VIPEr Workshop: Bioinorganic Applications of Coordination Chemistry

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

July 13-18 

This workshop encoils inorganic faculty, postdocs, and graduate students into the supportive community of scholars known as IONiC (Interactive Online Network of Inorganic Chemistry). Inorganic chemistry is one of the broadest fields in chemistry, covering the entire Periodic Table of the Elements, yet faculty members tend to be narrowly trained in a single subdiscipline. Stepping into the inorganic classroom, where knowledge of all of the subdisciplines is expected, can be daunting. Collaboration with colleagues from different inorganic subfields is an obvious solution to this problem, but geographical and professional isolation, especially at small institutions, inhibits such collaborations. This workshop provides an opportunity to network and collaborate with other inorganic chemists and to deepen knowledge in the subfield of bioinorganic chemistry in order to introduce students to advances in and applications of coordination chemistry to biologically important problems.
 
The IONiC community supports faculty interaction through its web home, VIPEr (Virtual Inorganic Pedagogical Electronic Resource,www.ionicviper.org). Participants in this workshop will learn about the resources on VIPEr and become active VIPEr contributors. The workshop theme, bioinorganic chemistry, will add a "back to grad school" feel to the workshop, with participants immersing themselves in cutting edge chemistry, learning from leading researchers in the field, and creating new learning opportunities for their students. The research experts for this workshop will be Tom O'Halloran and Tom Meade from the host institution, Janet Morrow from SUNY Buffalo and Anne Jones from Arizona State.
 
Participants will work collaboratively to develop new teaching materials that provide modern, biologically relevant examples to teach coordination chemistry concepts.Before the workshop, there will be a short pre-workshop web conference that introduces participants to one another and to the web-based collaboration tools that IONiC uses. Participants and workshop leaders will discuss what resources the participants will want to bring to the workshop.
 
Our NSF grant paid for lodging and several meals and all workshop expenses.  Attendees must provide their own transportation to Northwestern University but are encouraged to seek university funding from their faculty development programs at their home institutions.   Application was through the cCWCS site.

POST-WORKSHOP RESULTS!

These are the Learning Objects (LOs) that were produced by the participants at the Northwestern Bioinorganic TUES workshop!

Leadership Council LOs Developed for the Workshop   
LO titleLO TypeAuthor(s)Institution
Exploring Proteins as Ligands using the Protein Data BankIn-Class ActivityElizabeth JamiesonSmith College
Cyclic VoltammetryProblem SetSheila SmithUniversity of Michigan, Dearborn
Electron Paramagnetic Resonance_ A Model for the ferrous heme site of bacterial NOrProblem SetSheila SmithUniversity of Michigan, Dearborn
Practical MCD Tutorial- How to collect MCD Data- Lehnert LabWeb Resources and AppsSheila SmithUniversity of Michigan, Dearborn
5 (or 6) Slides about Biophysical Techniques5 Slides AboutSheila SmithUniversity of Michigan, Dearborn
Learning Objects used at the 2014 VIPEr Workshop on Bioinorganic ChemistryCollectionElizabeth JamiesonSmith College
Classifying EPR spectraProblem SetAdam JohnsonHarvey Mudd College
Modeling the FeB center in Bacterial Nitric Oxide Reductase: A Reading GuideLiterature DiscussionSheila SmithUniversity of Michigan, Dearborn
IR of a series of Fe(BMPA)(NO)-X complexes- models for the non-heme iron of NO reductaseProblem SetSheila SmithUniversity of Michigan, Dearborn
Assessment question for the Nicolai Lehnert JACS communication article on bio mimetic modeling of iron center in NO reductaseProblem SetArpita SahaGeorgia Southern University
Suite of LOs on Biomimetic ModelingCollectionSheila SmithUniversity of Michigan, Dearborn
Team LOs Developed Based on the Expert Talks for the Workshop   
LO titleLO TypeAuthor(s)Institution
Literature Discussion of "Mechanisms Controlling the Cellular Metal Economy"Literature DiscussionKyle GriceDePaul University
  Clifford RossiterSUNY Potsdam
  Erica GunnSimmons College
  Laurel Goj HabgoodRollins College
  Marion CassCarleton College
  Sherzod MadrahimovNorthwestern University
Principles and imaging applications of CEST5 Slides AboutJustin MassingNorthwestern University
Utilizing the PDB and HSAB theory to understand metal specificity in trafficking proteinsIn-Class ActivityErica GunnSimmons College
  Clifford RossiterSUNY Potsdam
  Kyle GriceDePaul University
  Laurel Goj HabgoodRollins College
  Marion CassCarleton College
  Sherzod MadrahimovNorthwestern University
Cobalt Schiff Base Zinc Finger InhibitorsLiterature DiscussionPeter CraigMcDaniel College
  Carmen GauthierFlorida Southern College
  Christopher BaileyWells College
  Elizabeth Bajema Northwestern University
  James JeitlerMarietta College
Synthesis, Characterization, and Computational Modeling of [Co(acacen)L2]+, an Inhibitor of Zinc Finger ProteinsLab ExperimentElizabeth Bajema Northwestern University
  Carmen GauthierFlorida Southern College
  Christopher BaileyWells College
  James JeitlerMarietta College
  Peter CraigMcDaniel College
  Shaun E. SchmidtWashburn University
Modeling post-translational modification in cobalt nitrile hydratase with a metallopeptide from Anne JonesLiterature DiscussionKari YoungCentre College
  Gerard RoweUniversity of South Carolina, Aiken
  Arpita SahaGeorgia Southern University
  Lei YangUniversity of Central Arkansas
  Nancy Scott Burke WilliamsScripps College, Pitzer College, Claremont McKenna College
  Robert HolbrookNorthwestern University
  Sibrina CollinsThe College of Wooster
5 Slides About Magnetic Susceptibility5-Slides AboutSibrina CollinsThe College of Wooster
  Arpita SahaGeorgia Southern University
  Gerard RoweUniversity of South Carolina, Aiken
  Kari YoungCentre College
  Lei YangUniversity of Central Arkansas
  Robert HolbrookNorthwestern University
A Redox-Activated MRI Contrast Agent that Switches Between Paramagnetic and Diamagnetic StatesLiterature DiscussionVivian EzehColgate University
  Abigail SheltonUniversity of Tennessee at Martin
  Christopher GohWilliams College
  Emilly ObuyaRussell Sage College
  Justin MassingNorthwestern University
  Mariusz KozikCanisius College
Exploring Post-Translational Modification with DFTIn-Class ActivityGerard RoweUniversity of South Carolina, Aiken
  Arpita SahaGeorgia Southern University
  Kari YoungCentre College
  Lei YangUniversity of Central Arkansas
  Robert HolbrookNorthwestern University
  Sibrina CollinsThe College of Wooster
Problem Set on A Redox-Activated MRI Contrast Agent that Switches Between Paramagnetic and Diamagnetic StatesProblem SetVivian EzehColgate University
  Abigail SheltonUniversity of Tennessee at Martin
  Christopher GohWilliams College
  Emilly ObuyaRussell Sage College
  Justin MassingNorthwestern University
  Mariusz KozikCanisius College
The "Zinc Spark" - Zinc as a signaling chemical in lifeWeb Resources and AppsKyle GriceDePaul University
    
