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Carmen Gauthier, Ph.D.

Professor of Chemistry

Jessie Ball duPont Fund Chair in the Natural Sciences

Gauthier

My teaching philosophy is to empower my students to discover and use the tools of scientific inquiry and to realize that chemistry is central to their understanding of how the world works. I encourage them to be keen observers of their surroundings, to question these observations and to develop models that will help them gain a deeper understanding of the discipline.

-Carmen Gauthier

Polk Science - 217

 863.680.4320

 863.680.3970

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Biography

Dr. Carmen Valdez Gauthier is the Jessie Ball duPont Chair in the Natural Sciences division at Florida Southern College (since 2009). She was born in Peru and received a B.Sc. in Chemistry from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in 1983, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of New Hampshire in 1989. Dr. Gauthier began her teaching career as an Assistant Professor of chemistry at Salem State University in Salem, MA. She was active in the Science and Engineering Network for the New England Board of Higher Education and served as a mentor for Hispanic students in the McNair Scholars Program. In 1999 she joined the faculty of Florida Southern College and has held several leadership positions such as Chair of the Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Physics department and Chair of the Natural Science Division. Since her arrival to FSC she has engaged students in undergraduate research in the area of synthesis and applications of metal organic materials, which has resulted in several publications and invited lectures at national and international conferences. Dr. Gauthier serves on the Board of the Fulbright Mid-Florida Chapter, the Committee on Committees of the American Chemical Society and is the liaison to the Ethics and the International Activity committees, councilor for the Florida Local Section of the American Chemical Society. She is the past chair of the Society Committee on Education of the American Chemical Society, past-chair for the Florida Section of the American Chemical Society. She is a member of the American Chemical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Sigma Xi, Phi Kappa Phi, Gamma Sigma Epsilon Chemistry Honors Society, Phi Eta Sigma Freshman Honor Society, and Delta Kappa Gamma Society International.

Education

  • Ph.D., Chemistry, University of New Hampshire
  • B.Sc., Chemistry, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru

Interests

Cooking, Hiking

Awards

  • American Chemical Society Fellow, 2017
  • Fulbright Scholar, 2016
  • Visiting Faculty at the Catholic University, 2015
  • Salutes to Excellence, award presented by the Florida Local Section of the American Chemical Society - 2008
  • ODK Teacher of the Year - 2006
  • Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers - 2003/2004
  • Dissertation Fellowship for Outstanding Ph.D. Candidate, University of New Hampshire - 1987-1988

Publications

  • Chapters in Peru and Florida Build Skills and Outreach Programs Together, C. Valdez Gauthier and Betty Galarreta, In Chemistry, January 23, 2023, https://inchemistry.acs.org/student-chapters/chapters-in-peru-and-florida-build-professional-skills-and-outreach-programs-together.html. 
  • Copper (II) Complexes with Tridentate Bis(pyrazolylmethyl)pyridine Ligands: Synthesis, X-Ray Crystal Structures and -Caprolactone Polymerization,” J. Rueda-Espinosa, J. F. Torres, C. Valdez Gauthier, L. Wotjas, G. Verma, M. Macias, J. Hurtado, Chem. Select, 2017, 2 (30), 9815-9821.
  • “Synthesis and applications of metal-organic frameworks in the formation of composite materials,” C. Valdez Gauthier, Proceedings of the XXXI Latin American Congress of Chemistry, October 2014.
  • “Poly(methylmethacrylate) composites of copper-4, 4’-trimethylenedipyridine”, Shisi Liu, Lukasz Wojtas, Justin Massing, C. Valdez Gauthier, Julie P. Harmon, New J. Chem., 2012, 36, 1449-1456.
  • Spattering of hot cooking oil with water, G Pinto, C. Valdez Gauthier, J. Chem. Educ., 2009, 86 (11), 1281-1285.
  • Reaching out to the next generation: Working with High School Chemistry Clubs, C. Valdez Gauthier, In Chemistry, 2008, 17 (3), pp 10-13.
  • Some consideration regarding the active learning in chemistry, G Pinto, C. Valdez Gauthier, P. Kelter, G. Weaver, Chem. Educator [online], 2008; DOI 10.1333/s00897082130a.
  • Writing in an Introductory Chemistry Course for Non-Science Majors; C. Valdez Gauthier, Crosscurrent, Journal of Writing Across the Curriculum at Salem State College; Donnalee Rubin, editor, 1993, 7 - 9.
  • Phytochemistry Studies of the Lichen Usnea Sp.; P. Morales, J. Robles, A. Pastor de Abram, K. Gallagher, and C. Valdez Gauthier; Quimica, 1993, 7, 13-19.
  • Halogenated Derivatives of the Dimolybdenum Tetraphosphoxane Cage; M. M. Turnbull, C. Valdez, E. H. Wong, E. J. Gabe, and F. L. Lee; Inorganic Chemistry, 1992, 31, 208 - 214.
  • Tetradentate Ligands for the Mo-Mo Quadruple Bond; E. H. Wong, C. Valdez, E. J. Gabe, and F. L. Lee; Polyhedron, 1989, 8, 1 - 5.
  • Two Approaches to the Synthesis of Bimetallic Cage Complexes of the Tetraoxatetraphosphorinane [RPO]4 Ring; E. H. Wong, M. M. Turnbull, K. D. Hutchinson, C. Valdez, E. J. Gabe, F. L. Lee, and Y. Pe Page; J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1988, 112, 8422 – 8428.
     
