hanna Hudson and Bryce Collingwood as new undergraduate researchers. Welcome!

— Group member Marella Schammel was selected by Towson University to receive a Research Impact Award. Congratulations!


November 2019

–The group’s recent paper describing applications of 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene as a derivatizing agent of chlorinating and brominating species was featured on the cover of Analytical Methods.

Marella Schammel delivered an invited presentation at the Gulf Coast Undergraduate Research Symposium in Houston, TX. Her talk received the “Outstanding Presentation in Chemical Transformations” award. Excellent job, Marella!


October 2019

Marella Schammel delivered a Raspet Summer Research Seminar to the Department of Chemistry. Well done, Marella!

Marella Schammel and Olivia Driessen were each awarded a research grant from the Fisher College of Science and Mathematics. Congratulations!

— Group members Olivia Driessen and Thomas FitzGibbon presented research posters at the Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Olivia was also the recipient of a 1st Place Poster Award. Great job all around!

— Group alumnus Mark Bickley was recognized as one of this year’s 20 Tigers in their 20s young alumni award recipients. Mark completed an honors thesis in the Sivey Lab in 2015. In May 2019, Mark completed his Pharm.D. degree from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. We are proud of you, Mark!

— The group published a paper in Analytical Methods describing applications of 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene as a derivatizing agent of chlorinating and brominating species. Congratulations to group alumnus Ryan Dias and current group member Marella Schammel on their co-authorship of this paper. Prof. Keith Reber also served as a co-author. Great job!


August 2019

— The group welcomes Max Denn as a new undergraduate researcher. Welcome, Max!

— Prof. Sivey delivered the keynote address at the TU Honors College Orientation book discussion of What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City.


July 2019

— Prof. Sivey presented an invited lecture on the group’s bromine studies at the Gordon Research Conference on Water Disinfection, Byproducts and Health.

— Prof. Sivey was an invited panelist at a career development panel at the Gordon Research Seminar on Water Disinfection, Byproducts and Health at Mount Holyoke College.

Image result for gordon research seminar

Mark Niedzwiecki successfully defended his honors thesis. Excellent job, Mark!

— Prof. Sivey traveled to the University of Iowa to meet with collaborators associated with the herbicide safener project sponsored by the National Science Foundation.


June 2019

— Prof. Sivey delivered the keynote address at the 100th Commencement Ceremony at Merrill High School (his alma mater), in Merrill, Michigan.


May 2019

Mark Niedzwiecki participated in the Spring 2019 Commencement ceremony celebrating the completion of his Bachelor of Science degree. Congratulations, Mark!

Mark Niedzwiecki and Prof. Sivey at the Spring 2019 TU Commencement.

 

— In collaboration with researchers at the University of Buffalo, Prof. Sivey co-authored a publication investigating the photolysis of an herbicide + safener mixture on simulated soil surfaces.

— Prof. Sivey co-authored a paper examining photochemical transformations of dichloroacetamide safeners. Collaborators at the University of Iowa were the lead investigators on this project.

— Prof. Sivey is a co-principal investigator on a grant awarded by the Towson University School of Emerging Technologies. The project team includes Prof. Keith Reber (principal investigator) and Prof. Carsten Prasse (collaborator at Johns Hopkins University). The project will examine the design and performance of a new class of corrosion inhibitors suitable for highly oxidative systems.

— Group member Marella Schammel was featured in a Towson University article to recognize her receiving the Barry Goldwater Scholarship. The Goldwater Scholarship is viewed as the most prestigious undergraduate STEM scholarship in the USA. Congratulations, Marella!

Barry Goldwater


April 2019

Thomas FitzGibbon received the 2019 ACS Analytical Division Award in Analytical Chemistry. Excellent job, Thomas!

Marella Schammel was selected as a 2019 Raspet Summer Research Fellowship winner. Congratulations, Marella!

— Two papers from the Sivey group were selected for inclusion in the “Best Papers of 2018” collection by the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Environmental Science family of journals. Towson University featured this recognition in a news story.

The selected papers were:

  • Lau, S. S.; Dias, R. P.; Martin-Culet, K. R.; Race, N. A.; Schammel, M. H.; Reber, K. P.; Roberts, A. L.; Sivey, J. D.* 1,3,5-Trimethoxybenzene (TMB) as a new quencher for preserving redox-labile disinfection byproducts and for quantifying free chlorine and free bromine. Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol. 20184, 926-941. Link to article.

Graphical abstract: 1,3,5-Trimethoxybenzene (TMB) as a new quencher for preserving redox-labile disinfection byproducts and for quantifying free chlorine and free bromine

  • Broadwater, M. A.; Swanson, T. L.; Sivey, J. D.* Emerging investigators series: comparing the inherent reactivity of often-overlooked aqueous chlorinating and brominating agents toward salicylic acid. Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol. 20184, 369-384. Link to article.

Graphical abstract: Emerging investigators series: comparing the inherent reactivity of often-overlooked aqueous chlorinating and brominating agents toward salicylic acid

— Lab members joined Prof. Sivey in delivering our annual outreach program entitled, The Mathematics of Color and Light, at General John Stricker Middle School in Baltimore County, MD.

— Members of the Sivey Lab and the Reber Lab made time for some sight-seeing in addition to presenting their research at the American Chemical Society National Meeting in Orlando, FL.

Marella Schammel, Justin Kim, Mark Niedzwiecki, and Ian Gilbert at Epcot.
  
.Mark Niedzwiecki (left) and Marella Schammel (right) presenting research posters at ACS Orlando.
Justin Kim, Ian Gilbert, Marella Schammel, and Mark Niedzwiecki at ACS Orlando.

February 2019

Marella Schammel received the Greater Washington Institute of Chemists Student Award, which recognizes Marella’s outstanding scholastic achievements and professional growth in chemistry. Congratulations!


January 2019

Thomas FitzGibbon joins the group as a new undergraduate researcher. Welcome!