April 2005
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April 2005 |
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| DEPARTMENT NEWS | HONORS & AWARDS | SEMINARS AND TALKS | RECENT PUBLICATIONS | ANNOUNCEMENTS |
News from SAACS
Summer Camp, July 26-29: With much effort from its officers and lots of help from the Cain Center at LSU, Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society will be kicking off their most ambitious project of the year. SAACS will invite 15-20 High School students from around the Baton Rouge area for four days: Tuesday, July 26th through Friday, July 29th. The students would be in SAACS volunteer hands for about 4 hours each day from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., everyone will be provided with meal cards for lunch. So far, both Chemistry and Physics are involved, and they're trying to get engineering and other organizations involved, too. The duties of volunteers would be supervising the students for a day, or part of a day, helping with tours of the departments and/or labs, and helping with live demos. They are expecting a “college-buddy” kind of commitment. In addition to the science demonstrations, this would involve being a mentor to the students, telling them what it's like to be in college, and answering questions they may have. The plan will also include more social activities, such as, bowling, pool, and Rec-Center activities such as basketball, and rock climbing where volunteers and the high school students will socialize. In short, we just want to make them feel comfortable and have a good time. Both the volunteers and the students will have a great time and the volunteers will also learn a lot from this experience. Please let SAACS know if you can volunteer, and if so, what days and times you can come.
Thirteen of the SAACS active members attended the ACS National Convention in March. Four of the members presented their undergraduate research.
The Louisiana State University
Department of Chemistry is pleased to announce
that Dr. George Stanley has been named the 2005-06 TIAA-CREF Service
Learning Fellow. Dr. Stanley was chosen due to his longtime commitment to
service-learning programs at LSU. Service-learning is a method of teaching
and learning in which students fulfill the learning goals of their
academic courses while serving the community. This award will allow Dr.
Stanley to expand his own service-learning scholarship
and to support the work
of other faculty from across disciplines who are engaged in
service-learning programs.
The TIAA-CREF Service Learning Fellowship is administered by the Office of Academic Affairs, Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership (CCELL), and the Service-Learning Faculty Advisory Council. The award is given annually to any full-time, tenured faculty member who has made significant efforts to increase the scope and quality of service-learning courses at LSU. The recipient will aid in the development of the service-learning programs by assisting in planning sessions, submitting service-learning related research for publication and sharing service-learning teaching experience. The award also carries with it a supplementary stipend of $5000. More information on service-learning programs and the TIAA-CREF Service-Learning Fellowship can be found on the Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership website.
Dr. Stanley’s own contribution to service-learning centers around the LSU ChemDemo Program. Founded in 1997 by Drs. George Stanley and Patrick Limbach, the ChemDemo program gives chemistry undergraduate students the opportunity to visit local K-12 classrooms to perform an array of hands-on demonstrations. Since its inception, the ChemDemo program has sent out over 4,400 LSU undergraduates who have visited 2,100+ classrooms impacting more than 50,000 K-12 students. More information on the ChemDemo program can be found here.
The Daily Reveille has also written an article on Dr. Stanley that can be found here.
Congratulations to Dr. Gudrun Schmidt on being named the 2005 Outstanding Non-tenured Faculty in Natural and Physical Sciences by the LSU Chapter of Phi Kappa Phi. The award consists of a plaque and check for $1,000. She will be honored at the Phi Kappa Phi Spring Banquet and Awards Ceremony on April 26th.
Founded
in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective
all-discipline honor society. The society currently has over 120,000
active members and nearly 300 chapters at colleges and universities across
the
This is the second prestigious award for Dr. Schmidt this year. She recently earned the National Science Foundation Career Award for her research entitled “BioNanocomposites: An Approach Towards Tissue Engineering.”
Dr. Graca Vicente has been selected to become the new Charles H. Barre Distinguished Professor in Chemistry.
Dr. Julia Chan received the College of Basic Sciences research award. The award is given in recognition of the achievements of non-tenured (or newly tenured) faculty in the field of research.
Courtney Brown (MS Chemistry LSU 2002) is employed at Schering-Plough Pharmaceutical Corporation in New Jersey. As part of a research team, she won the Schering Plough 2004 President's Award for discovery.
Recent Ph.D. graduate Robin T. Macaluso has been selected as an ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry (DIC) Young Investigator. This selection was the result of an intense competition of truly outstanding nominations received by the DIC¹s Subdivision Chairs in Bioinorganic, Nanoscience, Organometallic, and Solid State Inorganic Chemistry. She is one of eight Division of Inorganic Chemistry Young Investigators selected in 2005. This is also the inaugural year for the Division's Young Investigator Program. Julia Chan was her advisor.
Congratulations to our alumna!
Pavan Bellamkonda will be receiving an Undergraduate Grant-in-Aid from Sigma Xi Society this month, for doing Research in Dr. Paul Russo's Lab. The research project is entitled "Production of rod-like particles with continuously variable length." Congratulations Pavan.
