Chemistry professor delivers special lectures at prestigious academic institutions in South Korea

 

MURRAY, Ky. – Murray State University chemistry professor Dr. Bommanna Loganathan was jointly invited by Professor Gi Beum Kim from the Department of Marine Environmental Engineering at Gyeongsang National University (GNU) and Professor Jong Seong Khim from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Seoul National University (SNU) to deliver special lectures on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the global environment and their effects on wildlife and human health. GNU, a partner institution of Murray State, and SNU are among the top-ranked academic institutions in South Korea and are recognized as leading global universities.

Loganathan visited South Korea during the first week of December, presenting a series of lectures focused on halogenated POPs, their global distribution, environmental behavior and toxic health effects on both wildlife and humans. He specifically addressed long-term trends of these pollutants in the global environment and their impact on the ability of human natural killer cells to eliminate cancer cells. During his visit to GNU, Loganathan toured the Department of Marine Environmental Engineering, engaging with graduate students and discussing their research. Notably, one PhD student from GNU, who spent a semester in Loganathan’s lab researching polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in Kentucky Lake, the Ohio River, and the Mississippi River, is set to graduate with a PhD this December.

Additionally, Loganathan visited GNU’s Office of International Affairs, where he met with Dr. Kyeong Soo Kim, vice dean of international cooperation, and Mr. Hoe Dong Kim, manager of the international team. They discussed and reaffirmed their cooperative agreement, facilitating student, faculty and staff exchanges between the two universities.

Loganathan spent the final three days of his week in Seoul, meeting with graduate students from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at SNU. He presented a lecture on POPs, their behaviors and their effects on human immune cells, fostering engaging discussions with the students.

At both GNU and SNU, accommodations were provided at university faculty housing, where he and his wife Selvi Loganathan were warmly welcomed with great respect. 

“The hospitality experienced in South Korea was remarkable; notably, it was a great honor to stay on the Nobel Floor of SNU’s Hoam Faculty House, where Nobel Laureates and prominent scientists are hosted during their visits,” said Loganathan.

Loganathan joined Murray State as a postdoctoral associate in 1997, transitioned to a tenure-track faculty position in 2000 and became a full professor in 2011. His research is highly interdisciplinary, combining biology, chemistry and environmental science. Loganathan has been invited to speak at academic institutions and conferences across multiple continents including Asia, Europe, South America and North America. Notable engagements include a 2007 invited seminar speaker at the Univerisita degli Studi di Siena in Siena, Italy, 2011 conference in São Paulo, Brazil, a seminar at Universidad de Cartagena, Colombia, in 2023 and a keynote address at SRM University, Chennai, India, also in 2023.

Loganathan and his family are proud Racers. His wife, Selvi is a registered nurse at a local hospital. They, along with their son Sudan and daughter Dheepa, are all proud to call Murray their home.