Cassidy VanderSchee

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Assistant Professor of Chemistry at The King's University

Early transition metals (ETMs) have a complex aqueous chemistry and are widely dispersed in the environment in a number of forms and oxidation states. Due to their unique properties, these metals are used in a variety of applications, including bone implants. Upon environmental or medical exposure, ETMs have been found to accumulate primarily in bo...

Correction for ‘Quantification of local zinc and tungsten deposits in bone with LA-ICP-MS using novel hydroxyapatite–collagen calibration standards’ by Cassidy R. VanderSchee et al. , J. Anal. At. Spectrom. , 2021, 36 , 2431–2438, DOI: 10.1039/D1JA00211B.

Large undergraduate courses make it difficult for students to achieve learning outcomes, in part due to the lack of resources available to course instructors to support student learning in these intimidating and often impersonal settings. One way to support instructor teaching and student learning is the implementation of undergraduate peer mentori...

Tungsten has recently emerged as a potential toxicant and is known to heterogeneously deposit in bone as reactive polytungstates. Zinc, which accumulates in regions of bone remodeling, also has a heterogenous distribution in bone. Determining the local concentrations of these metals will provide valuable information about their mechanisms of uptake...

Tungsten is incorporated in many industrial goods, military applications and medical devices due to its ability to impart flexibility, strength and conductance to materials. Emerging evidence has questioned the safety of tungsten exposure as studies have demonstrated it can promote tumour formation, induce pulmonary disease and alter immune functio...

Synchrotron radiation micro-X-ray fluorescence (SR-μXRF) is a powerful elemental mapping technique that has been used to map tungsten and zinc distribution in bone tissue. However, the heterogeneity of the bone samples along with overlap of the tungsten L-edge with the zinc K-edge signals complicates SR-μXRF data analysis, introduces minor artefact...

Tungsten accumulates in bone but is neither labile nor inert once absorbed. Tungsten’s relatively high cytosolic solubility and availability are problematic given its association with childhood lymphocytic leukemia. In light of tungsten’s technological prevalence, and the increased concern of regulatory agencies, here we characterize the chemical f...

In an effort to provide insight into the molecular origins of the (2)H DQF NMR signal observed in connective tissue, specifically spinal disc tissue, (2)H MQF NMR spectroscopy is used to study the structure and dynamics of D2O in collagen as a function of hydration. Residual quadrupolar coupling constants are measured and decrease from 3500 to 20 H...