CSET Highlights
Volume 4, Article 7
February, 2005


 


Masthay Students' Research Receives Recognition

     Professor Mark Masthay and his undergraduate research associates in the Chemistry Department are pursuing research detailing the photochemistry of beta-carotene, an important biological antioxidant responsible for the color of "yellow" fruits and vegetables, and of bacteriorhodopsin, a bacterial homologue to the visual pigments present in the rod and cone cells of the retina. Their research resulted in a publication in the Journal of the American Chemical Society - the flagship journal of the American Chemical Society and the premier medium for the publication, worldwide, of fundamental research in all areas of the chemical sciences - in 2002.
     More recently their research has resulted in a number of student research awards. Matt Kelleher won one of two awards for best oral presentation at the 2004 University of Memphis Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in February, 2004 as well as the Perkin-Elmer Award for Undergraduate Research at the 90th Annual Meeting of the Kentucky Academy of Sciences held at Murray State University in November, 2004.
     Both of Matt's presentations detailed his studies of the effects of low-intensity ultraviolet and high intensity visible laser light on bacteriorhodopsin. Matt's research may impact the development of optical memory storage devices which utilize bacteriorhodopsin, and may also provide new insights into the origin of light-induced diseases of the human retina (e.g., age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the elderly in the U.S.).
     Ross Jones received the "Best Presentation in Physical Chemistry" award at the Undergraduate Research Competition at the 56th Southeast Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Durham, NC in November 2004 for his research detailing the effects of high intensity green laser pulses on beta-carotene. Ross' research has important implications for nonlinear photodynamic therapy, a promising therapeutic technique used for treating malignant tumors.
     Dr. Masthay's research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute award to Murray State University, the Christian Scholars Foundation, and Murray State University's Committee on Institutional Studies and Research.

Matt Kelleher, Dr. Mark Masthay & Ross Jones

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