ChemformationChemformationVolume 18, Number 13
Friday, July 26, 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/.
ANNOUNCEMENTSCONGRATULATIONS to the following faculty:
SARAH TABACCO: the Chemistry Department is delighted to welcome Sarah A. Tabacco to MIT as an Instructor of Chemistry. Sarah will begin her appointment on August 1 and will assist in teaching 5.12 and other organic chemistry subjects in the coming year. Sarah has provided the following biography to introduce herself to the department:
Sarah was born in California in 1974 and raised in Sonoma County. She received her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1997, where she performed undergraduate research under the direction of Professor James W. Leahy. Sarah has spent the last five years working in the laboratory of Professor Keith A. Woerpel at the University of California, Irvine and expects to complete her Ph.D. in July. Her research at Irvine has focused on understanding the effect of electrostatic interactions in tetrahydropyran oxocarbenium ions on the selectivity of C–glycosylation reactions. More recently, she has attempted to extend her newly discovered element of stereocontrol to iminium ion systems and the synthesis of indole natural products. In her free time, Sarah enjoys the outdoors: backpacking, hiking, and spending time with her dogs. Sarah has been involved in the UCI Chemistry Outreach Program and other chemistry education projects in southern California and is eagerly looking forward to joining the department as an organic chemistry instructor in the fall. Ultimately Sarah plans to continue her career in chemical education as a faculty member at a primarily undergraduate institution. Sarah's office will be located in the Temporary Faculty Offices, Room T18-115.
GEORGE H. BÜCHI/PFIZER
LABORATORIES DEDICATION
SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 2001
2:00-5:00 p.m.
The Chemistry Department will host an afternoon celebration/dedication of Building 18 phase 1 laboratories and the completion of the renovated laboratory space in the main group buildings, namely, Buildings 2, 4 and 6.
INDUSTRIAL RECRUITING PROGRAM
This year recruiting is being done for the first time through a new website located at http://web.mit.edu/chemistry/www/industrialrecruiting/. If you have further questions about recruiting, please contact Laura Howe in Chemistry Headquarters, email: lhowe@mit.edu.
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CONGRATULATIONS!! Moungi Bawendi, and his wife Amy Ross, on the birth of their daughter, Mia, who arrived on July 19, 2002 at 7:03 AM weighing in at 7 lbs 15 oz, 20.5 inches long. |
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CONGRATULATIONS!! Jennifer (Picray) Murphy, Chemistry Education Office, on her recent marriage to Tom Murphy of Woburn. The couple were married on June 24, 2002 in the Ozark Mountains, Missouri. |
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Coming to Boston in conjunction with the 224th ACS National Meeting - "How to Develop, Validate and Troubleshoot Capillary GC and HPLC Methods". Friday-Saturday, August 16-17, 2002. More information and registration forms can be obtained from Liz McGrath in the Chemistry Headquarters office.
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.
PROJECT STATUS: The scheduled completion dates for construction of the Phase 2 new laboratories are as follows:
Floors; Date
1,2 and 4; 11 / 3 / 02
Basement, 3 and 5; 11 / 15 / 02
Commissioning of the mechanical systems is expected to take an additional 2 weeks beyond these dates with the moves to immediately follow. The 3rd and final phase is projected to be complete by July 1, 2003.
SOUTH END OFFICES: Construction of the new faculty offices and Chemistry Headquarters is scheduled to be complete by September 5, 2002. The areas are expected to be ready for occupancy by September 30, 2002. Plastic barriers have been erected at the elevator lobby to control dust and provide a physical barrier to the construction area. The space beyond these areas is off limits to all except construction personnel.
CENTER FOR CANCER RESEARCH: The MIT Center for Cancer Research administers three sources of graduate student support, each with an emphasis on students working in the broad area of cancer research. (1) Part of the David Koch Fund supports graduate students working in cancer research.
(2) The Anna Fuller Fund of New Haven Connecticut has established a program of support for graduate students working in the field of Molecular Oncology to complement the existing Anna Fuller program of postdoctoral support at MIT. (3) The Ludwig Research Fund has expanded its support at MIT to include graduate fellowships in this area. Applications are sought for the AY 2002/2003. Applications for support either by either the Koch, Anna Fuller, or Ludwig fellowships will be considered together. Applications are limited to one per laboratory. Preference will be given to students in the later years of their Ph.D. research. Application details can be obtained from Chemistry Headquarters.
2003 BURROUGHS WELCOME FUND CAREER AWARDS: These awards are intended to foster the development of biomedical researchers early in their careers and to help them make the critical transition to becoming independent investigators. Researchers may be working in any of the basic biomedical sciences. At least 80% of each career awardee's time must be devoted to research-related activities. The awards will provide $500,000 over 5 years to bridge advanced postdoctoral training and the first 3 years of faculty service. Candidates must have completed at least 12 months, but not more than 48 months, of postdoctoral training by the October 1 application deadline. Researchers who hold a faculty appointment as an assistant professor or the equivalent, or who know they will receive such an appointment WITHIN A YEAR of the application deadline, are not eligible. Candidates must be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. or Canada. For 2003, it is anticipated that at least 17 awards will be made. Institutions may nominate up to 6 candidates (possibly more, if at least one is in the reproductive sciences or a member of an underrepresented minority group). Please note that these awards will not incur underrecovery. Nominations should be submitted to Dean Silbey by Wednesday, August 7, 2002. He will prioritize the nominations and forward the nominations to the VP for Research office. Please include a CV and a recommendation letter for the candidate of one to three pages in length. Final application forms should be obtained and filled out on-line. A copy of the nomination must be reviewed by OSP before it can be submitted. (BWF's website is www.bwfund.org). Completed applications are due at BWF by 4 p.m. on October 1, 2002. If further information is required, please contact Christine Mleynek at 3-9696.
