SENIORS! Full Time Lab Tech Job Opportunity

Midwest Industrial Coatings, Inc. is an industrial coatings supplier located in Shakopee, Minnesota. We have an immediate opening for a full-time Laboratory/Production Technician.

Job Opportunity

· Quality control, research and development

- Prepare and apply liquid batch samples, test physical properties and record results

- Opportunity to elevate to quality control manager in the future

· Assist production blending of paint batches

· Monitor progress and perform upkeep of coatings laboratory testing instruments

· Assist in developing new colors for the power sports industry

· May include field work and trials at customer sites

Qualifications

· High school diploma required, post-secondary education preferred.

· Accuracy and ability to follow detailed written directions

· Computer skills and knowledge of Microsoft Office programs a plus

· Must be able to lift up to 70 pounds occasionally

Compensation

Full-time, salaried, with benefits.

Application Materials

Cover letter with salary requirements

Name & contact information of references

Resume

Application Deadline
Accepting applications until the position is filled.

Contact

G. Cowan
Midwest Industrial Coatings, Inc.
4910 12^th Avenue East
Shakopee, MN 55379
gcowan@micicoatings.com

Chemistry Department Interim Student Work--Available!

Offers for Chemistry Department Interim student work positions will be coming out soon. We had a large number of applicants for some of the Interim student work positions, but too few applicants for other positions. In particular, none of the unsuccessful applicants have taken Chem 255 (Analytical Chemistry)...and therefore these students cannot fill our remaining positions in the Fourth Floor Stockroom. We are, therefore, looking for additional applicants for the following positions:

4th Floor Stockroom, Tuesdays 12:30-3:30
4th Floor Stockroom, Wednesdays 12:30-3:30
4th Floor Stockroom, Thursdays 12:30-3:30

Please contact Karen Renneke (renneke@stolaf.edu, ext. 3104) to apply!

From Science Daily.com

A Methane-Metal Marriage: Scientists Insert Metal Atoms Into Methane Gas Molecules

ScienceDaily (Dec. 23, 2010) — For the first time, chemists have succeeded in plugging a metal atom into a methane gas molecule, thereby creating a new compound that could be a key in opening up new production processes for the chemical industry, especially for the synthesis of organic compounds, which in turn might have implications for drug development...read more.

Merry Christmas! Check out these gift ideas for the geeky chemist in your life...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/64210604/truly-a-ti-tac

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61139624/ho-ho-ho-necklace-red (OK, the "O" should not be capitalized...apparently not all jewelry-makers are Periodic Table aficionados!)

WinField Solutions Internship Available

Students: Here is some information about the internship that our seminar speaker spoke about on Friday afternoon. The full announcement is available by clicking on the title of this blog.

This position is an on-the-job training
program for someone who is attending
college and planning to pursue an agricultural
career after graduation. It will provide the
Intern with a better understanding of
agribusiness and R&D, while helping them
develop skills that will make them a more
desirable candidate to hire into an agronomy
position upon graduation.

This intern will assist in:

· Creating prototype products for new
product concepts

· Creating samples for field testing

· Troubleshooting problems in production
and processing

· Evaluating new manufacturing processes

· Evaluating product performance of both
proprietary and competitive products

· Maintaining ingredient and finished product
inventories

We are looking for someone working on any
chemistry degree program, preferably a
senior undergraduate, who is intersted in
working during the Spring semester.

UNCF/Merck Science Initiative Scholarships

Want help finding a summer research position in Biochemistry or Molecular Biology?

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) is pleased to announce the opening of a Summer Research Opportunities website. Here students can find listings for over one hundred summer research programs, including the name of the host institution, the 2011 application deadline and most importantly, and a link to the program’s website. Our goal is to encourage participation in summer research experiences by aiding students in locating and applying to suitable programs. We hope that you will bring this new resource to the attention of your students.

Biotech REU at Western Kentucky University

Western Kentucky University seeks talented science students to participate in its summer National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in investigative biotechnology. Our preference is for rising juniors and seniors (younger students with research experience will be considered), who have completed core courses in the science curriculum at their home institutions and have demonstrated a curiosity and passion for science. We especially encourage applications from students who are members of groups underrepresented in graduate education in the biological sciences.

Thirteen faculty members in Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics and Computer Science will serve as mentors to accepted students. These students will gain much. Academically, students will be trained in research techniques, participate in exciting research (students can chose from over nineteen projects), and gain valuable presentation skills. Additionally, students will benefit from a series of workshops exploring ethics and preparing students to apply for and succeed in graduate school. Practically, students will receive a stipend of $480 per week, free housing, meal and travel allowances, and lab supplies.

Students can find more information and application instructions at http://www.wku.edu/biotechreu. Applications must be postmarked by Friday, February 4, 2011. If you have any additional questions please feel free to contact Dr. Shivendra Sahi (shivendra.sahi@wku.edu), Dr. Rodney King (rodney.king@wku.edu), or myself (audra.jennings@wku.edu).

Best wishes,

Audra Jennings, Ph.D.

