News Highlights

LSU Chemist earns NIH award to create new class of medicines

Drugs like Hepatitis C’s treatment sofosbuvir, anti-hypertensive lisinopril or asthma drug fluticasone have a few things in common: They are heavily functionalized, have at least one ring structure and some unprotected amines or alcohols, and often a scattering of fluorine atoms.

So why do these drugs, like so many, have structural similarities but don’t treat the same illnesses? The answer lies in organic chemistry — the foundation for life, according to LSU associate professor and organic chemist Rendy Kartika.

 Revati Kumar was named a 2019 awardee of the NSF CAREER Program

She will receive $550,710 over a period of five years, for her project titled, “Exploring Chemistry at Graphene Oxide Liquid Interfaces.”  This award acknowledges her national standing and potential as a scientific leader, with the CAREER program representing the NSF’s “most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.”

Six LSU Faculty Receive the Rainmaker Award for Research and Creative Activity

Six LSU faculty members who are leaders in their fields received the Rainmaker Award for Research and Creative Activity from the LSU Office of Research & Economic Development, or ORED, this week. Rainmakers are faculty members who balance their teaching and research responsibilities while extending the impact of their work to the world beyond academia.

Professor Pryor passed away on Wednesday, March 13th, 2019.

William A. Pryor was Thomas & David Boyd Professor of Chemistry and Director of both the Biodynamics Institute and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at LSU.  Dr. Pryor's research group was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the National Foundation for Cancer Research, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Health Effects Institute, U.S. Army and Air Force, and a substantial number of national and international corporations.