Chemistry ACS major Alex Szczepankiewicz ’26 has been awarded an Undergraduate Student Research Grant from the Rochester Academy of Science for his proposal “Haloperoxidase Biomimicry: Toward the Generation of Electrophilic Species Utilizing Xerogel-Based Transition Metal Catalysts.” This grant will help support Alex’s continuing research in the laboratory of Prof. Corey Damon in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Alex will be investigating the catalytic performance of a variety of xerogel-based transition-metal catalysts toward the generation of hypohalous acids. The production of hypohalous acids is of particular interest in the marine antifouling industry, which protects ships and boats from the settlement organisms that can impair performance and compromise their structural integrity.
Submitted by: Phil Sheridan, Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