Individual LOs Developed at the Workshop   
LO titleLO TypeAuthor(s)Institution
Hard Soft Acid Base Theory - Coordination Trends in Alkali Metal Crown Ether Uranyl Halide Complexes: The Series [A(Crown)]2[UO2X4] Where A = Li, Na, K, and X = Cl, BrLiterature DiscussionGerard RoweUniversity of South Carolina, Aiken
Coordination Diversity and Biological Activity of a Monodentate Au(III) CompoundIn-Class ActivitySibrina CollinsThe College of Wooster
The Chemistry of Cooley's Anemia: A Case StudyWeb Resources and AppsChristopher BaileyWells College
Examining and Drawing Atomic OrbitalsLab ExperimentChristopher GohWilliams College
The Synthesis and Characterization of a trans-Dioxorhenium(V) ComplexLab ExperimentSibrina CollinsThe College of Wooster
The Aconitase Enzyme MechanismIn-Class ActivityLaurel Goj HabgoodRollins College
Soluble Methane Monooxgenase SpectroscopyIn-Class ActivityGerard RoweUniversity of South Carolina, Aiken
Identifying the hybridization of atoms and types of bond in a compoundProblem SetVivian EzehColgate University
The Japan syndromeLiterature DiscussionCarmen GauthierFlorida Southern College
Application of binomial distribution to interpret 31P NMR for aqueous solution of alpha-dodecatungstophosphoric acid, H3[PW12O40]In-Class ActivityMariusz KozikCanisius College
Asbestos: Example of a Silicate MineralProblem SetKari YoungCentre College
Organization of Subatomic ParticlesProblem SetShaun SchmidtWashburn University
Cadmium Carbonic Anhydrase (CdCA): Sustaining Life Using a Toxic Metal Ion5 Slides AboutPeter CraigMcDaniel College
A cuprous azide complex: The effect of structure on the stability of the azide ionLiterature DiscussionJames JeitlerMarietta College
Having fun with your own molecular modelsIn-Class ActivityArpita SahaGeorgia Southern University
The relevance of Transition Metal-Carbon Bonds in Biology and ChemistryLab ExperimentEmilly ObuyaRussell Sage College
Employing 2D NMR and NOE to assign protons in an organometallic complexIn-Class ActivitySherzod MadrahimovNorthwestern University
Application of MO Diagrams (and sp mixing) with Photoelectron SpectroscopyIn-Class ActivityAbigail SheltonUniversity of Tennessee at Martin
Introduction to Photoinduced Electron TransferFive Slides AboutRobert HolbrookNorthwestern University
The Structure and Color of AlumsIn-Class ActivityErica GunnSimmons College
Rubredoxin and the Jahn-Teller EffectProblem SetChristopher BaileyWells College
An Accounting Ledger Method for Determining Lewis Dot StructuresFive Slides AboutChristopher BaileyWells College
The Structure and Function of TransferrinFive Slides AboutChristopher BaileyWells College
CO Stretching Frequency Change with Phosphine Ligands on Metal CenterProblem SetLei YangUniversity of Central Arkansas