Western’s John Gilbertson and Tim Kowalczyk receive $373,813 grant from NSF for work on nitrogen coupling

The lion’s share of attention on greenhouse gases goes to carbon, but Western’s John Gilbertson and Tim Kowalczyk have their sights set on nitrous oxide, a byproduct of the nitrogen cycle, a potent greenhouse gas, and a leading cause of ozone depletion. More specifically, they’re investigating nitrogen bonds and how they get made as an extension of their 2020 NSF Grant that funded their work on nitrates. The aim in the current grant is to help uncover the mystery of N-N coupling and how the N-N bonds are formed. 

Kowalczyk mentors the student researchers on the computational aspects of this project so they learn both experimentation and the theory behind it. On the lab side, Gilbertson directs results and analysis, but students, both graduate and undergraduate, are the ones making the complexes. 

Grad student Kayla Fugami has invested three years in this project and closely mentors undergraduate Gabriel Black in the lab. Fugami, like many, struggled to stay connected to her research as an undergraduate during the pandemic. But the mentorship she found at WWU in Gilbertson, Kowalczyk and others helped her arrive in her current role, conducting the lab experimentation on this project.

“You need the master’s students in the lab to keep the institutional knowledge there. They’re sort of an extension of you when they help mentor the undergrads. They make sure the lab runs smoothly and have great insight into experimental design," Gilbertson said. “Kayla Fugami has been a phenomenal graduate student on this project, and without grad students, the teacher-scholar model in Western’s chemistry department doesn’t work.”

The team has a paper describing N-N coupling, which is currently under review, and Fugami’s name will be on it. It’s the kind of byline that will really give Fugami an edge professionally; she hopes to work for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the future. But that’s not the only thing it’ll get her. Fugami is super excited to cash-in on the steak dinner Gilbertson promised the team after publication.  

Kowalczyk says beyond the team's findings, the key thing about this project is integrating computation with experimentation. 

“It really prepares master’s students for a PhD program or employment in industry in a way that is difficult to overstate,” he said.

In all, this grant will provide opportunities for student research and summer funding for two to three graduate students and six undergraduates.