UT chemistry graduate student, Dan Dreyer has been invited to the American Chemical Society’s 2011 National Meeting & Exposition. Dreyer will be giving a talk as part of the Division of Organic Chemistry’s symposium on” New Reactions and Methodology.” Dreyer’s research focuses on the development of new metal-free catalysts and chemical reagents based on graphite or other low cost carbon materials. The use of these carbon materials in lieu of metals presents practical and economic advantages as well, says Mr. Dreyer. According to Dreyer, “in addition to being cheap and easy to prepare, these carbon catalysts have been found to perform an enormous range of reactions many of which typically require metal-based systems.” He goes on to say that, “metal-based systems are often toxic, expensive, and can be difficult to separate from desired reactions products which can be a big problem for example in the pharmaceutical industry.”
Dreyer is also a recent recipient of a Graduate School Continuing Fellowship award. This prize is given out based on major accomplishments since entering Graduate School, a well-defined program of research, strong personal statement, and letters of recommendation. Dreyer was nominated by his faculty advisor Dr. Christopher Bielawski and, along with the strong support of the department, he feels very fortunate to be one of a handful of students to be given such an honor. The award is intended for students who have demonstrated success thus far in their career, and aid them as they continue.
Dan Dreyer was born and raised in Gahanna, Ohio and received his undergraduate degree from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. He graduated in 2007 and came to UT that same year. While at Wheaton, he participated in a NSF-sponsored Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in the Department of Polymer Science at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. During that time, he became fascinated with polymer science.
Like any graduate student, particularly one in the sciences, Dreyer has experienced his share of success and failure, academically speaking. Dreyer says, “As a young graduate student, many of my early projects didn’t work so well and I felt the frustration of failure, or at least perceived failure.” As his career progressed, however, he was able to see that there were ways to learn from disappointments. He began improving as a researcher and he feels lucky to have had a strong support network at UT, both professionally and personally.
After Dreyer graduates, his chemistry skills and interests are likely to lead him to a career in industry or to a national research laboratory. One of many questions Dreyer would like to find an answer to in his post-UT career is, “how can we use chemistry as a practical tool to address real world challenges, like diminishing supplies of metals used in everyday chemical reactions.”
Life for Dan Dreyer isn’t all chemistry however. Dreyer and his wife have been familiarizing themselves with Texas culture, specifically Austin culture, since moving from Ohio. He’s developing a taste for BBQ and he’s even taken up sailing. “Austin is a small enough city that it’s relatively easy to get around, but big enough that my wife and I can go to high quality concerts, shows, or restaurants without having to drive hours out of the way,” says Dreyer.
