Chemistry Newsletter - 04/19/1999

 

University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Chemistry Newsletter

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XXXIV No. 16

April 19th, 1999

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Finance Committee and Department Meeting Dates

Spring 1999

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Department Committee - Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. In Room 8335.

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Finance Committee - Tuesday at 1:20 p.m. - In Room 1301.

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Organic Chemistry Cumulative Exam Schedule, 1999.

Thursdays, 7:30 p.m., room B371 Chemistry Building.

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Inorganic Cume Dates for 1999.

9:00 a.m., Room 2373 Chemistry Building.

 

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ATTENTION GRADUATE STUDENTS

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IMPORTANT DATES:

MINOR AGREEMENT FORMS: The Graduate School requires that the minor program be outlined in an agreement which is approved by the Department no later than halfway through completion of the sequence of minor courses. The minor requirement is expected to be completed by the end of the third year of graduate school. Minor agreement forms are available in Room 1221.

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Orders for cap and gown must be placed at the University Bookstore no later than April 15,1999. Degree candidates and escorts will receive a letter containing further instructions about one month before commencement.

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General information on the commencement ceremonies (when/where, etc.) may be obtained from Mary Kay in Room 1221 Chemistry.

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***PLEASE NOTE*** - Mary Kay's Office has now moved to the first floor and is located in room 1221.

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SEMINARS

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Monday, April 19^th, 1999 - CBI Highlights Seminar, 3:30 p.m., Room B1118 Biochemistry Building. Professor Jun Liu, MIT. "Molecular Mechanism of Angiogenesis Inhibition by the Fumagillin Family of Natural Products"

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Monday, April 19^th, 1999 - Inorganic Division Seminar, 2:30 p.m., Room B371 Chemistry Building. Brett Bodsgard, Graduate Student.

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Monday, April 19^th, 1999 - Organic Chemistry Seminar, 3:30 p.m., Room1361 Chemistry Building. Oliver Reiser, University Regensburg, Germany. "New Synthetic Strategies Towards Beta - and Gamma-Amino Acids"

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Tuesday, April 20^th, 1999 - Physical Chemistry Seminar, 11:00 a.m., Room 8335 Chemistry Building. Amy Mullin, Boston University. "Putting Out Molecular Fires With Collisional Energy Transfer: The Fire Extinguisher or the Fire Hose"

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Tuesday, April 20^th,1999 - Pharmacology Sciences lecture, Noon, Room 3765 MSC, also 3:30 p.m., in Chemistry. Professor Glenn Prestwich, University of Utah. "Using Affinity Probes to Identify Phosphinositide Targets"

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Wednesday, April 21^st, 1999 - Second Inorganic McElvain Speaker Seminar, 3:30 p.m., Room B371 Chemistry Building. C. Jeffery Brinker, Sandia National Labs. "New Directions in Sol-Gel Processing: Self-Organized Micro- and Mesostructured Media"

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Thursday, April 22^nd, 1999 - Analytical Sciences Seminar, 12:05 p.m., Room B371 Chemistry Building. Todd Strother, Graduate Student.

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Thursday, April 22^nd, 1999 - CBI Highlights Seminar, 11:00 a.m., Room B371 Chemistry Building. Professor Dennis Curran. "Fluorous Methods for Synthesis and Separation of Small Organic Molecules"

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Thursday, April 22^nd, 1999 - Chemical Engineering Seminar, 3:55 p.m., Room 1227 Engineering.David A. Dixon, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. "Computational Chemistry for Material and Process Design"

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Thursday, April 22^nd, 1999 - Teaching/Learning Chemistry Seminar, 12:00 noon, Room 2373 Chemistry Building. Professor Ram Lamba, University of Puerto Rico - Cayey. "Is Low-Cost Equipment Only Useful in Developing Countries?"

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Friday, April 23^rd,1999 - Pharmaceutical Sciences lecture, 3:30 p.m., Professor Ben Liu, University of Minnesota. "Biosynthesis of Deoxysugars"

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Monday, April 26^th, 1999 - Inorganic Division Seminar, 2:30 p.m., Room B371 Chemistry Building. Richard Hooper, Postdoc.

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Tuesday, April 27^th, 1999 - Physical Chemistry Seminar, 11:00 a.m., Room 8335 Chemistry Building. Professor J. Andrew McCammon, UC San Diego. "Dynamics of Molecular Recognition"

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Thursday, April 29^th, 1999 - Analytical Sciences Seminar, 12:05 p.m., Room B371 Chemistry Building. Chris Hunt, Graduate Student.

