Chemformation

The Weekly Newsletter of the MIT Chemistry Department

Volume 14, Number 1

January 9, 1998

Next issue: Friday, January 16th. Chemformation is published by the Office of the Department Chairman. The deadline for the next issue is Tuesday, January 13. 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

Thursday, January 22, 1998 4:00 p.m. in Room 6-120 Refreshments @ 3:30 p.m. in 18-490 Seminar in Organic Chemistry	Professor Bruce M. Novak University of Massachusetts at Amherst "Building Chiral Architectures Using Organometallic Complexes"
Wednesday, January 28, 1998 4:00 in Room 6-120 Refreshments @ 3:30 p.m. in lobby of 6-120 Seminar in Inorganic Chemistry	Jonas Peters MIT, Cummins Group "Cleavage and Functionalization of Diatomic Molecules: Chemistry at a Reducing Molybdenum Center"

Third Annual MIT/Bruker Symposium to be Held January 31, 1998

Mark your calendars and plan to join us for the third annual MIT/Bruker (formerly Siemens) Symposium on Crystallographic Chemical Analysis to be held on Saturday, January 31, 1997 beginning at 8:45 a.m. in Room 6-120. Topics that will be discussed are crystal growth, problem structures and strategies for the resolution of twinning problems. A free catered lunch will be available and there will be a $500 prize for the best poster!! Pre-register by e-mail to Dr. Bill Davis at wmdavis@mit.edu or to Linda Earle at lkn@mit.edu. The aforementioned e-mail addresses may be used to enter poster competition.

The Third Annual Bruker/MIT Symposium on
Crystallographic Chemical Analysis

Morning Session

8:30	Coffee and Registration outside of 6-120
8:45	Opening remarks and welcome by Professor Stephen J. Lippard
8:50	Dr. Sue Byram and Dr. Frank Laukien (Bruker Analytical X-Ray Systems)
9:30	Dr. Charles Campana (Bruker)
10:30	break
10:45	Dr. Richard Staples

Afternoon Session

1:00	Dr. Arnold Rheingold (University of Delaware)
1:45	Dr. Victor Young (University of Minnesota)
2:30	Dr. Jed Parkin (Columbia University)
3:15	Wrap up and Winner of Poster Session Announced!

Messages from Erja Kajosalo, the Chemistry Librarian

Chemistry journal news from Europe, and I wanted to bring an important publishing change to your attention. In January 1998, the chemical societies of Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands will have combined their journals:

Chemische Berichte/Recueil
Liebigs Annalen/Recueil
Bulletin de la Societe Chimique de France
Bulletin des Societes Chimiques Belges
Gazzetta Chimica Itaniana
Recueil des Travaux Chimiques des Pays Bas

into: European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry and European Journal of Organic Chemistry. Wiley-VCH will be the publisher, articles will all be in English. For more details, see this editorial:

http://www.vchgroup.de/vch/journals/2005/2005_2046_edit_Oct97.html

"Inorganic" chemistry will include the fields of organometallic,bioinorganic and solid state chemistry. "Organic" chemistry will include the areas of synthetic organic, physical organic, and bioorganic chemistry. The call numbers for these new journals in the MIT Science library will remain the same as Chemische Berichte/Recueil (QD.C523) and Liebigs Annalen/Recueil (QD.J962) because this is considered a title change.

Please note, also for those that are interested in a list of new books, please check the following URL there is a list of new chemistry and Chem Eng books from May 1 to Nov 30, 1997. They are in call number order:

http://libraries.mit.edu/science/Subjects/Chemistry/new_dec97.html

Baby Congratulations

Congratulations to David (Fu group) and Jennifer Hays on the birth of their daughter Brooke who was born on 12/15/97 at 6:18pm, weighing in at 6 lbs 8 oz. Brooke joins the family with older brother Sam. Everything went off without a hitch, and everyone's doing well.

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.

Graduate Research Symposium in
Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry

Friday, January 30, 1998
1:00 PM, Room 66-110

Corning Foundation Invites Graduate Students to Participate in Fellowship Program!

