Uwe Burghause Receives NSF CAREER AWARD
Professor Uwe Burghaus Receives NSF CAREER Award Uwe Burghaus, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, has received a $426,000 CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation. The NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program recognizes and supports the early career development of faculty who show remarkable potential to become academic leaders. The CAREER awardees are selected on the basis of creative, integrative, and effective research and education development plans. Dr. Burgaus plans to use the award to to characterize the adsorption dynamics of small molecules on copper and gold catalysts which are pertinent for the petroleum industry and the cleaning of exhaust pollution. His educational plans include the development of a hands-on course that will be taught at a Native American community college as well as developing the physical chemistry laboratory course to include cutting edge research topics in nanoscience. For more information about Dr. Burghaus’ research interests, visit http://www.ndsu.edu/chemistry/people/faculty/burghaus.html.
Sivaguru Jayaraman Receives NSF CAREER AWARD
Sivaguru Jayaraman, (Siva) Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry and molecular biology at North Dakota State University, Fargo, has been named a recipient of the Faculty Early Career Development award (CAREER) by the National Science Foundation. Dr. Siva will receive a five-year, $575,000 award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to conduct research outlined in his proposal titled “Imprinting Molecular Chirality in Solution During Photo-Transformations.”
For more details see:
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/537212/
Rasmussen appointed HIST Program Chair of ACS (posted November 28, 2007)
Seth C. Rasmussen, Associate Professor of Chemistry, has been appointed by the Division of the History of Chemistry (HIST) to be its next Divisional Program Chair. Founded in 1927, HIST is one of the 33 technical divisions of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and seeks to advance knowledge and appreciation of the history of the chemical sciences among chemists, students, historians of science, and the broader public. Prof. Rasmussen will join the Division's executive committee in 2008 as Assistant Program Chair and succeed the current Program Chair Joe Jeffers (Ouachita Baptist University) in 2009. As Program Chair, Prof. Rasmussen will be responsible for the technical programming of HIST at national ACS meetings including symposia and general sessions as well as workshops, tutorials, and demonstrations.
Chemistry Club Receives National Award from the American Chemical Society (posted November 28, 2007)
The NDSU Chemistry club, a student affiliate chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS), has been selected by the ACS to receive an “Honorable Mention” award for its chapter activities conducted during the 2006-07 academic year.
The NDSU chapter activities consistently include community service and education, fundraising to support chapter events, and strong participation at national meetings. Approximately 10-15 students each year give research presentations at the national meetings, with over 50 undergraduate research presentations presented in the last seven years.
Of the more than 980 student chapters nationwide, only 175 institutions received awards this year. This is the seventh consecutive national award for the chapter. While the NDSU Chemistry Club was originally founded in 1897, it did not become a student affiliate chapter of the ACS until 1968. Since that time, it has received 12 national awards from the ACS.
In addition to society recognition, the NDSU chapter will be acknowledged in two nationally distributed publications; Chemical and Engineering News, the society’s official weekly magazine, and In Chemistry, a bimonthly magazine for ACS student affiliates. Award-winning chapters will also be recognized at an awards ceremony during the society’s annual meeting in April 2008. Dr. Seth Rasmussen, Associate Professor of Chemistry, serves as the faculty advisor for the NDSU Chemistry Club.
Professor Mukund Sibi has been honored as a University Distinguished Professor by President Joseph Chapman. This award recognizes outstanding achievements of high quality faculty. The professorship comes with a $20,000 pay raise and $5,000 annually to be used for academic teaching or research endeavors. Sibi joins six other professors from across the campus being honored by this new initiative. Distinguished Professors will be charged with recognizing up to two new professorships each year. Prof. Sibi also received the James A. Meier Professorship earlier this year. (The Sibi Group Web Page)
Greg Cook, Associate Professor of Chemistry, has received the 2007-2009 Walter F. and Verna Gehrts Endowed Professorship from the University. The Gehrts Endowed Professorship is awarded to a faculty member at the rank of Associate Professor who has demonstrated a balanced academic record demonstrating excellence in teaching, research, and service. (The Cook Group Web Page)
NDSU CHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY RECEIVES GIFT FROM ABBOTT LABORATORIES (posted September 20, 2007)
The Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology at North Dakota State University has received a gift of $10,000 on behalf of Abbott Laboratories Global Pharmaceutical Research and Development. The gift is designated to aid the department to continue to identify, educate, and graduate students that excel both in the classroom and the laboratory. Toward this end, the money will be used to support two programs in the department. The Abbott Laboratory Graduate Fellowship helps to support talented M.S. and Ph.D. graduate students working in the broad area of pharmaceutical research. Additionally, part of the money will be used to bring scientists from outside NDSU to campus through the Abbott Laboratories Lectures in Organic Chemistry series. This gift is part of an on-going annual commitment by Abbott Laboratories to support organic chemistry at NDSU that has been fostered by Profs. Mukund Sibi and Greg Cook over the last six years.
