Contact Information:
Department of Chemistry
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77842
Phone: (979) 845-0520
Fax: (979) 845-2338
hogg@mail.chem.tamu.edu

John L Hogg
Professor
Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence

Ph. D., University of Kansas

Awards:

• Thaman Professor of Undergraduate Teaching Excellence 2002-2007
• University Professor of Undergraduate Teaching Excellence, 1996-2002
• University-level Association of Former Students Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching (2005)
• Chief Undergraduate Chemistry Advisor
• Mervin and Annette Peters Advising Award presented to the outstanding faculty advisor by the Texas A&M University Advisors and Counselors Organization at Texas A&M University (May 6, 2004)
• Teaching Award of Merit from Gamma Sigma Delta, the Texas A&M Chapter of The Honor Society of Agriculture, for outstanding contributions to teaching by someone outside the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (April 8, 2004)
• College-level Association of Former Students Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching (2002)
• Texas A&M University Provost s Diversity Award (1994)
• University-level Association of Former Students Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award in Student Relationships (1989)
• University-level Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching (1982)
• Co-recipient of five national American Chemical Society Phoenix Awards (1989, 1991, 1992, 1997 and 1999)

Areas of Interest:

• Chemical Education
• Organic Chemistry

The Undergraduate Program

As chief academic advisor for undergraduate chemistry majors, I am responsible for all academic advising for the approximately 275 undergraduate majors in chemistry.Dr. Tammy Tiner, Associate Undergraduate Advisor, assists me with these duties. We maintain a very close advising relationship with all undergraduate majors from the time they enter the University since students are not "farmed out" to disinterested faculty or staff for advising. We, along with our staff assistant Ms. Marylin Warren, take this responsibility very seriously and, as Ph.D. chemists who know the ropes and have been through the same rigorous programs to which we subject our students, we can relate to the problems, frustrations and accomplishments of our majors in a way that "professional staff advisors" would be unable to. I usually teach one section of Organic Chemistry (Chem 227 or 228 for either majors or non-majors) plus one section of a core-curriculum science course (CHEM 106) each semester. This course is taken primarily by non-science majors (freshmen - senior) in the Colleges of Liberal Arts, Business, and Education with a smattering of students from other colleges. Some chemistry majors choose this course as an elective to broaden their perspective of chemistry. This course, Molecular Science for Citizens, focuses on a conceptual approach to molecular science in a way that illustrates the importance of chemistry to our everyday life. Major focal areas deal with environmental issues, energy production, pharmaceuticals, polymers, consumerism, risk-benefit analysis, and current politically sensitive issues related to chemistry and the drug industry. Lots of in-class demonstrations are employed in the teaching of this course. I also assist in teaching Horizons in Chemistry (CHEM 100) each fall for freshman chemistry majors. This 1-credit course, which has a major focus on really exciting chemical demonstrations, also introduces chemistry majors to career opportunities, cooperative education, and faculty research interests while fostering a sense of camaraderie among the students. In addition to working with undergraduate students seeking degrees in chemistry, I also am a member of the Mentors program at Texas A&M University which indicates I am interested in helping students with all sorts of problems whether or not they are chemistry majors.

Although I originally directed a research program in bioorganic chemistry at Texas A&M University, I have exclusively devoted my efforts to undergraduate instruction and advising since about 1985 because this is what I love to do. I have been writing a monthly newsletter, Orbitals: What's Happening in Chemistry Circles, for undergraduate chemistry majors during the academic year since 1985. I am the Chemistry representative on the College of Science Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and I am the faculty advisor to the student affiliate chapter of the American Chemical Society. I serve on many departmental committees and the University Academic Appeals Panel. Stop by Room 104 if you have any questions about chemistry as a major or just want to discuss something about one of your undergraduate chemistry courses or any of the special programs with which I am involved. Since I am also the person responsible for assisting people with registration in "full" sections of classes, I routinely interact with a large number of the thousands of students enrolled in chemistry courses each semester.

A.D. Bokser, K.A. York, and J.L. Hogg. "Proton Inventory Investigation of the Specific Acid-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Ethoxy-Butyrolactone." J. Org. Chem. 51 (1986) 92.

J.B. West, J.D. Scholten, N.J. Stolowich, J.L. Hogg, A.I. Scott, and C.-H. Wong, "Modification of Proteases to Esterases for Peptide Synthesis: Methyl Chymotrypsin." J. Am. Chem. Soc. 110 (1988) 3709.

J.L. Hogg. "The Texas A&M Regional Undergraduate Chemistry Research Program." J. Coll. Sci. Teach. 28 (1988) 107.

J.D. Scholten, J.L. Hogg, and F.M. Raushel. "Methyl Chymotrypsin Catalyzed Hydrolyses of Specific Substrate Esters Indicate Multiple Proton Catalysis Is Possible With A Modified Charge Relay Triad." J. Am. Chem. Soc. 110 (1988) 8246.

G. Gopalakrishnan and J.L. Hogg. "Evidence for a Solvent-Induced Change in the Rate-Determining Step in the Water-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of the Dimethylimmonium Ion of Benzophenone." J. Org. Chem. 54 (1989) 768.

J. Barbaro, G. Gopalakrishnan, and J.L. Hogg. "Kinetic and Mechanistic Studies on the Hydration of 2-Acetyl-3,4-Dimethylthiazolium Ion." J. Org. Chem. 54 (1989) 4438.