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Thursday, April 29^th, 1999 - CBI Highlights Seminar, 2:25 p.m., Room B371 Chemistry Building. Professor Arnold E. Ruoho, UW Pharmacology. "The Catalytic Core of Adenylyl Cyclase"

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Thursday, April 29th, 1999 - Organic Chemistry Seminar, 11:00 a.m., Room 1361 Chemistry, Zhi-Qiang Yang, Graduate Student.

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Thursday, April 29^th, 1999 - Chemical Engineering Seminar, 3:55 p.m., Room 1227 Engineering. George Georgiou, University of Texas-Austin. "High Throughput Screening Technologies for the Isolation of Novel Antibodies, Enzymes and Metabolic Pathways"

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Summer Courses for Graduate Students Interested in Teaching

The College of Letters and Science is pleased to announce the schedule of summer courses for graduate students interested in teaching. For the third year, we are offering a variety of classes designed to appeal to graduate students across several disciplines. These short, intensive sessions will help teaching assistants and future faculty members to develop important teaching skills. Although they are housed in individual college departments, the methods and techniques that these sessions explore would be useful to students from a variety of related fields. Students with a graduate assistantship appointment that earned a tuition remission in the spring semester will also receive a full tuition waiver in summer sessions. Enrollment in the individual courses is limited; early registration is a good idea.

Botany 575, Effective Teaching of Biology. 2 credits, June 14-July 4, 8:30-10:30 MTWRF, Professor Becker. This course is designed for graduate students in the biological sciences as preparation both for teaching assistantship appointments and for future faculty positions. It will include presentations by distinguished faculty members in the biological sciences, innovative teaching techniques and methodologies, opportunities for students to present and interact with class members, and sensitization to diversity in an academic setting. This course may also be able to accommodate undergraduates with a special interest in teaching; check with Professor Becker for details.

English 699: Practicum in Teaching Writing in the Disciplines. 1 credit, May 24-30, time and instructor TBA. This course is designed for graduate students in all disciplines (especially those outside English) who would like to learn how to use their writing to help students learn course material. The course will focus on and practice creative and practical teaching strategies, including designing writing assignments, using peer review, and responding effectively to students writing.

History 978: Practice Teaching. 2 credits, June 1-13, 10:00-12:00 MTWRF, Professor Schultz. The basics of preparing and presenting a successful undergraduate lecture course are the same across the social sciences* and humanities* course offerings. This course will explore the methods and techniques of teaching an undergraduate lecture course, including the processes of selecting a text, organizing a course, and developing a lecture.

Library and Information Studies 847: Using the Web for Research and Teaching. 3 one-week modules, 1 credit each, or one 3-week course, 3 credits, May 24-June 13, 9:00-11:40 MTWRF, Professor Robbins. This course is a series of three modules, designed to help graduate students use web resources and develop a class-related website. Module 1 deals with locating and evaluating web resources (types of web search engines, catalogs, etc. and how to use and evaluate them effectively). Module 2 addresses the creation of a class-related website (HTML editors and how to use them; resources available to help; how to organize a site, including navigational aids, use of effective design for teaching, how searchers approach a web site etc.; what kinds of links to have; issues of copyright, etc). Module 3 examines the use of WEB CT, interactive courseware for the web.

Philosophy 799: Teaching the History of Philosophy. 1 credit, August 16-22, time TBA (contact the department for more information), Professor Yandell. Perennialism, parochialism, and particularism are three ways of looking at the philosophical problems that arise in different cultures. Each of these views has implications for how the history of philosophy can and should be taught. This course will examine these views and their pedagogical implications with respect to one issue each in metaphysics (views of what a person is), epistemology (views concerning the source of knowledge), and ethics (views concerning the conditions of moral responsibility).

