Bess Vlaisavljevich

Nice! It has been so long since I have seen him!

We will be holding a virtual information session Nov 13th from 7:30-8:30PM CST for students interested in pursuing a PhD in chemistry at UIowa. Interested students can register here: uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_... #chemistry #gradschool

It was such a fun and unexpected encounter! So nice to see you!

✨ Headed to #ACSFall2025? Want some COMP stickers?

Find an ACS COMP Executive Committee member and grab a few! 🧪💻🎉

#ACSCOMP #CompChem

I got too into talking to people at #ACSFall2025 to post about my own talk. Luckily, I have another chance on Wednesday!

Ready to hear @peremiro.bsky.social talk about vanadium alkoxide clusters #FallACS2025

Looking forward to #ACSFall2025 this week. My first talk is Monday in the NUCL afternoon session! On Wednesday, I am in INORG. Hope to see friends and make new ones!

Had a great time at the RERC with @n8trium.bsky.social and @bessvlai.bsky.social !!

See you soon!

*cool!

Dipole Characteristics of Polymers with Main-Chain Polar Rings: Impact of Dipole Strength and Orientation on Reactivity and Material Properties Dipole-dipole interactions arising from polar side chains can greatly enhance the performance of polymers compared to their nonpolar analogues. Incorporating polar functionality into the main chain wo...

Check out our newest preprint with @ewerpointe.bsky.social and Jorge Barroso! chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...

I was bummed to miss a conference last week (got mono! Ahh!!!) but am so happy I feel up for #RERC30! Hope it doesn't tired me out too much and I get to hear about everyone's cook work!

Nelly, Hot in here...

Home sick today and opened my window for fresh air. The construction crew next door is killing it with their music choice. Nickelback, Gaga, songs from Pitch Perfect, Shrek. Love it!

Getting a nice thank you note from a student makes end of the semester grading, and all the previous effort, worth it.

NSF used to be $8.5b, they are proposing to cut it down to below $4b. The grants funded more 5000 graduate students directly or indirectly and the majority of basic research in natural sciences and humanities. What is our priority?

Today we mark the 75th anniversary of NSF. Support from NSF drives discovery, education & innovation in every corner of the US. The impact of recent cuts will reverberate out and impact all of us.

Sorry to hear...

Today @n8trium.bsky.social passed his candidacy exam! He did a fantastic job!

Domain of Science's "Map of Quantum Physics" visually organizes this complex field. Starting with pre-quantum mysteries like atomic spectra and radioactivity, it branches into quantum foundations (wave function, Schrödinger equation), interpretations (Copenhagen, many-worlds), and quantum gravity theories. Phenomena like superposition and entanglement connect to quantum technologies (computing, cryptography). Particle physics, condensed matter physics, quantum biology, and quantum chemistry are also mapped, illustrating the vast scope of quantum mechanics.

Found an image to go with the video for #WorldQuantumDay!

Explore quantum physics with this brilliant visual roadmap from @dominicwalliman.com ( @domainofscience.com )! See how it all connects!

#Science #Physics #QuantumPhysics #QuantumWorld

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The EARTH Center (erc-earth.ku.edu) is hiring a Director for Recruiting, Training, and Mentoring (DRTM). This is a multi-institutional center, and this position is hosted at USD. The job description is in the link. Check it out! yourfuture.sdbor.edu/postings/43177

Praseodymium powers up to +5 Isolating the lanthanide in this oxidation state suggests a shift in some periodic tables

Pushing the known limits of lanthanide oxidation, chemists have isolated praseodymium (Pr) in the +5 oxidation state. The finding suggests that chemists should shift how they situate lanthanides in the periodic table. cen.acs.org/materials/in... #chemsky🧪

Someone was happy to meet Dash at the Iowa Heartlanders game. Thinking about attending the playoffs. @bessvlai.bsky.social @goheartlanders.bsky.social

Praseodymium powers up to +5 Isolating the lanthanide in this oxidation state suggests a shift in some periodic tables

Check out a summary of our recent work with @f-orbitals.bsky.social and the Popov group on a pentavalent Pr complex! cen.acs.org/materials/in...

Praseodymium powers up to +5 Isolating the lanthanide in this oxidation state suggests a shift in some periodic tables

Good thing that I work in print media, because I reallys struggle to pronounce praseodymium. My latest piece in @cenmag.bsky.social about a Pr5+ compound from @stormslapierre.bsky.social @bessvlai.bsky.social and Ivan A. Popov.
cen.acs.org/materials/in...

At a meeting where they put out chocolate milk and candy for the before lunch snack. I feel like they get me.

We were able to draw analogies to our other work in high valent copper chemistry. Check it out, especially if you love inverted ligand fields as much as I do

Computational Investigation of the Chemical Bond between An(III) Ions and Soft-Donor Ligands The chemical bonding of actinide ions with arene and borohydride ligands is explored via quantum chemical methods to understand how the transuranium elements interact with soft-donor ligands. Specific...

New work out by @rcsabya.bsky.social and undergrad co-author Naomi Rehberg! Continuing our interest in actinide-arene and borohydride bonds. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Vaccines save lives. Leaders must champion them Nature - Attacks on vaccines and the cancellation of research into what causes vaccine hesitancy puts people in harm’s way.

"We urge all leaders, not to ignore or contradict advice that is supported by a consensus of evidence. We urge policymakers to help boost people’s confidence in vaccines, and not to undermine scientific and medical institutions or the process of research."
www.nature.com/artic...

A screenshot of a social media post from Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) dated March 4, 2025, at 4:30 AM. The post states: “All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests. Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

When Donald Trump threatens student protests, consider why: throughout modern history, student movements have repeatedly been the catalyst that toppled dictatorships. Authoritarian leaders fear campus activism precisely because it works. Below is a list of 36 student-led pro-democracy movements.🧵