    Selective Research Presentations (made by C. Valdez Gauthier's undergraduate students at national meetings in the last ten years (name of undergraduate authors are underlined):
  • Metal Organic Materials synthesis and applications to development of latent fingerprints, Emmelyne McGovern, C. Valdez Gauthier, 263rd ACS National Meeting, San Diego, CA March 2022.
  • Synthesis of zinc-metal-organic materials for biomedical applications – drug delivery, Prasamsa Surapaneni, C. Valdez Gauthier, 263rd ACS National Meeting, San Diego, CA March 2022.
  • Preparation of zinc metal-organic materials towards drug delivery vessels, Alec Bigness, J.M. Montgomery, and C. Valdez Gauthier*, 257th ACS National Meeting, Orlando, FL March 2019.
  • Synthesis of Zinc (1,3-adamantane dicarboxylic acid) complexes with varying nitrogen compound linkages with high thermal stability, Jerrod Flanagan, C. Valdez Gauthier, 2014 SERMACS meeting, Nashville, TN, October 2014.
  • Synthesis and characterization of [M(1,3-adamantanedicarboxylic acid)(4,4'-trimethylenedipyridine)], M = Cu2+, Co2+,Grace Beggs, Wei Pin Teh, C. Valdez Gauthier, 247th ACS National Meeting, Dallas, TX, March 2013. [ORAL]
  • Synthesis of novel transition metal complexes using oxydiacetate as primary ligand and 2, 2’ pyridine as auxiliary ligand, WeiPin Teh, C. Valdez Gauthier, Florida Annual Meeting and Exposition (FAME)-2013, Palm Harbor, FL, May 2013
  • Microwave assisted synthesis of imide ligands and metal organic frameworks, Nicholas Traversa and C. Valdez Gauthier, 245th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 2013.
  • Effect of reactions conditions on copper-4,4’-trimethylenepyridine and 1,3-adamantane dicarboxylic acid formation, Grace Beggs and C. Valdez Gauthier, 245th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 2013.

Projects

Dr. Gauthier’s research project has been focused on the synthesis and characterization of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). MOFs are a class of coordination polymers constructed by metal ions and multi-dentate organic ligands with one-, two, or three-dimensional crystalline structures. Most recently, she has explored the synthesis of cyclic imides using the Cocrystal Controlled Solid-State Synthesis (C3S3) approach. students in her research group gain experience in multinuclear NMR, IR, microwave reactor synthesis and x-ray diffraction.

She has mentored over twenty-five students at FSC. All her students have presented their research at the ACS National Meeting, ACS Regional Meeting and the Florida Annual Meeting and Exposition.