Coordinator of Undergraduate Research

Western Kentucky University

Are you graduate school bound?

The National Research Council of the National Academies sponsors a number of awards for graduate, postdoctoral and senior researchers at federal laboratories and affiliated institutions. These awards include generous stipends ranging from $42,000 - $75,000 per year for recent Ph.D. recipients, and higher for additional experience and graduate entry level stipends beginning at $30,000 and higher for additional experience. The awards provide the opportunity for recipients to do independent research in some of the best-equipped and staffed laboratories in the U.S. Research opportunities are open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and for some of the laboratories, foreign nationals.

Detailed program information, including instructions on how to apply online and a list of participating laboratories, is available on the NRC Research Associateship Programs Web site at:

www.national-academies.org/rap

Questions should be directed to the NRC at 202-334-2760 (phone) or rap@nas.edu.

There are four review cycles annually. Deadlines for 2011 are:

February 1, May 1, August 1, November 1

Applicants should contact prospective Adviser(s) at the lab(s) prior to the application deadline to discuss their research interests and funding opportunities.

H. Ray Gamble

Director of the Fellowship Programs

National Research Council

The National Academies

5000 5th Street NW, Keck 568
Washington, DC 20001

Summer Student Internships at Mayo Clinic

Season's Greetings from Mayo Clinic!
We wanted to share with you and your students that we will have opportunities for summer student internships in the clinical lab setting again in 2011. Normally, our application is available on December 1, but Human Resources is changing the computer system and we will be going to an electronic application starting this year. Students won't be able to actually apply until January 1, 2011 when our new application system goes live. Students may visit this web site for more information: http://www.mayoclinic.org/intern-labmed-rst/details.html. It explains job duties, salary, lab descriptions and FAQ's. There is an old application currently listed at the web site. You can look at the application to see the requirements. This paper application will Not be accepted.

Students must have ALL required documents (i.e. unofficial transcripts, resume, etc.) at the time of application. If something is missing, the application should be saved as a draft. If the application is not complete, it will automatically be rejected.

It is a very competitive program. We usually have about 125 applications for about 10 positions. The program starts the first week in June and goes to the end of August. The application deadline for our summer lab science program is February 25, 2011.

Regards.
Karen G. Fields,
MT(ASCP),CG(ASCP)^CM
Placement Coordinator
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
Phone: 507-266-4444
Pager: 127(12367)
Fax: 507-266-5193
Email: fields.karen@mayo.edu
______________
Mayo Clinic
200 First Street SW
Rochester, Mn 55905
www.mayoclinic.org

Student Work Applications

Student work applications for Interim and Spring are now available.  Students interested in working for the Chemistry Department, print these forms out, and turn them into Karen Renneke, Academic Administrative Assistant, RNS 336.  We need several students to fill these positions, so please have these done before the deadlines.

I will also have some copies in my office.

Thank you!

Interim 2011 Student Work Application

Spring 2011 Student Work Application

ACS Scholars Program, click here for more info

Protein Structure & Function REU at U South Alabama

The University of South Alabama hosts a NSF-REU site to work on various projects in the area of "Protein Structure and Function". In order to apply, students must have completed organic chemistry, have a GPA of 3.0, and be interested in basic research.

The summer program lasts 10 wks (from May 23 to July 29).

Participating students receive a stipend of $500/week, housing and up to $300 to cover travel expenses.

For more information about the program, individual projects or to download an application form, please have the students contact me or visit our website at:

http://www.southalabama.edu/alliedhealth/biomedical/ucur/index.htm

Need to fulfill your Student work?

Are you good at Math or the Sciences?

Come and join Educational Talent Search Tutoring Program and be part of something great!!!

St. Olaf College Access programs Educational Talent Search (ETS), GEAR UP (GU) and Upward Bound (UB) are looking for tutors for their schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

If you are interested and have the following times open during interim, 2^nd Semester or both, take advantage of this opportunity and make money. The commitment is a minimum of 4 hours a week.

Tuesday through Thursday: 7 am- 3pm (4hrs within this time frame)

Tuesday through Thursday: 1pm-5pm

Tuesday or Wednesday: 2pm-6pm

The only thing you have to do is set up an appointment with Denice Stocker or Wendy Placko for an interview. We ask that you stop by the Education/TRiO Office in the Modular village to make this appointment. There will be some paperwork for you to complete. Interviews will be taking place on Wednesday and Friday (12/8-12/9) each day from 8:00am-5:00pm.

Molecular Animations - NY Times

Visualizations of scientific processes are becoming more common as the world of cinematography meets the graphical interface of the biological, physical and environmental sciences. Check out this piece in the NY Times addressing how science can reach the broader community as well as give current students a more visual representation of the complex, technical language we use to describe exciting events in cells and between molecules. You can also click here to go directly to the video piece rather than read the article.

Analytical Chemist Position

An employer in the Faribault, MN area has contracted with Kelly Scientific Resources to fill an opening for an Analytical Chemist. They are looking for recent or December graduates.

