Baker to Present at National Science Teachers Association Conference

Chemistry Education major Ms. Tracey Baker will be presenting her CHEM 499 research paper on "Overhauling the General Chemistry Thermochemistry Labs" at the National Science Teachers Association Conference in New Orleans March 18-21, 2009.

Her trip is partially funded by the Undergraduate Student Travel Fund for Conference Presentations from the IUP School of Graduate Studies and Research.

Stoltz Receives Elias J. Corey Award

Dr. Brian Stoltz (B.S. '93), the Ethel Wilson Bowles & Robert Bowles Professor of Chemistry at California Institute of Technology, has been awarded the Elias J. Corey Award for Outstanding Original Contribution in Organic Synthesis by a Young Investigator.

The Stoltz Group at Caltech is a major source of new strategies for synthesizing complex organic molecules with interesting and useful biological activities. The studies in Brian's group have focused on three conceptual areas:

1. advancing palladium-catalyzd oxidation reactions which don't involve heteroatom transfer
2. developing asymmetric alkylation and protonation technologies to synthesize quaternary & tertiary stereocenters
3. inventing tandem reaction processes

Dr. Stoltz started his career in the Department of Chemistry at IUP under the direction of Dr. John Wood. He received his PhD in organic chemistry at Yale in 1997 and became a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard from 1998-2000 in the group of E.J. Corey (1990 Nobel Laureate, Chemistry). He then moved to Caltech, where he won numerous awards including the ACS Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, the Camille & Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers.

Dr. Stoltz was also presented with a 2006 IUP Alumni Ambassador Award in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

Scholarship for Junior & Senior Women

Information on the Priscilla Carney Jones Scholarship is now available from the ACS.

Student Outreach at Blairsville Elementary

On Wednesday, February 18th, members of both the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society and Alpha Chi Sigma, the professional chemistry fraternity, visited Blairsville Elementary for its second annual science fair.

The IUP ACS and AXΣ demonstration table complemented the projects of the Blairsville students, showing students and parents alike the properties of liquid nitrogen and oobleck (a curious mixture of corn starch and water).

Members of the local community were wowed by a demonstration of a banana hammer, in which a liquid nitrogen-frozen banana was used to pound a nail into a board. Children particularly enjoyed the non-Newtonian properties of the oobleck, which acts as a viscous liquid or a solid depending upon the force applied on it. This event was a great success in community outreach, and the groups look forward to participating next year!

Chemistry Seminar - 2/20

On Friday, February 20, the Chemistry Department welcomes Dr. Matthew Luderer of the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.

After visiting with faculty and students, Dr. Luderer will present the seminar "Asymmetric Cyclizations Controlled by a Stereogenic Lithium and Oxidations Using Oxoammonium Salts in Aqueous Media".

Please join us in Weyandt 240 at 3:30pm. Light refreshments will be served.

Chemistry Seminar - 2/6

On Friday, Feb. 6, the department will host Dr. Lillian Chong from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Chong will meet with faculty and students throughout the day and finish with a seminar titled "Atomistic Simulations of Natively Unfolded Proteins".

For more information on Dr. Chong's research, click here.

Please join us in Weyandt 240 at 3:30pm. Light refreshments will be served.

Spring 2009 Local Job - Water Recycling Project

I am looking for an energetic and committed intern to help invent water recycling products. The first product we will be working on is a recycling shower. The intern will be expected to undertake a variety of duties related to the research associated with product development. Over the next several months, I will be developing and testing the effectiveness of various water processing options (e.g., filters, additives, qualities of input water and so forth) with the objective of inventing a product that will produce very high quality shower water (potable/drinkable). In other words, many of the duties will be determined as we evolve; but I mostly want someone with solid analytical skills to help design experiments, collect data, analyze data and help make decisions about solving the problems we will encounter during the innovation process. More information on the background of the project and current circumstances can be found by visiting my company’s website (www.nascentservices.org)

The intern can start any time, and work just about any schedule (most of the work can be done from IUP). I am very flexible with the right candidate. The first prototype will be ready for testing the week of 1/19; and I will be moving forward with the rest of the team (about ten professionals), at that time. I’d prefer to have someone onboard from the start, but I see no problem with an intern catching-up later.

I am able to offer a small stipend of $250 and cover travel expenses (the laboratory is in Armstrong County). The stipend will be paid at the end of the internship; and a professional report will be expected at that time.

Send a letter of application, with a resume, to Dr. Tom Falcone, 2560 Warren, Indiana, Pa. 15701. (Or email to: tfalcone@nascentservices.org)

Younger Chemists Committee

The YCC has arrived in the ‘burgh! Chartered by the American Chemical Society, the Younger Chemists Committee is intended to encourage young (below 35 years of age) and early career chemists to pursue successful professions and involvement in the scientific field!

The Pittsburgh YCC is actively seeking members and ideas for events! If you are a chemist under 35, please join us! Send an email to the secretary of the group, Eric Lanni at elanni@andrew.cmu.edu to become a member! All young chemists, from high school, to college, to graduate students or recent graduates, educators or industrial chemists are welcome.

Your suggestions and comments are gratefully appreciated. Feel free to share them with Eric or with the YCC group Chair, John Williams (jtwillia@waynesburg.edu).

Undergraduates Present Research Proposals

Several students enrolled in CHEM-301 (Introduction to Chemical Research) presented their research proposals in poster form today from 12:30-2:30 in Weyandt 236. The session, hosted by Dr. Anne Kondo, allowed faculty and students to visit with each participant and ask questions about the proposals. Many of the students will continue with their proposals and carry out research in CHEM-498 (Problems in Chemistry) in the coming semesters.

Participating in today's session were:

• Ms. Maura Barrett with "Finding DNA-Aptamers Against IMPDH Type II Enzyme via Ligand-Binding Isoelectric Focusig Electrophoresis"
  
  
• Ms. Jennifer Beveridge with "The Effect of Iron from Acid Mind Contamination on the Uptake Rates of Semipermeable Membrane Devices"
  
  
• Ms. Tori Corosu with "Synthesizing and Observing the Physiochemical Properties of Quaternary Diamond-like Oxides"
  
  
• Ms. Amy Devlin with "The Effect of pH on Uptake Rates of Nonpolar Organics by Semipermeable Membrane Devices"

Kupchella Presents at E.A.S.

On November 19, Dr. Larry Kupchella presented a paper at the Eastern Analytical Symposium (EAS). The paper, by Dr. Kupchella and Mr. Einstein Djabeng (MS 2008), was titled "A Study of the Reaction of Selected Higher Polythionates with the Thiosulfate Nucleophile". The annual, week-long conference was held this year at the Garden State Convention Center in Somerset, NJ.