Opportunity to Visit a Graduate School Program

CHEMISTRY DAY
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 2

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
at South Dakota State University invites you to:
tour the newly opened Avera Health and Science Center,
explore research opportunities at SDSU
and investigate graduate study in Chemistry, Chemical Education, and Biochemistry.

For more information, visit www.sdstate.edu/chem
or contact:
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD 57007
(605) 688-5151

Tour the new $51 million Avera Health and Sciences Center, home to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Actively Funded Research Projects:
•Biophotonics
•FRET Microscopy
•Biophysics
•Biofuels and Biomaterials
•Natural Products
•Environmental Geochemistry
•Chemical Education
•Atmospheric Chemistry
•Global Ecosystems
•Green Chemistry
•Materials Chemistry
•Photovoltaics
•Biosensors
•Detection of Multiple Protein Interactions

For planning purposes, please RSVP to natalie.garry@sdstate.edu or 605-688-5154 by Sept. 27.

SDSU CHEMISTRY DAY PROGRAM

9:30 Refreshments and Registration
10:00 Welcome
10:15 Introduction and Department Overview
•General Description
•Faculty, Staff, Students
•Facilities
•Instrumentation and Other Resources
10:30 Graduate Program Overview
•Requirements
•Application Procedure
•Curriculum
•Assistantships
•Living in Brookings
10:45 Faculty Research Discussions
•Environmental/Analytical
•Bio/Organic Chemistry
•Chemical Education
12:00 Lunch and Discussions with Individual Faculty Members
12:45 Campus Tour
•Student Union
•Library
•HPER/Wellness Center
•Art & Ag Museums
•Performing Arts Center
•Research Park
1:30 Graduate Student Posters, Department Tour
•Research Labs
•Instructional Labs
•Instrumentation and Other Facilities
2:30 Refreshments, Q&A, Wrap-up

Sessions to be held in Room 043 of the Avera Health and Science Center.

Campus maps are available at
http://www.sdstate.edu/index/maps/index.cfm

Information about the Pediatric Oncology Education Program

Excellent undergraduate students are invited to apply for the NIH/NCI-funded (5 R25CA023944) Pediatric Oncology Education (POE) Program, http://www.stjude.org/poe. The program offers a unique opportunity for students preparing for careers in the biomedical sciences, medicine, and pharmacy to gain biomedical and oncology research experience. Students participate in basic or clinical oncology research, research and clinical conferences, and a core lecture series designed specifically for them. All participants make a PowerPoint presentation on their research project and submit a report on their research project written in the style of a journal in which their mentor publishes.

A primary goal of the POE program is to encourage students to pursue a career in cancer research, either as a laboratory-based scientist or a clinician scientist. Thus, highly qualified students with an interest in cancer research are particularly encouraged to apply.

The POE 2010 class average undergraduate GPA was 3.825. In 2010, 51 students from 42 schools in 18 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico were selected from 460 applicants. POEs must be United States citizens, non-citizen nationals, or possess a visa permitting permanent residence in the United States (required by the funding agency). All must have completed at least their college sophomore year by the time they participate. Sophomores without relevant research experience will not be competitive applicants for this program. While not required, prior research experience is a strong advantage for all applicants. Medical students spend a minimum of 9 weeks in the program. The minimum tenure requirement for all others is 11 weeks (10 weeks for returning students). All POE applicants must have an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.40 (on a 4.0 scale) in math and science (biology, chemistry, and physics) and at least a 3.40 overall. The stipend is $4,000. Fully furnished group housing adjacent to our campus is provided at no cost for non- local students.

The POE home page, http://www.stjude.org/poe, contains links to the program application, which must be submitted online. The deadline for receipt of all 2011 application materials is February 1, 2011. Early application is highly recommended. Members of under-represented ethnic minority groups and women are particularly encouraged to apply, since one of the major long-term program goals is to increase the diversity of persons engaged in oncology research and practice. Our NIH/NCI-funded (2 P30CA021765-32S1) Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE) grant provides stipends for additional undergraduate under-represented minority POE Program participants.

Contact Person:
Suzanne Gronemeyer, PhD
Director, Pediatric Oncology Education (POE) Program
Associate Director, Academic Programs
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place, Mail Stop 0304
Memphis, TN 38105-3678

Jmol - a paradigm shift in crystallographic visualization

New publication by Robert M. Hanson, Ph.D. St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN

Recent advances in molecular and crystallographic visualization methods are allowing instructors unprecedented opportunities to enhance student learning using virtual models within a familiar web-browser context. In step with these advances, the latest versions of the Jmol molecular visualization applet offer capabilities that hold potential for revolutionizing the way students learn about symmetry, uncertainty and the overall enterprise of molecular structure determination.

