The University of Evansville’s William L. Ridgway College of Arts and Sciences Department of Chemistry has announced the investiture of UE professor Arlen Kaufman as the G. Richard and Rita Eykamp Endowed Chair in Chemistry. The investiture ceremony was held Saturday, October 14, on UE’s campus.
The G. Richard and Rita Eykamp Endowed Chair in Chemistry was established by the Eykamps to assist in promoting undergraduate teaching excellence in chemistry. This endowed chair is awarded to a faculty member in the William L. Ridgway College of Arts and Sciences who has demonstrated an understanding of the importance of teaching excellence in undergraduate chemistry, and demonstrated teaching excellence in her or his own classroom.
Kaufman, a professor of chemistry, earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Kansas and his Doctorate of Philosophy in analytical chemistry from Purdue University, one of the top institutions in the field.
Since arriving at UE, Kaufman has demonstrated his commitment to actively engaging undergraduate students in novel research. The main areas of study in the Kaufman research group include developing analytical techniques for detecting biologically relevant molecules and monitoring chemical pollutants in the local environment. These efforts have resulted in collaborations with colleagues in chemistry and biology at UE and other institutions, and projects have been funded by Naval Surface Warfare and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Research students in the Kaufman group are exploring the use of ambient ionization techniques coupled with tandem mass spectrometry to increase speed and reliability of the analysis of secondary plant metabolites. The first stage of this work was published in Analytical Methods and was selected by the editors to be featured in their “Hot†article in Analytical Methods 2015.
Kaufman has taught a variety of courses in chemistry, environmental studies, and general education. His current teaching responsibilities include Principles of Chemistry, Quantitative Analysis, Instrumental Analysis, and Chemistry Senior Seminar. He is a dedicated teacher who has worked tirelessly to engage students in active learning through the use of research projects in his lab-based courses. Kaufman has received the College of Liberal Arts and Science Dean’s Teaching Award and in 2010 was voted “Best College Professor†in Evansville by the readers of Evansville Living Magazine.
