Chemistry News Archives
[current news]- Professor Eric Toone is one of three Duke faculty sharing in $25,000 awards as part of the Duke-NCCU STEM Partnership. Each award will provide the students with a $15,000 stipend, $5,000 for tuition and $5,000 for the supplies needed to conduct research in a laboratory at Duke. A primary goal of the program is to establish collaborations between faculty members at research-intensive Duke and NCCU, a historically black university. Congratulations to Prof. Toone!
- The Chemistry Department Holiday Party will be held on Dec. 11 beginning at 6 p.m at the Durham Hilton. All students, faculty, staff, and their families are invited to attend and celebrate what has been a fantastic year for the department. See you then!
- We are delighted to announce that Michael Therien, who currently holds the MacDiarmid Professorship at the University of Pennsylvania, will join our faculty effective January 1, 2008. Professor Therien works in the broad field of physical organic and physical inorganic chemistry, disciplines that seek to understand the basis of novel ground and excited state phenomena in molecules and molecular materials. In addition to the deep intellectual challenges embodied in this field, this area of research also aims to develop design principles for new materials. Therien’s work is particularly focused on using these relationships to prepare and study materials with novel and useful photophysical, catalytic, and electronic properties. In the course of these studies Therien draws on the expertise and capabilities of multiple disciplines in addition to the core fields of physical-organic and physical-inorganic chemistry, including modern spectroscopy and photophysics, molecular imaging, materials chemistry and nanoscience.
- Prof. Tuan Vo-Dinh has been ranked No. 43 on a list of the world's top 100 living geniuses in a survey conducted by Creators Synectics, a global consultants firm. Prof. Vo-Dinh is R. Eugene and Susie E. Goodson Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Professor of Chemistry, and Director of the Fitzpatrick Institute for Photonics.
- Please join us as we celebrate the dedication of Duke University's French Family Science Center with a multidisciplinary scientific symposium at the frontiers of knowledge. The symposium begins at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 9 and is open to the public. The program features world-renowned scientists, and a full schedule can be found here. The talks will be held in FFSC 2231, and overflow seating with a video link will be provided in Love Auditorium at the Levine Science Research Center.
- Recent work by Professors San-Huang Ke, Harold Baranger and Weitao Yang provides a new look at the contacts between conjugated molecules and metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes. Their research, which is featured on the cover of the Oct 5 issue of Physical Review Letters, shows that the overall conjugation required for good contact transparency is broken by connecting through a six-member ring on the tube. To achieve full conjugation and hence near perfect contact transparency by an all-carbon contact, they designed a five-member ring leads for different conjugated molecular bridges, leading to high transparency in electrical conduction--a critical attribute for molecular electronic applications. More details of the work, which combines a Landauer approach with ab initio density functional theory, can be found in the published article.
- Now accepting applications to the PhD program for 2008-2009 academic year. Apply here.
Chemistry Admissions Information - A vertically integrated team, with members from all education levels between high school and post-doctoral, participated in a month-long international research experience funded by the National Science Foundation. The team, led by Associate Research Professor Thom LaBean, pursued projects involving bionanoscience, supramolecular chemistry, and molecular engineering. Working in a newly founded center at Aarhus University in Denmark, the students developed synthetic DNA molecules capable of self-assembling into designed structures on the nanometer length-scale. These nanostructures may prove useful for future applications in biosensors, electronics, photonics, computation, and medicine. Additional information, project descriptions, and more photos can be found at http://www.cs.duke.edu/~thl/pages/Denmarksite/IRES.html. NSF funding provided by the IRES grant will sponsor additional trips from Duke to Aarhus in August of 2008 and 2009. A call for student applications from US citizens and permanent residents will be posted at the beginning of the spring semester.
- The laboratory of Professor Jiyong Hong has reported a versatile route to the synthesis of 2,5-diaryl-3,4-dimethyltetrahydrofuran lignans. There is a growing interest in lignans and their synthetic derivatives due to applications in cancer chemotherapy and a variety of other pharmacological effects. This synthetic strategy should be broadly applicable to the efficient synthesis of a diverse set of bioactive 2,5-diaryl-3,4-dimethyltetrahydrofuran lignans.
