Up to six Fuson Travel Awards are given annually to students in Organic area labs to present their research at the ACS National Meeting or other professional meetings, such as a Gordon Research Conference. The awards are made to honor and celebrate the accomplishments of R. C. Fuson, who was a distinguished faculty member at the University of Illinois for 35 years. The Fuson endowment also funds the annual R. C. Fuson lectureship series.

 

Spring 2024 - New Orleans, LA (ACS Meeting)

Dinh Thanh Nguyen (van der Donk / Mitchell)
"Bioinformatic-guided discovery of a novel natural product biosynthesized by distinct classes of metalloenzymes"

Chelsea Swartchick (Chan)
"Activity-based Bioluminescence Probe Reveals Crosstalk Between the Inflammatory Tumor Microenvironment and the ALDH Cancer Stem Cell Biomarker"

Jacob D. Weaver (White)
"A preparative small-molecule mimic of liver CYP450 enzymes in the aliphatic C–H oxidation of carbocyclic N-heterocycles"

 

 

Fall 2023 - San Francisco, CA (ACS Meeting)

Jay Cournoyer (Mehta)
"Experimental Endosymbiotic Models to Investigate Molecular Drivers of Chloroplast Evolution"

Sydney A. McKee (Hergenrother)
"Reimagining Temozolomide: Harnessing the Untapped Potential of Imidazotetrazines to Target, Treat, and Image Glioblastoma Multiforme"

Zhenxiang Zhao (Chan)
"Development of Nitroreductase-activatable Quinolone-based Prodrugs"

 

 

Spring 2023 - Indianapolis, IN (ACS Meeting)

Amanda East (Chan)
"Synthesis of Silicon-substituted Hemicyanines for Multimodal SWIR Imaging"

David Ryffel (Sarlah)
"Total Synthesis of Darobactin A"

Yue Yu (van der Donk)
"Biosynthesis of 3-Thia-α-amino Acids on a Carrier Peptide"

 

Fall 2022 - Chicago, IL (ACS Meeting)

Kristen Muñoz (Hergenrother)
"Development of a Narrow-spectrum Antibiotic Selective for Gram-negative Bacteria"

Marko Nesic (Sarlah)
"Overcoming Undesired Atropisomerism Towards the Synthesis of Darobactin"

Yunyan Sun (Moore)
"Mechanically Triggered Carbon Monoxide Release with Turn-On Aggregation-Induced Emission: From Mechanism to Applications"

 

Spring 2022 - San Diego, CA (ACS Meeting)

Charlie Dixon (White)
"Late-stage Intermolecular Allylic C-H Amination"

Sarah Krueger (Zimmerman)
"Template-selected, Reversible Assembly of Therapeutic Agents for Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1"

Melissa Lucero (Chan)
"Photoacoustic Probe for Biopsy-Free Assessment of Copper Status in Murine Models of Wilson’s Disease and Liver Metastasis"

Ian Rinehart (Denmark)
"Predicting High-Yielding Conditions for Palladium Catalyzed Bond-Forming Reactions: Development of a Modeling Framework with Substrate Generalizability"

 

Fall 2021

No awards given (canceled)

 

Spring 2021 - San Antonio, TX (ACS Meeting)

Zohaib Siddiqi (Sarlah)
"Dearomative Oxidation of Unactivated Arenes: Access to Arene-Oxides and Benzoxepins"

 

Fall 2020 - San Francisco, CA (ACS Meeting)

David Dennis (Sarlah)
"Synthesis of Idarubicinone via Global Functionalization of Tetracene"

Raundi Quevedo (White)
"Late-stage Oxidative C(sp3)-H Methylation"

Jiabao Zhang (Burke)
"Amphotericin Extracts Ergosterol Faster Than Fungi Can Make It"

 

Spring 2020 - Philadelphia, PA (ACS Meeting - Canceled)

Summer Laffoon (Moore)
"Efficient Synthesis of a Hückel Aromatic, Möbius Annulene via Alkyne Metathesis"

Chris Reinhardt (Chan)
"Photophysical Optimization of Activatable Photoacoustic Contrast Agents Enables Nitric Oxide Imaging in Cancer"

Aaron Roth (Denmark)
"Enantioselective, Lewis Base-Catalyzed, Intermolecular Functionalization of Alkenes"

 

Fall 2019 - San Diego, CA (ACS Meeting)

Yaroslav Boyko (Sarlah)
"The Total Synthesis of Isomalabaricanes and a Blueprint for Stereochemically Diverse Terpenoid Architectures"
(Organic Reactions & Processes GRC)

