Bradley E Sturgeon

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Monmouth College faculty Profile

BIO (updated 9/12/22)

Brad received a BS/MS in Chemistry from Illinois State University in 1987/1989 and a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of California, Davis in 1994. Brad was a postdoctoral fellow at Northwestern University, University of Chicago Medical Center, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences/NIH. Brad's professional life has been spent in academia ranging from teaching at a residential, science and math high school through major research university. Brad settled in to the liberal arts college environment in 2007 by joining the Chemistry faculty at Monmouth College. Brad currently teaches sections of General Chemistry and Physical Chemistry (Thermodynamics/Quantum Mechanics) and promotes a strong hands-on lab experience (including glass blowing, drone technology, underwater sonar, and field work in the Bahamas). Brad's research program includes the study of the microbiome and the detection of enzyme-generated radical intermediates using ESR/EPR spectroscopy and HPLC. Brad has studied the science underlying coffee, beer, and fireworks and has acquired a collection of "maker" tools including 3D printers (FDM/SLA), laser cutter/etcher, VR-technology equipment, and wood-metal-glass working equipment. Brad is a co-owner/brewer at the Patton Block Grill and Brewpub in Monmouth. He is married Katherine (since 1994) and has raised 2 adult children, both having attended fine liberal arts colleges (Monmouth and Luther).

Course Taught at Monmouth College

- General Chemistry (Chem 140)

• 3, 50-min lectures/week/section
• When taught in the spring there is only 1 section of ~30-40 students).
• When taught in the fall there is usually 2 section (~50-60 students total).

- General Chemistry Lab (Chem 140L)

• 3-hour lab/week
• When taught in the spring there are 2 lab sections (max 24 students).
• When taught in the fall there are 2 or 3 sections (max 24 students).

- Physical Chemistry I with lab (aka. Thermodynamics - Chem 312)

3, 50-min lecture + 4 hour/week lab

• Taught in the fall (~14-21 students)

- Physical Chemistry II with lab (aka. Quantum Mechanics - Chem 322)

3, 50-min lecture + 4 hour/week lab

• Taught in the spring (~9-14 students)

- Advanced Physical Chemistry

3, 50-minute lectures

• Taught in the spring 2019/elective (~10 students)

- Science Seminar (Chem 350)

• Meets Friday 2-3 pm; I oversee ~ 8 talks by research students/semester

- Research in Chemistry (Chem 430)

• Students register for a 4 or 8 hours/week research times; although new students require more time, on average I meet with them 1 hour/week.
• Usually have 8-12 research students.

- Citizenship: Green Initiatives (INTG 402)

• 2, 75-min lecture/week.

- Global Perspectives: Food (INTG 203)

• 2, 75-min lectures/week.

- Academic Travel - Chemistry (Chem 290)

• Taught only once in J-term 2019; travelled to Forfar Field Station Andros Island, Bahamas.

Typical Fall semester

- General Chemistry lab 2 or 3 sections or General Chemistry Lecture + 1 lab

- Physical Chemistry I + lab

- Science Seminar

- Research in Chemistry

~16 contact hours/week or ~26 contact hours including research students

Typical Spring semester

- General Chemistry lab 2 sections or General Chemistry Lecture + 2 labs

- Physical Chemistry I + lab

- Science Seminar

- Research in Chemistry

- INTG (in alternate years in exchange for Gen Chem lecture/labs)

~16 contact hours/week or ~26 contact hours including research students

Monmouth College Committee Service

- 2008-2014 - Student Affairs Committee

- 2014-2017 - Curriculum (Chair for 2 of these)

- 2017-2020 - FIDC (Chair all 3 years)

- 2011-2013 - Coordinator of Scholars Day Celebration

- 2016 - Planning and Priorities Committee - Doing the Discipline

- Faculty search Committees

• Organic Chemistry 2010 (Todd)
• Organic Chemistry 2013 (Forbes)
• Organic Chemistry 2015 (Prinsell)
• Neuroscience 2019 (Holle)
• Library Director 2018 (Henderson)
• Engineering 2019 (failed)

Service Beyond the College

- 2010-2019 - Coordinator for the IL-IA Local Section American Chemical Society (IL-IA ACS) Chemistry Olympiad Program.

