We're Moving ...

Loyal Reader,

We're moving. Not to a new building - although that will some day happen - but rather to the official Department of Chemistry website hosted by IUP. For several months, most of the news posts and calendar events have been posted on both sites. According to Google Analytics, this blog site is now getting fewer than 10 hits a day (average) which is not high enough for me to continue updating.

Rather, all information will now be in one place: http://www.iup.edu/chemistry

This site will remain open as an archive, however, to past posts and events.

Thanks for reading!

Chemistry Seminar - 4/10

This week, the Chemistry Department welcomes Dr. Eugene Mazzola from the University of Maryland. After meeting with faculty and students in the department, Dr. Mazzola will give a lecture on "Structural Elucidation of Saponins from Edible Fruits".

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

Chemistry Major Will Conduct Research in Arizona

Chemistry major Ms. Jennifer Casanova will be participating in a research project this summer through the University of Arizona's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program.

Jennifer will work under the direction of Dr. William Montfort in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics. Dr. Montfort's research includes work with protein structures and their function and inhibition.

Congratulations, Jennifer.

Undergraduate Biochemistry Seminar - 4/3

Two undergraduate speakers will present in this week's biochemistry seminar.

Ms. Galit Regev will present "The Study of Double-stranded RNA in Rhizoctonia Solani".

Ms. Aubree Webb will present "The Unique Pharmacology of Scorpion Toxin Lqh3".

Please join us at 2:30pm in Weyandt 127.

Graduate Seminars on 4/1, 4/3

On Wednesday, April 1, we will hold the first of two graduate student research seminars. Mr. Daniel Adu-Ampratwum will present the talk "Clusters, Superatoms, and Building Blocks of New Materials" in Weyandt 240 at 3:30pm.

On Friday, April 3, Ms. Bernice Opoku-Agyeman will present the talk "Mechanisms and Kinetics of the Wacker Process: A Quantum Mechanical Approach" in Weyandt 240 at 3:30pm.

For both seminars, light refreshments will be served.

CHEM 281: Food Chemistry Offered for Fall '09

A special topics course on the chemistry of food is being offered for Fall 2009 in the Chemistry Department.

CHEM 281: Food Chemistry

Food Chemistry is a 3-credit, non-lab chemistry course focusing on basic and organic chemistry as it applies to food. This class is appropriate for chemistry, biochemistry or biology majors wanting an elective chemistry course; for food & nutrition majors who plan to take FDNT 362; and other students with an interest in food chemistry who meet the prerequisite requirements. The course will include lectures on topics including but not limited to: carbohydrates, protein, fats, grains, fruits & vegetables, meat & dairy, fermentation, chemical processes in food preparation, molecular gastronomy, coffee & tea, flavor & aroma, food additives, and more. This course is not eligible as a liberal studies non-lab science course. PREREQUISITES: Successful completion of CHEM 102, CHEM 112, or CHEM 114, or completed credits that were accepted for transfer by IUP to count as one of the aforementioned courses.

For more information on the course, contact Dr. Nate McElroy.

Chemistry Seminar - 3/27

Please join us on Friday, March 27 for a research seminar by Mr. Theppawut Ayudhya (University of South Carolina) at 2:30pm in Weyandt 149.

The talk is titled "Synthesis of Highly Functional Poly(thiophene)s and Progress Towards Generating Solid State Chemosensors."

Chemistry Seminar - 3/25

On Wednesday, March 25 Mr. Justin Fair from the University of Connecticut will present the research seminar "Synthetically Useful Reactions of Organolithium Compounds and Predicted Chromatograms for Flash Column Chromatography".

Please join us at 2:30pm in Weyandt 127 for the seminar. Light refreshments will be served.

Mini-ACS Meeting at Duquesne

Duquesne University will be hosting an ACS Meeting in Miniature again this year. IUP students are invited to come and present their work. The meeting is planned for April 18, 2009 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm in College Hall and Mellon Hall on the Duquesne campus.

More information and online registration can be found here: http://www.science.duq.edu/chemistry/acsmini09.html

Chemistry Seminar - 3/20

The Department of Chemistry is pleased to host Mr. Alexander Poniatowski of the University of Pittsburgh on Friday, March 20.

Mr. Poniatowski will present the research seminar "Synthesis of Natural Products: Utilizing Radical Cations Toward Apicularen, and a Proposed Route to Myrioneurinol".