Andrew Zahrt (Denmark)
"Prediction of Higher-Selectivity Catalysts by Computer-driven Workflow and Machine Learning"
(Organic Reactions & Processes GRC)

Jinpeng Zhao (White)
"Chemoselective Methylene C—H Oxidation in Aromatic Molecules"
(Heterocyclic Compounds GRC)

 

Spring 2019 - Orlando, FL (ACS Meeting)

Soumitra Athavale (Denmark)
"Demystifying the Soai Reaction"
(Solvay Workshop)

Rajeev Chorghade (Burke)
"Small Molecule Ion Channel Restores Host Defenses in Cystic Fibrosis Airway Epithelia"

Lauren Hagler (Zimmerman)
"Template-Assisted Click Chemistry as a Method for Developing Small Molecule Therapeutics for Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1 (DM1)"
(Bioorganic Chemistry GRC)

Wei Liu (White)
"Asymmetric Allylic C–H Functionalization with Pd(II)/Sulfoxide-Oxazoline Catalysis"

 

Fall 2018 - New Orleans, LA (ACS Meeting)

Thomas Bearrood (Chan)
"Development and Application of an ALDH1A1-Selective Fluorescent Probe for Visualizing Cancer Stem-Like Cells"
(World Molecular Imaging Conference)

Mikiko Okumura (Sarlah)
"Palladium-Catalyzed Dearomative syn-1,4-Aminofunctionalizations"
(Stereochemistry GRC)

Kevin Robb (Denmark)
"Enantioselective, Lewis Base-Catalyzed Transformations: Sulfenocyclization of Polyenes and Carbosulfenylation of Vinyl Boronates by 1,2-Boronate Migration"
(Stereochemistry GRC)

 

Spring 2018 - New Orleans, LA (ACS Meeting)

Linna An (van der Donk)
"Substrate-Assisted Enzymatic Formation of Lysinoalanine in Duramycin"
(Natural Products and Bioactive Compounds GRC)

Travis Buchanan (Hull)
"Cu-Catalyzed Three-Component Carboamination of Alkenes"
(Heterocyclic Compounds GRC)

Hailey Knox (Chan)
"A Bioreducible N-Oxide-Based Probe for Photoacoustic Imaging of Hypoxia"

Fall 2017 - Washington, DC (ACS Meeting)

Kaibo Feng (White)
"Remote Oxidation of Aliphatic C–H Bonds in Nitrogen-Containing Molecules"
(Organic Reactions & Processes GRC)

Lucas Hernandez (Sarlah)
"Total Synthesis of (+)-7-Deoxypancratistatin from Benzene"

Spring 2017 - San Francisco, CA (ACS Meeting)

Stephen Ammann (White)
"Enantioselective Allylic C–H Oxidation of Terminal Olefins to Isochromans via Pd(II)/Chiral Sulfoxide Catalysis"
(Organic Reactions & Processes GRC)

Graham Hudson (Mitchell)
"Expanding Thiopeptide Chemical Space Through In Vitro Enzymatic Synthesis"
(Enzymes, Coenzymes & Metabolic Pathways GRC)

Emma Southgate (Sarlah)
"Total Synthesis of Lycoricidine Through Chemical Dearomatization of Bromobenzene"

Fall 2016 - Philadelphia, PA (ACS Meeting)

Emily Ulrich (van der Donk)
"Structural Basis for the Mechanistic Divergence of 2-Hydroxyethylphosphonate Oxygenases"
(Enzymes, Coenzymes & Metabolic Pathways GRC)

Zhao Wu (Hull)
"Rhodium-Catalyzed Dehydrogenative Amidation of Allylic Alcohols and Amines for the Synthesis of Beta-Chiral Amides"
(Organic Reactions & Processes GRC)

Spring 2016 - San Diego, CA (ACS Meeting)

Long Luu (Zimmerman)
"On-Target Synthesis and Selection of Modular Therapeutic Agents for Myotonic Dystrophy"

Michelle Richter (Hergenrother)
"Defining the Physicochemical Features That Dictate Small-molecule Accumulation in Gram-negative Bacteria"
(New Antibacterial Discovery and Development GRC)

Andy Thomas (Denmark)
"Unraveling the Transmetalation Event in the Suzuki-Miyaura Reaction"

Fall 2015 - Boston, MA (ACS Meeting)

Andrea Ambrosi (Denmark)
"The Mechanistic Significance of the Si-O-Pd Bond in the Palladium-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling of Alkenyl-and Arylsilanolates"