The Corning Foundation has invited the Department to again participate in the Foundation's Science Fellowship Program. For the 1998-99 academic year, Corning is offering up to $25,000 in support of a pre-doctoral fellowship in chemistry. Applications must include a one-page description of your research activities, including biographical information, academic record, a curriculum vitae, and a statement of support from your Ph.D. advisor. You must be involved in research that directly relates to one of the following technologies listed below. The department Graduate Committee will review the applications and choose a candidate. Please submit all applications to Professor Dietmar Seyferth, Room 4-382A by February 6th, 1998.

Glass and glass ceramics: Glass and glass-ceramic compositions; glass melting and forming; and semi-conductor device materials.

Optics and photonics: Optical physics; materials and design; guided optics; components and associated process research.

Cellular ceramics: Cellular ceramic composition and extrusion processes and ceramic materials.

Polymers: Polymer formation and processing in support of new products and existing product extensions.

Surfaces and thin films: Thick and thin films; surfaces and interfacial chemistry; with supporting materials research.

Machine research: Concept engineering for the development of high precision machines.

Characterization sciences: New analytical processes and advanced characterization of chemical, physical, optical, structural and morphological properties.

Process modeling and measurement: Mathematical, physical, chemical and molecular modeling research.

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

• NEC Research Institute,Inc.,Princeton, NJ: seeks an outstanding experimentalist interested in the science of smal l functional structures of relevance either to molecular biophysics, electronics or materials science for a research staff position. The candidate will be expected to build a state-of-the-art laboratory and have the vision to establish a world class research effort. NECI will provide generous support, substantial start-up funds, an open and collegial environment, and freedom to define and direct research. Please contact the company at 609-520-1555, 609-951-2481.

Faculty Positions

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.

• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA: Seeks M.D. or Ph.D., candidates for an assistant professor in the area of the molecular recognition of inflammation for independent research in which genetic or gene targeting approaches are used to study the molecular mechanisms underlying inflammatory diseases. Preferenace will be given to applicants with a proven record of directing an independent research program. Send materials to: Jean-Pierre Kinet, Chairman, Search Committee, c/o Jeffrey Goodman@ Research North/Room 227-C, Dept. of Pathology, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215.

• University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho: seeking a one-year temporary organic chemistry faculty position. Check their website at: http://www.chem.uidaho.edu Send resume and three letters of recommendation by February 2 to: Professor Richard V. Williams, Chair, Organic Search Committee, Dept. of Chemsitry, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-2343.

• The University of Delaware Department of Physics and Astronomy invites applications for a tenure track position at the rank of Assistant Professor. Successful candidates will be expected to demonstrate potential for establishing a significant externally funded research program and to be dedicated teachers of physics at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The fields of research are limited to experimental research in atomic and molecular physics or in condensed matter physics, or both. Start-up funds are available. Tenure track position is to start September 1, 1998. Interested applicants should send a resume and names of three references to the Search Committee, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716. For full consideration completed applications should be received no later than January 31, 1998. The University of Delaware is an Equal Opportunity Employer which encourages applications from qualified minority groups and women.

• Dennison University, Granville, Ohio: seeks biochemist to begin in August of 1998. Check website at http://www.denison.edu and contact Dr. Michael M. Fuson, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Edbaugh Laboratories, Denison University, Granville, Ohio 43023.

Postdoctoral Positions

• POSTDOCTORAL POSITION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY. A postdoctoral position is available immediately in the research group of William A. Lester, Jr., University of California, Berkeley.The research is focused on theoretical studies of reaction pathways and molecular properties using quantum Monte Carlo and other ab initio electronic structure methods with application to combustion systems. Applicants withstrong backgrounds in electronic structure methods including effective core potentials and code development will be given preference. Please send CV listing experience, publications, and presentations as well as the names,telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses of two references to the address below. In addition, please request references to forward letters to the following address. Professor William A. Lester, Jr. Department of Chemistry University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley, CA 94720-1460 U.S.A. Tel: (510) 643-9590; Fax: (510) 486-5574 Homepage: http://www.cchem.berkeley.edu/~walgrp/