- 2019 - Chair-elect IL-IA ACS

- 2020 - Chair IL-IA ACS

- 2020 - External Review for Chemistry Program Clarke University

- 2014 to present - Archivist, MACTLAC (Midwest Association of Chemistry Teachers in Liberal Arts Colleges)

- 2017 Organizer of 65th Annual MACTLAC Meeting.

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Physical Chemistry, September 1994. University of California, Davis; Davis, California, Dissertation: Electron Spin Echo Spectroscopy: Techniques and Applications to Manganese Systems. Advisor: Professor R. David Britt (rdbritt@ucdavis.edu).

M.S., Chemistry, May 1989. Illinois State University; Normal, Illinois, Thesis: Isotopic Perturbation and Its Effect on Isotopic Separation. Advisors: Professor Cheryl D. Stevenson (cdsteve@ilstu.edu) and Professor Richard C. Reiter (retired).

B.S., Chemistry, May 1987. Illinois State University; Normal, Illinois. Earned a bachelor's of science degree in chemistry (ACS approved). Participated in a Cooperative Education Program (CO-OP) with Nalco Chemical Company during junior and senior years. Conducted undergraduate research resulting in summer employment at Los Alamos National Laboratory (summer 1988, 1989).

TEACHING/RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Associate Professor, Physical Chemistry, Monmouth College, 8/14-present Same as below.

Assistant Professor, Physical Chemistry, Monmouth College, 8/07-8/14. I teach and conduct independent research in the area of physical and biophysical chemistry. Course work includes: Thermodynamics and Kinetics (Physical Chem I), Quantum Mechanics (Physical Chem II), Physical Chemistry Laboratory, Computational Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry (non-majors), General Chemistry, and General Chemistry laboratory. Additionally, I teach, within the College’s Integrated Studies curriculum, a course on Citizenship related to green initiative and “water” and Global Initiatives related to food. My research program involves the direct detection of free radicals from enzymatic reactions. This program has both an experimental and computational approach. Techniques utilized include: Electron Spin Resonance (ESR), HPLC, electrochemical sensors (dioxygen, hydrogen peroxide, and nitric oxide), UV-Vis, and general lab techniques (buffers, solution prep, pH, compressed gases, etc). Computational efforts use a combination of DFT/B3YLP methods run through WebMO/Gaussian®.

Adjunct Faculty, Chemistry, Hood Collage and McDaniel College, 8/06-5/07. At Hood College I taught their “Discover Chemistry” general chemistry course. This laboratory-based, inquiry-based course is a where students spend three, 2-hour lab sessions per week exploring general chemistry principles traditionally taught in a lecture-style. At McDaniel College I taught Qualitative Analysis. This course has been previously taught in a very traditional fashion including a “glassware-based” laboratory. I was asked to modernize this course to include available instrumentation. The lab portion of the course was “presented” as a fictitious Contract Research Organization working in the “spirit of GLP.”

Assistant Professor, Physical Chemistry, Western Carolina University, 8/03-12/05. Taught and conducted independent research on enzyme biochemistry. Course work included: Thermodynamics and Kinetics (Physical Chem I), Quantum Mechanics (Physical Chem II), Chemical Dynamics Laboratory (Physical Chem Lab), Computational Chem (elective), general chem, and general chem laboratory. My research program involved the evaluation of enzyme and free radical chemistry. This biochemical research utilized: HPLC, electrochemical sensors for dioxygen, hydrogen peroxide, and nitric oxide, electron spin resonance, UV-Vis, and general lab techniques (buffers, solution prep, pH, compressed gases, etc). During the summers of ‘04 and ’05 I was the lead instructor for the NC Summer Ventures in Chemistry program. This 4 week, ~6 hrs per day program was directed at academically gifted high school students. My programs focused on enzyme biochemistry. The current dept. head is Prof. Cynthia Atterholt (atterholt@email.wcu.edu).

