News from Journal House

Now Translated into French: Chemical Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

The Chemical Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a compendium of 15 stories written by Thomas G. Waddell and Thomas R. Rybolt and originally published in this Journal. The stories were collected under the direction of Erica K. Jacobsen of the Journal staff into a single volume with standardized formatting and consistency among stories. They have now been translated into French by Paul Depovere and published by Dunod under the title, L’affaire des cristaux jaunes et autres énigmes. To order the French translation, go to this Web site (accessed Feb 2007), find Recherche at the top of the screen, then key in Sherlock in the space to the right. (Order the English version published by JCE from the JCE Online store.)

Award Deadlines

Call for Nominations: ACS Division of the History of Chemistry Citation for Chemical Breakthroughs

The ACS Division of History of Chemistry (HIST) solicits nominations for one of its award programs, Citation for Chemical Breakthroughs. This award recognizes breakthrough publications, books, and patents worldwide in the field of chemistry that have been revolutionary in concept, broad in scope, and long-term in impact. The award consists of a plaque that will be placed near the office or laboratory where the breakthrough was achieved. Up to 10 awards will be presented for 2007. Nominations consist of a full literature citation and a short (200 word maximum) supporting statement. All nominations must be received by April 1, 2007. Selections will be determined by a panel of distinguished chemical historians and scientists.

Further information can be found on the HIST Web site (accessed Jan 2007) under the heading Divisional Awards. Submit nominations or questions via email.

The Merck Index Women in Chemistry Scholarship

Scholarships in the amount of $5000 are available to women chemists pursuing a graduate degree in synthetic organic or medicinal chemistry. An applicant must be a woman accepted into and planning to attend a graduate program in chemistry beginning in the fall semester 2007. Award recipients are expected to present a summary of undergraduate research at the ACS National Meeting in Boston in August 2007. Winners will be notified in advance of the meeting, and a stipend will be provided toward travel expenses. The research presented by the applicant must be original work in synthetic organic or medicinal chemistry. Applications must be received by April 9, 2007. Send email questions or requests for application materials. Completed applications should be sent to Dr. Cherie B. Koch, Associate Editor, The Merck Index, Merck & Co., Inc., RY84-18, P. O. Box 2000, Rahway, NJ 07065.

The Overcoming Challenges Award

The Women Chemists Committee of the American Chemical Society has established an award designed to recognize a woman undergraduate from a two-year or four-year institution for her efforts in overcoming hardship to achieve success in chemistry. The award consists of a plaque, a monetary award of $250, and up to $1,000 in travel expenses to the ACS Fall National Meeting. The recipient will be recognized at the Women Chemists Committee Luncheon on Tuesday afternoon at that meeting.

Award Criteria

The awardee must be a woman undergraduate currently enrolled in a two-year chemistry related program or pursuing a major or minor in a four-year chemistry program at a school that does not grant a doctorate in chemistry. The awardee must have completed one semester of college-level chemistry. Applicants must demonstrate that they have overcome hardships (economic, personal, or academic) in pursuit of their education in order to be considered for the award. The jury will consider four categories: improvement, initiative, successes, and grades for the previous two semesters (not cumulative grade-point average).

Award Administration

Nominees must submit a letter requesting the award, one letter of recommendation, and school transcripts. The request should contain nominee name, address, telephone number, and email address as well as explain the hardships the student has overcome and her current successes. Submissions should be sent to: Women Chemists Committee, American Chemical Society, 1155 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036. Nominations must be received by May 1, 2007. The award will be presented at the fall ACS National Meeting in Boston, MA at the Women Chemists Committee Luncheon on Tuesday, August 21, 2007. For more information, phone 1-800-227-5558, ext. 6334 or email or write the American Chemical Society at the address above.

Courses, Seminars, Meetings, Opportunities

Chemistry Research and Education Conference at the University of Michigan

The Department of Chemistry at the University of Michigan is celebrating its 150th anniversary with a one-day conference featuring the research and education work of its faculty members and students. The program will be held at the department’s Dow Laboratory building, on the central Ann Arbor campus, from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 12, 2007.

Workshops

There will be four workshops on teaching methods:

• studio chemistry
• computational chemistry
• interactive physical chemistry
• analytical laboratory

A parallel series of workshops will feature practical laboratory research methods:

• single molecule fluorescence
• X-ray nanoprobe imaging
• ultra-fast spectroscopy
• NMR spectroscopy

Micro-courses

There will be two day-long micro-courses: one on modern mass spectrometry given by Kristina Hakansson, the other on advances in single-molecule chemistry given by Nils Walter.

Other Events

Bassam Z. Shakhashiri (University of Wisconsin–Madison) will give a mid-day keynote address, and attendees will have the opportunity to display posters during the lunch break. Individuals might also be interested in attending the Annual Pfizer/UM-Chemistry Symposium on Friday, May 11, featuring presentations by Steven Benner (Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution), Carolyn Bertozzi (University of California Berkeley), Laura Kiessling (University of Wisconsin–Madison), Barbara Imperiali (M.I.T.), and Sir Harry Kroto (Florida State University).