Please join us at a special time, 1:15pm in Weyandt 149 (note room change also).

Chemistry Student Awarded ACS Fellowship

Chemistry major Ms. Jennifer Beveridge has been awarded an ACS undergraduate fellowship in nuclear and radiochemistry, funded by the Department of Energy. The fellowship includes textbooks, housing, transportation, tuition, and lab supplies, and will count as six credits from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Jen will take up the fellowship at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York this June and July.

Congratulations Jennifer!

Biochemistry Seminar - 3/13

This week's biochemistry seminar (Fri. Mar. 13) features Mr. Zack Wiley a senior biochemistry major at IUP, who will present the talk "Mimivirus and the Virophage: Redefining Life". The biochemistry seminar will be held in Weyandt 127 at 2:30pm.

Chemistry Seminar - 3/13

On Friday, March 13, the chemistry department will host Dr. Claire Tessier from the University of Akron. After meeting with faculty and students, Dr. Tessier will present the talk "Chlorophosphazenes, the Precursors to Polyphosphazenes. Are Superacids Undetected Participants in Their Chemistry?".

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

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.

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).

Chemistry Seminar - 12/5

Our final chemistry seminar for Fall 2008 will be presented this Friday at 3:30pm in Weyandt 240. Ms. Francisca Owusu Sekyere will present "Structure and Membrane Binding Analysis of Recombinant Mouse Growth Hormone Binding Protein".

Light refreshments will be served.

Undergraduate Research Proposal Poster Session

The students in CHEM 301 will be presenting posters of their research proposals on Wednesday, December 10 from 12:30-2:30 pm in WEY 236. You are cordially invited to view the posters and ask the students questions. Light refreshments will be served.

Department Christmas Party

From Dr. John Woolcock

Chemistry Faculty and Staff,

The Chemistry Department Christmas Party will be held on Friday, December 5, 2008 from 5 to 8 pm at the College Lodge. A sign-up sheet to indicate what food you plan to bring is by the faculty mailboxes. Please RSVP on this sheet by Wednesday, December 3rd. I will be providing the entrée, turkey and ham and also mashed potatoes. Set up at the College Lodge will begin at 4 PM. If you plan to bring small children, please note that Santa is scheduled to appear and distribute pre-Christmas gifts. If you want to have your child/children receive a gift from Santa, you should buy the gift, wrap it and label it clearly so Santa can read it! Bring all gifts to the Chemistry Department Office by 12 PM on December 5th. We have also invited the retired faculty that are in town to come as well so it should be fun.

Cheers,
John

Entry-Level, Full-Time, Tenure-Track Organic Chemist Wanted

The Position: The Department of Chemistry, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, seeks candidates for an entry-level, full-time, tenure-track assistant professor in Organic Chemistry, to begin in August 2009. The position will be filled pending availability of funds. This is an excellent opportunity for a recent Ph.D.

Qualifications: Applicants must have earned a doctoral degree in Organic Chemistry or other appropriate discipline before the date of appointment. Candidates should demonstrate outstanding skills and enthusiasm for teaching and research. Candidates must communicate effectively and perform well during the interview(s), which will include a teaching demonstration and research seminar. All applicants must be work-eligible.

Responsibilities/Duties: The successful candidate will be expected to teach courses in Organic and Introductory Chemistry (generally three to four courses per semester) including undergraduate and graduate (M.S.) lectures and lab; develop an active research program that includes the direction of undergraduate and graduate (M.S.) research; and provide professionally-related service to the department, college, university, and community.

How to Apply: Applicants should submit by mail a cover letter, detailed vitae, unofficial copies of undergraduate and graduate transcripts (official transcripts will be needed prior to hiring), a statement of teaching philosophy, a statement of research plans (clearly indicating needs for equipment, space, and start up funds), and should arrange to have three letters of recommendation mailed to: Chair, Organic Chemistry Search Committee, Chemistry Department, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 975 Oakland Ave., Indiana, PA 15705. To ensure consideration, all application materials must be received by January 15, 2009.

Indiana University is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and is an equal opportunity employer M/F/H/V

F09-015

Chemistry Seminar - 11/21

Join us this week in Weyandt 240 at 3:30pm for our weekly chemistry seminar. This week's presenter will be Mr. Marc Ferrington of IUP, who will speak on "Experimental and Computational Investigation of the Heterogeneous Catalyzed Suzuki Cross-Coupling".

Light refreshments will be served.