Mukund Sibi To Receive the Prestigious 2008 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award (posted August 23, 2007)
Mukund P. Sibi, a James A. Meier professor of chemistry and molecular biology at North Dakota State University, will receive a 2008 Arthur S. Cope Scholar Award, considered to be a top honor in organic chemistry. The Cope Scholar Award, issued by the American Chemical Society (ACS), recognizes scientists from across the globe who have distinguished themselves in the broad field of organic chemistry. Through the Cope Scholar Award, Dr. Sibi will receive a $5,000 certificate and a $40,000 unrestricted research grant. He also will deliver an invited talk on his research and be recognized at a special ceremony in April 2008 at the ACS National Meeting in New Orleans, La.
“Dr. Sibi’s achievement and distinguished role in the field of organic chemistry is remarkable,” said NDSU President Joseph A. Chapman. “NDSU is honored to have faculty like Dr. Sibi guiding us along the journey that has brought us to the next level of excellence.”
“The Cope Scholar Awards are considered to be one of the most prestigious awards in the field of chemistry and this award reflects the significant contributions Dr. Sibi makes to his field of study,” said Dr. Philip Boudjouk, vice president for research, creative activities and technology transfer.
The dean of the College of Science and Mathematics at NDSU, Kevin McCaul, also noted the honor. “Dr. Sibi is clearly a superb researcher, and he is also a wonderful teacher, whether in a formal classroom setting or working with his students in the lab. Those qualities go well together, and we are delighted that the ACS has selected Dr. Sibi for this international recognition."
Download the full press release here (PDF).
NDSU Receives $10.5M Research Award from National Institutes of Health (posted August 8, 2007)
Researchers at North Dakota State University have received a $10.5 million, five-year research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for new strategies for targeting protease in disease. The research team is led by Mukund Sibi, who is a James A. Meier Professor of Chemistry and Molecular Biology at NDSU.
The funding continues a nationally competitive biomedical research center at NDSU, focused on the study of proteases in disease. The research has a strong biology component with cancer and asthma as the primary disease targets. “A major scientific goal of this research includes understanding the biological role played by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and histone deacetylases (HDAC) in cancer and other diseases such as asthma,” said Sibi. NDSU investigators participating in the research include: Greg Cook, Glenn Dorsam and Sheri Dorsam of the Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology; Bin Guo, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Jane Schuh, Department of Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences.
Download the full press release here (PDF).
Sibi Named Meier Professor (posted August 8, 2007)
from It's Happening, June 13, 2007
Mukund Sibi, professor of chemistry and molecular biology, has been selected for the Dr. James A. Meier Senior Professorship Award for the College of Science and Mathematics.
“You are most deserving of this award,” wrote Kevin McCaul, dean of science and mathematics, in a letter informing Sibi of his selection for the prestigious honor. “Your dedication to teaching, research and the department are evident in your record. This award can be thought of as a ‘thank you’ from the college.”
Gregory Cook, associate professor of chemistry and molecular biology, wrote in a letter of nomination that Sibi’s research in organic chemistry has provided insights into controlling chemical reactivity that have a far-reaching impact in organic chemistry, particularly pharmaceutical development.
Cook wrote that Sibi “has endeavored to promote our department and our university around the world. His outstanding service and outstanding accomplishments are a testament to NDSU and I can think of no one more deserving of this honor.”
Marvin J. Miller, George and Winifred Clark Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame, wrote in a letter of support, “Prof. Sibi deserved recognition for his innovative, productive research, but he is also the ‘complete package’-an excellent researcher, teacher, mentor and professional who loves his profession and has passionately dedicated his life to serving as a positive role model as he advances our profession in every way possible.”
