Chemistry Department Faculty & Staff

Addison Ault, Professor of Chemistry, teaches courses in organic chemistry. He joined the Cornell College faculty in 1962 and now teaches half-time. Ph.D., Harvard University; B.A., Amherst College

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Jeff Cardon, Professor of Biology and Chemistry, teaches the chemistry courses Organic Chemistry I & II, Biological Chemistry, and Biochemistry. He and his students research motility and biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic pathogen important in cystic fibrosis and the colonization of medical devices. Recent research centers on finding mutants in which motility regulation is defective and identifying the genes responsible. Ph.D., UCLA; B.S., University of Utah

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Charley Liberko, Professor of Chemistry, teaches courses in organic chemistry, Chemical Principals I & II, and non-majors courses such Chemistry in the Natural World and Chemistry of Artists' Materials. His research with students is concerned primarily with organic dyes and the relationship between structure and optical properties. Ph.D., University of Minnesota; B.A., College of St. Thomas

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Brian Nowak-Thompson, Assistant Professor of Biology and Chemistry, teaches introductory classes in chemistry and biology with an emphasis in Biochemistry. Students in his lab study the production of bacterial metabolites that inhibit plant pathogens. The bacteria producing these metabolites are sometimes used in place of agricultural pesticides to manage plant disease. Ph.D. and M.S., Oregon State University; B.S., Northland College

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Cindy Strong, Professor of Chemistry, teaches courses in analytical chemistry, Advanced Inorganic Chemistry, and Chemical Principles I & II. She and her students study the protein superoxide dismutase, a copper- and zinc-containing enzyme that has been implicated in one form of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease). They are producing mutant forms of the human enzyme and studying their metal-binding properties. Ph.D., California Institute of Technology; B.A., Whitman College

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Craig Teague, Associate Professor of Chemistry, teaches courses in physical chemistry, Chemistry Principles I & II, and Environmental Chemistry. He and his students study how polyoxometalates interact with environmentally relevant surfaces such as silica and alumina. These molecules are useful in areas such as catalysis and corrosion protection, and the long-term goals include environmental remediation of heavy metals. Professor Teague is also interested in the synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials, both with and without using polyoxometalates as stabilizing agents. Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; B.S., Missouri State University

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