“Donut Stress” – A Midterm Destress Event by ChemTalks

To help students destress during this particularly busy time of the semester, OSU student org ChemTALKS has organized “Donut Stress,” a delightful break from your studies and research. CHemTALKS believes that this event will be of particular interest to undergraduates looking for a supportive community within the Chemistry Department. 

Date: Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Time: 10:00 – 11:00 am
Location: CBEC 267

At “Donut Stress” the members of ChemTALKS have prepared a relaxing experience just for you. Here’s what you can look forward to:

  • Delicious Donuts: Treat yourself to a variety of scrumptious donuts that will surely satisfy your sweet tooth.
  • Coffee: Enjoy a cup of freshly brewed coffee or water to keep your energy up. (Bring your own mug!)
  • Therapy Dog: Spend quality time with adorable therapy dog Ashby who is guaranteed to bring smiles to your face and relieve stress.

Donuts, coffee, and time with Ashby the therapy dog are free; but the event is BYOM (bring your own mug).

If you have any questions or want to join our organization, feel free to reach out to us at chemtalks@buckeyemail.osu.edu.

Apply to be a General Chemistry TA in Autumn 2021

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is currently accepting applications for General Chemistry TA positions for Autumn 2021. A TA position provides the opportunity to improve your knowledge, gain teaching experience, and help students.

In order to apply, you must meet the following criteria:

  • Completed General Chemistry Sequence (1210/1220; 1610/1620; or 1910H/1920H) with an A or A- (preferred)
  • Cumulative GPA > 3.5
  • Enrolled in classes during Autumn 2021
  • No other paid monthly student appointment during Autumn 2021 (this includes paid research)

Appointment details are as follows:

  • Salary: $12/hour
  • Hours: 10-12/week
  • Responsibilities: teach one 3-hour lab; grade assignments and prepare for teaching responsibilities; 1 office hour/week; proctor all exams; attend weekly staff meeting

Training will take place in August during business hours. Please describe any potential conflicts with training on your application.

If you are interested, you may apply here.

After you submit an application, the department will contact you and ask for a schedule. This does not guarantee a TA position. If your schedule changes before the deadline, please update your schedule by May 10th, 2021. If you make a change to your schedule after this date, you will be responsible for switching your assignment with another TA or forfeiting your position.

Applications and schedules are due by 11:59 pm on Monday, May 10th, 2021. Hiring decisions will be made by late July.

Please contact chemlabsupervisor@osu.edu with any questions.

2019 Pumpkin Carving Contest Results

The 7th Annual CBC Pumpkin Carving Contest was last night and the participants made some scary good creations! The entries ranged from ghosts to French Revolution era chemists to professors from our very own department.


Congratulations to this year’s winners:

  • Best Overall: Tom Fanning, Blake Hartline, Meet Patel, and anonymous
  • Best in “STEM” category: Jenna Fryer and Cathryn Schoeppner
  • Best in “Spooky” category: Siqi Wang, Bobby Zhang, and Hongxuan Zhao
  • Best in “OSU” category: Sankara Jeyabalan, Dorothy Nie, and Sachi Walmiki
  • Best in “Wildcard” category: Matt Allen, Julie Meyer, Stephanie Secic, and Brittany Shook

Thank you all who participated. We hope you will join us next year!

2017 Student Project Grant Winners Announced

On Wednesday, November 15, eight Tech Hub student project grant semifinalists pitched their projects to representatives from across the Ohio State University. The winners were decided with a vote, and Wesley Thio, an undergraduate student of Dr. Anne Co, and his teammate Raman Vilhku, were among the 2017 winners. These two have been working in the lab of Dr. Anne Co in collaboration with Professor Asima Kiourti in Electrical Engineering.

The traditional batteries that power our wearable tech items were simply not intended for such an application. They are bulky, rigid and occasionally dangerous. Wesley  and Raman Vilhku are looking to change this with their flexible batteries powered by electrochemical fabrics. By printing battery cells on a fabric, the team hopes to create a viable alternative for our traditionally battery powered devices. With funding, they will work to streamline a manufacturing process that could operate at scale, and purchase sensors to connect their powered fabrics with actionable results.

Their progress will be shared throughout the semester and they will be back to present their progress and successes in September 2018. Congratulations to Wesley Thio and Raman Vilhku!

