If you’re part of the Gustavus community and you don’t know who Professor of Chemistry Dwight Stoll is, you should acclimate yourself with his work—because the scientific community, and specifically those interested in separation science, are starting to take note.
Since joining the Gustavus faculty in 2008, Stoll has successfully established an independent research program focused on the development and application of two-dimensional high performance liquid chromatography for the analysis of samples of moderate to high complexity. In addition to authoring 16 journal articles and book chapters since 2009, Stoll has secured 13 external research grants from funders such as the National Science Foundation and the Legislative Citizens Commission on Minnesota Resources.
Stoll’s latest award is a $60,000 unrestricted research grant from the Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation as part of its Teacher-Scholar Awards Program. It is the second such award Stoll has received during his time at Gustavus.
“Dwight was a strong candidate for the Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program because he has a well-established record of original, high-quality scholarly research with undergraduates and has exhibited a strong commitment and dedication to excellence in undergraduate education,” said Gustavus Professor of Chemistry Brenda Kelly. “His work has been commended by professional colleagues at the forefront of the field of analytical chemistry.”
In addition to the Dreyfus Foundation grant, Stoll was notified this past June that he had been selected as the recipient of the 2014 American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry Dr. Sut Ahuja Young Investigator Award in Separation Science. The award is given annually to a young scientist who has made unique and outstanding contributions to the field of separation science.
“This award dates back to 2004 and Dwight is the first recipient from a primarily undergraduate college,” said Gustavus Emeritus Professor of Chemistry Larry Potts. “The fact that he has won recognition for a research program in a college with high expectations for classroom teaching and campus and community involvement is a testimony to his dedication, diligence, and keen interest in science.”
If you are interested in meeting Stoll on the Gustavus campus you will have to wait until Spring Semester. He is currently spending a six-month sabbatical in Germany working at a research and development site of Agilent Technologies—a leading provider of bio-analytical and measurement solutions in life sciences, chemical analysis, and diagnostics.
Stoll’s relationship with Agilent has benefitted him and his Gustavus understudies as the company has installed $500,000 worth of state-of-the-art equipment in his laboratory in the Nobel Hall of Science. The equipment includes a two-dimensional liquid chromatograph and a mass spectrometer for analyzing separated samples.
Stoll’s work with Agilent and his collaborative research with undergraduate students at Gustavus is the cover story in the latest edition of The Gustavus Quarterly. Veteran and award-winning journalist Sharon Schmickle chronicles Stoll’s journey to prominence in the separation science field. That story can be read in its entirety online at gustavus.edu/quarterly.
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