After a great summer of research, we entered the fall 2024 semester ready to rock and roll. Dr. Rech was busy with traveling. First, he participated in the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RSCA) Scialog for Sustainable Minerals, Metals, and Materials. Along with ~50 other new(ish) faculty, Dr. Rech travelled to Tucson, Arizona to network and submit a funding proposal. A huge thanks to collaborators Megan Fieser (USC) and Samanvaya Srivastava (UCLA) on the proposal writing!

Next, off to Atlanta… Dr. Rech gave an invited talk in the Conjugated Materials in the Southeast section at the 75th meeting of the Southeast Regional American Chemical Society (SERMACS). Here is a picture with great friends in the field – Wei You, John Reynolds, Aimee Tomlinson, Martin Seifrid, Graham Collier, Karl Thorley, and Christopher Grieco.

And then everything went to shit… Hurricane Helene devastated the region with widespread flooding and high winds. This lead to significant infrastructure damage – no power, internet, or cell signal, roads closed and bridges destroyed. The water system was also decimated, and we struggled to get potable water for a very long time. It took a long time until for support to finally get to us, and the rebuilding process will take years. While the university escaped any major destruction, it was still closed for the rest of the year and all students were either at home or relocated to safety. We did our best to try and salvage the semester – professors rapidly switched to asynchronous learning environment (especially as getting stable internet was still a work in progress), and we tried to close out the semester despite losing over a month of class time. More than anything, we learned to be resilient.

As the new year dawned, we were welcomed back to campus and ready to get back to a new sense of normal. Dr. Rech went on a big recruiting push and our group has started to grow substantially! Mansi, Reagan, Helin, and Julian all joined the Rech Research Group! We look forward to seeing some amazing research from them in the near future.

Marta and Adam also lots of amazing experiences presenting their research at various opportunities.

  • Marta – National Collegiate Research Conference (NCRC) at Harvard University
  • Adam – UNCA Undergraduate Research Symposium
  • Adam – UNCA Chancellor’s Installation Academic Showcase
  • Adam – Western Carolina American Chemical Society (WCACS) Outstanding Senior Spring Awards and Poster Session at Furman University

And finally, as we closed out the semester, it is time to celebrate our first official graduate – Margaret Priest!! Margaret is an Art History major and a Chemistry minor. She will continue to work in the group for the summer before she heads to Buffalo State University (New York) to earn a Master’s degree.