Currently the Dale Hogoboom Professor in chemistry, Sibi has published more than 140 papers in peer-reviewed journals. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Bangalore University, India, and his doctorate at City University of New York. Sibi was a postdoctoral fellow at Dartmouth College, the University of Waterloo and Florida State University.
The professorship is effective July 1, and continues for three years. It carries a stipend of $3,500 per year.
The professorship is supported through an endowment gift from alumnus Meier, B.S. ’59, Ph.D. ’71, who held several leadership roles at Pittsburgh Paints and Glass during his career. Meier received an honorary doctorate from NDSU during May commencement ceremonies.
Chad Amb Receives ND EPSCoR Doctoral Dissertation Award (posted August 8, 2007)
Chad Amb, a graduate student in the group of Prof. Seth Rasmussenk, has been awarded a ND EPSCoR Doctoral Dissertation Award. This program is designed to increase the completion rate of doctoral students enrolled in the science, engineering and mathematics disciplines at NDSU and UND.
Chemistry Faculty Receive College Awards (posted May 02, 2007)
Two faculty from the Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology have received awards from the College of Science and Mathematics.
Dr. Seth Rasmussen, Associate Professor, has received the 2007 College Award for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Rasmussen teaches all levels of inorganic chemistry and has developed a new course at NDSU in Science History. In addition, he serves as the faculty mentor for the Undergraduate Chemistry Club.
Dr. Wenfang Sun, Associate Professor, has been award the 2007 College Award for Excellence in Research. Dr. Sun has developed cutting edge research in the area of photofunctional organoic and metallo-organic materials for applications in optical limiting and photodynamic therapy. She has received a National Science Foundation Career Award and is also funded by the Army Research Lab and the USDA.
Hayashi Awarded Dissertation Fellowship (posted May 02, 2007)
Ryuji Hayashi, a fourth-year graduate student in the group of Prof. Greg Cook, has been awarded a Graduate School Doctoral Dissertation Award. This competitive award will provide $18,000 for one year beginning in August 2007.
Funk Wins Graduate School Research Award (posted May 02, 2007)
Shamus Funk, graduate student in the group of Prof. Uwe Burghaus, is the recipient of the Graduate School Research Award. This award is made annually to one student in each college and recognizes outstanding contributions made to research by graduate students. Shamus will receive a $1,000 cash award for this honor.
Srivastava to Serve 4-Year Term on NIH Study Section (posted February 28, 2007)
Dr. D.K. Srivastava, Professor of Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology has been invited to serve a four year term on the Macromolecular Structure and Function A Study Section for the National Institutes of Health. His term will begin July 1, 2007 and he will serve through June 30, 2011. NIH Study Sections are the backbone of the Center for Scientific Review to evaluate research grant applications submitted to the NIH. Study Section members make recommendations on the scientific integrity of proposals to the NIH institutes. Members are selected on the basis of their demonstrated competence and achievement in their scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of research accomplishments, publications, and other significant achievements. Being asked to serve in the NIH peer review process is an honor and recognition of Dr. Srivastava’s scientific contributions.
Greg Cook to Chair 2008 Gordon Research Conference on Organic Reactions and Processes (posted February 7, 2007)
Associate Professor of Chemistry, Gregory Cook, has been elected to chair the 2008 Gordon Research Conference on Organic Reactions and Processes to be held July 13-18 in Smithfield, RI. He will serve as Vice-Chair for the 2007 meeting. For 75 years, the Gordon Research Conferences have been the premiere scientific meetings. Initiated by Dr. Neil E. Gordon, of the Johns Hopkins University, in the late 1920s, the Gordon Research Conferences promote discussions and the free exchange of ideas at the research frontiers of the biological, chemical and physical sciences. Scientists with common professional interests come together for a full week of intense discussion and examination of the most advanced aspects of their field. Today the GRC runs about 180 conferences a year. The conference on Organic Reactions and Processes brings together organic chemists from around the world working in academia and industry from around the globe. Dr. Cook will chair the 55th Organic Reactions and Processes conference which focusses on process research for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals, synthesis of complex natural products, organic reaction mechanisms, new synthetic methods, and new developments in the catalysis of organic reactions. Organic Reactions and Processes is traditionally one of the most popular and prestigious of the GRC conferences every year. 2008 Organic Reactions and Processes Gordon Conference
Graduate programs in Chemistry and Biochemistry