Chemformation

The Weekly Newsletter of the MIT Chemistry Department

Volume 13, Number 34

October 31, 1997

Next issue: The next issue is November 7, 1997. Deadline for submission of material is Tuesday, November 4. Chemformation is published by the Office of the Department Chairman. Please convey items of interest (or mailing list changes) to Linda Earle Room 18-390, Department of Chemistry, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, 617/253-1803; 617/258-7500 (fax) or e-mail to lkn@mit.edu Back issues of Chemformation can be accessed via the Chemistry Department Website.

Visit the Chemistry Department Website at http://web.mit.edu/chemistry/www/

Seminar Calendar

Myra O'Donoghue

Schrock Group

"Reduction and Functionalization of Dinitrogen Employing Molybdenum Triamidoamine Complexes"

Wednesday, November 5, 1997

4:00 in 6-120

Refreshments @ 3:30 outside of 6-120

Seminar in Inorganic Chemistry

 

Professor David Chandler

University of California at Berkeley

"Finding Transition Pathways in Complicated System: Throwing Ropes Over Rough Mountain Passes, in the Dark"

Thursday, November 6, 1997

5:00 p.m. in Room MB 23

Harvard/MIT Joint Physical Chemistry Seminars at Harvard

Refreshments @ 4:30 in MB23

 

Dr. Hiram Gilbert

Baylor College of Medicine

"Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Di-sulfide Bonds and Then Some"

Monday, November 3, 1997

12:00 noon in 68-121

Macromolecular Structure/Function Seminar Series

 

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MIT's United Way 1997 Campaign

The 1997 MIT United Way Campaign is now underway. Our department solicitor this year is Marsha Myles, whom you will be hearing from soon. She can be reached at 3-1879 with any questions.

Nominations Invited for Victor K. LaMer Award

The Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry, the American Chemical Society, announces the Victor K. LaMer Award for graduate research in colloid and surface chemistry, a $2500 prize. Nominations are invited for an outstanding Ph.D. thesis accepted by a US or Canadian university during the three-year period September 1, 1994-August 30, 1997. Previous years' nomination may be renewed or appended with an updated letter of nomination. The nomination may be made by the thesis advisor or anyone familiar with the nominee's work. In addition to the nomination letter, the nomination packet should contain four copies of the thesis, along with a supporting letter and biography of the nominee. Four copies of all material, including thesis and supporting documentation are required. Incomplete nominations may jeopardize an otherwise outstanding nomination.

Criteria: 1. Judges will consider originality, significance, quality and other criteria normally accepted in evaluation of scientific work. 2. Special attention will be paid to the contribution of the student as distinct from the contribution of the professor. The nomination should clearly differentiate the two efforts. 3. The potential and promise of the student as a future investigator will be considered; therefore, achievement by the student prior to and after completion of the thesis may be discussed. Copies (four) of papers published after the thesis will be helpful. Please send materials by November 30th to: Professor Darsh T. Wasan, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, 10 West 33rd Street, Chicago, Illinois 60616-3793

Merck Science Initiative

The competition for the 1998 UNCF-Merck Science Research Scholarships and Fellowships is now open, dedicated to expanding the pool of world-class African American biomedical scientists and to achieve the complementary goals of national economic competitiveness and social diversity. Undergraduate applications are available from the Education office 2-325 and graduate and postdoctoral applications are in headquarters, 18-390.

Help Get Organized!

Call Ed Udas at 253-4505 or stop by room 6-026 if students, faculty or staff need help in organizing their MIT space.

Glass Blowing Services Available

Bob DiGiacomo will be coming in on Wednesdays or Thursdays to pick up any glass blowing work that you may have available. Please bring any work to room 6-031 or call Ed Udas or John Annese at 3-4505. Bob will do the work on a first-come, first-served basis.

