ChemformationChemformationVolume 17, Number 15
Friday, July 27, 2001
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/.
ANNOUNCEMENTSKRZYSZTOF GRABAREK: The Chemistry Department is pleased to announce the appointment of Krzysztof ("Kris") Grabarek as the new Assistant Director of Chemistry Education, effective August 1. Kris succeeds Miriam Diamond as the supervisor of the Chemistry Education Office and his responsibilities will include directing the Chemistry Department Teaching Assistant training program, advising and counseling undergraduate chemistry majors, and working with the Chemistry faculty and MIT administration to improve our educational programs. Kris has provided the following short biographical sketch to introduce himself to the department:
"Born in Warsaw, Poland, I moved to Cambridge at the age of 5. After graduating from high school in Reading, Massachusetts I attended Oberlin College where I majored in biochemistry. In addition to my chemistry course load, I took many molecular biology and neuroscience courses as I had a specific interest in neurochemistry. I further pursued this interest through summer research internships at Boston Children's Hospital and Boston Biomedical Research Institute. Additionally, I worked as a Teaching Assistant for two years in Oberlin's introductory chemistry laboratories where I found that I enjoyed teaching.
After graduating from Oberlin, I moved to New York City where I worked at the Children's Television Workshop. There I pursued an interest in educational television while making occasional cameo appearances as Cookie Monster at public events. Deciding that my real interest lay in science education, I entered New York University in 1998 and completed a masters degree in Science Education. While at NYU I began teaching at an alternative high school for recent immigrant students where I taught biology, chemistry, trigonometry and English. In connection with this school, I spent a summer working in Ghana, West Africa at several rural schools working with students and conducting research on students' beliefs about the purpose of science education.
Last summer, I moved back to Massachusetts with my wife, Iris, and my son, Julian who is currently three-and-a-half years old. Over the past year I taught College Preparatory Chemistry at Framingham High School, while Iris completed her first year of law school and Julian completed his first year at Over the Rainbow Preschool. In my occasional free time away from work and family I focus my attention on rock climbing, listening to Blues and Reggae, and reading the tragically dramatic novels, plays, and stories of Russian authors."
Kris will be located in Room 2-204 and his extension is: 3-0909. Drop by and introduce yourselves.
GENERAL
Work continues on all floors including the sub basement. Casework is scheduled to be installed during the next several weeks. The new penthouse on the roof for the hood exhaust fans is under construction; the exhaust fans are expected to be installed in the upcoming week.
New Windows
New windows are scheduled to be installed on the East side of the building beginning on July 31 and continuing through August 24. Windows will be installed in horizontal sections, starting at the South end of the 5th Floor and proceeding North. The work will be taking place between 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM.
Floor Date
5th 7 / 31 — 8 / 2
4th8 / 6 — 8 / 8
3rd8 / 10 — 8 / 14
2nd8 / 16 - 8 / 20
1st8 / 22 — 8 / 24
Concrete Restoration and Waterproofing
Concrete restoration is scheduled to begin on the North side of the building on August 6. This work will require some Rerouting of pedestrian traffic. Further details will be forthcoming.
Graduate Students interested in joining the Chemistry Department Chemical Hygiene and Safety Committee are invited to submit their names to Kris Bowring, e-mail: kbowring@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.
DRUG DISCOVERY TECHNOLOGY 2001 MEETING AUGUST 12-17: The Industrial Liaison Program has an arrangement with the organizers of the August Drug Discovery Meeting in Boston (IBC) and Brigitta Tadmor from ILP; email: tadmor@ilp.mit.edu; tel: 3-2408; can negotiate meeting registration prices if anyone is interested in attending. More info on the meeting’s program is listed on the web site: www.drugdisc.com. The Department of Chemistry has several free passes available for the Exhibit Hall. Offer valid only until 8/3/01. Regular price for entry to Exhibit Hall is $25.00. Contact Chemistry Headquarters if you would like a brochure on the meeting and/or to avail of one of these free passes.
Faculty Positions
Applications for most faculty positions should consist of a curriculum vitae, outline of research interests, and three letters of recommendation to be sent directly to the specific university or college. You will find more detailed information regarding these and other positions in a binder located at departmental headquarters.
Wichita State University: seeks candidates the position of Assistant Professor of Chemistry in the area of physical chemistry to being in January or August 2001. More information on file in Chemistry Headquarters.
The University of Texas: The Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy is opening a search to fill a tenure-track faculty position at the level of Assistant Professor. The search is not targeted to a specific area of neuroscience. More info available at nba19@med.uth.tmc.edu. Further details on file in Chemistry Headquarters.
Stanford University: has an opening for a tenure-track faculty appointment in the general area of Inorganic Chemistry or Organic Chemistry. Appointment will commence on or after September 1, 2002. More information on file in Chemistry Headquarters.
Postdoctoral Positions
Swiss Federal Laboratories of Materials Testing and Research (EMPA): Applications are invited to a two year postdoctoral position in the Surface Technologies Division at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research. This position focuses on the investigation of molecular self-organization on vicinal surfaces by means of variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. Suitable candidates should have experience in one or more of the following areas: surface physics, physical chemistry, SPM, nanoscience and nanotechnology. More information available in Chemistry Headquarters.
Kansas State University: invites applications for a postdoctoral research associate position in the research group of Professor Anne Myers Kelley to study solvent effects on the structures and optical properties of intramolecular charge-transfer molecules that have large hyperpolarizabilities. The position involves the measurement and computational modeling of optical absorption, fluorescence, and resonance Raman spectra, and electronic structure calculations. A Ph.D. is required and previous experience in laser spectroscopy is desirable, but highly motivated candidates from other backgrounds will be considered. More information available in Chemistry Headquarters.
Other Job Listings
*Harvard Medical School: The Muscle Cell Physiology Laboratory in the Harvard Medical School Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, housed at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, is looking for a Research Assistant to perform primarily bench work assessing the contractile properties of human skeletal muscle fibers. This position if funded by a 3 year NIH grant to study the effect of power training on muscle function in older women. More information available in Chemistry Headquarters. Medicine and Rehabilitation, housed at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, is looking for a Research Assistant to perform primarily bench work assessing the contractile properties of human skeletal muscle fibers. This position if funded by a 3 year NIH grant to study the effect of power training on muscle function in older women. More information available in Chemistry Headquarters.
Kansas State University: The Department of Chemistry at Kansas State University invites applications for the position of Research Associate to work in the research group directed by Professor Duy Hua. A Ph.D. in Chemistry or a related field is required and previous experience in organic synthesis and methodology development is needed. The Research Associate will be working in developing new chiral ligands and methodologies for asymmetric catalysis, and synthesizing biologically active compounds. More information available in Chemistry Headquarters.
Prime Organics, Inc. Lowell, MA. (http://primeorg.com) has an opening for B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. level chemists, full time or part time/summer positions. E-mail your resume to info@primeorg.com. Prime Organics provides custom synthesis, contract R&D and manufacturing.
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY FALL 2001 RECRUITING SCHEDULE: pdf file
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