Visiting Lecturer, Analytical Chemistry, Univ. of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, 8/02-5/03. Taught Analytical Chemistry to science majors. The goal of this course was to introduce the fundamental concepts underlying analytical chemistry. There was a continuous emphasis on the “the analytical process”. This course covered the following topics: 1) acid/base chemistry, 2) analytical separations (general chromatography, GC, HPLC, capillary electrophoresis), 3) spectroscopy (UV-Vis spectroscopy), and 4) electrochemistry. Topics such as experimental error, statistics, and calibration were discussed in the context of the topics above. Course management was required due to the 200+ students enrolled. The current dept. head was Prof. James Jorgenson (jj@unc.edu).

Instructor, Chemistry, North Carolina School of Science and Math (NCSSM), 8/00-6/02. Taught chemistry to academically gifted junior and senior high school students accepted to this 10-month residential high school. The position responsibilities included: preparation of course and laboratory content, management of student records, and administrative responsibilities involving committee assignments, departmental meetings, grant preparation, and student discipline issues. The current dept. head is Myra Halpin, Ph.D. (halpin@ncssm.edu).

Chemist (GS-12/13, 1320), summers ‘01, ‘02, ‘03. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Laboratory of Pharmacology and Chemistry, Research Triangle Park, NC. Advisors: Ronald P. Mason, Ph.D. (mason4@niehs.nih.gov) and Tom Burka, Ph.D. (bruka@niehs.nih.gov) This was summer employment during the years I taught. Projects related to IRTA at NIEHS/NIH immediately below.

Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA), 7/97 – 8/00. NIEHS, Laboratory of Pharmacology and Chemistry, Research Triangle Park, NC. Advisor: Ronald P. Mason, Ph.D. (mason4@niehs.nih.gov) Researched the role of free radical species involved in oxidative stress. Investigated the role of peroxidase enzymes in the formation of endogenous and exogenous substrate radicals. Directly detected free radicals using rapid-flow electron spin resonance (ESR) and indirectly using ESR spin trapping. Developed immobilized enzyme ESR method for enzymes that are not available in quantities necessary to perform rapid-flow measurements.

Post Doctoral Research Fellow, 1/96 - 6/97. University of Chicago Medical Center, Department of Radiation and Cellular Oncology. Advisor: Howard J. Halpern, Ph.D., M.D. (howard@rover.uchicago.edu) Projects involved biomedical research using a locally constructed 250 MHz Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) spectrometer. Investigated, in cellular systems, the role of anti-oxidant enzymes in the protection of cellular components from reactive oxygen species. Also used spin probes to determine in vivo oxygen concentration (oximetry) and viscosity, assisted in implementing multi-dimensional ESR imaging of tumors, and applied ESR spin trapping to reactive oxygen species.

Post Doctoral Research Fellow, 1/94 - 12/95. Northwestern University, Department of Chemistry, Evanston, IL. Advisor: Professor Brian M. Hoffman (bmh@northwestern.edu). Performed electron magnetic resonance studies on biological metalloenzymes, specifically carboxylate-bridged diiron centers. Used 35 GHz continuous wave (CW) Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR)/Electron Nuclear Double Resonance (ENDOR) and 35 and 9 GHz pulsed EPR/ENDOR.

Graduate Research Assistant, 9/89 - 12/93. University of California, Davis, Department of Chemistry, Davis, CA. Advisor: Professor R. David Britt (rdbritt@ucdavis.edu). Conducted graduate research and course work focused on the biochemistry of protein structure and function. Constructed an 8-18 GHz pulsed Electron Spin Resonance/Electron Nuclear Double Resonance (EPR/ENDOR) spectrometer. Investigated a number of metalloenzyme systems using the pulsed EPR technique, most notably Electron Spin Echo Envelope Modulation (ESEEM) and Electron Spin Echo Electron Nuclear Double Resonance (ESE-ENDOR) of Mn(III)Mn(IV) model compounds, ESE-ENDOR of Mn(II), ESEEM/ESE-ENDOR of native and azide inhibited manganese catalase, and ESE-ENDOR of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II (PSII).