Positions

• Astra Research Center, Cambridge, MA: Seeks a biochemist/enzymologist at the B.S./M.S. level for temporary assignment in their biochemistry group. Candidates should have a strong background in protein/enzyme-centered research and a desire to contribute to their drug discovery program. They seek candidates with experience in purification of proteins, enzyme assay and steady state kinetics. The successful candidate will function well in team research, have a keen interest in science and possess superior written and oral skills. Please contact: Dr. Eric Brown, Dept. of Biochemistry fontia@rpi.edu

• Allergan, Inc, Irvine, CA: seeks scientists to use modern organic chemistry techniques to synthesize compounds for biological evaluation as potential novel therapeutic agents. Requires a MS and seven years experience or a Ph.D. and two years related academic/industrial experience or an equivalent combination of education/experience. Must have excellent communication skills. Also require familiarity with nuclear magnetic resonance spectrophotometer, infra-red spectrophotometer, ultra-violet/visible spectrophotometer, high performance liquid chromatographys and gas chromatographs as well as working knowledge of mass spectrometry and other equipment used in organic synthesis. Please send resume to: Allergan, Attn: JS/S/CEN, T2-1B, 2525 Dupont Dr., Irvine, CA 92612. Fax is (7140 246-4220.

Please note, unless otherwise specified, most faculty positions require a resume, short description of research plans and arranging for three letters of recommendation to be sent directly to the specific university or college.

Faculty Positions

• Temple University,Philadelphia, PA: Seeks outstanding applicants for a tenure-track position in the areas of organic/bioorganic chemistry for fall of 1998. They are particularly interested in individuals who have research interests at the interface of biochemistry, neurochemistry, medicinal chemistry, etc. The candidates should have an especially strong commitment to teaching at the undergraduate level and graduate level in organic, bioorganic or biochemistry. Provide all information to: Chair, Faculty Selection Committee, Department of Chemistry, 13th and Norris Street, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122. Review of applications begins after November 19th.

• University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA: An appointment in inorganic chemistry at the assistant professor level is expected to be made. There is no targeted area of specialization in connection with their search, however, they seek applicants with a strong commitment to both research and teaching. Prospective candidates should send their materials to: Professor Hai-Lung Dai, Chair, Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6323, (215) 898-0087, or fax: (215) 573-4206 or e-mail: therien@a.chem.upenn.edu

• Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI: Assistant Professor of Chemistry, for a Ph.D. in biochemistry with a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching and research. Preferance will be given to candidates with expertise in modern biotechnology or gene expression. Please contact: Dr. Harvey Nikkel, Chair, Dept. of Chemistry, 327 Padnos Hall, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI 49401, e-mail is nikkelh@gvsu.edu

• Carlton College, Northfield, MN: Seeks a person with strong commitment to undergraduate teaching to maintain an active research program; start--up funding will be available. Highest priority will be given to find a person who will develop course work and a research program in either materials science, environmental chemistry, or analytical chemistry. It is desirable if the candidate can share the teaching of sophomore-level analytical chemistry. Send materials to: Will Hollingsworth, Chair, Carleton College, One North College Street, Northfield, MN 55057.

• Louisana State University, Baton Rouge, LA: Seeks applicants for a tenure-track position to pursue research in broadly defined area of biological chemistry with research interests in bioinorganic, bioanalytical, bioorganic or biophysical chemistry, including, but not limited to the areas of biomaterials and/or biopolymers. Send materials to: Professor Nikolaus H. Fischer, Faculty Search Committee, Dept. of Chemistry, Louisana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-1804, phone is (504) 388-2695, fax is 504-388-3458 and e-mail is fhscher@chemgate.chem.1su.edu

• University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa: Seeks outstanding applicants for appointments in Chemistry next August. The abilities to develop a strong research program and to teach effectively is important. Priority will be given to applicants with research interests in the interface areas of chemistry and biology, (e.g. synthesis and/or isolation of bioactive molecules, combinatorial chemistry, molecular recognition, biomacromolecular structure and function, metalloproteins, metals in biological systems, electron transport, catalysis, and bioremediation) 2, instrumentation and measurements (e.g. chromatography, instrument miniaturization/microdevices, microscopy, NMR, mass spectrometry); 3,.environmental/ecological chemistry (e.g. atmospheric chemistry and green chemistry); and 4)materials chemistry, (e.g. synthesis, characterization, properties, and function of main group materials, organic polymers or biopolymers, and solid state materials including semiconductors and high T c superconductors). Send materials to: Chair, Faculty Search Committee, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242-1294.

