Andrew Abeleira with his poster presentation at the 23rd International Symposium of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (ISPAC) at the University of Munster

Who would have guessed that lichens are an effective biomonitor of the level of pollution around us? Well, it’s true, and senior chemistry major Andrew Abeleira has spent the past two years as an undergraduate research assistant with Chemistry Professor Jim Kraly, studying that. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are chemicals that are produced whenever organic matter is heated. (That covers everything from roasting coffee to burning wood to combusting gasoline in an engine.) These pollutants accumulate in lichens, so lichens serve as important biomonitors of just how much of these PAHs are in our environment.

Last March, Andrew traveled with Dr. Kraly to present a poster on their findings at the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy (PITTCON)  in Atlanta, Ga., where they met the organizer of the 23rd International Symposium of Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (ISPAC) at the University of Munster in Germany. The study of PAHs is big in Europe (where they’re called polycyclic aromatic compounds, or PACs), so the symposium organizer recommended that the team attend the Munster event, and they did.
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Chemistry Professor and David F. Putnam Chair Paul Baures

Academic excellence at KSC took another step forward with the appointment of Paul Baures as Professor and David F. Putnam Chair in the Chemistry Department. Dr. Baures brings invaluable expertise in biochemistry and medicinal chemistry to our academic community. For more than two decades, he has been conducting applied and basic research and teaching in the field. He is the recipient of numerous awards and grants from institutions such as the National Institutes of Health, SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, and the American Chemical Society.
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