I am an undergraduate at Arkansas State University majoring in Biology (Premed).  The project I am focusing on is the synthesis and evaluation of anti-convulsants.  This work is using 5,5-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadione as a pharmaceutical base to synthesize enaminones which are currently under investigation for their activity against seizures and PDE4 inhibition.

GO HOGS (HOGS 50 - LSU 48)

Published Papers

1. Earl Benjamin III*, John Cooper*, Janet Jamison*, Wilbert Long*, Ellis Benjamin. "Computational and Experimental Probing of Product Formation and Reaction Energies for the Esterification of Maleic Anhydride Derived Surfactants using Microwave Energy" Published in the proceedings of ECSOC-11, The Eleventh International Electronic Conference on Synthetic Organic Chemistry, November 1-30, 2007. Editor: Julio A. Seijas & M. Pilar Vázquez Tato, ISBN 3-906980-19-7.

 Presentations, Posters, and Published Abstracts

1. Ellis Benjamin, Jessica Lack*, Janet Jamison*, John Cooper*, Yousef Hijji, Benjamin Rougeau, Louise Sowers, Earl Benjamin*. Computational Modeling of Thalidomide and it Derivatives to Multiple Protein Targets. Pharmforum 2008, Little Rock, Ar. (May 18-20, 2008)

2. Earl Benjamin*, Jessica Lack*, Janet Jamison*, John Cooper*, Brittany Bailey, Arthur L. Williams, Louise Sowers, Benjamin Rougeau, and Ellis Benjamin. Theoretical binding efficiency of triclosan derivatives to E. Coli. enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase enzyme. Pharmforum 2008, Little Rock, Ar. (May 18-20, 2008)

3. John Cooper*, Ellis Benjamin, Janet Jamison*, Jessica Lack*, and Earl Benjamin*. The Synthesis and Computationally Modeling of Glutamate Receptors Antagonist as Novel Anticonvulsants. New England Science Symposium - Biomedical Science Careers Program (BSCP) Harvard University School of Medicine. Boston, Mass (April 2008)

4. Earl Benjamin III*, John Cooper*, Janet Jamison*, Wilbert Long*, Ellis Benjamin. "Computational and Experimental Probing of Product Formation and Reaction Energies for the Esterification of Maleic Anhydride Derived Surfactants using Microwave Energy" 11th International Electronic Conference On Synthetic Organic Chemistry (November 2007)