2025-2026 POWELL CHEMISTRY SEMINAR SERIES SCHEDULE
| Date | Presenter, Seminar Title | Host / Mentor |
| 08/29/25 | Intro to CHEM 322/421/422 and the Speech Center | Johnson |
| 09/05/25 | Career Services: Careers in Chemistry | Brandy Ewell |
| 09/12/25 | Using Zotero for Citations | Heather Ervin |
| 09/19/25 | AXE Research Seminar | AXE |
| 09/26/25 | No seminar | |
| 10/03/25 | Senior Presentation: Jason Liang
“A Computational Study of Cyclopropyl Ring Opening Mechanisms Leading to 1,6-heptadiyne Cationic Isomers” Senior Presentation: Caitlyn Hughes “Electron Rich Anilines as Cleavable Linkers” |
Parish Shugrue |
| 10/10/25 | No Seminar | |
| 10/17/25 | Faculty Candidate Presentations Tuesday and/or Thursday at Noon | |
| 10/24/25 | Faculty Candidate Presentations Tuesday and/or Thursday at Noon | |
| 10/31/25 | Faculty Candidate Presentations Tuesday and/or Thursday at Noon | |
| 11/07/25 | Faculty Candidate Presentations Tuesday and/or Thursday at Noon | |
| 11/14/25 | Faculty Candidate Presentations Tuesday and/or Thursday at Noon | |
| 11/21/25 | Senior Presentation: Allie Mock
“Net carbonyl ene reactions of alpha-methylstyrene with aldehydes” Senior Presentation: Pete Christensen “An Investigation of the Influence of Methylation upon the Enzymatic Activity of the RNA Helicase Ded1” |
Downey Hilliker |
| 11/28/25 | Thanksgiving (No Seminar) | |
| 12/05/25 | Senior Presentation: Mandy Moore
“Selective oxidation of tryptophan residues using sodium periodate” Senior Presentation: Noah Nanez “The Role of Silicon in Transition Metal Chemistry” |
Shugrue Goldman |
| 12/12/25 through 01/09/26 | Final Exams and Winter Break | |
| 01/16/26 | Prof. Kerry-Ann Green (Williams College) | Johnson |
| 01/23/26 | External Speaker | |
| 01/30/26 | Responsible Conduct of Research |
Pollock/Parish |
| 02/06/26 | Prof. Brian Fugelstad (VCU) | Pollock |
| 02/13/26 | Senior Presentation: Jack Hoskins-Harris
“Catalytic capabilities of proazaphosphatranes” Senior Presentation: Jamie Kaplan Title TBD |
Johnson Leopold |
| 02/20/26 | Senior Presentation: Charles Biaku
Title TBD Senior Presentation: Avery Jones Title TBD |
Parish Leopold |
| 02/27/26 | Senior Presentation: Isaac Hernandez
“Tautomeric Trigger of the Bergman Cyclization for Anti-Cancer Drugs” Senior Presentation: David Huang “Ruthenium Catalytic Reaction of reducing CO2: from Carbon Dioxide to methanol” |
Parish Norris |
| 03/06/26 | No Seminar | |
| 03/13/26 | Spring Break (No Seminar) | |
| 03/20/26 | Student Presentations (TBD) | |
| 03/27/26 | Powell Lecture: Prof. Susan Solomon, Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Parish |
| 04/03/26 | Senior Presentation: Elise Dunkelberger
“Bridging Textbook Claims and Primary Literature: A Case Study on Alkene Hydration” Senior Presentation: Charlie Sheppard Title TBD |
Nolin Leopold |
| 04/10/26 | Student Presentations (TBD) | |
| 04/17/26 | Arts & Sciences Symposium | |
| 04/24/26 | End of Year Celebration |