Graduate Research Fellow, 6/88-8/88, 6/89-8/89. Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM. Advisors: Paul Smith, Ph.D. (not available) and Wayne Smith, Ph.D. (wsmyth@lanl.gov). Conducted oxygen isotopic separations research in conjunction with the Isotope Separation Facility at LANL (INC-4). This facility has been since reorganized.

Graduate Research Assistant, 6/87 - 5/89. Illinois State University, Department of Chemistry, Normal, IL. Advisors: Professor Cheryl D. Stevenson (cdsteve@ilstu.edu) and Professor Richard C. Reiter (retired). Earned a Master's degree in physical organic chemistry. Conducted graduate research that resulted in summer employment at Los Alamos National Laboratory (summer 1989) and two scientific publications. Conducted physical organic research dealing with the separation of H, N, C, and O isotopes. Used vacuum line techniques to produce anion radicals of isotopically mixed organic compounds. EPR, FT-NMR, FT-IR, GC-Mass Spectral Analysis (GC-MS) techniques used in analysis of isotopic mixtures.

Presentation at National Meetings with Students

2019 - 257th National American Chemical Society meeting, Orlando, FL

- Oxidation of lignin monomers. Z. Taylor, S. Saey, and B.E. Sturgeon

2018 - American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, San Diago, CA

- Brewster Angle Microscopy and Langmuir Monolayer Films: Construction of an Instrument and Basic Software Development for Visualization of Lipid Domains and Lipid Raft Formation. Allen, Brandon C.; Sturgeon, Bradley E.; Sostarecz, Audra Goach

- Teaching the Use of Automated Pipettes to Undergrads through Direct Visualization of Data: A Quantitative Chemical Analysis Lab Focusing on Technique, Skill, and Accuracy in Solution Chemistry. Sostarecz, Audra Goach; Sturgeon, Bradley E.; Distin, Steven P.

2018 - 255th National American Chemical Society meeting, New Orleans, LA

- Direct ESR detection of lignin monomer radicals. Saey, Stephanie; Taylor, Zelinda; Sturgeon, Bradley

- Revisiting the acetaminophen free radical. Stillwell, Benjamin; Salveson, Ian; Ricketts-Hagan, Jeffrey; Sturgeon, Bradley E.

- Direct detection of xanthurenate radical from enzymatic oxidation of xanthurenic acid. Sturgeon, Bradley; Folluo, Carley; Knutson, Christopher; Motten, A; Mason, R.; Roberts, J.

2017 - 253rd National Meeting of the American-Chemical-Society, San Francisco, CA

- Isolation of curcuminoids from turmeric Curcuma longa. Saey, Stephanie; Ayala, Nadia; Sturgeon, Bradley.

2016 - 251th National American Chemical Society, San Diego, CA

- Preparation of alpha- and beta-acid standards for hops. Gasow, Andrea; Knutson, Chris; Sturgeon, Bradley; Prinsell, Michael.

- Enzymatic oxidation of methyleugenol. Pauzi, Ahmad; Sturgeon, Bradley.

- Enzymatic oxidation of acetaminophen. Salveson, Ian; Sturgeon, Bradley.

- Enzymatic oxidation of triclosan. Wilson, Tyler; Sturgeon, Bradley.

2015 - 249th National American Chemical Society meeting, Denver, CO

- Oxidation of alpha-crystallin Len protein resulting from xanthurenic acid radical. Folluo, Carley; Knuston, Chris; Roberts, Joan; Sturgeon, Bradley E.

- Preparation of samples for introducing undergraduate students to electron paramagnetic resonance. Hanks, Amanda; Sturgeon, Bradley.

