Chemformation Chemformation
Volume 14, Number 15
Friday, April 17, 1998
Next issue: Friday, April 24th. Chemformation is published by the Office of the Department Chairman. The deadline for the next issue is Tuesday, April 21th. 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
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Tuesday, April 21, 1998 4:00 p.m. in Room 6-120 Reception
immediately following the lecture in Norris Room
18-490
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Professor Claudio Bianchini |
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Wednesday, April 22, 1998 |
"Reactions of Thiophenes with Soluble Transition Metal Complexes. Hydrogenation, Hydrogenolysis and Desulfurization Reactions in Different Phase Systems" |
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Wednesday, April 22, 1998 |
Professor Larry Marnett |
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Thursday, April 23, 1998 |
"Aspirin for the Next Hundred Years? Development of Covalent Inactivators of Cyclooxgenase" |
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Tuesday, April 28, 1998 |
Professor Brooks H. Pate |
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Tuesday, April 28, 1998 |
Dr. Anthony W. Czarnik |
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Please mark your calendars and plan on attending the First Undergraduate Research Symposium for Course 5 on Saturday, May 9th, 1998 hosted by Professor Christopher Cummins. The event will begin with a poster session at 12:00 noon in Room #56-154. Participants can be any undergraduates doing research in Course 5 and if you are interested you should notify Professor Cummins by email at: ccummins@mit.edu.
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12:00-2:00 p.m. |
Poster session with refreshments in Room 56-154 |
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2:00 -3:30 p.m. |
Talks in Room 56-114 (These will be three 20-25 minute talks with 5-10 minutes for questions) Speakers this year will be (all in the Schrock group) John Gavenonis, Laura Turculet and Maria Manzoni |
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3:30 |
Closing remarks by UROP coordinator |
If you area a postdoc who defended and received your Ph.D. between January 1, 1996 and this July 1st, 1998, The Merrill Lynch Forum will award a cash prize of $15,000 to five Ph.D. students who best explain the commercial application of their dissertation. In addition to the cash awards, winners will meet with leading entrepreneurs and venture capitalists to discuss their ideas. Winning candidates' university departments will also receive a $5,000 Innovation Grant in recognition of their support of the Competition. Pick up applications and details of competition in Department Headquarters Office in 18-390; deadline is July 1st. Please feel free to pass this information on to other postdocs or Ph,D. candidates who will finish by July 1, 1998.
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.
Call Ed Udas at 253-4505 or stop by room 6-026 if students, faculty, or staff need help in organizing their MIT space.
Director, Structural Biology Center, University of Houston, Medical School,invites applications for the Director of the Center. Given the expertise already present, the Center will develop X-ray crystallography. The incentives for assuming this position include a significant budget, an endowed Chair, development funds to purchase needed equipment, and the opportunity to make junior faculty appointments. The Director and other Center faculty will hold an academic appointment in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Ongoing faculty recruitment and research development in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology are expected to enhance the research goals of the Structural Biology Center. The Deadline for applications is July 1, 1998. Submit cv, and names of three references and future research plans to: Dr. Henry W.Strobel, Chair,Structural Biology Search Committee, Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas-Houston, Medical School, P.O. Box 20708, Houston, Texas 77225-0708.
We are looking for an experimentalism with a background in laser spectroscopy and optics who is interested in moving into the area of scanning probe methods and addressing more biological problems to work on the following project: Chemical Mapping of Cell and Virus Surfaces via Scanning Near Field Optical Microscopy. Scanning near field optical microscopy (SNOM) gives images with a resolution less than the wavelength of light by scanning an sharpened optical fibre probe over a surface. By working in the near field the resolution is only limited by the size of the near field probe and resolution of between 10 - 80 nm can be obtained. We have constructed a unique reflection mode SNOM (Rev.Sci.Instrum 68,1448,1997) capable of working in liquids and studying hydrated biological specimens, and haveshown recently that it is possible to identify the position of monoclonal antibodies upon a virus surface. We are seeking a suitably qualified person to extend these studies and make considerable modifications to the instrument in order to improve its resolution and efficiency. The ultimate aim of the project is to map binding sites on virus and cell surfaces using fluorescently labeled antibodies. A postdoctoral position for up to three years is available in the research groups of Dr David Klenerman and Dr Trevor Rayment in the Department of Chemistry, Cambridge University, to begin as soon as possible. Applicants should have a strong experimental background with experience in optics, laser spectrosocopy or scanning probe methods. A background in molecular biology is not required since we collaborate with groups at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology , MRC Cambridge, and the Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine Oxford, who will supply the samples used in these experiments however it is important that the person appointed is keen to learn about this area. For further details please contact: Dr. Trevor Rayment, Department of Chemistry- University of Cambridge-Lensfield Road CAMBRIDGE CB2 1EW, Tel: 01223 336469-email: tr22@cus.cam.ac.uk Dr David Klenerman, Dept Chemistry, Cambridge University, Lensifield Road Cambridge CB2 1EW, Tel: 44-(0)1223-336481 Fax: 44-(0)1223-336362.
University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma: A research associateship is available immediately in the Chemical Physics laboratory of Dr. Mark Keil at the University of Oklahoma. They are working in the area of state-to-state chemical reaction dynamics using crossed-molecular beams and laser techniques. Their experiments are yielding new insights about the potential energy surface and dyamics of the prototypical F+H2 ->HF+ H chemical reaction (J. Chemical Phys.106, 9950 (1997); J. Phys. Chem. A. 101, 6429 (1997). Collaboration with the theoretical group of Prof. Gregory A. Parker is the Department models their experiments results using essentially exact three-dimensional quantum reactive scattering codes. The collaboration is elucidating non-classical effects that they have found in chemically reactive scattering and suggests further detailed experiments they are pursing. Please write to: Dr. Mark Keil, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, 73019-0225. or send email to: mkeil@mail.nhn