Andrew Ickes (Hull)
"Rhodium-Mediated Substrate Controlled Markovnikov Hydroamination"

Rob Hicklin (Hergenrother)
"Chemical Diversification of Pleuromutilin Leads to the Discovery of a Novel Anticancer Agent"

Spring 2015 - Denver, CO (ACS meeting)

Thomas Osberger (White)
"N-Boc Amines to Oxazolidinones via Pd(II) / Bis-sulfoxide / Brønsted Acid Co-Catalyzed Allylic C-H Oxidation"

Michael Lambrecht (Hergenrother)
"The Chemistry and Biology of Homogeneous ADP-Ribose Oligomers"

Hyung Min Chi (Denmark)
"Lewis Base Catalyzed, Enantioselective, Intramolecular Sulfenoamination of Olefins"

Fall 2014 - San Francisco, CA (ACS Meeting)

Patricia Blair (Mitchell)
"Investigation of the Mechanism of Action of a Species-Selective Antibacterial Compound"

Marshall Brennan (Fout)
"Ligand Effects in Enabling Two-Electron Redox on CO(I) Disilazide Complexes: Applications to Catalytic Cross-Coupling Reactions"

Tony Grillo (Burke)
"Restoring Growth in Protein Deficient Yeast with a Small Molecule"

Spring 2014 - Dallas, TX (ACS Meeting)

Lindsey Cullen (Denmark)
"Catalytic Conjugate Addition of Acyl Anion Equivalents Promoted by Fluorodesilyation"

Stephen Davis (Burke)
"Non-Toxic Amphotericin B Derivatization Guided by a Ligand-Selective Allosteric Effects Strategy"

Fall 2013 - Indianapolis, IN (ACS Meeting)

Jagadeeswaran Chandrasekar (Silverman)
"Catalytic DNA with Phosphatase Activity"

Scott Sisco (Moore)
"Dynamic Deracemization of BINOL-Based Arylene-Ethynylene Macrocycles"

Fall 2013 - Gordon Research Conference - (Colby-Sawyer College)

Elizabeth Parkinson (Hergenrother)
"Efficient NQ01 Substrates are Potent and Selective Anticancer Agents"

Spring 2013 - New Orleans, LA (ACS Meeting)

John Hung (van der Donk)
"Investigating the Mechanistic Role of Arg301 in Phosphite Dehydrogenase"

Claire Knezevic (Hergenrother)
"The Development of Selective Poly(ADP-Ribose) Glycohydrolase Inhibitors"

Tucker Maxson (Mitchell)
"Development of streptolysis S inhibitors as anti-virulence drugs"

Fall 2012 - Philadelphia, PA (ACS Meeting)

Paul Gormisky (White)
"Synthetic Versatility in C-H Oxidation"

Shauna Paradine (White)
"Iron-Catalyzed Intramolecular Allylic C-H Amination"

Yanxiang (Nancy) Shi (van der Donk)
"Heterologous Production of Actagardine in E. coli"

Spring 2012- San Diego, CA (ACS Meeting)

Noah Bindman (van der Donk)
"Flourescent Labeling of Lantipeptides"

Junqi Li (Burke)
"Pinene-Derived Iminodiacetic Acid (PIDA): A Powerful Ligand for Stereoselective Synthesis and Iterative Cross-Coupling of C(sp3)Boronate Building Blocks"

Karen Morrison (Hergenrother)
"Accessing Stereochemically Complex and Structurally Diverse Compounds through Chemical Modification of Gibberellic Acid, and their Activity in Biological Systems"

Fall 2011 - Denver, CO (ACS Meeting)

Marinus Bigi (White)
"Carboxylic acid-directed C-H oxidations using a non-heme iron catalyst: mixed oxygenase/desaturase activity"
(Natural Products GRC)

Seiko Fujii (Burke)
"Total Synthesis of Synechoxanthin via Umpolung Iterative Cross-Coupling"

Lawrence Wolf (Denmark)
"The Application of QSAR/QSSR Methods for Catalyst Evaluation and Development in Phase Transfer Catalysis"

Spring 2011 - Anaheim, CA (ACS Meeting)

Trent Oman (van der Donk)
"Sublancin is not a Lantibiotic but an S-linked Glycopeptide"

Eric Woerly (Burke)
"Stereocontrolled Total Synthesis of Peridinin and the Mechanism of Carotenoid Antilipoperoxidant Activity"

Chun-Ho Wong (Zimmerman)
"Binding Mode Studies of Small Molecule Inhibition for Myotonic Dystrophy"