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Science and Engineering Education Scholars Program

On behalf of Virginia Hinshaw, Graduate School Dean, and Michael Corradini, Associate Dean, College of Engineering, we invite you to extend an invitation to all your new faculty and promising graduate students who aspire to be faculty. The invitation is to participate in the July 18-24, 1999, Science and Engineering Education Scholars Program at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. During the week of July 18-24, 1999, 40 aspiring science and engineering educators and several experts on science and engineering education will gather at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, for the Science and Engineering Education Scholars Program (SEESP). The workshop provides intense professional development in teaching and learning plus other responsibilities required of science and engineering professors. Participants are graduate students who are within a year (on either side) of receiving their PhDs. The motivation behind the Scholars Program comes from the fact that although science and engineering doctoral students receive extensive technical preparation, even those who plan on careers in academia spend little to no time preparing to become faculty members. Benefits of participation are numerous. Please check the website for further information plus an electronic application - http://www.engr.wisc.edu/elc/eesp . This program has been sponsored by NSF for the past three summers and had been limited to engineering. Over 116 young people from across the United States have benefitted from the program. See the attached list for names of participants from CIC institutions. This year, the program is expanding to include the sciences, notably chemistry, physics, computer science, and math since we recognize the need to integrate the sciences with engineering education. The application process is electronic. Please forward the website address http://www.engr.wisc.edu/elc/eesp to all appropriate individuals. The website includes an agenda, program overview, and application. Applications are due April 26; decisions will be made by May 10, 1999. The selection process includes review by a Selection Committee here at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The committee consists of a representative from each department within the College of Engineering. If your institution wishes to pre-select the individuals to sponsor, please contact us. Otherwise, we invite you to encourage all interested individuals to apply and let the Selection Committee contact you with their decision. We are happy to host the summer 1999 program and to expand it to the sciences; we anticipate that another CIC institution will host the summer 2000 program. Your investment of $1200 each for up to three participants will add value to undergraduate education, a value that the CIC endorses. Please contact me or Susan Landes, program assistant, landes@engr.wisc.edu with questions or comments. We look forward to working with you to provide this opportunity to deserving new faculty and aspiring graduate students who wish to be faculty.

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The XIXth International Conference on Photochemistry

The XIXth International Conference on Photochemistry will be held on the premises of the Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA from August 1^st to Friday August 6^th 1999. Important deadlines are: May 31, 1999 - Receipt of Abstracts, Advance Registration, Request for Accommodations. Additional information is available at the ICP web site at: http://www.chem.duke.edu/~icp99 . Applications and the brochure are available in Room 1380 Chemistry.

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AAAS/ASWISH Travel Grants To Russia For US Women Scientists

The American Association for the Advancement of Science's (AAAS) Program on Europe and Central Asia and the Association for the Support of Women in Sciences and Humanities (ASWISH) in Russia with support form the US National Science Foundation announce two, one-time travel grants to promote the participation of US women scientists in scientific meetings. The goal of this grants program is to raise the profile of women scientists in Russia and to encourage US-Russian cooperation and information exchange among women scientists. The competition is open to AAAS members and members of AAAS affiliated societies who wish to attend a meeting and give a paper at a professional conference in Russia. Applicants should be at least post-doctoral students within five years of a doctoral degree. Eligible Scientific Disciplines are Physics, Chemistry, Biology, or Environmental Sciences. The applicant must already have their paper, presentation, or poster presentation accepted at the conference. US participants will be reimbursed up to three thousand dollars for travel, food, and lodging expenses. Each applicant must submit the following:

• Letter of intent including name, affiliation, address, telephone, fax, e-mail, a brief summary of the research area, and a brief description of the conference the applicant wishes to attend;
• Two recommendations from professors or colleagues familiar with the applicant (must be signed);
• Curriculum Vitae, no longer than two pages;
• Proof that their paper, presentation, or poster sessions contribution has been accepted on the program at a conference between July 1999 and April 2000 for which they are applying for a travel grant.

All applications must be received by May 31, 1999. Late applications or applications that do not conform to the guidelines given above will not be considered. The applications will be reviewed by a panel of experts and the

winners will be announced by June 30, 1999. The letter of intent and the curriculum vitae may be sent via e-mail

to: kgrill@aaas.org . The two letters of recommendation and the proof of acceptance must be submitted by fax or by mail. Fax: (202) 289-4958, Travel Grant Program for US Women Scientists International Directorate, Program on Europe and Central Asia, 1200 New York Avenue, 7th floor, Washington, DC 20005. For questions about his program, please contact the coordinator at: E-mail: kgrill@aaas.org , Fax: (202) 289-4958.

