Education: M.S., University of Turku; Ph.D., University of Connecticut

"Organic chemistry is at the heart of natural science and it is closely related to such fields as biology, biochemistry, physiology and polymer science. One of my goals in teaching this fascinating subject is to show the students that organic molecules are found literally all around us - in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, dyes and pigments, perfumes, plastics, and adhesives, just to name a few examples."

• Organic Chemistry

Professor Ovaska centers his research on organic synthesis, a process that allows chemists to prepare complex materials in a rational fashion from simple precursors.

His research focuses on two main areas: 1) the development of novel methods and strategies for the preparation of complex polycyclic ring systems, and 2) application of these methods for the synthesis of biologically important natural products. Recently, he has been particularly interested in natural products that contain seven-membered (cycloheptane) rings. Compounds that incorporate seven-membered rings are widespread in nature and frequently of considerable medicinal interest as potential anti-tumor, anti-HIV, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agents.

Professor Ovaska has obtained external funding for this work from the Petroleum Research Fund (type G and AC), Research Corporation, the National Institutes of Health and the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation (scholar-fellow program). Additional funding to provide summer/winter break stipends for undergraduate students has been obtained from the Connecticut Business and Industry Association and corporate sponsors such as Pfizer, Inc., Boehringer-Ingelheim and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Ovaska and his colleague Bruce Branchini also obtained NSF funding to purchase a Varian 500 MHz NMR spectrometer, which is being used extensively for his research as well as teaching activities.

Professor Ovaska teaches Organic Chemistry, Advanced Organic Chemistry, Topics in Biological Chemistry, and Spectroscopic Methods and Organic Synthesis. His other course, Medicinal Chemistry, offered with adjunct faculty at Pfizer Central Research, provides insight into the many different aspects of medicinal chemistry and cutting-edge research within the pharmaceutical industry.

Recent publications (student co-authors indicated by *):

1. "First Approach to the Frondosin C Ring System via a Tandem Cyclization/Claisen Rearrangement Sequence" Martinez, I.; Alford, P. E.*; Ovaska, T. V. Org. Lett. 2005 , 7 , 1133.

2. "Progress toward the Total Synthesis of Frondosin C" Li, X.; Kyne, R. E.*; Ovaska, T. V. Org. Lett. 2006 , 8 . 5153.

3. " Total Syntheses of (±)-Frondosin C and (±)-8- epi -Frondosin C via a Tandem Anionic 5-Exo Dig Cyclization-Claisen Rearrangement Sequence" Li, X.; Kyne, R. E.*; Ovaska, T. V. Tetrahedron 2007, 63, 1899.

4. "Synthesis of Seven-Membered Carbocyclic Rings via a Microwave-Assisted Tandem Oxyanionic 5- exo dig Cyclization-Claisen Rearrangement Process" Li, X.; Kyne, R. E.*; Ovaska, T. V. J. Org. Chem. 2007 , 72 , 6624.

5. "Total Synthesis of (±)-Frondosin B" Li, X.; Ovaska, T. V. Org. Lett. 2007 , 9 , 3837.

Recent presentations:

1. "Total Syntheses of (±)-Frondosin C and (±)-8-epi-Frondosin", presented at the 233rd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Chicago, Il, March 2007.

2. "Oxyanionic 5-exo dig Cyclization/Claisen Rearrangement Reactions: Applications to the Synthesis of Cycloheptanoid Natural Products", presented at the 15 th European Symposium on Organic Chemistry, Dublin, Ireland, July, 2007.

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