Despite the long journey being a true test of endurance, De-Wei safely arrives in San Diego from China to begin his postdoctoral position conducting research in the Engle lab. De-Wei has come equipped with an impressive skill set from his prior appointment as a graduate student at the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry (SIOC) under the guidance of Prof. Shu-Li You ranging from asymmetric catalysis to the development of new synthetic methodology. Ready to apply these skills in the lab, De-Wei was quick to collect glassware and begin screening.

Congratulations to Zhen and Joe on their paper entitled, “Palladium(II)-Catalyzed Regioselective syn-Hydroarylation of Disubstituted Alkynes Using a Removable Directing Group,” the Engle lab’s second research publication! The manuscript was accepted for publication in  J. Am. Chem. Soc. this afternoon and appeared online shortly thereafter. Click here for a link to the article. Keep your eyes out for celebratory photos!

After a “cracking” — see we even learned some British English this summer! — wrap-up presentation, Josh completes his summer research in the Engle lab. We gave him a rousing send-off over the weekend, and now he begins a few weeks of sightseeing before flying back across the pond for his third year at King’s. Props to Miriam for being an awesome mentor throughout the summer and for finding some appropriately hilarious parting gifts. We can’t wait to follow Josh’s exciting career in chemistry moving forward!

Joshua Turnbull

After an amazingly productive 11 weeks, Annabelle’s last day in the Engle lab has arrived, and everyone is sad to see her go. After finishing her internship, Annabelle plans to take an indulgent one-day summer vacation before return to CSULB. She leaves TSRI equipped with a broader base of chemistry knowledge, a new group of lifelong friends, and a summer’s worth of fond memories. We can’t wait to see Annabelle thrive in grad school and in her research career down the road! Props Joe for being an awesome mentor throughout the summer.

Annabelle Cantu

44 students from the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Zhejiang University of Technology descended upon TSRI’s campus for a stimulating day of scientific discussion and laboratory tours. The Engle lab took part by welcoming the group to our labspace, showing off our state-of-the-art (and not-so-state-of-the-art) instrumentation, and teaching the group how to make colorful azo dyes.

In order to celebrate a two-week stretch in which we welcomed an outstanding new class of first-year graduate students and bid farewell to our wonderful high school interns, the Engle lab took part in its first group scavenger hunt. May planned a fast-paced, action-filled trek around UCSD, finishing with a leisurely hike from the Birch Aquarium down to the beach. A fun evening of burrito eating, swimming, and burying unsuspecting PIs in the sand ensued. Special thanks to May, May’s friend Pearl, and John for helping to organize a great day.

Click here for a photo reel.

Wrapping up their final week in the Engle lab with gripping lectures and stimulating poster presentations, Jessica and Daizy conclude their seven-week internship at TSRI. Though everyone in the lab is sad to see them go, we can’t wait to watch as these two young women take the science world by storm next year in college and beyond. Thanks for the great memories, Jessica and Daizy! Also, props to their awesome lab mentors, John, Joe, and Annabelle, for helping to make it a great summer for our interns!

Arriving from the Eastern Hemisphere for a new Chemistry adventure Zichen (Forrest) Wang starts his 6 month exchange in the Engle Lab. Resolute in the face of powerful jet lag, Forrest was quick to start screening and put his past experience under Professor Shou Fei Zhu at Nankai University to use.

After braving four harsh winters in the tundras of Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania, Van returned to the sweet shores of California to satiate her desire to further impact the field of organic chemistry in the Engle Lab. Honing her skills in the Kozlowski lab, Van studied hydrogen bonding colorimetric sensors in the field of organocatalysis. Eager to add the powerful applications of transition metals in organometallic chemistry to her mastery list, Van was quick to don a TSRI lab coat and organize her bench.

After getting settled on the opposite side on the country, Rei arrives to start her research in the Engle lab at Scripps. A legendary Head Manager for the mens’ varsity basketball team, Rei completed her undergraduate degree at Princeton University and completed research under the guidance of Prof. Robert Knowles in the field of asymmetric catalysis. Excited to put her skills to the test, she was quick to prepare her hood for many columns to come.