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For Industrial Positions, see the Chemistry Placement Newsletter at:

http://www.chem.wisc.edu/placement/7news.html

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FACULTY POSITIONS/TEMPORARY FACULTY/ACADEMIC POSITIONS

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The Chemistry Department of the College of Saint Catherine, a comprehensive liberal arts college for women, invites applications for a one year sabbatical replacement in the area of organic chemistry. This is a ranked part-time position (5/6th time) that will be filled at the Assistant Professor level. The successful candidate will be responsible for teaching both lectures and laboratories in the two-semester organic chemistry sequence. To be eligible for the position, applicants must possess an advanced degree or be ABD in organic chemistry (Ph.D. preferred). In addition, applicants must possess undergraduate teaching experience and be familiar with modern instrumental and microscale methods in the organic laboratory. To apply for this position, submit a letter of application, curriculum vita, and the names of three professional references to: Human Resources, College of Saint Catherine, 2004 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105. Review of applications will begin on 4/1/99 and continue until the position is filled.

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Department of Chemistry, UW-Baraboo/Sauk County Campus. Lecturer in Chemistry (80%). Academic year 1999-00. Master's Degree in Chemistry. Previous teaching experience at the college level preferred. Fall: Teach Chemistry 125 (Introductory Chemistry, 5 credits) Teach Chemistry 145 (General Chemistry, 5 credits), Spring: Teach Chemistry 125 (Introductory Chemistry, 5 credits) Teach Chemistry 155 (General Chemistry, 5 credits). Starting Date is August 25, 1999. Send vitae, graduate transcripts and the names of three recent references to: Dean Aural Umhoefer, UW Baraboo/Sauk County, 1006 Connie Road, Baraboo, WI 53913, Telephone: 608/356-8351 ex. 221. Application Deadline: May 10, 1999.

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Princeton University has an immediate opening for a Ph.D. level magnetic resonance spectroscopist with experience in liquid-state small molecule structural studies, and solid state NMR spectroscopy. At least two years of postdoctoral or industrial experience is preferred. Additional expertise in EPR spectroscopy and Unix system management are highly welcome. Experience with structure calculations and spectral simulations is a plus. Primary duties involve maintenance and troubleshooting of related instrumentation (hardware) and associated peripherals, including all spectrometer components, computers (Unix, PC and Mac platforms), and plotters; training of new users on basic as well as more advanced 1D and 2D techniques; scheduling and bookkeeping of multi-user instruments, educating students and faculty in new magnetic resonance methods and instructor for lectures on the theory of instrument operation; drafting of instrumentation proposals. The spectroscopist will fill one of two Professional Technical Staff positions with complementary skills and overlapping instrument responsibilities in the NMR/EPR facility (5 NMRs, 2 EPRs, 1 ENDOR). Send resume to: Prof. Robert A. Pascal, Jr., Operations Committee, Dept. of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544.

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Alma College, a residential, liberal arts college in the center of Michigan's lower peninsula, invites applications for a one-year, half-time position to teach Instrumental Analysis, including two lab sections, in the winter term and a non-major's course in the fall term for the 1999-2000 academic year. The successful candidate may elect to teach up to two additional course-units of lab sections in the fall term. With this additional teaching assignment, the salary for the position will be in the mid-$20,000, plus half of medical insurance as a fringe benefit. The Ph.D. degree and teaching experience is preferred, but candidates with a M.S. degree will be considered. The successful candidate will join a departmental faculty of five, in a program that is certified by the American Chemical Society to grant an approved degree in both chemistry and biochemistry. The department is well equipped with basic instrumentation, including a 300 MHz multinuclear NMR, GC/MS, HPLC, FT-IR, UV/VIS, 18 Macintosh computers for student use, and three SGI UNIX workstations supporting Gaussian 98 and Spartan calculations. The successful candidate may direct undergraduate research or collaborate in research with the faculty. Send vitae, undergraduate and graduate transcripts (which need not be official copies), brief statements of teaching philosophy and research experience, and three letters of reference to: Dr. James Hutchison, Department of Chemistry, Alma College, Alma, Michigan 48801. E-mail inquires are welcome prior to submitting an application, hutchison@alma.edu . Application review begins April 20. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

