Chemistry Newsletter - 06/01/1998

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Department of Chemistry Newsletter

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CONGRATULATIONS

Professor Fleming Crim was one of 146 people elected this year into membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. New members of the Academy, an organization founded in 1780 by John Adams and other leaders of the young republic, are chosen in recognition of their contributions to science, scholarship, public affairs and the arts. Congratulations Fleming!!

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Paul LePlae, a graduate student in Professor Gellman's group, has received a Research Fellowship Grant from the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation. This $500 award can be used for research supplies, books, journals, travel and registration fees for meetings, and other research and educational expenses. Congratulations Paul!!

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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 minor courses. The minor requirement must be completed by the end of the third year of graduate school. Minor agreement forms are available in Room 1315.

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SEMINARS

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**** PLEASE NOTE ROOM CHANGE **** Tuesday, June 2^nd, 1998, Inorganic Chemistry Seminar, 3:30 p.m., Room 1361 Chemistry Building. Professor Peter Jutzi, University of Bielefeld.

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Tuesday, July 21^st, 1998 - Organic Chemistry Seminar. Professor Vladimir Gevorgyan, Tohoku University, Japan.

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The International Young Chemistry Writer of the Year Award

ChemWeb [http://ChemWeb.com] is the online Club for the Chemical Community. Free membership allows members access to a wide range of facilities and resources which include a library of journals, databases, Job Exchange, Conference Diary and The Alchemist, ChemWeb's own online magazine. Recognising the lack of opportunities for younger chemists, ChemWeb has launched the International Young Chemistry Writer of the Year Award. For the first time, young chemists from every country in the world are being given the opportunity to have their work published on the Web and become $1000 richer, simply by entering this new international competition. The winner, chosen by our panel of judges, will be announced at the American Chemical Society fall meeting in Boston and the winning article will be published in ChemWeb's webzine, The Alchemist, on 28th August 1998. The competition is open to all chemists aged 16-30 and the closing date is the June 30th 1998. The 1000-2000 word feature-style article should be on a topical chemistry-related subject. Further details are available at [http://chemweb.com/home/youngwriter.html].

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The Governor's Wisconsin Educational Technology Conference

Make your plans now to attend the Governor's Wisconsin Educational Technology Conference at the Regency Conference Center in Green Bay on October 6-8, 1998. The conference focuses on practical applications of technology for the benefit of learners of all ages. More than 120 sessions and 60 exhibits will feature best practices, innovative projects, and the newest tools for teaching and learning, and hands-on workshops will demonstrate new ways of using technology in education. The Governor's Conference attracts faculty, staff and administrators from preK-12 schools, technical colleges, public and private higher education, state agencies, and libraries, as well as training directors from business and industry. Those who attend discover that the conference gives educators from all levels a chance to participate together, generating alliances. In 1997, more than 1,400 educators attended.

The Governor's Conference is sponsored by TEACH Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin-Extension, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the Wisconsin Technical College System.

For complete details and to get a copy of all the Forms needed from Room 1380 Chemistry.

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FACULTY POSITIONS/TEMPORARY FACULTY/ACADEMIC POSITIONS

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The Louisiana State University Department of Chemistry has a full-time staff position opening in the NMR facility. The LSU NMR facility normally employs two staff scientists, and the new employee will be working with Dr. Dale Treleaven. Principal NMR spectroscopists at LSU include Profs. Kathy Morden and Les Butler, and the user base is quite large, and includes the groups of Profs. Daly, Fischer, Hammer, McCarley, McLaughlin, Maverick, Rabideau, Spivak, Stanley, Strongin, and Warner. The NMR facility consists of NMR spectrometers for solution and solid-state measurements: the commercial NMRs at LSU include Bruker AMX500, AM400, ARX300 (with 60-sample changer), AC250, AC200, MSL200 (heavily modified), and a Chemagnetics Infinity 400. We are actively seeking funding for replacing/upgrading several of the older solution NMRs. The job responsibilities for this Research Associate 4 level in the area of operation and maintenance of NMR facility spectrometers. Job responsibilities will include: NMR spectroscopy of samples for faculty, industry clients, and other authorized users of the NMR facility; supervision of graduate students, repairs, and arranging for repairs. The requirement for this position is a Ph.D. in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or Physics, with at least three years NMR experience. Anticipated hire data is July 1, 1998. Application deadline is June 25, 1998, or until a candidate is selected. Faxed or e-mail applications will be accepted. Letters of recommendation should be sent by mail or Faxed to (504) 388-3463 (a fax machine set aside for confidential communications). Please contact: Les Butler, Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-1804, (504) 388-4416; FAX (504) 388-3463; Les.Butler@chem.lsu.edu.

