Chemformation Chemformation Volume 14, Number 17
Friday, May 15, 1998
Next issue: Friday, May 22th. Chemformation is published by the Office of the Department Chairman. The deadline for the next issue is Tuesday, May 19th. 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/
The Chemistry Recognition Dinner was held on May 13th, 1998 at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge. E.J. Cory '48 was the guest speaker. A number of undergraduate Chemistry Majors were honored for their achievements and service:
Kevin Shea was awarded the 1998 Goodwin Medal, an award given annually in recognition of "conspicuously effective" teaching by a graduate student. The award consists of an engraved bronze medal, a leather-bound certificate, and $1500 in cash. Kevin, a member of Rick Danheiser's group, has been involved in the teaching of a variety of different courses. In the fall of 1995, he taught 5.11, and the following spring he served as head TA for 5.13. The following year he taught 5.13 again and, this past spring, he was a TA for the new freshman lab course, 5.30. Kevin has also taken part in TA training, providing instruction and advice to other students involved in teaching. He has consistently won high praise from his students for his teaching ability, his enthusiasm, his friendliness, and his helpfulness.
On Wednesday, May 13, 1998 at the MIT Awards Convocation ceremony, Professors John Essigmann and Scott Virgil were honored from the Department of Chemistry. Professor Essigmann won the Arthur C. Smith Award for "meaningful contributions and devotion to undergraduate student life at MIT." Professor Virgil won a Graduate Student Council Teaching Award which is given to one professor in each school for excellence in teaching, particularly with "respect to teaching of, and interaction with graduate students." Kevin Shea was also presented with the Goodwin Medal at this ceremony.
If you are a postdoc who defended and received (or will receive) your Ph.D. between January 1, 1996 and 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.
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Tuesday, May 19, 1998 |
"Stereocontrolled Synthesis of Acyclic Terpenoids via N-Ylide [2,3] Sigmatropic Rearrangement of Ammonium Salts" |
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Thursday, May 21, 1998 |
"Mutagenesis of the p53 Tumor Suppressor Gene Studied in Saccaromyces Cerevisiae" |
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Thursday, May 21, 1998 |
"Nitric Oxide and Peroxynitrite-Induced Cellular Damage" |
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Thursday, May 28, 1998 |
"Electronic Interaction Across Polyene Bridges in Diiron and Diruthenium" |
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.
Advanced Medicine, Inc., San Francisco, CA: Seeking B.S. or M.S. level-research assistant positions in advanced medicine. Especially interested in those who have 1-2 years of research experience in synthetic chemistry or a related discipline. Encourages applications from candidates who would like to work in a stimulating industrial research environment for two or more years before going to graduate school. AMI is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery of novel human therapeutic agents. Please fax for more information to: (650) 827-8690 to Thomas E. Jenkins, (tjenkins@advmedicine.com)
Kansas State University: Manhattan, Kansas: Temporary or visiting faculty member beginning August of 1998. Seek temporary faculty member with Ph.D. in chemistry and commitment to teaching. Informal inquiries welcome to Professor Sherwood, Dept. Head at (785) 532-6666, email: escachem@ksu.edu fax (785) 532-6666. Send complete package to: Professor Peter M. Sherwood, Chair Temporary Organic Faculty Search Committee, Dept. of Chemistry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506-3701.
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP - Institute of Physical Chemistry University of Zurich, Switzerland A postdoctoral fellowship is available as of the 1st June or after in the group of Prof. J.R. Huber to work on one of the following projects: (1) photodissociation processes in molecules and molecular clusters (2) time resolved laser spectroscopy of molecules using the quantum beat method (3) liquid surface photochemistry in high vacuum. The first topic is studied using on a recently constructed REMPI-TOF flight apparatus and particular points of interest include the detailed investigation of energy partitioning and vector correlations in photodissociation processes and the study of cluster specific photochemistry. In the second field a pulsed dye amplifier generates Fourier transform limited nanosecond laser pulses which are then use to investigate intramolecular dynamics and electronic structure in molecules with a particular emphasis on transient species. The third project concerns the analysis of photoproducts ejected from a liquid surface after laser irradiation, using photofragment translational spectroscopy. The successful applicant should have a background in laser spectroscopy. Experience with molecular beam methods, the REMPI technique and/or time resolved spectroscopy would be of advantage. Further information is available from: World Wide Web: http://www.unizh.ch/pci/huber.html -Prof. J.R. Huber PCI, Universitat Zurich E-mail: huber@pci.unizh.ch Winterthurerstr. 190 CH-8057 Zurich Tel: +41 1 635 4461 Switzerland. - Fax: +41 1 635 6813
A post-doctoral position is immediately available with the research group of Yngve Ohrn and Erik Deumens at the University of Florida. The successful candidate will carry out research in the area of theoretical molecular reaction dynamics. A Ph.D. in physical chemistry, chemical physics, or physics is required. Preference will be given to candidates with experience with compter programming in Fortran and Fortran90. Appointment is for one year and may be renewed for a second year. Starting salary $26,000/year. Interested candicates should send a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, and arrange for three letters of reference to be sent directly from the referees to:N. Yngve Ohrn Professor of Chemistry and Physics phone: +1 352-392-1597, Director fax: +1 352-392-8722 Quantum Theory Project email: ohrn@qtp.ufl.edu -PO Box 118435 University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611-8435 http://www.qtp.ufl.edu/~ohrn
