BenU faculty since 2004
Ph.D., University of Cincinnati (2003)
B.S., Butler University (1997)

Courses Taught
General Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Principles of Biochemistry, Bioanalytical Chemistry and Chemical Sensors

Awards and Recognitions:

• Benedictine University College of Science Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence, 2013
• ACS Younger Chemist Leadership Development Award 2010, Houston, TX
• Benedictine University College of Science Dean’s Award for Research, 2009
• M. Kolthoff Enrichment Award by the Education Committee of Analytical Chemistry division, the American Chemical Society for undergraduate research student, Angela Peverly to present at the ACS National Meeting at New Orleans in April 2008
• Benedictine University Annual Merit Award for Faculty in 2006-2007
• Recognition by the Center for Educational Policy Research at the University of Oregon for the General Chemistry lab course sequence, which was designated as a best practices course. A panel of national experts also identified specific elements of the General Chemistry curriculum as exemplary in the field. September 2006
• Dorothy and Moses Passer Education Award by the American Chemical Society Chemical Education division to attend an electrochemistry workshop in July 2006
• M. Kolthoff Enrichment Award by the division of Analytical Chemistry of the American Chemical Society for undergraduate research student, Delin Wang to present at the ACS National Meeting in March 2006

Research Area:
Bioanalytical chemistry; electroanalytical methods; biosensors; bead-based immunoassays; water analysis; chemical education

Research Grants and Funding

1. NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Award #1240091, “Expanding and Strengthening the Secondary STEM Teacher Training Program”, Co-PI (April, 2012) $ 1.2 million (grant period January 1, 2013-December 31, 2017
2. Turner Biosystems Fluorometer Grants Program for purchase of Modulus Fluorometer, PI (September, 2006) $ 5,800

Professional Activities:

• Member of the 2015 General Chemistry First Term Committee, 2013 General Chemistry Committee, and 2011 General Chemistry Committee, ACS Examinations Institute, the Chemical Education Division of the American Chemical Society. The committees write and evaluate new assessment materials for use in General Chemistry courses nationwide.
• Reviewer for Analytical Chemistry, ACS Nano, Analyst, Bioengineering, Chromatographia, Clinica Chimica Acta, JACS, Journal of Molecular Catalysis B: Enzymatic, Materials, Sensors, Sensors & Actuators: B. Chemical, School Science and Mathematics (periodically)
• Expert evaluator for Summer Faculty Fellowship Program 2013 proposals in Biosciences and Chemistry disciplines in the division of American Society for Engineering Education for the U.S. Air Force (January 14-25, 2013)
• Participant in the evaluation of concept inventories produced as part of a NSF funded study on understanding of key concepts in undergraduate chemistry courses via the use of concept inventories, PI Dr. Stacy Lowery Bretz of Miami University Oxford, OH, (Fall 2012)
• Membership affairs coordinator Iota Sigma Pi, Aurum Iodide chapter (2008-2011)
• Organizer and a session chair for a symposium titled “Advances in Teaching Analytical Chemistry” by the Chemical Education Division for the 239th ACS National Meeting & Exposition in San Francisco, CA (March, 2010)
• Reviewer for a new Analytical Chemistry textbook written by Hage & Carr, published by Pearson Education (September 2008-May 2009)
• Chair of Chemistry division Associated Colleges of Chicago Area (ACCA) (May 2008-May 2009)
• Session chair (Analytical Chemistry) at the 19th Annual Argonne Symposium for Undergraduates in Science, Engineering and Mathematics, Argonne National Laboratory, IL (November 7, 2008)
• Organizer and a session chair for a one day symposium “New Trends in Teaching Analytical Chemistry” for the 20th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE), Indiana University, Bloomington, IN (July 2008)
• Moderator of the Analytical Chemistry session at the ACCA Student Symposium, Lewis University, Romeoville, IL (April 12, 2008)
• Secretary of Chemistry division Associated Colleges of Chicago Area (May 2007-May 2008)
• Session chair (Analytical Chemistry) at the 18th Annual Argonne Symposium for Undergraduates in Science, Engineering and Mathematics, Argonne National Laboratory, IL (November 2-3, 2007)
• Expert evaluator and rapporteur for water monitoring and infrastructure proposals in Security and Defense Security Research & Development section of the Enterprise and Industry Directorate General, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium (July 2-7, 2007)
• Organizer and a session chair for a symposium titled “Chemical Sensors in Undergraduate and Graduate Education” by the Chemical Education Division for the 233rd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Chicago, IL (March 29, 2007)
• Session chair (Analytical and Organometallic Chemistry) at the 17 th Annual Argonne Symposium for Undergraduates in Science, Engineering and Mathematics, Argonne National Laboratory, IL, (November 3-4, 2006)
• Invited vice-chair and evaluator of Marie Curie European Reintegration Grants funded by the Research Directorate of the European Commission. The grants assist the professional reintegration of the researcher in his/her country of origin after doing research for more than two years in another European Union or associated country. The evaluation process and consensus meetings took place in Brussels, Belgium. (May and September 2006)
• Organizer and a session chair for a symposium titled “Recent Advances in Teaching Analytical Chemistry” by the Chemical Education and Analytical Chemistry Divisions for the 231st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Atlanta, GA (March 30, 2006)
• Invited vice chair of the Chemistry Panel in the Intra-European and Outgoing and Incoming International Marie Curie Fellowships. The competitive individual fellowships are funded by the European Commission to provide advanced training through research to researchers of all ages. The evaluation process and consensus meetings took place in Brussels, Belgium. (May and June 2005)
• Expert evaluator and rapporteur for over 20 Marie Curie Fellowship applications, the European Commission (May 2004)

