In September, Chelsea Comadoll, PhD, MNU assistant professor of chemistry, co-authored a publication in “Inorganic Chemistry,” a top-tier journal from the American Chemical Society. Her ongoing collaboration with Professor James Blakemore at the University of Kansas made this publication possible. The publication, “Evidence for Uranium (VI/V) Redox Supported by 2,2′-Bipyridyl-6,6′-dicarboxylate,” describes a project with a big-picture impact on nuclear fuel reprocessing.

“Nuclear power plants, like Wolf Creek in Burlington, Kansas, generate approximately 25% of the nation’s energy,” Comadoll explained. “The fission process generates no greenhouse gasses, making nuclear an attractive energy source compared with fossil fuels. Unfortunately, it is a non-renewable energy source. We currently cannot recycle the uranium at the end of the cycle, resulting in a lot of nuclear waste. The focus of this project was to study the reactivity of the uranyl ion, which is the major component of nuclear waste generated at these nuclear power plants. Our understanding of how uranyl reacts is critical to discovering how to recycle the nuclear waste and render the fuel cycle renewable.”

This was one of the most interdisciplinary, collaborative projects that Comadoll has been part of.

“What makes the project special is that the fields of organic, inorganic, and physical chemistry are beautifully woven together to tell a compelling, impactful story,” Comadoll says.

The publication is even more special since MNU junior Samuel Powell is included as a co-author due to his contributions to the organic synthesis.

“My favorite thing about my contribution is that, because we worked on reactions that have previously been proven to work, we were able to think critically about ways to improve them,” Powell says. “My involvement in this project has taken me from being very uncertain about what I wanted for myself after college to having clear goals and a defined route to achieve them. I learned that I enjoy working in the lab and want to pursue a career in research utilizing my scientific knowledge to solve real-world problems.”

When Comadoll began her own research efforts at MNU in May 2022, Powell was one of two students she invited to join her.

“Inviting Sam to be one of my first research students was a no-brainer; his potential was obvious from the day I met him. He is intelligent, driven and curious, and there are no better qualities in a researcher than those,” she says. “I don’t know many 19-year-olds who have been published, much less as a co-author alongside such prestigious researchers as our KU collaborators. His authorship is well deserved because this project wouldn’t have made it to publication without him. As grateful as he may be that I chose him to work with me, I’m even more grateful that he chose to embark on this journey with me in 2022 when I had nothing but ideas and nervous excitement. This publication is the first of many in what will be an incredible career for Sam as an organic chemist.”

Comadoll, Powell, and MNU junior Aidan Thomas are continuing their work with the Blakemore group this fall and anticipate more publications to come.