(Posted February 4, 2016)

Peter Wipf, University of Pittsburgh
Peter Wipf, University of Pittsburgh

A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Chemistry of Natural Products

On Wednesday, Jan. 30, Juniata College had the pleasure of welcoming an important figure in the world of chemistry. Peter Wipf, of the University of Pittsburgh, presented his lecture titled "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Chemistry of Natural Products" to students, staff and faculty.

Wipf is distinguished professor of chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences and bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. He is also the co-leader of the Cancer Therapeutics Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI). According to the UPCI website, "the Wipf group develops tools of synthetic organic chemistry in the search for innovative new therapies and therapeutics."

Wipf went into great detail about the esoteric work that happens in his lab, making his seminar hard to follow for some non-chemistry students. "I had to really concentrate to even try to understand what he was talking about," said Austin Meyer, a freshman studying psychology. For other students, the seminar was very valuable. Pre-med freshman Tyler Phillips was almost shaken by the intensity of the seminar, saying, "It really made me think about how complex the field of chemistry is."

To end his seminar, Wipf invited the chemistry students of Juniata to his lab in Pittsburgh. After hearing tales of the impressive chemical conquests of the graduate students who have worked with Wipf, it is a tempting offer. "It's a really cool opportunity. The students there are doing real work, important work," said Phillips.

Seth Nichols '18, Juniata Online Journalist

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Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.