Dr. Douglas A. Vander Griend

Professor;
Director, Clean Water Institute;

Departments:

Biography

I thank God.
I obey Jesus.
I rely on the Holy Spirit.
I love my wife.
I prize my three children.
I relish stories.
I welcome alternative perspectives.
I delight in chemistry.
I collect analogies.
I feel numbers.
I tackle research.
I lead students.
I care about learning.

Interests

Though I do have a doctorate in Inorganic Chemistry, I prefer students just call me “DVG". I specialize in teaching first-year students and mentoring student researchers. In 2012 I was named one of the "Best 300 College Professors" by Princeton Review and later recognized as a Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar. A lifetime member of the Christian Reformed Church, I now also direct the Calvin Clean Water Institute (https://calvin.edu/centers-institutes/clean-water-institute/), which strives to unleash discerning students and faculty to improve the availability of clean water around the globe. An avid bridge player and occasional dumpster diver, I am also proud to be a 5-time champion of the Calvin Chemistry Chili Cookoff.

Education

B.A. - Calvin College, Chemistry, 1996
M.S. - Northwestern University, Inorganic Chemistry, 1997
Ph.D. - Northwestern University, Inorganic Chemistry, 2000

Professional Experience

Director of the Clean Water Institute - Calvin University, 2020 - present
Professor of Chemistry - Calvin University, 2002-present
Dreyfus Postdoctoral Fellow - Furman University, 2000 - 2002

Academic Interests

Synthetic nanotechnology
Inorganic thermochromic materials
Chemometric analysis of spectroscopic data

Research

My lab specializes in nanomolecular building projects, aka molecular Tinker Toys. We place various molecules together in solution so that can assemble themselves into interesting nanostructures. We then use relatively easy spectroscopic measurements, along with advanced math and computer code, to model these complicated chemical systems. You can see for yourself at www.SIVVU.org. Through the regular financial support of the National Science Foundation, my research on thermochromic windows, solid state arrangements and nanomolecular building projects has led to 6 patents and over 40 publications with 36 undergraduate coauthors. I have scientific collaborators from Indiana to Italy. We like to present our work at national meetings of the American Chemical Society, and many of my students go on to earn prestigious awards like Goldwater Scholarships and NSF or Fulbright or Hertz Fellowships.

Awards

Calvin University- Student Faculty Research Award - 2019
Carl Henry Regional Discussion Fellow - 2016 - present
Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar - 2014
Princeton Review- National List of the "Best 300 Professors" - 2012
Calvin University- Chili Cook-Off Champion - 2005, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2018

Research and Scholarship

Nanomolecular Building Projects

<h4>Building with molecules</h4>
<p>When you build something, you probably put it together piece by piece. Building with molecules is no different. The difficulty is that because molecules are so small (1 billionth of a meter!), we put them in the same solution together, and then they must assemble themselves. There can be many new connections formed in solution, and we work to figure it all out. We start by taking ‘snapshot’ color measurements every step of the way as we slowly add the pieces together.</p>
<h4>Sorting it all out</h4>
<p>Imagine you are listening to a musical ensemble on stage...except the curtain is drawn closed so you can only hear them. Now, imagine all the musicians are playing instruments that you have never heard before. Can you figure out how many people are playing? Can you figure out what each instrument sounds like? What you are trying to do with instruments and their sounds, we do with molecules and their color. We also work on several other interesting systems including biomolecular systems with tryptophan zippers or G-protein α-complex.</p>
<h4>Involving undergraduate researchers</h4>
<p>Equilibrium, UV-vis spectroscopy, and chemical solutions are all topics covered in general chemistry courses. Therefore, this research is ideal for undergraduate students. Often, students who have just completed their first year at Calvin join our lab and then continue for several years. Most will co-author at least one peer-reviewed publication and attend a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. The lab also employs inmates at the Handlon Correctional Facility that participate in the Calvin Prison Initiative.</p>
<h4>Helping researchers around the world</h4>
<p>Many scientists around the world are developing intriguing systems in which the ensemble of molecules work together to do something useful. It might be nanomachine, or an artificial enzyme that catalyzes a special reaction, or a nanocage that encapsulates a particular guest molecule. Regardless of the specific target, methodology from our lab can help them thermodynamically characterize their system.</p>
<p>We have written a computer program called SIVVU that models spectrophotometric titration data to answer four key questions about complicated ensembles of molecules:</p>
<p>1. How many distinct chemical species form over the course of the titration?</p>
<p>2. What is the identity of each?</p>
<p>3. What is the color for each?</p>
<p>4. What are the equilibrium constants for the reactions between them?</p>
<p>With these questions answered, chemists can effectively tailor the functionality of their ensemble systems and synthesize other inviting nanosize structures.</p>
<p><a href="SIVVU.org">SIVVU.org</a> is our website that makes the useful calculations available to the world. Check it out for yourself.</p>