Date Updated
3-23-2024
Department
Chemistry
Academic Rank
Professor of Chemistry Emeritus & former Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies
Year Retired from SJSU
August 2016; FERP through December 2019
Educational Background
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Organic Chemistry, 1978 Ph.D.
Brandeis University, Chemistry, 1973 B.A
Syntex Corporation, Postdoctoral Research, 1980-1981
University College (London), Postdoctoral Research / Temporary Lecturer, 1978-80
Teaching Experience
San José State University, Professor of Chemistry Emeritus, January 2020- present –
San José State University, Faculty Early Retirement Program (FERP), 2016-2019
Stanford University, Visiting Professor of Chemistry, Summers 1993-2006
University of Wisconsin (Madison), Visiting Professor of Chemistry (sabbatical), Fall 1995
San José State University, Professor of Chemistry, 1992-2016
Dartmouth College, Visiting Associate Professor of Chemistry (sabbatical), 1987-1988
San José State University, Associate Professor of Chemistry, 1986-1992
San José State University, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, 1981-1986
University College (London) , Temporary Assistant Professor of Chemistry, 1979-80
Administrative and Professional Experience
San José State University, Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies, 2008-2016
San José State University, Associate Dean, College of Science, 2007-2008
San José State University, Acting Associate Dean, College of Science, 2005-2006
Service
Member, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
Member, (National) Executive Committee for ChemLinks, an NSF funded coalition , 1995-2000
Member, writing/editorial team for ACS GenChem project that wrote and field-tested a new American Chemical Society (ACS) textbook for general chemistry, 1997-2003
Member, 2002 Organic Exam Committee of the ACS Exams Institute, 2000-2002
Member, 2004 Organic Exam Committee of the ACS Exams Institute, 2003-2004
Chair, 2008 Organic Exam Committee of the ACS Exams Institute, 2006-2008
SJSU – Institute of Teaching and Learning (ITL) Teacher Scholar, 2000-2001
Peer Reviewer for the Journal of Organic Chemistry, the Journal of Chemical Education, Organic Preparations and Procedures International, and several granting agencies and textbook publishers
Selected Publications
Book:
(1) Bell, Jerry A. Chemistry: a project of the American Chemical Society, W.H. Freeman and Company, 2004. [member of 12-person Editorial/Writing Team; Jerry Bell was the Chief Editor/Writer]
Journals:
(1) J.E. Baldwin, S.E. Branz, R.F. Gomez, P.L. Kraft, A.J. Sinsky, and S.R. Tannenbaum, “Chemical Activation of Nitrosamines into Mutagenic Agents,” Tetrahedron Lett. 1976, 333.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0040403900937249?via%3Dihub
(2) S.R. Tannenbaum, P.L. Kraft, J.E. Baldwin, and S.E. Branz, “The Mutagenicity of Methylbenzylnitrosamine and Its a-Acetoxy Derivatives,” Cancer Lett. 1977, 2, 305. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304383577800098?via%3Dihub
(3) J.E. Baldwin, S.E. Branz, and J.A. Walker, “Radical Nature of the [1,3] Sigmatropic Rearrangements of Electron-Rich Olefins,” J. Org. Chem. 1977, 42, 4142. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jo00445a034
(4) J.E. Baldwin, A. Scott, and S.E. Branz, “Chemical Studies on Carcinogenic Nitrosamines 1. Hydrolysis of a-Acetoxynitrosamines,” J. Org. Chem. 1978, 43, 2427. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jo00406a028
(5) J.E. Baldwin and S.E. Branz, “Synthesis of Dibenzhydrylnitrosamine,” Org. Prep. Proced. Int. 1985, 17, 261.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00304948509355517
(6) S.E. Branz, “Acetylation of an Unknown Alcohol: An Introductory 1H-NMR Experiment,” J. Chem. Educ. 1985, 62, 899. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed062p899
(7) S.E. Branz and J.A. Carr, “The Synthesis of 10,10-Disubstituted Anthrones via the Rearrangements of 9-Anthryl Ethers,” Synth. Commun. 1986, 16, 441. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00397918608057721
(8) G.W. Gribble, D.J. Keavy, S.E. Branz, W.J. Kelly, and M.A. Pals, “Unexpected Regioselective Diels-Alder Cycloaddition Reactions Between 3-Fluorobenzyne and 2-Alkylfurans,” Tetrahedron Lett. 1988, 29, 6227. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040403900823114?via%3Dihub
(9) S.E. Branz, K. Jin, Y. Liu, and T.N. Dao, “New and Renewed Syntheses of 10-Phenylanthrone and 10-Hydroxy-10-phenylanthrone,” Org. Prep. Proced. Int. 1992, 24, 129. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00304949209355685
(10) S.E. Branz, T.C. Duvall, V.C. Eberly, J.C. Gonzalez, and J.J. Juliette, “The Synthesis of 9-Allyloxyanthracene and 9-Methoxy-10-phenylanthracene,” Microchemical J. 1993, 47, 24. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0026265X83710064?via%3Dihub
(11) S.E. Branz, R.G. Meile, R.K. Okuda, and D.A. Straus, “Microscale Preparation and COSY Analysis of an Unknown Ester: An Introductory 2D-NMR Experiment,” J. Chem. Educ. 1995, 72, 659. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed072p659
(12) S.E. Branz, “Conceptual Shells in the Teaching of Organic Chemistry” CHED Newsletter, Spring 1996.
(13) Book Review: S.E. Branz, “A Primer to Mechanism in Organic Chemistry” by P. Sykes, J. Chem. Educ. 1996, 73, A313. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed073pA313.2
(14) C.R. Landis, G.E. Peace, M.A. Scharberg, S.E. Branz, J.N. Spencer, R.W. Ricci, S.A. Zumdahl, D. Shaw, “The New Traditions Consortium: Shifting from a Faculty-Centered Paradigm to a Student-Centered Paradigm” J. Chem. Educ. 1998, 75, 741. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed075p741
(15) J.P. Parakka, R.R. Schumaker, J.D. Thoburn, B.S. Kesler, and S.E. Branz, “Optical Switching in Chiropticenes,” Annals of the NY Academy of Sciences 2003, 1006, 94-103. https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1196/annals.1292.006
Files
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Personal Commentary
Dr. Stephen E. Branz is formerly Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies at San José State University. He is also formerly a professor in the Department of Chemistry. His interests within the field of synthetic organic chemistry have been quite broad. Using non-kinetic methods, he has worked on fundamental problems in organic reaction mechanisms, especially pericyclic reactions and intramolecular hydride shifts. On the other extreme, synthetic targets have included analogs of natural products (for such diverse purposes as ion transport and enzyme inhibition, and new liquid crystalline materials with potential applications in display technology) and model compounds that will enable investigations of non-covalent phenomena such as solubility, H-bonding, and host-guest type interactions.