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MORSE TRAVEL GRANTS For GRADUATE STUDENTS The Chemistry Department has recently received a grant from the Morse family to help support the travel of several graduate students to attend and present a paper at a National conference or meeting. Anyone interested in applying should send a brief letter to Professor Stephen J. Lippard, Head of the Department of Chemistry, indicating which conference or meeting he/she would like to attend and the topic of his/her presentation. An accompanying endorsement letter from the faculty advisor is also required. A budget must be submitted that lists the total costs, assuming that the Morse travel grant contributes $1,000 towards the total. Support from another travel grant source, fellowships, trainee program, the faculty sponsor, and/or personal funds should be identified to indicate how the total amount required to attend the meeting/conference will be met. Requests for calendar year 2002 are now being considered. |
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A number of problems have been plaguing our department network recently. Faulty wiring and computers that have been hacked into are some of the causes of slow network performance. All of these issues have been addressed, and network performance continues to be evaluated in an effort to give you the best possible service. You are welcome to give Gigi Lirot any feedback on network issues at lirot@mit.edu. |
Detailed information on all positions on file in Chemistry Headquarters
* Utah State University: invites applications for two R. Gaurth Hansen Assistant Professorship positions in Biochemistry in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department.
* University of California, Berkeley: invites applications for a faculty position in the Department of Chemistry. The preference is to fill this position at the Assistant Professor level but senior candidates may be considered. The primary area of research is in inorganic chemistry with a specific interest in bioinorganic chemistry.
* Kansas State University: invites applications for a temporary or visiting faculty member beginning August 2002 in the area of Organic Chemistry.
* University of Minnesota: seeks an individual committed to undergraduate e education to fill a one-year, full-time position in chemistry beginning August 12, 2002.
* Indian Institute of Technology Bombay: seeks an individual with sound knowledge and experience in the field of Bioinorganic Chemistry.
* Carleton College, Minnesota: invites applications for a tenure-track position at the Assistant Professor level in the area of Biochemistry/Bioorganic Chemistry to begin in the fall of 2003.
Information on all positions is on file in Chemistry Headquarter
* Case Western Reserve University: A postdoctoral position is available in the research group of Professor John Protsiewicz. The position involves synthetic and mechanistic organometallic chemistry. Specifically, the work will involve synthesis of organopalladium complexes and their activation for use as olefin polymerization catalysts. Candidates should have excellent synthetic chemistry skills with knowledge of synthesis under an inert atmosphere. The initial appointment will be for one year.
* Indiana University: an NIH-funded postdoctoral position is immediately available in the laboratory of Professor Andrew Feig in the Department of Chemistry. Potential projects will focus on RNA Folding, RNA Cold Denaturation or the role of RNA folding in the cold shock response.
* University of Virginia: a postdoctoral position is available in the research group of Professor W. Dean Harman in the Chemistry Department. The research involves the development of a new synthetic methodology that uses rhenium, tungsten, and molybdenum-based protecting groups to dearomatize aromatic molecules in the context of organic synthesis.
* Kansas State University: a postdoctoral position is available in the research group of Professor Daniel A. Higgins. The work will involve using near-field scanning optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy in the characterization of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal films and polymer-surfacant complexes.
Information on all positions is on file in Chemistry Headquarter
* A San Diego recruiter has the following positions available:
- Snr. Manufacturing Project Manager in biopharmceutical/biotechnology area Northern California
- Microbiology Manager - New York
- Scientist/Manager-Biologist - Sunnyvale, California
- Quality Control Manager - Wilmington, OH
- Compliance Auditor (Pharmaceuticals) - Maryland
* Discovery Project Leader in Physical/Organic Chemistry, Massachusetts: to design and oversee discovery strategy for the identification of novel compounds against targets. This will include configuring assays for HTS, implementing secondary assays to characterized leads, and establishing collaborations to asses efficacy of lead compounds. Ideal qualifications include a Ph.D. in Physical/Organic Chemistry with 2 years relevant industry or academic experience.
* SciGenium, Cambridge, Massachusetts: seeks applicants for the following positions:
- Protein Development Chemist
- Director - CMC development
- Bio-Material Chemist
* Federal laboratories Corp., Alden, NY: Synthetic/Organic Chemist: required: MS/Ph.D in Synthetic Organic Chemistry with experience in multi-step organic synthesis, purification and characterization of organic compounds using appropriate methods. The successful candidate must have demonstrated competence and experience in advanced organic synthetic techniques in preferably the following areas: synthesis of amino acids and alkaloids. The successful candidate will have a high proficiency in using laboratory analytical equipment, most importantly HPLC and the troubleshooting thereof. The product development program is focused on exploring synthesis of naturally occurring molecules and compounds that can be sold in the nutraceutical/health food supplement raw materials market.
G MIT ALUMNI NEWS
C. Reynold Verret, Ph.D. (1982)
E-Mail: r.verret@usip.edu
Activities: Assumed a new position as Dean of Arts and Sciences at the University of Sciences in Philadelphia in July 2002. Previously, he was Chair of the Department of Chemistry at Clark Atlanta University. Research interests in Biochemistry and Immunology.
Comments: Happily married and father of two children. Arriving in Philadelphia is a welcome return to the Northeast after a long hiatus south of the Masson-Dixon.
Pete Heinzelman, a graduate student in the Greg Stephanopoulos group in Chemical Engineering, is seeking a book entitled "Bioconjugate Techniques" by Greg T. Hermanson. He has been unable to locate one at MIT. If anyone has a copy or knows where he can obtain one, please contact him at x4-5227 or peteh@mit.edu.
To place an advertisement: email Liz McGrath, emg@mit.edu
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.
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Copyright © 2001 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Comments and questions to lhowe@mit.edu