• University of Alabama at Huntsville, Huntsville, AL: Looking for applicants for two positions, one in analytical and one in organic in the Dept. of Materials Sciences. Must have Ph.D. with research interests in experimental materials science and biotechnology. Preference will be given to individuals that interface well with the present faculty and their research interests (polymer science, biomaterials, structural biology, biosensors, surface science and optical materials), utilizing the major instrumentation available. ESCA, SEM, STM, AFM, NMR, FTIR, UV-Vis, GC-Ms and protein and thin film XRD. Please contact: Professor Clyde Riley, Chair, Dept. of Chemistry, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899. Their website is: http://matsci.uah.edu/.

Postdoctoral Fellowships

• There is a current opening for a Ph.D. student with Professor Arthur Fontijn in the High-Temperature Reaction Kinetics Laboratory (HTRKL) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. We are looking for an experimentalism, preferentially with some experience in studying gas-phase reactions and at least an undergraduate level P. Chem. knowledge of electronic optical spectroscopy. The successful student could get a Ph.D.in either Chemical Engineering or Chemistry.The group presently consists of five Ph.D. students and a full time technician. A variety of reactors that allow studies over the 300-1800 K temperature range have been developed in our laboratory. These are supplemented by a number of uv-visible lasers, electro-optical detection and vacuum equipment, and a dedicated quadrapole mass spectrometer. The programs, which are of a fundamental chemical kinetics nature,are undertaken in the context of rocket-atmospheric interactions, incinerator processes, development of explosives, and fire-retardant reactions. Women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply. Applicants should contact:Professor Arthur Fontijn, Department of Chemical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th St., Troy, NY 12180-3590, Phone (518) 276-6508, Fax (518) 276-4030, e-mail: fontia@rpi.edu

• POSTDOCTORAL POSITION AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY at Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago, Illinois. The program seeking a postdoctoral associate studies free radicals and other chemically relevant transient and/or metastable species in gas phase, using conventional and laser based photoionization mass spectrometry techniques and their variations, such as TPES, PEPICO, ZEKE, MATI, etc. Eligible applicants are those who have received a Ph.D. in chemistry or physics within the last three years and posses a strong background in high vacuum technology, lasers, and computers. Previous direct experience with photoionization mass spectrometry or photoelectron spectroscopy is highly desirable, but not required. Applicants should send a resume and names of three references to: Dr. Branko Ruscic Chemistry Division, Argonne National Laboratory 9700 S. Cass Ave. Argonne, IL 60439-4831. USA e-mail: ruscic@anl.gov -fax: 1-630-252-4081- voice: 1-630-252-4079. More information on Argonne National Laboratory at http://www.anl.gov Branko (ruscic@anl.gov)

• West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV: Seeks a postdoctoral fellow to conduct research in the laboratories of Kay M. Brummond, with a strong synthetic organic background for a one-year appointment and could be extended for another year. The candidate will have the opportunity to work on a project involving the total synthesis of anti-cancer compounds. More specifically the synthetic goals of this project include the application of the allenic Pauson-Khand cycloaddition to the preparation of analogs possessing the illudin skeleton. The project is being supported by MGI Pharma. Inc. Please submit a cv, description of research accomplishments and the names of three referees. to: Kay M. Brummond, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Chemistry, West Virginia University, PO ox 6045, Morgantown, WV 26506-6045, (304) 293-3435-ext. 4445 or e-mail kmb@wvnvm.wvnet.edu

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