- Recent results from the lab of Prof. Katherine Franz show that prochelators they designed to inhibit metal-promoted oxidative stress are able to rescue cells from otherwise lethal oxidative conditions. The work, which may have implications for diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, was presented at the August meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston. For more information, see this local news story http://www.localtechwire.com/business/local_tech_wire/biotech/story/1758081/.
- Collaborative work by the groups of Eric Toone and Rob Clark has led to a new method for printing finely-detailed microscopic images with an enzyme, rather than ink. The report is available online in the Journal of Organic Chemistry. The new technology, termed biocatalytic microcontact printing, involves coating a nano-“stamp” with an enzyme. The enzyme then digests away a layer on the surface, leaving behind an imprint almost like an old-fashioned rubber stamp. Because no diffusion of ink is involved in the process, the resolution of microcontact printed images is about one hundred-fold greater than possible with conventional technology. The technique may point the way toward faster, less expensive methods of nanolithography, which could be used to create complex structures for micromachines, biosensors, and other nanoscale devices.
- The Department is deeply saddened to report that Marcus E. Hobbs, Ph.D., a former provost and professor emeritus of chemistry and University Distinguished Service Professor at Duke, died on Aug. 12 at The Forest at Duke. He was 98. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.
- The 2007-2008 Graduate Program Handbook is now available online.
- The Department is pleased to announce our Fall and Spring fellowship awards for the 07-08 academic year. Please join the department in congratulating these students for their outstanding efforts.
Pelham Wilder Teaching Awards (which include a $250 stipend and $250 research award): Jennifer Hawk, Claire Siburt, Kathryn Haas and Sarah Crider
Burroughs Welcome Fellowship (Fall and Spring award): Marcus Cheek and Dongning Yuan
Burroughs Welcome Award: Alex Shestapolav
CR Hauser Fellowship (Spring semester): Guoqianq Zhou
Paul Mangus Gross Fellowship (Spring semester) Charlotta Wennefors and Lou Charkoudian
Kathleen Zielek Fellowship (Fall semester): Tim Heaton-Burgess and Paraq Mukhopadhyay
Kathleen Zielek Fellowship (Spring semester): Jared Heymann
Joe Taylor Adams / CR Hauser split (Spring semester): Chao Gu
John Herbert Pearson Awards - Spring Semester First Year Seminar Teachers: Claire Siburt, Graham West, Esther Tristani, Sarah Crider - Graduate student Parag Mukhopadhyay and post-doc Gerard Zuber, working in David Beratan's group at Duke, have used theory to show that a solute's chiral imprint on the surrounding solvent, rather than the solute itself, can dominate the observed optical rotation (OR) of the solution. Their study is the first to quantify the relative contributions of the solute and solvent imprint to OR. The results of this study are posted in the online edition of Angewandte Chemie International Edition and noted as a "very important paper" by the journal.
- Warren Warren, James B. Duke Professor of Chemistry, began his term as Department Chair on July 1. The Department is grateful to our outgoing Chair, David Beratan, for his leadership and service, and we wish Prof. Warren the best in his new position.
- 14 Duke Chemistry Majors are participating in a Summer Research Initiative. The students are conducting research in a wide range of fields that spans from in vivo imaging of hyperthermia to electron transfer processes in proteins to new catalytic transformations. A symposium describing the results of their work will take place on July 27.
- Chemistry Ph.D. candidate Marc Adler was recognized for his outstanding teaching by the Review Committee for the 2007 Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching. Mr. Adler received an Honorable Mention from the committee as part of a University-wide competition. Congratulations to Marc on his well-deserved recognition!
- The Warren lab has made a significant step toward detecting, without biopsy, the early stages of the deadly skin cancer melanoma. The work was recently highlighted in Science, and it involves the use of ultrafast laser pulses to produce three-dimensional images of the pigment melanin in tissue.
- The Department is pleased to to congratulate Alexandra Livanos, a chemistry major, on winning an unrestricted grant from GSK to conduct summer research in the Coltart lab. Alexandra's research will focus on the development of carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions using a soft enolization approach.