- Alternative hop processing. Knuston, Chris; Sturgeon, Bradley

2014 - 247th National American Chemical Society meeting, Dallas TX

- Phenol derivatives for the investigation of lignin biosynthesis and the preparation of polyphenylene polymers. Barnes, Kelsey L.; Malone, Heather R.; Mackley, Alexander J. ; Oaks, Samantha N.; Sturgeon, Bradley E.; Todd, Eric M.

- Enzymatic oxidation of lignin monomers. Peacock, Alexander B.; Sturgeon, Bradley E.; Oaks, Samantha.

2011 - 241th National American Chemical Society meeting, Anaheim, CA

- Analysis of hops (Humulus lupulus). Lyon, Blake J.; Sturgeon, Bradley E.

- Determining reactivity and stability of myeloperoxidase. Bergstresser, Lauren M.; Sturgeon, Bradley E.

- Role of lipids in peroxidase chemistry. Savino, Dominic; Sturgeon, Bradley E.

Kieft Summer Research

2020

- Cancelled due to COVID-19. The program did not involve on-campus students, therefore, the Chemistry Department was able to allocate endowed (restricted) funds to a new “Kieft Faculty Fellows” program. This program provided a summer stipend ($2,795) for Monmouth College faculty in the STEM disciplines to support undergraduate research efforts.

2019

- Perfection of Free Radical isolation techniques and analysis via Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR). Andrew Ferris.

- Purification of Ovoperoxidase. Emily Rein. (joint project with L. Moore)

- Enzymatic Oxidation of Biophenols. Will Fox and Josie Welker.

- 3-D Printing of EPR Flow Cells. Sam Argubright.

2018

- Synthesis and Oxidation of Lignin Monomers using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Zelinda Taylor and Alexandria Tibbs.

- Exploring the Effects of Lignin Monomers and Their Oxidation Products on Gut Microbiota. Katie Richter (joint project with Moore).

2017

- Extraction, Purification, and Characterization of Curcuminoid Derivatives. Stephanie Saey.

- Extraction and Characterization of Essential Oils from Basil Varieties. Selene Hounsve

- 3D Printing of Prosthetics. Max Bollagna,

2016

- Oxidation of Biophenols. Nadia Ayala, Ian Salveson, and Ben Stillwell.

2015

- Acetaminophen Enzymatic Oxidation. Ian Salveson

- Enzymatic Oxidation of Eugenol. Ahmad Pauzi

2014

- Preparation of Metal Oxides for EPR analysis. Carli Follio

- Hop Chemistry. Chris Knutson

2013

- Samantha Oaks

- Alex Peacock

- Nick Olsen

2010

- Dominic Savino

Current Research Projects

Peroxidase/Enzyme Biochemistry

- Purification of Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP) from Raw Horseradish (in collaboration with L. Moore)

- Purification of Ovoperoxidase (OVO) from Sea Urchin Eggs (in collaboration with L. Moore)

- Evaluation of Enzymatic Activity of Peroxidase Enzymes.

Analytical Techniques for the Detection of Radicals and Radical-derived Products

- High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) Analysis of Complex Mixtures (Hops, Herbs, Coffee, Cannabis, Oxidation Products, Dyes/Pigments, Caffeine)

- Flash Chromatography/Separation of Complex Mixtures (Hops, Herbs, Cannabis, monolignols, lignans).

- Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Analysis of Transient Organic Radicals.

- Robotic Liquid Handling using the Tecan Freedom EVO Instrument.

- Computational Analysis (WebMO/Gaussian) of Organic Radical Spin Density/Electrostatic Potential Maps.

- Evaluating the Biological Activity of Small Organic

Oxidation of Biologically Relevant Phenols

- HRP Oxidation of Biophenols (Tyrosine, HPA, Eugenol, Acetaminophen, Monolignols

- HRP Oxidation of Chlorinated Phenols

- Electrochemical (CV/Bulk) Oxidations.

Miscellaneous

- Synthesis of Biolphenol Oxidation Products (Dityrosine, Monolignols, lignans) (in collaboration with M. Prinsell).

