Education

Biography

Dr. Louka holds a Ph.D. in Medicinal Analytical Chemistry (2004) from Ohio University, Athens OH. Currently, she is an associate professor in the Chemistry Department at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Her expertise is in environmental and medicinal analytical chemistry. She has accumulated over 25 years of teaching and research experience in instrumental analysis and has been certified by “Monitoring the environmental pollutants” by the [Marine Environmental Laboratories of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Monaco].

Dr. Louka started to focus on a new point of interest, by using biological backbone synthesized surfactants in drug delivery especially, for cancer cells and DNA cleavage. She is and will be investigating new inexpensive methods and eco-friendly adsorbents from Louisiana waste products and biological backbone synthesized surfactants.

Currently, Dr. Louka is the primary operator for all instruments in the analytical laboratories. She has extensive experience in the development of techniques and refinement of existing techniques of instrumental analysis. She was awarded the Outstanding Teaching Award College of Sciences 2016. She has published over 65 articles and presentations in peer-reviewed journals and conferences. She is a member of the American Chemical Society. She was one of four professors chosen from the whole university who established and initiate the Undergraduate Research Council. She has mentored more than 75 undergraduate students and two graduate students.

Nowadays, most of students under her supervision presented their results in the ACS meeting; others are co-authors in publications in highly ranked journals or professional meetings. A student in her undergraduate students’ research group was awarded the American Chemical Society Undergraduate Outstanding Analytical Chemist Award (2015). Dr. Louka was the awardee of Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentoring 2014 and the Marvin and Warren Boudreaux / BoRSF Professorship in Chemistry 2012 – 2015 and 2015-2018. In 2016, She was the awarded Outstanding Teaching Award College of Sciences. She is also a member of the honors program which take the students to a level higher than regular students, preparing them for graduate, medical, pharmacy, and dental schools.

Research Interest

• Monitoring the environmental pollution caused by chlorinated hydrocarbons and petroleum hydrocarbons in biota and sediment samples using gas chromatography technique. [Certified Trainee by Marine Environment Laboratories (Monaco) International Atomic Energy Agency] 1992-1998.
• Extraction and removal of pollutants from environmental samples and removal of oil spills from environmental systems.
• Fabrication of microsensors for direct electrochemical measurements of nitric oxide, superoxide and peroxynitrite in biological samples from rats, mice and rabbits.
• Synthesis of surfactants that can be used for preventing pesticides and poly cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from penetrating the soil layer and reach the plants roots.
• Synthesis of porphyrin analogs and metal complexes that can be used as coatings for microsensors.
• Dye removal using ecofriendly adsorbents.
• Synthesis of polynuclear Cu(II), Co(II), Mn(II), and Ni(II) complexes used in the DNA cleavage.
• Extraction and purification of β-carotene and ascorbic acid from different types of algae. Characterization of these antioxidants using high performance liquid chromatography and spectrophotometric techniques.
• Hands on GC, GC-MS, Atomic absorption, ICP, and UV-vis instruments.

Scientific Activities

HONORS AND AWARDS

2016: Outstanding Teaching Award College of Sciences

2015 - 2018: Marvin and Warren Boudreaux / BoRSF Professorship in Chemistry Award

November 2014: CUR Workshop for Undergraduate Research Council

2014: Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award

2013-present: Graduate faculty Member

2012-2015: Marvin and Warren Boudreaux / BoRSF Professorship in Chemistry Award

2012: Summer Research Award Summer

2009: Voted Alpha Lambda Delta Outstanding Freshman Professor for the year.

2007-Present: A member in the American Chemical Society.

2003: John Houk Memorial Graduate Research Grant Award from Ohio University, Grant Title: “Longevity a Dream That May Come True”.

2002: The Dean’s Outstanding Chemistry Teaching Associate Award Ohio University, College of Arts and Sciences.

1993: Certificated Trainee by Marine Environment Laboratories (Monaco) International Atomic Energy Agency in “Monitoring the environmental pollution caused by chlorinated hydrocarbons and petroleum hydrocarbons”.

