ChemformationChemformationVolume 18, Number 10
Friday, May 24, 2002
Chemformation is published by the Office of the Department Chairman. Please convey items of interest (or mailing list changes) to Liz McGrath, Room T18-390, Department of Chemistry, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, 617/253-4080; 617/258-7500 (fax) or e-mail to emg@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/.
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Tuesday, June 18, 2002 Seminar in Organic Chemistry Room 6-120 at 4:00 p.m. |
Motomu Kanai, University of Tokyo "Recent Progress in Lewis Acid-Lewis Base Bifunctional Asymmetric Catalysis" |
ANNOUNCEMENTSCongratulations to: YounJoon Jung, (Silbey group) who finished his Ph.D. defense last week and has been chosen as a Miller Research Fellow for the years 2002-2005 at the University of California, Berkeley.
The Chemistry Department held its 2002 Undergraduate Awards Dinner at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on May 16 to honor undergraduates for their achievements and service.
The Merck Index Award for outstanding scholarship was presented to Alexandra Ianculescu of Simi Valley, California, and Ryan Zeidan of Kentwood, Michigan. Neal Devaraj of Manhattan Beach, California, and Michael Torrice of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, were joint recipients of the Alpha Chi Sigma Award, given in recognition of achievement in research, scholarship and service to the department.
Tet Matsuguchi of Saitama-ken, Japan, received the Hypercube Scholar Award for outstanding achievement in the area of computational chemistry. The American Institute of Chemists Foundation Award, presented in recognition of outstanding achievement, ability, leadership and character, was given to Ahmed Ghazi of Cairo, Egypt. Freshman, Woon Teck Yap of Singapore, received the CRC Press Freshman Chemistry Achievement Award for outstanding academic achievement in chemistry.
The Frederick D. Greene Teaching Award for outstanding contributions in the area of teaching was presented to Bogdan Fedeles of Buzau, Romania, and Herb Chen of Lexington, Massachusetts. Three seniors received the Chemistry Undergraduate Service Award for significant contributions in the area of service to the department, Neena Kadaba of Capistrano Beach, California, Amy Katz of River Vale, New Jersey, and Amy Tyszkiewicz of Sayreville, New Jersey. The ACS Analytical Chemistry Award presented for outstanding achievement by a junior in analytical chemistry, was given to Zhi-Heng Loh of Singapore. .
Seniors Gitrada Arjara of Bronx, New York, Adam Silverman of Pomona, New York, and Dylan Stiles of Newton, Massachusetts, were recipients of the Chemistry Undergraduate Research Award for outstanding research in the field of chemistry. Han Sen Soo of Singapore, was also recognized for being awarded the Strem Prize for excellence in undergraduate research at the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium.
The department also expressed thanks to the undergraduates who worked this year as educators at MIT as teaching assistants and tutors -- Teaching Assistants: Jyoti Agarwal, Herb Chen, Bogdan Fedeles, Alina Feldman, Dina Feith, Melanie Pincus, Michael Torrice, Amy Tyszkiewicz, John Paul Shen, Crystal Shih, Gitanjali Singh, Siobhan Walsh.
Tutors: Gitrada Arjara, Julia Chen, Karen Cheng, Irina Gorodetskaya, Monica Ho, Neena Kadaba, Neal Mankad, Jyoti Tibrewala, Lisa Smith, Sonya.
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Left to Right: Tet Matsuguchi, Bogdan Fedeles, Amy Tyszkiewicz, Ryan Zeidan, Amy Katz, Adam Silverman, to Alexandra Ianculescu, Michael Torrice, Herb Chen, Neena Kadaba, Gitrada Arjara. |
A major redesign of the department website is now underway. The department has hired Barrett Communications Inc. to undertake this project. For examples of Barrett's recent work at MIT, please visit the websites of the Departments of Biology and Economics.
Over the next several weeks, the Barrett project team will be gathering information that will help define the organization, content, and design of our new website. The Department website is more and more becoming the "face" that the department presents to the world, and we urgently seek your input in defining key features of the new site.
The following questions have been developed to gain vital information about MIT’s Chemistry Department and to uncover information that will be critical in the creation of the new Chemistry Web site.
We would appreciate your input. Please mail, fax or e-mail your responses or comments to Laura Howe, Room 2-204, lhowe@mit.edu, FAX 8-0241.
PROJECT STATUS
Phase 1 is approaching completion; the start of Phase 2 will be officially marked with the shutdown of Shaft 2 in early June. Completion of Phase 3 is currently projected to be summer 2003. Although construction has begun on the South End offices, an acceleration of the work will occur shortly as all remaining swing spaces are vacated.
PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC AND THE TRANSPORT OF HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES IN THE WEST CORRIDOR AND ELEVATOR LOBBY
The west corridor and elevator lobby on all floors will experience a high volume of pedestrian traffic and transport of construction materials and debris throughout the remainder of the project. The designated passenger (Right Car) elevator will be used to bring construction materials into the Phase 2 area. Construction activity will be taking place between 6 AM and 2 PM Monday through Friday and possibly on weekends.