Two postdoctoralpositions in theoretical chemical physics are available, to work with Prof. Jeremy Hutson 1. To work on a research project entitled ``Long-range interactionsinvolving atomic and molecular ions''. The appointment is funded by EPSRC, and will be for up to 2 years, starting as soon as convenient. 2. To undertake research in one of the group's core areas (theory of Vander Waals complexes and clusters, intermolecular forces, theoretical chemical dynamics, molecular collision theory) and to assist with the day-to-day running of the research group during Prof. Hutson's term as Head of Department. The appointment is funded by the Chemistry Department, and is available from 1 October 1998. Further details on the positions, the research group, and the University of Durham are available on the World-Wide Web at http://www.dur.ac.uk/~dch0www/Staff/jmh/vacancy.html Informal enquiries may be sent by email to J.M.Hutson@durham.ac.uk. However, actual applications must include the University's application form, which is available from the Personnel Office, University of Durham, Old Shire Hall, Old Elvet, Durham, DH1 3HP (email Acad.Recruit@durham.ac.uk); please quote reference A784D. Completed forms, accompanied by a full curriculum vitae and the names of two academic referees, must be received by the Personnel Office by 15 June 1998. Applicants should have either a Ph. D. or postdoctoral research experience in theoretical chemical physics. The salary will be within the range 15,159 - 22,785 pounds per annum, according to age and experience, on the 1A scale for Research staff in U Universities Prof. J. M. Hutson Dept. of Chemistry University of Durham, Durham DH1 3LE England, Tel. (0191) 374 3110 (UK) Tel. +44 191 374 3110 (International) FAX: +44 191 384 4737 World-Wide Web home page: http://www.dur.ac.uk/~dch0www/Staff/jmh/
UNIVERSITE DE LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND: POSTDOCTORAL POSITION, AVAILABLEAUTUMN 1998 A postdoctoral position in Experimental Physics is available with Professor Majed Chergui at the Institut de Physique Exp=E9rimentale, Universite de Lausanne, Switzerland. The exact starting date is negotiable. There are several available projects in the laboratory, which is equipped with an OPO nsec laser system and two femtosecond laser systems (one optimized for < 50fs pulses). Possible projects include spectroscopic and real-time studies of Rydberg wavepackets, photochemistry of molecules in solutions or embedded in inert gas solids and light-induced deformations in solids.We also envisage to develop new detection schemes for condensed phase systems in relation to the nanosecond and/or the femtosecond experiments. The candidate will have to do some teaching and knowledge of french is desireable, but not a condition. In addition, he/she has the possibility to prepare for the equivalent of a habilitation. A PhD in physics or chemical physics is required. Experience with femtosecond and/or nanosecond lasers is highly desirable. The initial appointment will be for one year, but an extension of one or more years is possible. Interested applicants should send a resume and arrange to have two letters of reference sent to: Prof. Majed CHERGUI- Institut de Physique Experimentale, 46aculte des Sciences, BSP- Universite de Lausanne, Ch-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland- 46urther information is available through: tel.: (21) 692 3660 (secr.) 46ax.: (21) 692 3635 or 3605- email: Majed.Chergui@ipe.unil.ch http://www.unil.ch/ipe/
PDRA IN COMPUTATIONAL ANALYSIS OF WATER SPECTRA Department of Physics and Astronomy
A postdoctoral research assistantship is available from 1st September 1998 (or soon after) to work on an National Environmental Research Council funded project entitled 'Computational analysis of water absorptions at near infrared and optical wavelengths'. The project will involve the first principles computation of water vibration-rotation spectra using programs developed at UCL, analysis of laboratory spectra, estimation of total atmospheric absorption by water and the construction of a reliable database of water transitions. The appointment will be at the lower end of the Research Staff Scale 1A, currently \pounds 15,159 - 22,788 p.a.(under review), depending on age, qualifications and experience plus \pounds 2,134 London weighting. The grant is for two years although it is College policy to appoint for one year in the first instance. Prospective applicants are encouraged to make informal contact with Prof. Jonathan Tennyson (j.tennyson@ucl.ac.uk 0171-380-7809). Applications should be in the form of a full curriculum vitae including the names and addresses of two referees and sent or emailed to Prof. Jonathan Tennyson, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
Postdoctoral Positions in the Voth Group at the University of Utah Several postdoctoral positions are available in the group of Professor Greg Voth at the University of Utah. Salary is negotiable, and health/dental benefits are provided. The Henry Eyring Center for Theoretical Chemistry at Utah that includes the groups of Voth, Simons, and Truong, with Voth as its Director. It is housed in a new state-of-the-art Intermountain West Networking and Scientific Computing Center on the Utah campus near the Chemistry Building. The occupants of the INSCC consist of an interdisciplinary group of scientists from the fields of chemistry, physics, meteorology, materials science, computer science, engineering, and applied mathematics-all with a focus on theory and high performance computing. Also housed in the building is the Utah Center for High Performance Computing, which operates a 72 node IBM SP2, a 64 node SGI Origin2000 supercomputer with eight Infinite Reality graphics engines, and an advanced graphics laboratory. The University of Utah is also a recent recipient of a DOE Level I Accelerated Strategic Computing (ASCI) Center grant. More information can be found on our web page at http://voth.chem.utah.edu/. Interested applicants should contact (electronic mail is preferable): Professor Gregory A. Voth-Department of Chemistry- University of Utah - 315 S. 1400 E. RM Dock Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-0850- voth@chemistry.chem.utah.edu