Image result for tech hub osu

Dr. Alexander Sokolov, one of CBC’s newest faculty members

Welcome one of our newest faculty members, Dr. Alexander Sokolov, to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry! He joins our department after receiving his Ph. D. in Chemistry from the University of Georgia and Postdoctoral work at both Princeton University and Cal Tech. His research aims to develop new theoretical methods for the simulations of light-induced and non-equilibrium processes in chemical systems with complex electronic structure.

Let’s get to know Dr. Sokolov a little better…

Q: What attracted you to Ohio State/Columbus?

There are many great things about OSU. Scientifically, I was well aware of the Ohio State position as the world-class research institution in both chemistry and physics. One of the first things that comes to my mind when I think about research at OSU is the work by Kenneth Wilson who won the Nobel prize in physics for his development of the renormalization group methods. Although these methods originated in physics, they are now increasingly used to solve some of the most complicated problems in quantum chemistry. In the Chemistry and Biochemistry department, research groups are working in almost every subfield of experimental and theoretical chemistry one could only imagine. There is a long history of quantum chemistry in the department that dates back to the early work by Isaiah Shavitt and Russell Pitzer who were among the pioneers in the field. I was also very impressed by the resources available at the university and how beautiful the Ohio State campus is. But probably one of the most pleasant experiences is meeting people at OSU. Everyone is very nice and looks very happy 🙂

Q: Explain your research and what it means to you:

My research is in the field of quantum chemistry, a branch of theoretical chemistry that uses quantum mechanics to study molecules and materials. Quantum mechanics can be used to simulate chemistry: predict the structure and properties of molecules, study the mechanisms of chemical reactions or how molecules react with light. This requires finding accurate approximations to the fundamental quantum mechanical equations that describe how molecules behave in real matter and developing efficient algorithms to solve these equations on the computer. In my research, I am interested in problems that involve complex chemistry, such as understanding how bioactive metal complexes transform when irradiated with light, how photocatalysts initiate chemical reactions under very mild reaction conditions, or how electrons “flow” through a molecule when an electric field is applied. These problems are very challenging for the existing quantum chemical methods and require significant advances in theory. Being able to solve some of these challenges is very exciting and is the constant source of motivation for me every day.

Q: What are your goals here at Ohio State?

One of my main goals at OSU is to become a valuable addition to the department as a researcher, a teacher, a mentor, and a colleague. In my research, my goal is to develop new theoretical tools that significantly expand the range of problems we can solve with quantum mechanical simulations. Some of these new problems I have already mentioned: from understanding the photochemistry of molecules with complex electronic properties to investigating the processes in chemical systems driven out of equilibrium. As a mentor, I would like to create a research environment for my students that will allow them to grow both professionally and personally, so they can be well prepared for their future careers.

Q: What led you to love chemistry?

When I was a child, I was struck by the realization that everything around us consists of just a handful of building blocks that we call atoms. All of the complexity and all of the beauty of the world that surrounds us and is inside of us is just a combination of a few dozen of elements bound together with even a smaller number of elementary particles. This realization that the world has a structure and this structure can be understood and manipulated led to my fascination of chemistry.

Q: Favorite class to teach:

Of course, I enjoy to teach classes on quantum chemistry and molecular electronic structure, a subject that is very close to my heart, but the other subjects that I would love to teach are: group theory, molecular spectroscopy, inorganic and coordination chemistry, photochemistry.

Q: Who do you most admire and why?

People that make an impact on lives of other people through their ideas, hard work, and dedication. There are many examples, I wouldn’t call specific names. From founders of big companies that transform the way we live, scientists with a big picture in mind that drive entire scientific fields forward to people who fearlessly work on issues in our society, demand changes and propose solutions.

Q: Piece of advice for our students:

First, never give up. There are times when things move along and there are times when everything stops. Think about the big picture and don’t be afraid to make steps in the unknown territory. Second, explore all opportunities. Before making an important decision in your life, look around. It may well be that the opportunity you are looking for is just around the corner.

Q: If you weren’t a scientist what would you be and why?

This is a tough question, because I can hardly imagine my life without science. But, looking back at my childhood, there was a time when I was interested in biology and wanted to become a doctor. That interest eventually led me to chemistry.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

Most of all, I enjoy spending time with my family. I have two beautiful children and I learn a great deal from interacting with them every day. I also enjoy spending time outdoors (particularly, running and hiking) and look forward to exploring Columbus and the nearby areas.

Q: Random fact about yourself:

The name of my hometown (Snezhinsk) can be translated from Russian as “Snow city”. As the name suggests, it does get lots of snow during the winter 🙂 Also, my last name is the derivative of the Russian word “sokol”, which translates in English as falcon.