In the interest of safety of all of the occupants and workers, proper procedures need to be followed when transporting hazardous substances within the public spaces of building 18. The Department of Chemistry Safety Manual 2002 edition (page 32) clearly states that MIT policy requires that all chemicals be transported between stockrooms and laboratories in break-resistant or approved secondary containers. Compressed gas cylinders must be strapped onto a suitable hand truck. All cylinders must have a protective cover cap properly in place.
The west corridor is the primary means of egress in the event of fire or other emergency. The corridor must be kept clear at all times.
EXTERIOR RESTORATION
Concrete restoration and waterproofing of the exterior East elevation including in the areas of the occupied desk areas has resumed. Noise associated with chipping and power washing of the exterior surfaces can be expected for the next several weeks. This activity will be taking place Monday through Friday from 7 AM until 4 PM.
Graduate Students interested in joining the Chemistry Department Chemical Hygiene and Safety Committee are invited to submit their names to Ms. Elouise Evee at elouise_evee@mit.edu. Members of the Committee participate in inspections of department laboratories (approximately one inspection per month) and attend meetings (ca. 2 per year) to discuss and formulate Chemistry Department safety policy. No prior experience in safety-related matters is necessary.
As a result of the recent EPA/MIT "Consent Decree", major changes will be instituted at MIT over the next year with regard to how safety training is conducted, who does inspections and formulates rules, how we order chemicals, etc. Grad student input is urgently needed as our department committee responds to proposed changes.
Pursuant to a meeting of the club last week, the following members were elected:
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, Division of Organic Chemistry: announces the availability of graduate fellowships for third or fourth year Ph.D. students in organic chemistry. Details PDF
The CHEMISTRY R.E.F.S. (Resources for Easing Friction and Stress) are available to discuss your concerns. We are a group of seven chemistry graduate students trained and certified by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as mediators, and we specialize in conflict resolution. We are available to chemistry graduate students, undergraduate students, and faculty/staff for discussion. Whether the concern is small or large, personal or interpersonal, REFS can be of service. We present a forum for listening to concerns and helping people determine how best to handle their situation. This process can lead to a better understanding of the core issues, and bring to light novel and attractive options for easing tension. All REFS were trained through MEDIATION@MIT in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws, c. 233, sec. 23C. All interaction with the Chemistry REFS program is confidential and voluntary.
Please visit our website at http://web.mit.edu/~drignat/www/mediation.html for a comprehensive description of the program and REFS contact information
Detailed information on all positions on file in Chemistry Headquarters
* The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: is searching for a new Dean for its School of Pharmacy.
* Kent State University: invites applications to fill several tenure track faculty positions in inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry and /or biochemistry.
Information on all positions is on file in Chemistry Headquarter
* University of Oregon in Eugene: postdoctoral positions are available in the group of Professor Geri Richmond's laboratory. Projects involve the measurement of molecular structure and adsorption dynamics at liquid/liquid/air and solid/liquid interfaces. The studies center around the use of vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy (VSFS) as a surface specific probe of interfaces. Current ongoing projects in this laboratory include studies of water structure and hydrogen bonding at these interfaces, adsorption dynamics of surfactants including phosopholipids and other biomolecules at these interfaces, adsorption of atmospheric molecules at liquid and ice surfaces, polymeric film structure and adsorption dynamics, solvent structure at chemical modified surfaces, and ion transport and chemical reactivity at these interfaces. Several different femtosecond, picosecond and nanosecond laser systems are being used in these studies.
Information on all positions is on file in Chemistry Headquarter
*The next National ACS Meeting will be held in Boston, August 18-22. See PDF for employment opportunities.
* MIT Lincoln Laboratory: The Submicrometer Technology Group which develops state-of-the-art materials, processes, and devices for a broad range of applications with the common theme of miniaturization, is seeking BS-MS-PhD level candidates majoring in Chemistry, with an emphasis in organic synthesis for a full-time position. Experience with multi-step synthetic sequences, chromatographic purification, and modern spectroscopic methods is highly desirable. Background in structure/properties studies is desirable. The candidate will work as part of a small team to develop novel materials for advanced lithography and molecular electronics.
* Last year the American Chemical Society introduced JobSpectrum.org, a comprehensive online career and employment site exclusively for the chemical sciences community. http://www.jobspectrum.org. This year they have introduced a new component of JobSpectrum: Campus Center. Campus Center is the only online service specifically designed to help undergraduate and graduate students in the chemical sciences begin their careers. It is a site offering free services. In Campus Center you can :
- Search for internships, fellowships, postdoc positions, entry-level and early career opportunities
- Post your resume in the Campus Center for employers to see.
* A San Diego recruiter has the following positions available:
- Director of Cell Biology - Burlingame, California
- Research Scientist - Los Angeles, California
- Senior Scientist for Assay Development - San Diego, California
- Senior Microbiologist - Lansing, Michigan
- Director of BioProcess Development - Seattle, WA
- Process Development Associate - Seattle, WA
Glass Blowing Services: 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 4-064 or call Ed Udas at 3-4505. Bob will do the work on a first-come, first-served basis.
Get Organized! Call Ed Udas at 253-4505 or stop by room 4-065 if students, faculty, or staff need help in organizing their MIT space.
To place an advertisement: email Liz McGrath, emg@mit.edu
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Comments and questions to lhowe@mit.edu