There is a nominal conference fee for the day-long session on May 12: $15 pre-registration until May 8, 2007, or $25 on site. There is no charge to attend the symposium on May 11. Address any questions to Brian P. Coppola. For additional information, see the conference Web site (accessed Feb 2007) about the program, registration, housing, and travel.

Summer Workshops for High School Chemistry Teachers

In summer 2007 the American Chemical Society is sponsoring 10 teacher training workshops for high school chemistry teachers throughout the country. Two types of workshops are available at each site:

• Chemistry in the Community, Five-Day Teacher Training Workshops
• Advanced High School Chemistry, Three-Day Teacher Training Workshops

In each workshop, teachers are led by experienced secondary and/or college chemical educators who provide participants with information and tools for teaching inquiry-based learning.

Advanced High School Chemistry Workshops

Advanced High School Chemistry Teacher Training Workshops, led by experienced secondary and college chemical educators, provide participants with tools for teaching an inquiry-based honors or advanced high school chemistry course such as IB or AP. The activities used in these three-day workshops are from the ACS college text, Chemistry, which emphasizes short experiments to introduce chemical concepts and promotes active and collaborative learning. All interested advanced high school chemistry teachers are encouraged to apply, regardless of the textbook they currently use.

ChemCom Workshops

ChemCom Teacher Training Workshops are designed for teachers using or intending to use the ACS textbook Chemistry in the Community. In these five-day workshops, experienced ChemCom teacher leaders provide expert instruction and hands-on experience with many of ChemCom’s activities and laboratory investigations.

There is a $50 registration fee for each workshop, which includes all materials, meals, and on-site housing. These are the dates and locations:

June 24: California State University, Northridge, CA

July 8: Concordia University, Ann Arbor, MI

Date TBA: Greater Hartford Academy of Math and Science, Hartford, CT

July 15: University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX

August 5: St. Thomas University, St. Paul, MN

More information application forms, and/or online registration may be found at the workshop Web site (follow the Workshops & Courses link at the left) (accessed Feb 2007).

Proposal Deadlines National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) The following NSF deadlines have been established or are anticipated. Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Preliminary Proposals: April 26, 2007 Full Proposals: October 11, 2007 Course, Curriculum and Lab Improvement (CCLI) Full Proposals, Phase 1 from submitting organizations located in states or territories    • beginning with A through M: May 8, 2007    • beginning with N through W: May 9, 2007 Full Proposals, Phase 2 and 3: January 10, 2008 Discovery Research K–12 (DR-K12) Preliminary and Full Proposal dates vary depending on focus; see NSF EHR Web site for details Ethics Education in Science & Engineering (EESE) Full Proposals: April 10, 2007 Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research: Workshop Opportunities (EPS) Full Proposals: accepted any time Informal Science Education (ISE) Full Proposals: June 21, 2007 Preliminary Proposals: September 13, 2007 Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT) Preliminary Proposals: April 5, 2007 Full Proposals (by invitation only): October 5, 2007 Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) annually on the fourth Thursday in January National Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Education Digital Library (NSDL) Letter of Intent: March 14, 2007 Full Proposals: April 11, 2007 NSF Scholarship in Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (S-STEM) Letters of Intent: October 10, 2007 Full Proposals: November 13, 2007 Research on Gender in Science and Engineering (GSE) Full Proposals April 2, 2007 Robert Noyce Scholarship Program Full Proposals: March 29, 2007 Official deadline dates for proposals will be specified in the new program solicitation for each program, to be published at least three months before the relevant deadline date. Consult NSF Education and Human Resources (EHR), Division of Undergraduate Education for the most up-to-date listings and guidelines; phone: 703/292-8670; email. The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc. Camille Dreyfus Teacher–Scholar Awards Program: January 9, 2008 Faculty Start-Up Award Program: May 10, 2007 Henry Dreyfus Teacher–Scholar Awards Program: June 28, 2007 New Faculty Awards Program: May 10, 2007 Postdoctoral Program in Environmental Chemistry: May 24, 2007 Senior Scientist Mentor Program: Completed Proposals: October 4, 2007 Special Grant Program in the Chemical Sciences: Preliminary Proposals: June 7, 2007 Completed Proposals: August 23, 2007 Further information and confirmation of the above deadlines may be obtained from The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc., 555 Madison Avenue, Suite 1305, New York, NY 10022-3301; phone: 212/753-1760; email. Research Corporation Cottrell College Science Awards: May 15 and November 15 Cottrell Scholar Awards: September 1 Research Innovation Awards: suspended 2004-2007 Research Opportunity Awards: May 1 and October 1 Special Opportunities in Science Awards: suspended 2006-2008. Further information may be obtained from Research Corporation, 4703 East Camp Lowell Drive, Suite 201, Tucson, AZ 85712; phone: 520/571-1111; fax: 520/571-1119; email.