• Applicants from any country (excluding France) are invited to apply for a postdoctoral position to work in the Laboratoire COLLISIONS AGREGATS REACTIVITE in TOULOUSE (Universite P. SABATIER and CNRS). The stay in the laboratory should begin on October 1st, 1998 and for a one-year period, with the possibility of a second year. The net salary is close to 12 000 FF/month. The interested candidates should send us their CV by e-mail, preferably before January 26th, as we must choose the candidates before submitting to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs where the final selection is made. The research subjects in our laboratory are the following ones: Femtosecond spectroscopy and coherent control of small atomic and molecular systems ( Prof. B. GIRARD) Spectroscopy and dynamics of small clusters (Prof. P. LABASTIE) Atomic interferometry, ultra-cold atom collisions and applications (Prof. J. WEINER and J. VIGUE) Ion-atom and ion molecule collisions (Prof. A BORDENAVE-MONTESQUIEU) Ion-surface collisions (Prof. P. BENOIT-CATTIN and C. BENAZETH) Theoretical studies of dynamical processes in molecules and small clusters (Prof. J.A. BESWICK) Interested candidates should contact me for additional information and submit a summary of their research work and one or two letters of recommendation AS SOON AS POSSIBLE due to the very short deadline of January 31st Address: Jacques Vigue Laboratoire Collisions Agregats Reactivite IRSAMC, Universite P. SABATIER 118, route de NARBONNE-31062 TOULOUSE Cedex,FRANCE-tel: 33 (0)5 61 55 60 16.fax: 33 (0)5 61 55 83 17e-mail: jacques@yosemite.ups-tlse.fr

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill program received one of the Dreyfus Postdoctoral Awards, and we are seeking qualified applicants. Please distribute the following information to your faculty. We hope they have a recent or near PhD graduate who might apply. Thank you for your help in this. Dreyfus Postdoctoral Fellowship in Environmental Chemistry University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.A two-year Postdoctoral Fellowship in Environmental Chemistry is available through an award provided to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by the Dreyfus Foundation. The Fellowship provides the opportunity to explore how expertise in chemistry may be applied to the analysis of environmental problems, with an emphasis on bringing advanced understanding of chemistry to bear on the development and/or testing of environmental models used in decision-making. The awardee will be able to select from a range of topic areas related to environmental chemistry and modeling, including atmospheric chemistry, water chemistry and the chemistry of industrial processes. Applications are being accepted from essentially any area of chemistry, including chemical engineering, applicable to the analysis of environmental phenomena. The Fellowship will begin August, 1998. It is being administered jointly by the Carolina Environmental Program, the Institute for Environmental Studies, and the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This will provide a vibrant intellectual setting for research, with the opportunity to work In advanced areas of chemistry while exploring applications to computation, visualization, and modeling in support of environmental policy. Applicants must have a PhD degree in some area of Chemistry or Chemical Engineering (degrees in explicitly environmental areas cannot be accepted); strong skills in theory, modeling and/or computation; and an ability to work in interdisciplinary teams with interactions between experiment, field studies, theory, modeling, computation/visualization and environmental decision-making. Applications will be accepted through March 1, 1998, with a decision made by April 1, 1998. The application should consist of a CV; a statement as to why the applicant wishes to explore environmental processes in further training and why their past training has prepared them to participate in projects involving modeling; and three academic letters of reference. Applications should be submitted to Dr. Douglas Crawford-Brown, Director, Institute for Environmental Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1105. For more information, contact Dr. Crawford-Brown at 919-966-6026 or by email at "douglas_crawford-brown@unc.edu".

• North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC: Professor Christopher B. Gorman, has two positions available in his research group to study the design of late tranistion metal catalysts for stereorgular polymerization for candidates with experience in organic and/or organometallic synthesis and an interest in exploring structure property relationships in polymers and dendrimers. The new materials will be utilized ultimately i nnanoscale scanning probe microscopy experiments in collaboration with other members of his group. Send information including avaiability to him at: North Carolina State University, Box 8204, Raleigh, NC 27695-8204. internet: Chris_Gorman@nesu.edu

• University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho: A two-year research appointment to conduct researc in the area of sulfur biogeochemistry to elucidate the pathways responsible for gaseous sulfur evolution from soils. The individual will be responsible for developing and applying chromatographic, spectroscopie, and electrochemical techniques to identify substrates and pathway intermediates. Primarily a lab-based proejct. Seek a Ph.D. in soil chemistry, soil biochemistry analytical chemistry, environmental chemistry or a related field, experience with gas and liquid chromatography. Send materials by January 20, 1998 along with names and addresses of three references to: Search Committee-Posdoc Fellow, Bicgeochemistry, Dept. of PSES, College of Agriculture, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844-2339/ Fax is (208)885-7760

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