Xie teaches chemistry at IU Kokomo
September 1, 2005
KOKOMO, Ind.—Songwen Xie, Ph.D., has been named an assistant professor of chemistry in the Indiana Univesrity Kokomo Department of Natural, Information, and Mathematical Sciences. This summer, Xie completed her doctoral studies in organic chemistry at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. She holds a bachelor's degree (1999) from Peking University in the People's Republic of China.
Since 2000, Xie has been a graduate teaching assistant in chemistry at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC) and a research assistant for SIUC's Meyers Institute for Interdisciplinary Research in Organic and Medicinal Chemistry. Her research focused on organic synthesis and mechanistic studies, including synthesis and cell line studies on a group of estrogenic compounds that are able to inhibit the growth of human prostate cancer cells. “My presentation on this project at the 2004 American Chemical Society national meeting raised a lot of interest from major pharmaceutical companies, such as Pfizer, Merck, Roche, and Cortex,” Xie said.
The “architecture” of constructing of organic compounds intrigues Xie as both “an exact science and a fine art.”
“The study of organic mechanisms helps us to understand the pathways to reach this beautiful architecture. . . . Like fashion designers design the style of clothes, organic chemists design the structure of molecules,” Xie said.
“Students in my lab will experience the fun of molecule design, will learn the basic techniques for organic synthesis, and will enjoy the moment when they finally finish the construction.”