Publications

1. Wiemer, G.; Dobrucki, L. W.; Louka, F. R.; Malinski, T. Heitsch, H., AVE 0991, a Nonpeptide Mimic of the Effects of Angiotensin-(1-7) on the Endothelium. Hypertension 2002, 40, 847-52.
2. Balbatun, A.; Louka, F. R.; Malinski, T. Dynamics of Nitric Oxide Release in the Cardiovascular System. Acta Biochimica 2003, 50(1), 61-67.
3. Massoud, S. S.; Jeanbatiste, R. R.; Nguyen, T. M.; Louka, F. R.; Gallo, A. A., “Cobalt(III) Complexes of Tripod Amines. Kinetics of Aquation of Dichloro[N-(2-aminoethyl)-N,N-bis(3 aminopropyl)amine]cobalt(III) Ion”. J. Coord. Chem. 2007, 60, 2409-2419.
4. Mautner, F. A.; Vicente R.; Louka, F. R.; Massoud, S. S. “Dinuclear Fumarato- and Terephthalato-bridged Copper(II) Complexes. Structural Characterization and Magnetic Properties”. Inorg. Chim. Acta, 2008, 361(5), 1339-1348.
5. Massoud, S. S.; Mautner, F.A.; Vicente, R.; Louka, F. R. “Squarato-metal(II) Complexes. Part 3: μ1,3- (trans) vs. μ1,2- (cis) bonding in Squarato-bridged Dinuclear Copper(II) and Nickel(II) Complexes dreived from Polypyridyl Amines”. Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 2008, 23, 3709 – 3717.
6. Louka, F. R.; Mautner, F. A.; Vicente, R.; Massoud, S. S. “μ2-Oxalato-bridged Tri-copper(II) Complex Derived from 1,4,8,12-Tetraazacyclopentadecane.Synthesis, Structure and Magnetic Characterization”. Inorg. Chem. Commun. 2008, 11(4), 438-441.
7. Mautner. F. A.; Louka, F. R.; LeGuet, T.; Massoud, S. S. “Pseudohalide Copper(II)Complexes Derived from Polypyridyl Ligands. Synthesis and Characterization”. J. Molecular Struct. 2009, 919, 196–203.
8. Xu, W.; Louka , F. R.; Doulain, P. E.; Landry, C. A.; Mautner, F. A.; Massoud, S. S. “Hydrolytic Cleavage of DNA Promoted by Cobalt(III)-Tetraamine Complexes. Synthesis and Characterization of Carbonatobis[2-(2-pyridylethyl)]-(2-pyridylmethyl)aminecobalt(III) Perchlorate”. Polyhedron 2009, 28, 1221–1228.
9. Massoud, S. S.; Louka, F. R.; Mikuriyab, M.; Ishidab, H.; Mautner. F. A. "Dicyanamido– metal(II) complexes. Part 3: Hydrolysis of the dicyanamide into amidocyanamide". Inorg. Chem. Commun. 2009, 12(5), 420-425.
10. Mautner. F. A.; Louka, F. R.; Massoud, S. S. “Structural characterization of some oxalato-bridged copper(II) and nickel(II) complexes". J. Molecular Struct. 2009, 921(1-3), 333-340.
11. Mautner, F. A.; Masahiro Mikuriya, M., Ishida, H.; Louka, F. R.; Humphrey, J. W.; Massoud, S. S., “Dicyanamido-Metal(II) Complexes. Part 4. Synthesis, Structure and Magnetic Characterization of Polynuclear” Inorg. Chim. Acta 2009, 362(11), 4073-4080.
12. Mason R. P.; Kubant, R.; Jacob, R. F.; Malinski, P., Huang, X.; Louka, F. R.; Borowiec, J.; Mizuno, Y.; Malinski, T. “Loss of Arterial and Renal Nitric Oxide Bioavailability in Hypertensive Rats with Diabetes: Effect of β-Blockers” American Journal Hypertension 2009, November 22(11), 1160-1166.
13. Mautner, F. A.; Louka, F. R.; Gallo, A. A., Saber, M. R., Burham, N. B., Albering, J. H.; Massoud, S. S. “Thiocyanato-Cu(II) Complexes Derived from Tridentate Amine Ligands and from Alanine” Transition Met. Chem. 2010, 35(5), 613- 620.
14. Mautner, F. A.; Albering, J. H.; Vicente, R.; Louka, F. R.; Gallo, A. A.; Massoud, S. S. “Copper(II) Complexes Derived from Tripodal Tris[(2-ethyl-(1-pyrazolyl)]amine”. Inorg. Chim. Acta 2011, 365(1), 290-296. http://dx.doi.10.1016/j.ica.2010.09.030