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McGill University, Department of Chemistry, NMR Instrumentation Manager. Applications are invited for the position of Manager of the Magnetic Resonance (Liquids) Facility in the Department of Chemistry at McGill University. This Facility contains the major research and teaching instruments. At present, the Facility is composed of five spectrometers ranging in field from 200 to 500 MHz. Responsibilities will include supervising and training of students and researchers in the use and applications of the research and teaching instruments, advising on the maintenance and upgrading of the equipment, supervising the day-to-day operation of the facility including the scheduling of usage, developing of sample handling methods and in general ensuring efficient service. The successful candidate will preferably have a Ph.D. in Chemistry with a demonstrated expertise in the utilization and development of NMR spectroscopy. Superior oral and written communication skills are essential. The initial appointment will be for a term of three years, renewable upon mutual agreement, with compensation commensurate with experience. The successful candidate will be expected to participate in the teaching of one NMR-related course per year. The recent acquisition of funds to purchase a state-of-the-art 300 MHz spectrometer and other critical upgrades will allow the Department to move into new areas of opportunity and establish a leading facility in major analytical instrumentation. The Instrumentation Manager will be a driving force for this exciting transition. The appointment's starting date is September 1, 1998 or earlier. A curriculum vitae and publications list along with the names of three referees should be sent to: Professor I.S. Butler, Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 2K6, butler@omc.lan.mcgill.ca.

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Lecturers in Chemistry and Biochemistry: The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale seeks to hire individuals to teach general chemistry and/or introductory courses in either analytical or organic chemistry. Applicants must hold an MS or PhD degree in any area of chemistry. Several appointments at full time or part time levels are available for the academic year 1998-99, beginning August 16, 1998. Reappointment is possible. Faculty planning a sabbatical are also welcome to apply. A letter of application, CV, statement of teaching philosophy, and at least two letters of recommendation should be submitted to: Dr. John A. Koropchak, Chair, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901-4409. Review of applications will commence May 29, 1998.

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POSTDOCTORAL POSITION AND/OR JOBS

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Associate Professor Bill Vining, of the University of Massachusetts is looking for a post doc to work on a CD-ROM project in organic chemistry. The position can be filled by someone who has a main focus in an area related to organic. It's a two-year position doing a CD for Saunders and there will be two authors, a postdoc, a programmer/animator, a grad student, and a few undergrads. For more information please contact: Bill Vining, Associate Professor of Chemical Education and Director of General Chemistry, Lederle Graduate Research Tower, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, 413-545-2352, Fax: 413-545-5410, http://soulcatcher.chem.umass.edu.

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Postdoctoral position available with Steve Nolan at the University of New Orleans. The project involves ligand and transition metal complex syntheses, thermochemistry and catalysis. The position requires expertise in synthetic inorganic/organometallic/organic chemistry and experience in handling and characterizing air-sensitive materials. (especially by NMR) The postdoc will work with graduate students and undergraduates, so good communication and writing skills are necessary. The position can be filled immediately (startup date as early as 06/15). Interested parties should email me (including a CV and the name of 2 references) at the following address: Steven P. Nolan, Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70148, Phone: (504) 280-6445, FAX: (504) 280-6860, E-mail: spncm@uno.edu.

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Post-Doctoral Position with Dr. David W. Chandler at Sandia National Laboratory in Livermore, California. A postdoctoral opportunity at the Combustion Research Facility of Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, California is now available. This unique Department of Energy User Facility (http://www.ca.sandia.gov/CRF/) is dedicated to the understanding of the chemical and physical basis for combustion processes and related diagnostics. The postdoctoral opportunity is in the field of gas phase physical chemistry, specifically the study of chemical dynamics of unimolecular and bimolecular processes using ion imaging techniques. The successful candidates will work with state-of-the-art lasers and molecular beam equipment to develop and apply new techniques for the study of chemical reaction dynamics. Recent developments in ion imaging and velocity mapping techniques have given us the ability to accurately measure the velocity of quantum state-selectively ionized products of bimolecular and unimolecular reactions as well as the accompanying photoelectrons. Utilizing these techniques we seek to understand chemical reactions, collisional energy transfer and photodissociation events. Much of the research is done in collaboration with university investigators. Candidates will be expected to perform collaborative studies with these outside users as well as design and work on their own projects and publish the results in refereed journals. Postdoctoral positions at Sandia normally require U. S. Citizenship. Required qualifications for this position are a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry or a related discipline, experience in molecular beam photochemistry or reaction dynamics studies and a record of publication in chemical dynamics or a closely related field. Interested applicants should send a resume and arrange for two letters of recommendation to be sent to: Dr. David W. Chandler, MS 9055, PO Box 969, Sandia National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94551 -0969, Tel: 925-294-3132, Fax: 925-294-2276, e-mail: chandler@ca.sandia.gov.

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DETAILS ARE AVAILABLE IN ROOM 1380.

NEXT NEWSLETTER IS ON JUNE 15^th, 1998.