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The University of Minnesota, Morris seeks a person who combines broad intellectual interests with a strong commitment to undergraduate education to fill a one-year full-time position in bioorganic chemistry beginning August 16, 1999. A search to fill the position on a tenure-track basis is expected in the coming year. The selected candidate will be expected to: teach undergraduate chemistry courses including organic chemistry lecture and laboratory; advise undergraduates; engage in scholarly activities; and contribute to the growth and development of the chemistry program. Minimum qualifications are ABD in organic chemistry or biochemistry (with the PhD preferred) and at least one year of experience teaching undergraduates (two years is preferred; graduate TA experience is acceptable). The typical teaching load is five courses per year. The appointment will be at the Assistant Professor level for those having the PhD and at the Instructor level for others. Salary range: $32,000 to $36,000 depending upon qualifications. Applications must be received by May 10, 1999. Send letter of application, resume, transcripts, a teaching statement in which approaches to teaching are described and past teaching experiences are evaluated, and three letters of reference to: Chemistry Search Committee Chair, Division of Science and Mathematics, University of Minnesota, Morris, Morris, MN 56267-2128.

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POSTDOCTORAL POSITION AND/OR JOBS

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Steve Rokita of the University of Maryland anticipates two new positions for post-doctoral associates in his laboratory that could begin as early as this summer. Projects include (i) developing alkylating agents that are triggered by their association with target DNA, (ii) isolating and characterizing DNA of unique photochemical reactivity, and (iii) identifying the molecular basis of nickel carcinogenesis (modification of DNA and protein). Individual topics within each area combine a varying degree of organic synthesis, macromolecular analysis and DNA manipulation. Our research environment benefits from the combined presence of biochemistry and chemistry in one department. Close contact is also maintained with many other groups on campus within the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, the Biotechnology Institute and the Center for Biological Structure and Organization. Our proximity to Washington, D.C. and Baltimore also allows for easy interaction with scientists from Johns Hopkins University and various research facilities such as those maintained by the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration. Candidates should have a strong background in either organic chemistry, biochemistry, protein chemistry or bioinorganic chemistry. Applications should include a short introductory letter, cv (with a list of publications) and names of three references sent to: Steve Rokita, Professor of Chemistry, Dept. of Chem. & Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2021, voice: (301) 405-1816, fax: (301) 405-9376, e-mail: sr101@umail.umd.edu .

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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has several immediate postdoctoral openings in projects we are jointly supervising. The set of projects are funded by NIH and DoE and target the development of attomole preparative chromatography. The approach involves marrying the highly evolved CZE capabilities of the Sweedler laboratory with the molecular gates (effectively thin film permeability switches) developed in the Bohn laboratory to create a demountable sample concentration and capture device capable of interfacing to off-line identification experiments, e.g., MALDI or electrospray mass spectrometry. The postdoctoral associate will help develop separation systems which integrate molecular gates and optimize the ability of the gate to capture and release a selected analyte band. Separate applications will target oligopeptides and oligonucleotides. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to work as part of a team of investigators arrayed in both the Department of Chemistry and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. UIUC offers a truly outstanding environment for postdoctoral research with excellent facilities, a tradition of exciting science, and a commitment to interdisciplinary investigation. While focused on the overall goals of the project we anticipate the postdoctoral researchers involved in this project will have significant latitude in determining the specific directions the project will follow. Students interested in exploring these opportunities can obtain more detailed information by contacting either of the PIs: Bohn - (217) 333-0676 or bohn@scs.uiuc.edu , Sweedler - (217) 244-7359 or sweedler@bozo.scs.uiuc.edu . Applicants should send a letter of interest with a c.v. and arrange for 3 letters of recommendation to be sent under separate cover.

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Northeastern University, Barnett Institute of Chemical Analysis and Materials Science. Postdoctoral position at the Barnett Institute - Development of high throughput MALDI mass spectrometer for proteomics research. The candidate should have a strong background in mass spectrometry as well as instrument development. Additionally, software (LabView, C) writing ability would be useful. The position requires good communication skills for working in a multidisciplinary team. Information on the institute activities may be obtained on the web site: http://www.barnett.neu.edu . Northeastern University is an FOE. Please contact: Prof. Barry L. Karger, Barnett Institute, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston. MA 02115, e-mail; bakarger@lynx.neu.edu , 617-373-2867 voice, 617-373-2855 fax.

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Please submit all newsletter information or address changes to: goldade@chem.wisc.edu or 262-0293. Thank You.

DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE IN ROOM 1380.

NEXT NEWSLETTER IS ON APRIL 26^th, 1999.