Current and Former Research Students:

• Fatima Javed, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major
• Sarah Mustaly, Biology with Chemistry minor
• Nathan Olson, Chemistry major
• Matthew Raub , Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major
• Fatima Javed,  Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major
• Bosky Parikh, 2013, Chemistry
• Uzma Arif, 2013, Chemistry
• William Putzbach, 2012, Biology
• Jonathan Pollock, 2011, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Jamie Nizzia, 2011, Chemistry
• Kristyn Lagioia, 2011, Chemistry
• Robert Kasper, 2011, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Rana Salem, 2009, Biochemistry
• Nicholas Dobes, 2009, Chemistry
• Scott Toth, 2009, Chemistry
• Mary Duggan, 2009, Chemistry
• Sahar Karimi, 2008, Biochemistry
• Surbhi Bhatia, 2008, Chemistry
• Behnoosh Shahrokh, 2008, Biochemistry
• Chintan Prajapati, 2008, Biochemistry
• Angela Peverly, 2008, Chemistry
• Kushal Shah, 2006, Biochemistry
• Abida Banu, 2006, Biochemistry
• Atif Jagirdar, 2006, Biology
• Faiza Mehdi, 2006, Biochemistry
• Delin Wang, 2006, Biochemistry
• David Mullan, 2005, Biochemistry

Recent Publications * Indicates the corresponding author

• Fatima Javed, Nathan Olson, Bosky L. Parikh, Matthew Raub, Sanika Tolia, Niina J. Ronkainen*, Selected Trace Element Analysis of Heavy Metals in Red and White Wines from Around the World, Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, submitted.
• Niina J. Ronkainen* and Stanley L. Okon, Nanomaterial-based electrochemical immunosensors and immunoassays for clinically significant biomarkers, special issue titled “Advanced Nanomaterials for Biosensors”, Materials, 2014, 7(6), 4669-4709.
• Niina J. Ronkainen* and Stanley L. Okon, “The role of immunoassays in urine drug screening”, chapter in Advanced Healthcare Materials, Ashutosh Tiwari (Ed.), WILEY-Scrivener Publishing, ISBN: 978-1-118-77359-8, May 2014, Chapter 14, pp. 485-516.
• Niina J. Ronkainen*, “Bioanalytical Chemistry and Chemical Sensors Course at a PUI”, chapter in Teaching Bioanalytical Chemistry, Harvey J. M. Hou (Ed.), ACS Books Symposium Series Volume, Oxford University Press, ISBN13: 9780841228078, 2013, Volume 1137, Chapter 10, pp. 187-208.
• William Putzbach and Niina J. Ronkainen*, Immobilization Techniques in the Fabrication of Nanomaterial-based Electrochemical Biosensors: A review, Sensors, 2013, 13(4), 4811-4840.
• Niina J. Ronkainen*, H. Brian Halsall, and William R. Heineman, Electrochemical Biosensors, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2010, 39, 1747-1763.
• Niina J. Ronkainen-Matsuno*, H. Brian Halsall, and William R. Heineman, “Electrochemical Immunoassays and Immunosensors”, chapter in Immunoassay and Other Bioanalytical Methods, CRC Press, ISBN: 0849339421, publication date 12/26/2006, 385-402.
• Svetlana Farrell, Niina J. Ronkainen-Matsuno, H. Brian Halsall, and William R. Heineman*, Bead based immunoassays with microelectrode detection, Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, Paper in the Forefront I., 2004, 379, 358-367.
• Jennifer H. Thomas, Niina Ronkainen-Matsuno, Svetlana Farrell, H. Brian Halsall, William R. Heineman*, Microdrop analysis of a bead-based immunoassay, Microchemical Journal, 2003, 74, 267-276.
• Niina J. Ronkainen-Matsuno, Jennifer H. Thomas, H. Brian Halsall, and William R. Heineman*, Electrochemical immunoassay moving into the fast lane, Trends Anal. Chem., 2002, 21, 213-225.
• C. Ajith Wijayawardhana, Niina J. Ronkainen-Matsuno, Svetlana Farrell, Gunther Wittstock, H. Brian Halsall, William R. Heineman*, Microspot enzyme assays with scanning electrochemical microscopy, Analytical Sciences, 2001, 17 (supplement), 535-538.

