Dr. Sarah Harris

Position: Assistant Professor
Department: Chemistry and Biochemistry
Office: Westerman Hall 413
Phone: 913.360.7629
Sarah received her bachelor鈥檚 in Chemistry at Occidental College and continued her study at the University of Minnesota for her masters and Ph.D. She then taught undergraduate and graduate courses at the State University of New York at Oswego for two years before accepting the position here at Benedictine. As a lanthanide chemist, she is one of the few who talk about the bottom of the periodic table on a regular basis and specializes in metals in medicine and the environment. She is the daughter of a Lutheran pastor and has lived in 7 different states, but was excited about clicking her heels to make BC home.
Classes
- CHEM-1200/1201聽General Chemistry I Lecture/Laboratory
- CHEM-1210/1211 General Chemistry II Lecture/Laboratory
- CHEM-3400/3401 Inorganic Chemistry Lecture/Laboratory
- CHEM-4650 Organometallic Chemistry
Education
Doctorate (2017)聽Inorganic Chemistry
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Thesis: Recognition of Cations and Anions by Lanthanide Complexes
Advisor: Val茅rie C. Pierre
Bachelors of Arts (2012) Chemistry
Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA
Minor, Mathematics
Advisor: Michael G. Hill
Research Interests
Metals are present in everything around us: often colorful or magnetic, and capable of providing key solutions to solving medical or environmental related crises.聽 Investigation of how to selectively recognize and manipulate these metals plays a huge part in moving forward in these fields. My laboratory research interest ranges from which metal and overall optimized molecule can be used to assist in imaging and understanding a common disease to how we can recycle phosphates for fertilizer used in everyday food production.
I am passionate about encouraging student and community interest in science.聽 I have recently been involved in Chemical Education Research on improving people鈥檚 opinion of chemistry through outreach with real-life applications and hands-on activities.聽 Elements are just the building blocks for life, and it is important to understand the rules and what to expect if we want to generate a better future.
Membership
- American Chemical Society
Publications
Representative Publications
Harris, S.M.; Peterson, K.L.; Bailie, K.M.; Rundle, B. K.; Tower, C.D.; Pierre, V. C. 鈥淒esign and Evaluation of Environmental Outreach Activity for Middle School Students鈥,听ACS Omega,听2020, 5, 39, 25175-25187. DOI:10.1021/acsomega.0c03194
Raju, M.V.R.;聽Harris, S.M.; Pierre, V.C. 鈥淒esign and Applications of Metal-Based Molecular Receptors and Probes for Inorganic Phosphate鈥,听Chem. Soc. Rev.,听2020,听49, 1090-1108. DOI:10.1039/C9CS00543A
Srivastava, K.; Ferrauto, G.; Harris, S.M.; D.L. Longo, Botta, M.; Aime, S.; Pierre, V.C.鈥淐omplete on/off responsive ParaCEST MRI contrast agents for copper and zinc鈥, Dalton Trans. 2018, Advance Article. DOI:10.1039/C8DT01172A
Harris, S.M.*; Srivastava, K.*; Ziebarth, K.E.; Pierre, V. C. 鈥淎chieving selectivity of copper over zinc with luminescent terbium probes bearing phenanthridine antennas鈥, Dalton Trans. 2018, 47, 2202-2213. DOI:10.1039/c7dt04203e
*These authors contributed equally
Pierre, V.C; Harris, S.M.; Pailloux, S. L.”Comparing Strategies in the Design of Responsive Contrast Agents for Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Case Study with Copper and Zinc鈥, Acc. Chem. Res., 2017, . DOI:10.1021/acs.accounts.7b00301
Harris, S.M.; Nguyen, J.T.; Pailloux, S.L.; Mansergh, J. P.; Dresel, M.J.; Nguyen, T.B.; Gao, T.; Pierre, V.C. 鈥淕adolinium-based Phosphate Recycle System: Catch and Release鈥, Environ. Sci. Technol. 2017, 51, 8, 4549鈥4558. DOI:10.1021/acs.est.6b05815
Kallick, J.; Harris, S.; Udit, A.; Hill, M.G. 鈥淎 spin column for heterogeneous bioconjugation via azide-ethynyl coupling in aqueous solution鈥 BioTechniques. 2015, 59, 6, 329-334.
Representative Presentations
Oral presentation:
Outreach (8th grade)
Harris, S.M. 鈥淭he College Experience.鈥 January 2019, Central Middle School, White Bear Lake, MN.
Outreach (6th grade)
Harris, S.M. 鈥淧hosphate Testing.鈥 January 2019, Central Middle School, White Bear Lake, MN.
Gordon Research Seminar (GRS)
Harris, S.M. 鈥淎ltering the Selectivity of Luminescent Terbium Probes for Copper over Zinc via the Number of Antennas.鈥 January 2017, Ventura, CA.
Metallo Protein Interest Group (MPIG)
Harris, S.M. 鈥淗ard Metal Complexes for Phosphate Recycling.鈥 March 2016, University of Minnesota.
Orientation Faculty Talk
Harris, S.M. 鈥淢etals in Medicine: Research in the Pierre Group.鈥 Fall 2015, University of Minnesota.
Graduate Student Research Symposium – GSRS
Harris, S.M. 鈥淟anthanide-Based Luminescent Probes for High Selectivity of Copper over Zinc.鈥 Summer 2015, University of Minnesota.
ACS Student Chapter Guest Lecturer
Harris, S.M. 鈥淩esearch: Altering the Nature of the Ligand – Resulting Effects on Selectivity.鈥 Spring 2015, University of Minnesota.
Poster presentation:
Bioinorganic Chemistry Gordon Research Seminar 鈥 GRC
Harris, S.M.; Peterson, K.L; Ricks, R.T.; Pierre, V.聽 鈥淪parking Interest in 6th Grade Scientists through Outreach: Measuring Phosphate Concentration in Local Waterways.鈥 June 2019, Lewiston, ME.
Bioinorganic Chemistry Gordon Research Seminar 鈥 GRS
Harris, S.M.; Srivastava, K.; Ziebarth, K.; Pierre, V.聽 鈥淟anthanide-Based Luminescent Probes for High Selectivity of Copper over Zinc.鈥 January 2017, Ventura, CA.
Chemical Biology Interest Group symposium 鈥 CBITG
Harris, S.M.; Srivastava, K.; Ziebarth, K.; Pierre, V.聽 鈥淟anthanide-Based Luminescent Probes for High Selectivity of Copper over Zinc.鈥 Summer 2015, University of Minnesota.
Harris, S.M.; Srivastava, K.; Ziebarth, K.; Pierre, V.聽 鈥淟anthanide-Based Luminescent Probes for Concomittant Monitoring of Transition Metal Ions in Biological Systems.鈥 Summer 2014, University of Minnesota.