- Work by Professor Jiyong Hong and co-workers during his previous position at the Scripps Research Institute is highlighted on the March cover of ACS Chemical Biology. The authors describe small molecules that increase the expression in cells of a protein called involucrin, a process linked to the differentiation of primary normal human epidermal keratinocytes.
- Professor Al Crumbliss has been selected as the first recipient of the Dean's Distinguished Service Award. The award, to be given annually, recognizes a member of the A&S faculty who has demonstrated exceptional service to the department, Trinity College, A&S and/or the University. Prof. Crumbliss has had 37 years of outstanding service to all levels of the University, and the Department is proud to congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition!
- The Undergraduate Majors Poster Session will be held Friday, April 20th from 1.30pm-3.30pm. Join us in the atrium of the French Science Center to learn about the research accomplishments of our outstanding chemistry majors!
- The Department is proud to announce the promotion of Prof. Ross Widenhoefer to Full Professor. Congratulations to Prof. Widenhoefer and all the members of the Widenhoefer Group!
- We're on the move! The Department of Chemistry is in the process of moving into our new building, the spectacular, state-of-the-art French Family Science Center, located at 124 Science Drive. The Administrative Office is now located in Room 3236 and is open from 8:15 - 5:00. If you need assistance in locating someone, or if you have other questions about our move, please visit us or call us at 660-1500. The box numbers for our mail remain the same, as well as our office phone numbers and fax number. We will be updating our web site database gradually during this process to try to keep you informed of everyone's whereabouts.
We're excited about the move and our new surroundings which include state-of-the-art laboratories for research and teaching. We invite you to visit us and see the French Family Science Center.
- Professors Jie Liu and Steve Craig have been selected for Bass Chairs in Chemistry, effective July 1, 2007. The Bass Chairs are awarded for excellence in teaching and research. Professor Liu will be appointed as the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Associate Professor of Chemistry, and Professor Craig will be appointed as the Fuchsberg-Levine Family Associate Professor of Chemistry. Congratulations to both on their recognition!
- The Department is proud to announce the promotion of Prof. Stephen Craig to Associate Professor with tenure. Congratulations to Prof. Craig and all the members of the Craig Group!
- A review of work from the Craig group is highlighted on the cover of the current issue of Langmuir.
- Seeing is Believing, a conference investigating the future of molecular and biomolecular imaging, will be hosted by the Center for Molecular and Biomolecular Imaging in the new French Family Sciences Center at Duke University on March 11-13. Details regarding the program and registration can be found at the conference website.
- Summer undergraduate research fellowships are now available for students who are interested in independent study and pursuing Graduation with Distinction as Chemistry majors. Participants in the Summer Research Program will be eligible to apply for Gordon Research Fellowships that provide financial support for their Independent Study projects and thesis work. Go to http://www.chem.duke.edu/undergraduate/research/ for more details.
- David Beratan's group describes, in the February 2 issue of Science, a unified theory of protein-mediated electron transfer reactions, resolving a long-standing dispute on the mechanism of these important biological events. Prytkova, Kurnikov and Beratan show that proteins containing many fluctuating coupling pathways produce transport kinetics that depends weakly on details of the protein structure, while proteins with fewer coupling paths have structure-dependent rates. Their analysis explains a large body of kinetic data, collected over the last 25 years, on synthetically modified proteins and natural photosynthetic systems.
- Professor Abraham Nitzan, Kodesz Chair of Chemical Dynamics and Director of the Sackler Institute for Advance Studies at Tel Aviv University, will be the Department's first John Morrow Visiting Fellow, in residence this spring. Prof. Nitzan will teach a graduate course in condensed phase dynamics beginning in late January.
- Tatiana Prytkova, David Beratan, and Spiros Skourtis report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences a new molecular-level interpretation of how the bacterial protein photolyase repairs DNA that has been damaged by UV light. Photolyase is known to repair DNA using a photoinduced electron transfer mechanism. The collaborators at Duke and the University of Cyprus showed that photoexcitation of photolyase's flavin unit produces a polarized charge-transfer excited state that is essentially in direct contact with the damaged bases in the docked protein-DNA complex, allowing facile repair.
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