Tony Breitbach, Ph.D.
Educational Background
Ph.D., Chemistry; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Madison, WI; 2013.
B.S., Chemistry (minors in Biology and Mathematics); Clarke College; Dubuque, IA; 2007.
Teaching Philosophy
My goal as an instructor is to facilitate students in realizing their educational goals, and to foster a deeper understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment for the subject. This is attainable in a successful learning environment, which I describe as having three key factors: 1) teacher motivation, 2) student motivation, and 3) opportunity for teacher and student to reach their educational goal. I plan to cultivate motivation primarily through personal connections, such as interactions relating to students’ lives outside of school or to their career aspirations. To help students reach their educational goals and potential, I have identified four barriers that hinder student success: 1) monotony, 2) disconnect, 3) unrealistic expectations, and 4) poor feedback. By utilizing elements drawn from my own experiences as both a teacher and student, I will attempt to develop a balanced pedagogical style to address these challenges.
Profile
Professional Background
Graduated as Valedictorian, summa cum laude from Clarke College with a BS Chemistry and minors in Biology and Mathematics in 2007. During my time at Clarke, I worked in the Chemistry Stockroom and was awarded the Sister Marguerite Neumann Chemistry Award. I also was captain of the soccer team, which led to being awarded Clarke Senior Male Athlete of the Year, ESPN Second-team Academic All-American, and a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. I spent the summer before my senior year at the University of Michigan participating in a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) through the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN). I also spent two summers serving in the AmeriCorps-Partners in Learning program. In 2007, I embarked on my graduate studies to pursue a PhD in Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I performed research in the lab of Prof. Helen Blackwell and was awarded a NIH Chemistry-Biology Interface Graduate Traineeship. I completed my PhD in 2012 and returned to Clarke as Lab Manager of the Chemistry Department. This was during the construction of the Marie Miske Center for Science Inquiry and I was responsible for transitioning the department to new facility. In the summers of 2014 and 2015, I performed research in the lab of Prof. Daniel Armstrong at The University of Texas at Arlington. As of 2016, I am an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Clarke and responsible for instructing courses in General Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry.
Research Interests
- Development of biological modulators (design, synthesis, bioassays, decomposition, and delivery methods)
- Separation sciences (chiral stationary phases for LC
Courses Taught
- General Chemistry I & II (CHEM-110 & -111)
- Analytical Chemistry (CHEM-233)
- Chemical Separation Methods (CHEM-436)
- Organic Chemistry I (CHEM-221)
- General, Organic, and BioChemistry (CHEM-107)
Certifications and Memberships
- Present-2016, 2013-2007, American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Present-2016, ACS Illinois-Iowa Local Section
- Present-2016, ACS Analytical Chemistry Division
- Present-2016, ACS Chromatography & Separation Chemistry Division
- Present-2016, ACS Chemical Education Division
- Present-2016, Midwestern Association of Chemistry Teachers in Liberal Arts Colleges (MACTLAC)
- 2012-2011 The American Society for Microbiology (ASM)
- 2012-2009 NIH Chemistry-Biology Interface (CBI) Graduate Training Program, UW-M
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Publications
Breitbach, A. S.; Lim, Y.; Xu, Q.-L.; Kürti, L.; Armstrong, D. W.; Breitbach, Z. S. Enantiomeric separations of α-aryl ketones with cyclofructan chiral stationary phases via high pressure liquid chromatography and supercritical fluid chromatography. Chromatogr. A 2016, 1427, 45-54.
Broderick, A. H.*; Breitbach, A. S.*; Frei, R.; Blackwell, H. E.; Lynn, D. M. Surface-Mediated Release of a Small-Molecule Modulator of Bacterial Biofilm Formation: A Non-Bactericidal Approach to Inhibiting Biofilm Formation in Pseudomonas Aeruginosa. Healthcare Mater. 2013, 2, 993-1000.
Frei, R.*; Breitbach, A. S.*; Blackwell, H. E. 2-Aminobenzimidazole Derivatives Strongly Inhibit and Disperse Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2012, 51, 5226-9.
Frei, R.; Breitbach, A. S.; Blackwell, H. E. Expedient Construction and ex situ Biological Testing of Small-Molecule Macroarrays via Sequential Palladium- and Copper-Mediated Reactions. Sci. 2012, 3, 1555-61.
Praneenararat, T.; Beary, T. M. J.; Breitbach, A. S.; Blackwell, H. E. Synthesis and application of an N-acylated l-homoserine lactone derivatized affinity matrix for the isolation of quorum sensing signal receptors. Med. Chem. Lett. 2011, 21, 5054-7.
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Presentations
Breitbach, A. S.; Lim, Yeeun; Xu, Qing-Long; Kürti, László; Armstrong, Daniel W.; Breitbach, Zachary S. “Enantiomeric separations of alpha-aryl ketones with cyclofructan chiral stationary phases via high performance liquid chromatography and supercritical fluid chromatography.” Oral presentation, February 2016 at CU Books, Bites, and Brilliance.
Breitbach, A. S.; Frei, R.; Blackwell, H. E. “2-Aminobenzimidazole Derivatives Strongly Inhibit and Disperse Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ” Poster presentation, April 2012 at UW-Madison Department of Chemistry Poster Session.
Breitbach, A. S.; Frei, R.; Blackwell, H. E. “2-Aminobenzimidazole Derivatives Strongly Inhibit and Disperse Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ” Poster presentation, November 2011 at 4th ASM Conference on Cell-Cell Communication in Bacteria, Miami, FL.
Breitbach, A. S.; Broderick, A. H.; Lynn, D. M.; Blackwell, H. E. “Surface strategies toward the control of bacterial biofilms: Surface-mediated release of synthetic small-molecule modulators of bacterial quorum sensing.” Poster presentation, August 2011 at 25th Annual Kenneth B. Raper Symposium, UW-Madison.
Breitbach, A. S.; Broderick, A. H.; Lynn, D. M.; Blackwell, H. E. “Surface strategies toward the control of bacterial biofilms: Surface-mediated release of synthetic small-molecule modulators of bacterial quorum sensing.” Poster presentation, July 2011 at CBI Training Program Summer Symposium, UW-Madison.
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Patents
Blackwell, H. E.; Frei, R.; Breitbach, A. S.; Lynn, David M.; Broderick, A. H. Inhibition and Dispersion of Bacterial Biofilms with 2-Aminobenzimidazole Derivatives. U.S. Patent 13/669,368, Nov. 5, 2012.