US EPA Green Chemistry Internship for January 2011

IMMEDIATE OPPORTUNITY - ACT NOW!

Over the last two years, St. Olaf Chemistry Students have been selected for this internship. Let's continue that trend!

If you are interested, please apply asap as the program has been known to make decisions on these internships early.

For more information see the links below and talk with Paul Jackson (jackson@stolaf.edu, RNS 422), Paul served as the St. Olaf internship supervisor the last two years.


U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;
Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics;
Economics, Exposure, and Technology Division;
Industrial Chemistry Division;
Green Chemistry Program

Green Chemistry Program Intern

U.S. EPA Headquarters
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460

The United States Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC has openings for at least two college student interns to join its Green Chemistry Program during the month of January. The position is volunteer, not paid, but offers a unique opportunity for training in green chemistry. During December, EPA will receive nominations for the 2011 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards; during January, EPA staff and interns will read all of the nominations, write a brief review of each nomination, discuss the nominated technologies in multidisciplinary group meetings, and prepare the nominations for the judging panel convened by the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute®. Because the work is highly technical, interns need to have a strong science background including at least one year of organic chemistry. For general information about the program and summaries of previous nominations, visit www.epa.gov/greenchemistry. If you have questions or would like to be considered for an internship, please send email to greenchemistry@epa.gov.

The position is a volunteer one, but the senior PhD chemist who works in EPA’s Green Chemistry Program has worked with a number of summer and January interns previously and can provide educational support.

QUALIFICATIONS
• Sophomore, Junior, or Senior with strong academic record in science.
• At least one year of organic chemistry; majors might include chemistry, biochemistry, biology, pre-med, but other majors will be considered.
• Strong analytical abilities, ability to extend knowledge and skills to a very broad range of cutting-edge technologies related to chemistry.
• Evidence of effectiveness working independently; demonstrated self-starter.

Other Useful skills:
• Ability to learn quickly
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to interact well with all kinds of people
• Understanding of and respect for diversity

COMPENSATION
This is an unpaid internship.

APPLICATION MATERIALS (apply by email to greenchemistry@epa.gov)
Cover letter including a statement of interest in this internship
Resume
Transcript listing science courses and grades (does not have to be official)
Contact information (phone and email) for 2-3 references

APPLICATION DEADLINE AND PROCESS
EPA is making this opportunity available to college students who are available during January (i.e., students at schools with J-terms, interim January terms, etc.). We have up to four openings and will consider applicants as we receive them. Students will get the most from the internship if they are at EPA for the four weeks between January 3 and January 28. Internships with different start and end dates may be considered.

Deadline: The Program may make an “early decision” and offer positions to exceptionally qualified candidates prior to the deadline.

QUESTIONS
Please send email to greenchemistry@epa.gov.

Commentary on California Green Chemistry Initiative

Check out Robert Bergman's commentary in the August 2010 issues of Forbes Magazine regarding California's proactive and regulatory structured Green Chemistry Initiative.

The science behind excess fat

The science behind excess fat

ACS Webinar: How Chemical Policy Reform Can Spur Green Chemistry

ACS Webinars: Green Chemistry & Sustainability Series

“How Chemical Policy Reform Can Spur Green Chemistry.” A short presentation followed by Q&A with speaker Richard Denison, Senior Scientist at Environmental Defense Fund.

In the wake of the largest Gulf oil disaster or public concern over the chemicals in a baby bottle, how will changing legislation affect chemical professionals? Public policy has the potential to transform the chemical industries and set a new course for the next decade. Join our speaker, Richard Denison, and learn about the latest Green Chemistry policy developments (Safe Chemicals Act/TSCA reform) and how they may affect chemical professionals, chemical industries, and the future of green chemistry.

Webinar Details

Date: Thursday, August 12, 2010

Time: 2:00-3:00 pm ET

What You Will Learn

• The policy context for advancing Green Chemistry – essentials you need to know
• How U.S. and international policy changes can support the development and use of greener chemicals
• How current policy is informing future legislation – Safe Chemicals Act/TSCA reform
• And much more…

Meet Your Expert

Richard A. Denison is a senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund. Dr. Denison has 25 years of experience in the environmental arena, specializing in chemicals policy and hazard, exposure, risk assessment and management for industrial chemicals and nanomaterials. He has published extensively and has testified before Congress many times regarding these issues. Dr. Denison currently serves on the National Research Council’s Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology and on the Green Ribbon Science Panel for California’s Green Chemistry Initiative. He was a member of the National Pollution Prevention and Toxics Advisory Committee, which advised EPA’s toxics office. Previously, Dr. Denison was an analyst and assistant project director in the Oceans and Environment Program, Office of Technology Assessment, United States Congress. Dr. Denison received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University.

Free- to register go to http://acswebinars.org/denison