- Educational/Training Materials for EPR.

- Ion Chromatography (IC) Analysis of Water Samples (Fish Tanks, Environmental/ponds, etc)

- Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) Techniques.

- Virtual Reality (VR) of Complex Biological Molecules.

- Promoting the use of MAKER Tools (Laser Cutting, 3D Printing (FDM/SLA), CNC Technologies, Microcontrollers, Drone Technology)

Publications

Partial listing...

Franzen, S.; Sasan, K.; Sturgeon, B. E.; Lyon, B. J.; Battenburg, B. J.; Dumariah, H. G. R.; and Ghiladi, R. Nonphotochemical Base-Catalyzed Hydroxylation of 2,6-Dichloroquinone by H2O2 Occurs by a Radical Mechanism. (2012) J. Phys. Chem. B, 116 (5), 1666–1676.

Sturgeon, B. E.; Battenburg, B. J.; Lyon, B. J.; Franzen, S. Revisiting the Peroxidase Oxidation of 2,4,6-Trihalophenols: ESR Detection of Radical Intermediates. (2011) Chem. Res. Toxicol., 24 (11), 1862–1868.

Connor, H. D.; Sturgeon, B. E.; Mottley, C.; Sipe, H. J. Jr.; Mason, R. P. L-Tryptophan Radical Cation Electron Spin Resonance Studies: Connecting Solution-derived Hyperfine Coupling Constants with Protein Spectral Interpretations. (2008) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 130, 6381-6387.

Sturgeon, B. E.; Chen, Y.-C.; Mason, R. P. Immobilized Enzyme Electron Spin Resonance: A Method for Detecting Enzymatically-Generated Transient Radicals. (2003) Anal. Chem. 75, 5006-5011.

Gunther M. R.; Sturgeon B. E.; Mason R. P. Nitric Oxide Trapping of the Tyrosyl Radical-Chemistry and Biochemistry. (2002) Toxicology 177, 1-9.

Chen, Y.-R.; Deterding, L. J.; Sturgeon, B. E.; Tomer, K. B.; Mason, R. P. Protein Oxidation of Cytochrome c by Reactive Halogen Species Enhances its Peroxidase Property. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 29781-27991.

Sturgeon, B. E.; Glover, R. E.; Chen, Y.-R.; Mason, R. P. Tyrosine Iminoxyl Radical Formation from Tyrosyl Radical/Nitric Oxide and Nitrosotyrosine. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 45516-45521.

Gunther, M. R.; Sturgeon, B. E.; Mason, R. P. A Long-Lived Tyrosyl Radical from the Reaction Between Metmyoglobin and Hydrogen Peroxide. (2000) Free Radic. Biol. Med. 28, 709-719.

Chen, Y-R.; Sturgeon, B. E.; Gunther, M. R.; Mason, R. P. ESR Investigation of the Cyanyl Radical in Cyanide/Cytochrome c Oxidase and Azidyl Radical in Azide/Cytochrome c Oxidase/H2O2 Systems. (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274, 24611-24616.

Sturgeon, B. E.; Sipe, H. J. Jr.; Barr, D. P.; Corbett, J. T.; Martinez, J. G.; Mason, R. P. The Fate of the Oxidizing Tyrosyl Radical in the Presence of Glutathione and Ascorbate: Implication for the Radical Sink Hypothesis. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 30116-30121.

Sturgeon, B. E.; Burdi, D.; Chen, S. X.; Huynh, B. H.; Edmondson, D. E.; Stubbe, J.; Hoffman, B. M. Reconsideration of X, the Diiron Intermediate Formed During Cofactor Assembly in E. coli Ribonucleotide Reductase. (1996) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 118, 7551-7557.

Sturgeon, B. E.; Britt, R. D. Sensitive Pulsed EPR Spectrometer with an 8-18 GHz Frequency Range. (1992) Rev. Sci. Instrum. 63, 2187-2192.