15. Massoud, S. S.; Louka, F. R.; Nguyen, T.L.; Mikuriya, M.; Albering, J. H.; Mautner, F. A. “Structural and Magnetic Characterization of 1-D Copper Complexes Constructed from Pyrazole-3,5- dicarboxylate Bridging Multi Cu(II) Centers” Inorg. Chim. Acta 2011, 366(1), 394-398. http://dx.doi.10.1016/j.inoche.2011.02.011
16. Massoud, S. S.; Mautner, F. A.; Louka, F. R.; Demeshko, S.; Dechert, S.; Meyer, F., “Diverse Coordination of Polynuclear Copper(II) Complexes Constructed from Benzene Tetracarboxylate” Inorg. Chim. Acta, 2011, 370, 435-443. http://dx.doi.10.1016/j.ica.2011.02.019
17. Mautner, F. A.; Albering, J. H.; Corbella, M.; Louka, F.R.; Massoud, S. S. “A Unique Unit Cell Containing Simultaneous Doubly and Triply Copper(II) Complexes Bridging by 2,4-Pyridine Dicarboxylate. Synthesis, Structural Characterization and Magnetic Properties” Inorg. Chem. Commun., 2011, 14, 702-705. http://dx.doi.10.1016/j.inoche.2011.02.011
18. Louka, F. R.; Spell, M. L.; Grebowicz, J.; Albering, J. H.; Mautner, F. A.; Massoud, S.S. “Coordination Chemistry of 1,4-Bis[bis(2-pyridylmethyl)aminomethyl]benzene with Copper(II)” J. Mol. Struct., 2011, 995, 103-108. http://dx.doi.10.1016/j.molstruc.2011.03.066
19. Massoud, S. S.; Louka, F. R.; Xu, W.; Perkins, R.; Vicente, R.; Albering, J. H.; Mautner, F. A., “DNA Cleavage by Structurally Characterized Dinuclear Copper(II) Complexes Based on Triazine” Eur. J. Inorg. Chem., 2011, 3469-3479. http://dx.doi.10.1002/ejic.201100157
20. Mason, R. P.; Jacob, R. F.; Kubant, R.; Jacoby, R.; Louka, F. R.; J. Corbalan, J.; Malinski, T. “Effects of Angiotensin Receptor Blockers on Endothelial Nitric Oxide Release — The Role of eNOS Variants” Br. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 2012, 74(1), 141-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.2012.04189. x.
21. Louka, F. R.; Nguyen, T. L.; Albering, J. H.; Mautner, F. A.; Massoud, S. S. “Unprecedented formation of a doubly bridged μ-peroxo-μ- pyrazolyldicarboxylatodicobalt(III) complex”. Inorg. Chem. Commun. 2012, 15, 269–271.
22. Louka, F. R.; Stewart, A. D.; Regel, E.; Mautner, F. A.; Demeshko, S.; Meyer, F.; Massoud, S.S., “Squarato-Metal(II) Complexes: Part 5. Polynuclear Copper(II) Complexes Bridged by Squarate and Croconate Dianions”. Inorg. Chem. Commun. 2012, 22, 60–64.
23. Massoud, S. S.; Louka, F. R.; Obaid, Y. K Vicente, R.; Ribas, J; Fischer, R. C.; Mautner, F. A. “Metal ions directing the geometry and nuclearity of azido-metal(II) complexes derived from bis(2-(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)ethyl)amine” Dalton Transactions 2013, 42, 3968-3978. http://dx.doi:10.1039/C2DT32540C.
24. Mautner, F. A.; Louka, F. R.; Hofer, J.; Spell, M.; Lefèvre, A.; Guilbeau, A. E.; Massoud, S. S. “One-Dimensional Cadmium Polymers with Alternative di(EO/EE) and di(EO/EO/EO/EE) Bridged Azide Bonding Modes”. Crystal Growth & Design, 2013, 13 (10), 4518–4525.http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/cg400998r