Peer-Reviewed and Invited Presentations:

• Niina J. Ronkainen, “Course Preparation Assignments: A Tool to Enhance Independent Learning, Increase Student Participation, and Performance in Chemistry Courses” (peer-reviewed oral presentation), the European Conference on Research in Chemistry Education 2014, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland, July 6-10, 2014.
• Niina J. Ronkainen, “Course Preparation Assignments: A Strategy For Using Class Time In Analytical Chemistry Courses To Enhance Learning and Student Participation” (poster presentation) 246th ACS National Meeting & Exposition, Indianapolis, IN, September 8, 2013.
• Niina J. Ronkainen, “Integrating current scientific research topics and literature into Analytical Chemistry courses at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution” (poster presentation) 245th ACS National Meeting & Exposition, New Orleans, LA, April 7, 2013.
• Niina J. Ronkainen and Jonathan Pollock, “Indirect amperometric detection of inulin” (poster presentation) 243rd ACS National Meeting & Exposition, San Diego, CA, March 26, 2012.
• Niina J. Ronkainen, “Common biases in chemistry classroom teaching practices” (poster presentation) 240th ACS National Meeting & Exposition, Boston, MA, August 22, 2010.
• Niina Ronkainen, “Bioanalytical chemistry and biosensors” (oral presentation) 21st Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, Denton, TX, August 1, 2010.
• Niina J. Ronkainen, “Drinking water” (oral presentation) Earth Day Symposium at Benedictine University, Lisle, IL, April 22, 2010.
• Niina J. Ronkainen, “Special topics course in bioanalytical chemistry: Microscale chemical analysis using biosensors” (oral presentation) 239th ACS National Meeting & Exposition, San Francisco, CA, March 25, 2010.
• Niina J. Ronkainen-Matsuno, “Bringing scientific discovery back to the laboratory courses” (poster presentation) Gordon Research Conference on Visualization in Science & Education, Magdalen College, Oxford, England, July 26-31, 2009.
• Niina J. Ronkainen-Matsuno, “Teaching Chemistry in Context” (poster presentation), Gordon Research Conference on Chemistry Education Research & Practice, Colby College, Waterville, ME, June 21-26, 2009.
• Niina J. Ronkainen-Matsuno, “Undergraduate research experiences: Lasting benefits to students” (oral presentation), 236th ACS National Meeting & Exposition, Philadelphia, PA, August 17, 2008.
• Niina J. Ronkainen-Matsuno, “POGIL laboratory experiment for analytical chemistry: Cyclic voltammetry” (oral presentation), 235th ACS National Meeting & Exposition, New Orleans, LA, April 7, 2008.
• Niina J. Ronkainen-Matsuno, “Development and optimization of rotating disk enzyme electrodes: Undergraduate research projects in chemical sensors” (oral presentation), 233rd ACS National Meeting, Chicago, IL, March 29, 2007.
• Niina J. Ronkainen-Matsuno, “Tegrity software-based online prelaboratory lectures for chemical analysis labs” (oral presentation), 231st ACS National Meeting, Atlanta, GA, March 30, 2006.
• Niina J. Ronkainen-Matsuno, “Incorporating multimedia learning into the General Chemistry laboratory curriculum using Tegrity software and WebCT” (oral presentation), 231st ACS National Meeting, Atlanta, GA, March 29, 2006.

Current Research Projects:
Development and optimization of electrochemical detection methods; enzyme-based electrochemical biosensors; immunoassays in clinical chemistry applications; trace metal analysis of wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages; class room strategies in chemistry education

Current Research Coolaborator:

• Stanley Okon, M.D. Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, Park Ridge, IL.