If you are interested, you can contact Krista Leach, Scientific Recruiter, using the contact information below.

KRIL736@kellyscientific.com

W: 952-797-0500 F: 952-797-0611

• Kelly Scientific Resources
  
• 6465 Wayzata Blvd., Suite 155, St. Louis Park, MN 55426-1722

kellyservices.com

It's getting to be the season for letters of recommendation!

As you consider asking professors for letters of recommendation, please remember to bring each letter writer a FERPA waiver form. The forms are available at the Registrar's website. Here's a link to the most-used form...you need to turn in one copy to the Registrar's office and give one copy to each letter writer. This St. Olaf waiver is different from a waiver you may have signed for the receiving institution. The reason to sign a waiver is so that the receiving institution can be sure that the submitted letter is an honest and frank appraisal of your abilities.

Faculty are asked to write a large number of these letters, so make sure to ask far in advance of due dates. It's a good idea to supply letter writers with lots of information: a resume', a statement about your motivations for the position you are seeking, a degree audit if the faculty member is not your advisor, an organized list of due dates, addresses, websites, etc.

Finally, if you are still a young college student...make an effort to get to know your professors! Visit during office hours, either to ask questions about class or just to introduce yourself. Eventually you may want letters of recommendation from these people!

Want more Organic Chemistry?

Advanced Organic Synthesis Lab (Chem 374)

So you've seen all those cool instruments and fancy pieces of glassware in Organic I and II lab, but did get a chance to really use them. You learned about a ton of different chemical reactions in lecture and spent hours working on multi-step synthesis problems but didn't get a chance to use those skills in lab. Advanced Organic Synthesis Lab takes you beyond the lab manual and gives you a chance to direct you own lab work.

With all the equipment and instrumentation in the chemistry department at your disposal, you'll develop your own multi-step synthetic procedure based on research publications and spend the semester building your chosen molecule from scratch. You'll also get the chance to prepare a poster describing your work and present it at the end of the semester.

It won't always be easy and it won't always be fun, but when you get a nice clean NMR showing you've isolated your final product, you'll know it was all worth it.

If you're thinking about going to graduate school or want to get a taste of what research is like, this is a great class for you!

What is an Interim of Bioanalytical Chemistry Like??

Are you interested in biochemistry and/or did you enjoy analytical chemistry? (you don’t need to have taken both...)

Are you interested in how modern biological samples are analyzed?

Do you want to use over $1 million worth of scientific equipment?

Do you wonder what the hospital or clinic lab does with your blood sample to provide your physician with the results of your blood tests?

Do you have an interest in proteomics (what is that?) and how this might lead to individually tailored medical treatments?

Are you thinking of getting a job in the pharmaceutical industry?

Are you looking for a lab experience that lets you work independently and have significant individual hands-on time with various instrumentation?

Do you want to spend more time in the beautiful labs in Regents Hall?

If you answered “yes” to any of these, then you might want to consider taking Chemistry 384: Bioanalytical Chemistry this Interim.

This course will introduce the fundamentals of bioanalytical chemistry, the application of modern analysis techniques to biological samples. Current clinical applications and examples of biological problems will be used to supplement lecture material. Topics will include biological mass spectrometry, radiochemical and immunological assays, various forms of chromatography, gel and capillary electrophoresis, electrochemical analysis and proteomics. Daily lectures will be closely integrated with laboratory experiences. Hands-on laboratory experiments will involve using different types of chromatography to separate biological mixtures in various ways, 1-dimensional and 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis, capillary electrophoresis, and ELISA assays. Several experiments will allow students to use the Chemistry Department’s electrospray ion-trap and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometers to identify proteins and determine the amino acid sequence of peptides. The course has a daily scheduled lecture with the rest of the day open for labs. The course includes significant hands-on lab time, but students work independently on the labs at their own pace and can set their own lab schedule in order to complete the experiments over the Interim term.

Do You Want to Know More About Chemistry 386?

Chemistry 386: Advanced Inorganic Chemistry

Instructor: Gary Miessler

Offered: Spring Semester

Counts toward Chemistry major, required for ACS major

Chem 386 can be called “the course that covers the rest of the periodic table” since it focuses primarily on elements other than carbon. In Chem 386 much emphasis is given to molecular symmetry and how it can be used to understand chemical bonding, IR spectra, electronic spectra, and other characteristics of molecules. We will consider all the elements—and carbon will by no means be ignored! For example, we will spend several weeks on organometallic chemistry (focusing on compounds that have metal­–carbon bonds) and will examine recent developments in the realm of newer forms of carbon (nanoribbons, graphene, carbon peapods, etc.) that have intriguing structures and potential wide-ranging applications in nanoelectronics, medicine, and other realms. In addition, students taking Chem 386 will have an opportunity to prepare and present at least one paper based on current developments in inorganic chemistry and related fields.

Chem 386 should be taken by all students planning graduate study in chemistry, preferably during the junior year; inorganic chemistry is included in the Graduate Record Exam in chemistry (best taken in the fall of the senior year) and is expected background for students entering grad school.