Olivia DrakeDavid Beveridge, the Joshua Boger University Professor of the Sciences and Mathematics, professor of chemistry, received a five year graduate student training grant from the National Institutes of Heath (NIH) in support of Wesleyan's interdepartmental program in Molecular Biophysics and Biological Chemistry (MBBC). This program is co-coordinated by Ishita Mukerji, professor of molecular biology and biochemistry, director of graduate studies. The MBBC Program involves 12 faculty members from chemistry, biology, MB&B and physics departments along with both graduate Ph.D. students and undergraduate certificate students. The grant, worth $662,820, is the latest in a series of awards to this program, which…
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Through a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Wesleyan Hughes Summer Research Program supports undergraduate education in the life sciences. This summer, Wesleyan is hosting 43 Hughes Fellows and approximately 65 Hughes Associates. Hughes Associates are not funded by Hughes, but they participate in Hughes activities. The program runs from May 25 to July 29 and is open to freshmen, sophomores and juniors currently enrolled at Wesleyan. Fellows receive a $4,000 stipend and are expected to work full-time on their research. Wesleyan faculty members serve as mentors in the Hughes Summer Research Program. The Summer Program also includes…
Bill HolderRob Rosenthal, provost and vice president for academic affairs, the John E. Andrus Professor of Sociology, announced a change of title for several faculty members. These new titles take effect July 1, 2011. New University Professors Ronald Kuivila, University Professor of Music, has been teaching at Wesleyan since 1981. He creates sound installations, performs experimental music, and integrates computer programming with music composition. More than 50 of his sound installations have been exhibited internationally, more than 40 works of his concert music have been given major performances, 12 of his works of music for dance have been performed in dance…
Erika Taylor, assistant professor of chemistry and environmental studies, has received a $193,809 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for a project called “Imaging Lignin Degradation." Taylor will collaborate with colleagues at Penn State University and the University of Tennessee. Taylor hopes to use fluorescence imaging and isotope trace experiments to develop probes for finding organisms that can break down lignin. She plans to test complex biological samples. "Think going to the forest and bringing home a bucket of dirt containing small insects and lots of microorganisms and then figuring out which ones can break down lignin. This is…
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Michael Calter, associate professor of chemistry, received a grant worth $472,490 from the National Institutes of Health General Medical Sciences. The award will support his research on “Asymmetric C-C Bond-Forming Reactions Catalyzed by Cinchona Alkaloid Derivatives” through July 31, 2013.
Michael Calter, associate professor of chemistry, received a $472,490 grant from the National Institutes of Health for his study titled “Asymmetric C-C Bond-Forming Reactions Catalyzed by Cinchona Alkaloid Derivatives.” The grant will fund this research through July 31, 2013. The project described was supported by Award Number R15GM094764 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.
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Stewart Novick, professor of chemistry, and Herb Pickett, a visiting scholar in chemistry, received a $323,880 grant from the National Science Foundation for their research titled “High resolution spectroscopy of molecular hydrogen complexed with Transition metal halides and chalcogens: a model for H2 MOF hydrogen storage.” The grant will be awarded Sept. 1 through Aug. 31, 2013. The grant is subcontract with the project’s co-PI Zhenghong Yu at Aerodyne Research Inc. Using the extremely sensitive Fourier transform microwave spectrometer in Novick's laboratory and incorporating "laser ablation" as a source of refractory molecules, Novick and Pickett plan to study the "active site" of the…
Olivia DrakeBrian Northrop, assistant professor of chemistry, received a $100,000 American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund grant for his project titled “Dynamic Assembly of Porous Boronate Ester Macromolecules.” The grant will be applied July 1 through Aug. 31, 2012.