25. Massoud, S. S.; Perkins, R.; Louka, F. R.; Xu, W.; Roux, A, L; Dutercq, Q; Fischer, R. C.; Mautner, F. A.; Handa, H.; Hiraoka, Y.; Kreft, G. L.; Bortolottoe, T.; Terenzi, H. “Efficient hydrolytic cleavage of plasmid DNA by chloro-cobalt(II) complexes based on sterically hindered pyridyl tripod tetraamine ligands: synthesis, crystal structure and DNA cleavage” Dalton Transactions, 2014, 43, 10086–10103.
26. Mautner, F. A.; Mikuriya, M.; Naka, N.; Louka, F. R.; Massoud, S. S. “Bonding μ1,3- (trans) vs μ1,2- (cis) in squarato-bridging dinuclear copper(II) complexes derived from pyridyl amine ligands”. Polyhedron, 2015, 85, 110–116. http://dx.doi:10.1016/j.poly.2014.08.040.
27. Massoud, S. S.; Louka, F. R.; David, R. N.; Dartez, M. J.; Nguyn, Q. L.; Labry, N. J. Fischer, R. C.; Mautner, F. A.; “Five-coordinate metal(II) complexes based pyrazolyl ligands” Polyhedron, 2015, 90, 258–265.
28. Massoud, S. S.; Louka, F. R.; Abu-Elhassan, M. A.; Vicente, R.; Mautner, F. A. “Magneto-structural properties of carbonato-bridged copper(II) complexes. Fixation of atmospheric CO2” New J. Chem. 2015, 39, 5944-5952.
29. Massoud, S. S.; Louka, F. R.; Mautner, F. A. “Polynuclear and Polymeric Squarato-Bridged Coordination Compounds” Cryst. Eng. Comm. 2015, 17, 7604-7617.
30. Massoud, S. S.; Junk, T.; Louka, F. R.; Herchel, R.; Travnicek, Z.; Fischer, R.; Mautner, F. A. “Synthesis, structure and magnetic characterization of dinuclear copper(II) complexes bridged by bicompartmental phenolate” RSC Adv. 2015, 5, 87139-87150.
31. Massoud, S. S.; Louka, F. R.; Gazzaz, M. A.; Henary, M. M.; Fischer R. C.; Mautner, F. A. “Polynuclear copper(II) complexes bridged by polycarboxylates of aromatic and N-heterocyclic compounds” Polyhedron 2016, 111, 45-52.
32. Herchel, R.; Dvořák, Z.; Trávníček, Z.; Mikuriyab, M.; Louka, F. R.; Mautner, F. A.; Massoud, S. S. “Massoud “Cobalt(II) and copper(II) covalently and non-covalently dichlorido-bridged complexes of an unsymmetrical tripodal pyrazolylpyridyl amine ligand: structures, magnetism and cytotoxicity” Inorg. Chim. Acta 2016, 451, 102–110.
33. Satbhai, K. M.; Louka, F. R.; Klerks, P. L. “Individual and combined effects of petroleum hydrocarbons phenanthrene and dibenzothiophene on reproductive behavior in the amphipod Hyalella azteca” submitted to Journal Water, Air & Soil Pollution 2016, 228: 91. DOI 10.1007/s11270-017-3276-x
34. Massoud, S. S.; Louka, F. R.; Mautner, F. A. “Structural characterization of metal(II) thiocyanato complexes derived from bis(2-(H-pyrazol-1-yl)ethyl)amine” Polyhedron 2017, 124, 237-242.
35. Massoud, S. S.; Williams, G. F.; Louka, F. R.; Henary, M. M.; Herchel, R.; Trávníček, K.; Fischer, R. C. Mautner, F. A. “Croconato-bridged copper(II) complexes. Synthesis, structure and magnetic characterization” New J. Chem., 2017, 41, 3846-3856. http://dx.doi:10.1039/C6NJ03943J
36. Massoud, S. S.; Louka, F. R.; Haq, T. K.; Henary, M. M.; Vicente, R.; Fischer, R. C.; Mautner, F. A. “Structure and Magnetic Properties of Azido Copper(II) Complexes Constructed from Diamino Ligands with Different Azido-bonding Modes, Nuclearity and Dimensionality” New J. Chem. submitted March 2017.
37. Louka, F. R.; Osman, S. Y.; Terracina, T.; Khamidullina, N. “Assessing Ecofriendly Wastes in Removal of Pyrene as a Model of Oil Spills” International Journal of chromatography and separation techniques submitted May 2017.