Assistant Professor of Chemistry

Degrees:

• BS Materials and Metallurgical Engineering / Mathematics Minor, South Dakota School of Mines, Summa Cum Laude, 1999
• PhD Chemistry, Tulane University, 2010. Dissertation: “Charge and Energy Transport in One-Dimensional Nanomaterials”

Courses:

• CHEM 100 – Foundations of Chemistry
• CHEM 110/112 – General Chemistry I and II
• CHEM 335 – Environmental Chemistry
• CHEM 336 – Environmental Chemistry Laboratory
• CHEM 410 – Environmental Toxicology
• CHEM 464/466 – Physical Chemistry I and II
• CHEM 465/467 – Physical Chemistry Laboratory I and II

Current Research Interests:

Engineered nanomaterials have useful properties due to their small size (1 to 100 nanometers) and relatively high surface area.  However, there is significant concern that the increasing ubiquity of nanomaterials in everyday life presents potential risk to human health and the environment. Currently, very little information exists regarding the release, fate, and toxicity of nanomaterials. Furthermore, some of the important chemical and physical properties governing their interactions are not very well understood.

I am interested in developing and testing an extension of a theoretical energetics model for lyophobic colloids to better characterize nano-sized particle behavior.  This study will help elucidate homogeneous and heterogeneous nano-sized particle interactions within an environmental context and potentially aid in predicting the toxicological impact of nanomaterials in a soil matrix.

Honors and Memberships:

• Society for Science & the Public, 2012
• Iota Sigma Pi, National Honor Society of Women in Chemistry, 2010
• American Chemical Society, 2009
• Sigma Xi, Scientific Research Society, Full Member, 2009
• Omicron Delta Kappa, National Leadership Honor Society, 2009
• Tau Beta Pi, National Engineering Honor Society, 1997

Publications and Presentations:

Chappell, M.A., Miller, L.F., Price, C.L., Middleton, M., Blaustein, G.S., Jackson, L.J., Bednar, A.J., Kennedy, A.J., Steevens, J.A. (2012) Number density considerations in the dispersion-dissolution behavior of engineered silver nanomaterials.  Earth in Evolution 22nd Goldschmidt Conference. Montreal, Canada.

Hill, F.C., Sviatenko L.K., Gorb, L., Okovytyy S.I., Blaustein G.S., Leszczynski J. (2012). DFT M06-2X investigation of alkaline hydrolysis of nitroaromatic compounds. Chemosphere, 88, 635 – 643.

Blaustein, G.S., Chappell, M.A., Mayo, M.L., Hill, F.C. (2011) Is DLVO Theory Relevant to Nanoparticles? Theoretical and Practical Considerations.  Proceedings of the 20th Conference on Current Trends in Computational Chemistry.  Jackson, MS.

Blaustein, G.S., Chappell, M.A. (2011)  Interaction Energies between Spherical Colloidal Particles in a Symmetric Electrolyte Solution.  Wolfram Demonstrations Project. http://demonstrations.wolfram.co/InteractionEnergiesBetweenSphericalColloidalParticlesInASymm/

Blaustein, G.S., Lewis F.D., Burin, A.L. (2010) Kinetics of charge separation in poly(A)-poly(T) DNA hairpins. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 114, 6732 – 6739.

Polishchuk, I.Y., Gozman, M.I., Blaustein, G.S., Burin, A.L. (2010) Interference of guided modes in a two port ring waveguide composed of dielectric nanoparticles. Physical Review E, 81, 026601.

Blaustein, G.S., Hill, F.C., Shrestha, R., Burin, A.L. (2009). The Influence of Counterion Binding on Charge Migration Kinetics in Stilbene-Capped DNA Hairpins. Proceedings of the 18th Conference on Current Trends in Computational Chemistry. Jackson, MS.

Blaustein, G.S. Frederick D. Lewis, Burin, A.L. (2009). The Kinetics of Charge Recombination in DNA Hairpins Controlled by Counterions. International Conference on Computational Science 2009, Part II, LNCS 5545, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 189 – 196.

Blaustein, G.S., Demas, B., Lewis, F.D., Burin, A.L. (2009). Charge Recombination in DNA Hairpins Controlled by Counterions. JACS, 131, 400 – 401.

Blaustein, G.S., Gozman, M.I.; Polishchuk, I.Y., Burin, A.L. (2007). Optical Modes in Linear Arrays of Dielectric Spherical Particles: A Numerical Investigation. 9th International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks, 4,136 – 139.

Blaustein, G.S., Gozman, M.I., Samoylova, O.M., Polishchuk, I.Y., Burin, A.L. (2007). Guiding optical modes in chains of dielectric particles. Optics Express, 15, 17380 – 17391.

Burin, A.L., Blaustein, G.S., Samoylova, O.M. (2007). Bound whispering gallery modes in circular arrays of dielectric spherical particles. In A. H. Alexis V. Kudryashov (Ed.), Proceedings of SPIE. 6452. Bellingham, WA: SPIE.

Blaustein, G.S., Burin, A.L. (2007). Optical Modes in Linear Arrays of Dielectric Spherical Particles: A Numerical Investigation. In A. H. Alexis V. Kudryashov (Ed.), Proceedings of SPIE. 6452. Bellingham, WA: SPIE.

Office: Arnett Hall 303

Phone: (304) 336-8539

E-Mail: [email protected]
Address:
West Liberty University
208 University Drive
College Union Box 139
West Liberty, WV 26074