Trinity chemist Bert Chandler’s work with bimetallic nanoparticles and his quest to better understand heterogeneous catalysis has won him yet another award. He recently was named a Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, an honor that carries an unrestricted $60,000 research grant with it.

An associate professor of chemistry, he is exploring ways to convert biomass, or cellulose, into various types of transportation fuels. In the fall of 2008, he will embark on a yearlong sabbatical that will take him to Denmark and Holland to work with leading European scientists in the field of catalysis.  

“The initial part of the project will be carried out during the summer 2008 undergraduate research program,” Professor Chandler says. “Trinity students will prepare new nanoparticles and investigate new catalysts this summer.  Over the following year, I will learn additional techniques and testing methods that will allow us to contribute to the development of biofuels. For the next several years, my students and research program will have a much larger focus on developing nanoparticles and catalysts that will be used to convert cellulose, into various types of transportation fuels.” 

Only one faculty member from a university is nominated annually for the Henry Dreyfus award. Recipients are in the early stages of their careers, have significant original research accomplishments with undergraduates, and will continue to produce a body of scholarship of outstanding quality. Awardees also have shown excellence in, dedication to, and innovation in undergraduate education in the chemical sciences.  Previous recipients at Trinity have been chemistry professors Chris Pursell and Michelle Bushey. Chemistry professor Nancy Mills, former professor Mike Doyle, and emeritus professor Benjamin Plummer received similar Dreyfus awards in later stages of their careers.

Since arriving at Trinity in 2001, Professor Chandler has been awarded more than $1 million in grants from various research foundations and has won Trinity’s. 2004 Junior Ffaculty Award for Ddiistinguished Tteaching and Rresearch and a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award.

Grant Awards and Academic Honors:

• Published 16 peer reviewed papers in five 5 years, including three papers in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
• Awarded a $415,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to continue research in catalytic technologies involving bimetallic nanoparticles.
• Awarded a $305,000 collaborative National Science Foundation grant with Iowa State University to study biorenewables conversion.
  

© 2008 Trinity University