Sabbatical Proposal BES 2021

Timing of Sabbatical

In conjunction with my department, I am proposing to take my sabbatical in the Fall of 2021. The department has been able to adjust the teaching schedules in fall 2021 and spring 2022 to accommodate my absence from teaching without hiring a sabbatical replacement.

General Purpose of the Sabbatical

The Chemistry Department has a graduation requirement related to faculty-mentored student research. During my sabbatical I will allocate significant time to advancing ongoing research projects related to the collection of EPR data on lignan radicals, the study of hemp/cannabis processing and analytical lab structures, and learning about LC-MS data collection on biophenol oxidation products. Additionally, depending on resources and COVID restrictions, I would like to travel to Andros Island, Bahamas to further develop my short-term travel course to include topics of food security, underwater drone exploration of blue holes, and scuba diving certification.

Benefits to Self

Due to high teaching and service loads during the academic year, I have not been able to fully integrate newly acquired instrumentation into our curriculum and specifically my research agenda. I plan to allocate time to learning the details of these instruments and developing student research projects as well as collect data related to ongoing research projects, possibly leading to publication.

Benefits to the Chemistry Department

Instrument maintenance can be time consuming and is usually needed during peak use times. Becoming more familiar with these newly acquired instruments will potentially alleviate some of the pressures that occur during the academic year due to instrument downtime. Note: this is even more important now that our lab manager has been changed to part-time employment.

Benefits to the College

With the approval of the MC administration, I would like to move forward with a proposal sent in early 2020 to both the President, Dean, and faculty Senate related to the future of Haldeman-Thiessen Science Center. This project is called, "The HT Project." Details can be found here: http://esr.monmsci.net/wiki/index.php/The_HT_Project

Estimate of Expenses

In addition to the $500 sabbatical support, I plan to carryover the max amount ($2k) of my professional development allocation to fund my sabbatical projects. I do not anticipate requesting any additional funds from FIDC.

Abstract publicity purposes

The Chemistry Department has acquire quite a few new resources, thanks in part to the LeSuer and Kieft Endowments. In 2015, we finalized the NIH surplus acquisition of an Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectrometer (~$150k); in 2016 the Dept was awarded a PittConn grant for $10k and used the endowed funds to match the granted amount to purchase an Ion Chromatography (IC) instrument (~$20k); in 2017 the LeSuer Endowment funded the purchase of a High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) instrument (~$28k); in 2019, my chemistry colleague Audra Gouch was a co-PI on an National Science Foundation (NSF) award to purchase a Liquid Chromatography - Mass Spec (LC-MS) instrument ($300k) housed on the campus of Western Illinois University; and in 2020 we purchased a robotic liquid handling system ($10k) to educate our students about COVID related testing procedures. During the academic year it is difficult to allocate time to fully integrate these instruments into the curriculum/research. During my sabbatical, I am planning on allocating significant time to refine my operational skills related to this new instrumentation so as to more efficiently use these tools to train our students.