Within Scientific Research, Nelson's topics have been on collecting, compiling, and disseminating CDC statistics revealing fentanyl death numbers and rates, on mechanistic patterns in alkene addition reactions, and on single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) functionalization and analysis, yielding the first COSY NMR spectrum of covalently functionalized SWCNTs in solution.

[12] Nelson has written over 200 research-related publications,[13] and has given hundreds of invited presentations to national meetings of professional societies and organizations, universities, and radio and TV programs, such as NPR, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer[14] and Marketplace Morning Report.

For fiscal year 2023, US Border Patrol fentanyl seizures increased to 27024 lbs, which is 18 times the amount needed to kill every person in the US.

She applied nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) to examine the effects of substituents upon SWCNT reaction and association with a variety of classes of organic molecules, such as alcohols, amines, ketones, aldehydes and nitro compounds.

[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] As a physical organic chemist, Nelson developed a new synthetically useful technique for gathering mechanistic information on addition reactions of alkenes.

[33] [34][35][36] [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] In 2011, Nelson examined comprehensive undergraduate organic chemistry textbooks in use at that time, in order to determine consistency in cyclohexane conformation across the texts and with research literature; they[who?]

[46] She and her students continue to evaluate currently-used undergraduate organic chemistry textbooks in order to identify other content at odds with research literature and characteristics which are most conducive to learning.

[47] Nelson utilized her teaching assignment of large sections of organic chemistry to develop and evaluate learning devices for her students.

She received the 2004 National Organization for Women Woman of Courage Award for carrying out and disseminating the results of the Nelson Diversity Surveys.

Nelson's diversity research has been cited by dozens of newspapers, magazines, and journals, including Nature,[61] The New York Times,[62][63] The Christian Science Monitor,[64] and CNN.

[65] The Government Accountability Office used Nelson's data for its July 2004 report to Congress on Title IX, specifically women's access to opportunities in the sciences.

At his lunchtime talk for this conference, then-Harvard President Lawrence Summers had given three hypotheses for the higher proportion of men in high-end science and engineering positions, which were considered controversial by many.

[1][70][71][72][73][74] According to Gilligan, "[Because] Walter White was talking to his students, I was able to dumb down certain moments of description and dialogue in the early episodes which held me until we had some help from some honest-to-god chemists.

We have a [chemist] named Dr. Donna Nelson at the University of Oklahoma who is very helpful to us and vets our scripts to make sure our chemistry dialogue is accurate and up to date.

"[75] Gilligan said, "Dr. Donna Nelson from the University of Oklahoma approached us several seasons back and said, "I really like this show, and if you ever need help with the chemistry, I'd love to lend a hand.

In order to span the science and entertainment communities, she organized a "Hollywood Chemistry" symposium at the March 2011 ACS National Meeting at Anaheim, CA.

Dr. Nelson also served as Science Advisor for the 2024 disaster film Twisters and for the 2024 TV Mini Series documentary The Godfather of Fentanyl (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33254831/).

"[81] She gave advice on background, terminology, pronunciation, and the retrosynthesis and total synthesis of haplophytine to a production of the musical, Triangle at the Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma City.

[83] Many ACS international scientific alliances came during her term as President: (1) A scientist exchange agreement was initiated with the Chemical Society of France.