Faculty

Dr. Sally Wasileski

Associate Professor

Zeis Hall 113 CPO #2010
University of North Carolina Asheville
One University Heights
Asheville 28804

Phone:  828.232.5169
FAX: 828.232.5179
Email:  swasiles@unca.edu

Education

• PhD, Purdue University Main Campus, Chemistry, 05/15/2003

Courses Taught

• CHEM 109 The Food of Chemistry
• CHEM145 Quantitative Chem Lab
• CHEM 237 Analytical Chemistry
• CHEM 332 Instrumental Analysis

Office hours

Mondays 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Fridays 12:45  – 1:35 p.m.
others by appointment

About me

I am originally from western Maryland and graduated with a BS with Honors in Chemistry in 1998 from Juniata College, a liberal-arts college in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.  I then went to graduate school at Purdue University and received my PhD in Chemistry in 2003, working with Michael J Weaver on Electrochemical Vibrational Spectroscopy:  Fundamental Insight from Density Functional Theory Calculations.  I came to UNC Asheville in 2005 after a two-year post doc in Chemical Engineering at University of Virginia, working on computational investigations of methanol fuel cells with Matt Neurock.

I am happily married and the mother of a beautiful daughter.  I enjoy cooking, baking, cake decorating, hiking, and going on vacation.

Teaching interests

I teach, design and coordinate the analytical chemistry courses in the Chemistry Department:  Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory, Analytical Chemistry and Instrumental Analysis.  In addition, I dabble in a bit of Quantum Mechanics, teaching Physical Chemistry I, and teach a course on chemistry through food and cooking, The Food of Chemistry, for non-science majors.

Research Interests

Computational Energy Research 

My research students investigate heterogeneous catalytic reactions involved in harnessing energy from bio-renewable molecules (molecules derived from plant matter) using computational methods.  Of specific interest to our research group is the conversion of alcohols and polyols to hydrogen, since hydrogen is the most desirable fuel in highly efficient proton-exchange membrane fuel cells.  A variety of research projects can be pursued targeting specific fundamental properties of the reaction mechanism, such as how the reaction is influenced by the catalyst involved (Rh, vs. Ni), the alcohol chain length or other properties of the catalyst and fuel.

Environmental Chemistry Research  

 I am interested in advising research students in environmental analysis research projects that use Analytical Chemistry to better understand environmental issues.  These projects are in collaboration with faculty from Environmental Studies.  (1)  Phytoremediation of coal fly ash, in collaboration with Dr. Kevin Moorehead. (2) using advanced analytical instrumentation to research toxins present in the groundwater in neighborhoods adjacent to the former CTS electroplating facility in south Asheville, in collaboration with Dr. Jeff Wilcox, and (3) using advanced analytical instrumentation to research pharmaceuticals leached into ground water and soils, in collaboration with Dr. Jeff Wilcox. 

Interested students on any research project should contact me at any time.  We’ll sit down and chat.

Selected Publications

Research

• Kuan-Yu Yeh, S.A. Wasileski, Michael J. Janik, “Electronic structure models of oxygen adsorption at the solvated, electrified Pt(111) interface”, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. in press.
• S.A. Wasileski, Michael J. Janik, “A first-principles study of molecular oxygen dissociation at an electrode surface:  a comparison of potential variation and coadsorption effects”, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 10 (2008) 3613-3627.
• S.A. Wasileski, C.D. Taylor, M. Neurock, “Modeling the Electrocatalytic Reaction Site from First Principles” published as Chapter 20 in Device and Materials Modeling in PEM Fuel Cells, edited by S. Paddison and K. Promislow, Springer Publications (2009). ISBN 978-0-387-78690-2.
• M.J. Janik, S.A. Wasileski, C.D. Taylor, M. Neurock, “First-Principles Simulation of the Active Sites and Reaction Environment in Electrocatalysis”, published as Chapter 4 in Fuel Cell Catalysis: a Surface Science Approach, edited by Marc T.M. Koper, Wiley Publishers (2009). ISBN 978-0-470-13116-9.
• C. Taylor, S.A. Wasileski, J.S. Filhol, M. Neurock, “First-Principles Reaction Modeling of the Electrochemical Interface:  Consideration and Calculation of a Tunable Surface Potential from Atomic and Electronic Structure”, Phys. Rev. B, 73 (2006) 165402/1-165402/16.
• D. Cao, G.-Q. Lu, A. Wieckowski, S.A. Wasileski, M. Neurock, “Mechanisms of Methanol Decomposition on Platinum:  A Combined Experimental and Ab Initio Approach”, J. Phys. Chem. B, 109 (2005) 11622-11633.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

• S.A. Wasileski, D. Clarke, K.E. Peterson, A.J. Lanou, L.G. Mathews, “Food for Thought: Engaging the Citizen in the Science and Politics of Food Information, Food Consumerism, Nutrition and Health An Integrative Liberal Studies Topical Cluster at The University of North Carolina at Asheville”, SENCER Model of Innovation, web published at http://www.sencer.net/Resources/models.cfm (2008).
• J.R. Wingert, S.A. Wasileski, K. Peterson, L.G. Mathews, A.J. Lanou, D. Clarke, "Enhancing integrative experiences: Evidence of student perceptions of learning gains from cross-course interactions", Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 11 (2011) 34-57.