AU grad receives prestigious Yeager Award

Corianna Borton ’19 (center) with adviser Dr. Brian Mohney (center left) and co-adviser Dr. Jeff Weidenhamer (center right).

May 2019 AU graduate Corianna Borton was selected as the recipient of this year’s Ernest B. Yeager award by the Cleveland Chapter of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS) and the Analytical Topics Group of the American Chemical Society (ACS).   The Yeager Award honors the memory of Ernest B. Yeager, the Frank Hovorka Professor Emeritus at Case Western Reserve University who was known for his pioneering contributions to the fundamental understanding of electrochemical reactions and to the development of fuel cell and battery technology.

The award was presented on May 22^nd at the annual Conference on Spectroscopy and Analytical Chemistry at John Carroll University, where Borton gave a presentation of her research that has focused on collecting, separating and analyzing plant root exudates (harmala alkaloids) from Syrian rue in soil using silicone tube microextraction probes—a technique for repeated sampling of lipophilic compounds in soil developed in Dr. Mohney’s and Dr. Weidenhamer’s lab.  Syrian Rue releases molecules into the soil that affect the growth of other plants in the vicinity and negatively impact organisms that live in the soil near the plant.  Borton’s technique utilized silicone probes to sequester and concentrate lipophilic organic compounds allowing her to quantify the root and soil alkaloids.   Once sequestered, compounds were extracted from the silicone and the concentration of each compound was measured using ultraviolet spectroscopy (UV), fluorescence spectroscopy and high performance liquid chromatography with UV and fluorescence detection.   She has used these techniques to probe the dynamic release of harmala alkaloids from plants and to examine the effect the alkaloids have on monocot and dicot plants. The Yeager award recognizes Borton’s achievements in independent research, particularly in the application of spectroscopy to the analysis of these root exudates.  She received a certificate, a $400 monetary award and a year's membership in SAS.

This is the third time an AU student or students have been selected to win this prestigious award.  Corianna’s co-adviser, Dr. Jeff Weidenhamer, professor of chemistry, received the award as an AU undergraduate student in 1979, and Jennifer Miller Tully and Daphne Guinnwere selected as co-recipients in 2011 for their work on cadmium contamination of inexpensive jewelry.

Dr. Mohney notes, “The Yeager Award is quite an honor for both Corianna and for Ashland University.  Corianna has been an exceptional member of Ashland University’s Honors program. She has excelled in using analytical and instrumental methods at solving research problems and has been able to perform high-level independent research at a graduate-student level since her junior year at Ashland.“ Corianna is pursuing a career in forensic science, and has been accepted into the Bowling Green State University Master’s Program in Forensic Chemistry.

AU student presents research at international conference

Abbi Dingus at the SETAC poster session in
Helsinki

Rising senior Abbi Dingus, who is a double major in Biology and Biochemistry, recently presented a poster on her research at the meeting of the Society of Environmental Science and Chemistry (SETAC) in Helsinki, Finland.  Abbi's poster, entitled "Density-dependent growth responses of Arabidopsis to copper: High densities are beneficial for efficient contaminant uptake," summarizes work done for her Honors' thesis under the direction of Dr. Jeff Weidenhamer (Chemistry) and Dr. Soren Brauner (Biology).  Collaborating on the project is Dr. Aki Sinkkonen of the University of Helsinki.  She previously presented this work at the Ohio State University Plant Sciences Symposium.

Abbi comments that one of the more interesting sessions she attended was a morning long seminar that explored how philosophical values affect science, and some of the underlying reasons for controversy in science when the same data can be used in support of differing positions.  She adds, “The trip was an amazing experience where I got connected with students and professionals in all areas of science, and learned more about my own interests in research.  I am grateful for the support I got from my community and research advisers.”

Abbi has a research internship this summer at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri, where she will be analyzing inositol polyphosphates from corn embryos using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.  Her trip to Helsinki was supported in part by Charles River Laboratories and the State of Ohio’s Choose Ohio First scholarship program.