Welcome Kevin!

November 18, 2024

Kevin Schill, who got his bachelor's degree in Chemistry and Spanish at St. Norbert College in Wisconsin, has officially joined the Kass group as a graduate student. Welcome to the group, Kevin!

Welcome Maxine!

October 15, 2024

Maxine Fleming, junior student majoring in Chemistry, has officially joined the Kass group as an undergraduate student researcher. Welcome to the group, Maxine!

Congratulations Dr. Kass!

October 10, 2024

Dr. Kass' latest paper, π-Bond Dissociation Energies: C–C, C–N, and C–O, has been selected to be featured as an ACS Editors' Choice article. This initiative highlights one article each day chosen from the entire ACS portafolio, based on its potential for broad public interest. Congratulations!

Victor presents at the Summer REU Poster Symposium

August 8, 2024

Victor Rogowski successfully presented his poster titled "Synthesis of Dicationic Doubly Linked Bis-Metallocenium Catalysts", based in the work he did with his mentor, Cal Mergendahl. Congratulations, Victor!

Summer student arrives. Welcome Victor!

June 4, 2024

Victor Rogowski, undergraduate from Elmhurst University, joined the Kass group for 10 weeks as a part of the NSF-REU Summer Research Program. Welcome!

Visiting students arrive. Welcome Lewis and Walysson!

May 13, 2024

Lewis Nguyen (right) from Denison University joined the Kass group for 10 weeks to work in Computational Chemistry for the Hemicarcerand project. Walysson Ferreira (left) from Universidade Federal de Vicosa joined the Kass group for 6 months as part of the PDSE-CAPES program. Welcome everyone!

Congratulations Cal!

January 24, 2024

Cal Mergendahal successfully passed their OPE, becoming the newest PhD candidate of the Kass group. Congrats!

COGS Career Development Grant recipient!

November 3, 2023

Sofía Ramírez was selected as a recipient for the COGS Career Development grant, which fully funded her participation in the 2023 MACTLAC Meeting in Naperville, IL. Congrats! 

Summer students arrive. Welcome Kevin and Tianyue!

June 5, 2023

Kevin Schill (right), undergraduate from St. Norbert College and Tianyue Chen (left), undergraduate student of University of Minnesota, have joined the Kass group for 10 weeks as a part of the Lando/ NSF -Summer Research Program. Welcome everyone! 

Internship at Vertex Pharmaceutical

Summer 2023

Alex Lovstedt goes to Boston to do a summer internship in Vertex Pharmaceutical. Have a great experience, Alex!

Congratulations to Dr. Dan Blechschmidt!

April 26, 2023

Dan Bleschschmidt successfully defended his thesis: Metallocenium Incorporated Lewis and Brønsted Acid Catalysts: Synthetic Routes and Catalytic Applications.

Congratulations to Dr. Stephen Dempsey!

February 15, 2023

Stephen Dempsey successfully defended his thesis: Evaluation and Development of Weakly Coordinating Cations and Their Application to Charge-Enhanced Base Organocatalysis.

Summer students arrive. Welcome Daneasha, Elijah and Gabriella!

June 9, 2022

Gabriella White (left) from Oxford University, England, Elijah Shore (middle) from Carleston College and Daneasha Zachery (right), year zero grad student of University of Minnesota, have joined the Kass group for 10 weeks as a part of the Lando/ NSF Summer Research Program. Welcome everyone! 

Congratulations to Dr. Ted Riegel!

January 4, 2022

Ted Riegel successfully defended his thesis: Charge-Enhanced Organocatalysts: Synthesis and Application Toward Symmertric and Asymmetric Reactions.

June 11, 2020

Curtis Payne successfully defended his thesis: Charge-Enhanced Brønsted Acids: Catalyst Designs and Analytical Methods.

June 12, 2018

Jie Ma successfully defended his thesis entitled "Electrostatically Enhanced Phosphoric Acids and Their Applications in Brønsted Acid Catalysis." Congratulations Jie!

May 22, 2018

Kass group member Yang Fan successfully defended his thesis, "Electrostatically Enhanced Thioureas: Synthesis, Reactivity and Selectivity." Congratulations Yang!

August 24, 2016

The Kass group started off the fall 2016 semester by sharing our research with first-year graduate students at the departmental poster session and then heading to Minnehaha Falls for the Chemistry Catalyst 2016 picnic. 

June 13, 2016

Nilay Kanova from Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, has joined the Kass group for 10 weeks as a part of the Lando/ NSF Summer Research Program. Welcome, Nilay!