Rich Gurney
Professor @Simmons University Chemistry & Physics Department
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WORK HISTORY
Professor @Simmons University Chemistry & Physics Department
RESEARCH ACCOMPLISHMENTS - • Designed a tiered peer-mentoring approach for the undergraduate research laboratories, which fosters confidence, leadership and professional development opportunities.• Designed and implemented a fully research-integrated undergraduate organic laboratory curriculum.• Devised a molecular recycling program for polylactic acid.• Templated the growth of calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals on gold via microcontact printing to facilitate the future study of impurity incorporation and nucleation.• Greened the Oxidation of Borneol to Camphor for the Sophomore Undergraduate Organic Laboratory, by completely eliminating solvent from the synthesis, isolation and purification processes.• Synthesized multi-functionalized porphyrins and macrocyclic organometallic assemblies for mesoporous thin-film preparation.• Produced mesoporous thin-film frameworks on conductive substrates and successfully demonstrated size-selective molecular sieving.• Explored the non-covalent interactions of molecular impurities and growing crystalline surfaces.• Elucidated the role of crystalline matrices in the mechanism of Solid-Surface Room Temperature Phosphorescence.• Demonstrated use of organic luminophores as useful probes of local crystalline environments and how crystals can enable the study of meta-stable states of luminescent guests.• Analyzed intrasectoral zoning in both mixed crystals of salts with benzene derivatives and sugars with proteins.• Utilized luminescence to assign the absolute growth direction of a crystal.• Stabilized triplet aromatic nitrenes in salts at room temperature.• Designed several adaptations to equipment, including rotating can and Becquerel disk phosphoroscopes, and adaptations of an epi-luminescence microscope, to perform polarized light measurements.
EDUCATION
University of Washington
Visiting Research Associate, Chemistry
Benedictine University
BS, Chemistry
Purdue University
Ph.D, Organic Chemistry
SKILLS
ABOUT RICH GURNEY
Dr. Gurney is an expert in the field of Green Chemistry Education, where he has been actively developing curricula since 2001. He focuses his teaching and research on the applications of greenchemistry and finding solutions for everyday problems using materials that are \"benign by design,\" and the research and development of research-integrated undergraduate curricula. As the Principal Investigator and Director of the Undergraduate Laboratory Renaissance Program, funded by the W. M. Keck Foundation and the National Science Foundation, Dr. Gurney studied the effectiveness of an entirely project-based, research-integrated, greener, organic chemistry laboratory experience as one component of a completely re-engineered, undergraduate laboratory curriculum. Dr. Gurney is also highly active in the development of greener polymeric systems capable of closed-loop molecular recycling, Dr. Gurney\'s research has been funded by the NSF OISE (#10•••94), the Semiconductor Research Corporation Educational Alliance-Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, the W. M. Keck Foundation, the Presidential Fund for Faculty Excellence at Simmons College. Dr. Gurney is one of the 16 founding members of the Green Chemistry Education Network and one of the ten founding faculty Board Members for the Green Chemistry Commitment. Currently, Dr. Gurney is the Director of the Summer Undergraduate Research Program at Simmons (SURPASs), and is leading the development and delivery of Simmons Mentored Assistantships in Research Training - a competency-based, undergraduate research program in STEM, providing undergraduate research opportunities through a tiered mentoring approach for undergraduates at Simmons College.
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