Upcoming Chemistry Department Seminars
John Leazer from Merck Research Laboratories will be giving a seminar entitled "An Efficient Synthesis of Syn-2,3-Disubstituted-2,3-dihydro-1,4-benzoxathiin rings: Preparation from Quinone Ketals and 2-Mercaptoethanols" April 15, 2005 at 3:40 p.m. in the Life Science Annex Auditorium.
Robert Tycko from the National Institutes of Health willl be giving a seminar entitled "Insights into Protein Folding and Amyloid Formation from Solid State NMR" April 22, 2005 at 3:40 p.m. in the Life Science Annex Auditorium.
Kim Kanda from Scripps Research Institute will be giving a seminar entitled "Emerging Frontiers at the Interface of Chemistry and Biology" April 29, 2005 at 3:40 p.m. in the Life Science Annex Auditorium.
Julia Chan to participate in Alfred Nobel Symposium
"Energy in Cosmos, Molecules and Life"
June 18-22, 2005, in Stockholm, Sweden
The Nobel Foundation has for many years been sponsoring Nobel Symposia on important topics in science, literature and peace. A limited number of highly qualified scientists have been invited to these symposia, which normally last for 4-5 days and are held in Sweden or Norway. The Foundation has recently approved a novel symposium format in order to promote interactions between scientific disciplines and to involve a broader selection of scientists at different career stages. We are now arranging the first symposium of this kind – an Alfred Nobel Symposium - entitled "Energy in Cosmos, Molecules and Life". The symposium will cover subjects within several Nobel Prize areas, with energy as the common theme. Important topics in chemistry, medicine and physics will be addressed from different angles: energy/entropy in a cosmological perspective, energy flows as driving forces behind life and evolution, and man's taming of energy sources in the service of society.
Luigi Marzilli
M. Carlone, L.G. Marzilli, G. Natile. Platinum Complexes with Only One Purine Ligand (Guanine, Deoxyguanine, or Adenine) Flanked by Two cis-NH(CH3) Groups - Informative Models for Assessing the Interaction of Purine C6 Substituents with cis-Amines. European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry Volume 2005, Issue 7, 2005. Pages 1264-1273.
Graca Vicente
V. Gottumukkala, R. Luguya, F. R. Fronczek and M. G. H. Vicente. Synthesis and Cellular Studies of an Octa-anionic 5,10,15,20-Tetra[3,5-(nido-carboranylmethyl)phenyl]porphyrin (H2OCP) for Application in BNCT. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry 2005, 13 (5), 1633-1640.
E. Hao and M. G. H. Vicente. Expeditious Synthesis of Porphyrin-cobaltacarborane Conjugates. Chemical Communications 2005, 1306-1308.
C. Poriel, D. Kessel and M. G. H. Vicente. Stability of Tin Etiopurpurin SnET2. Photochemistry and Photobiology 2005, 81(1), 149-153.
O. Ongayi, V. Gottumukkala, F. R. Fronczek and M. G. H. Vicente. Synthesis and Characterization of a Carboranyl-tetrabenzoporphyrin. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters 2005, 15(6), 1665-1668.
W. Liu, T. J. Jensen, F. R. Fronczek, R. P. Hammer, K. M. Smith and M. G. H. Vicente. Synthesis and in vitro Studies of Non-aggregated Water-soluble Phthalocyanines. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2005, 48, 1033-1041.
CGSC Annual Chemistry Department Crawfish Boil
Saturday, April 16, 2005
11:00 a.m.
Old Presidents House – South Lawn
(SE corner of Raphael Semmes Road and Highland Road
Menu: Crawfish, Corn & Potatoes, salad ingredients, soft drinks, beer, snowcones
Activities: Volleyball tournament, Spacewalk for kids, Horseshoes
IT’S ANNUAL ENROLLMENT TIME!!
The Office of Human Resource Management (HRM) is holding Annual Enrollment for employee benefits (health, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts and premiums only plan) is April 1, 2005 - April 30, 2005. Like last year, you do not have to submit an enrollment form if you wish to remain in the same plan. The only reason to remit a form is to change health plans for July 1. The "one-time option to change plans" will not be permitted during the new plan year; therefore, the plan that is selected for July will be the plan that employees will have through June 30, 2006 (no exceptions). In addition, you may enroll in or cancel dental and vision coverage, or begin participating in a flexible spending account. If you are currently participating in our Health Care and/or Dependent Care Tax Saver Flexible Spending Accounts you must re-enroll in these accounts during the month of April to participate for the new plan year.
HEALTH PLANS
If you want to change your health plan for July 1, 2005, you may access your personalized enrollment form through your PAWS account any time during the month of April; you will not have to remit a paper copy to HRM (if you were hired after March 2, 2005 you will not be able to access your personalized enrollment through PAWS and will have to remit a paper enrollment form to HRM). To change plans on-line, simply log-on to your PAWS account, select "Employee Resources", then select "INS Open Enrollment" and choose your desired plan. You may change your plan as often as you like during the month of April. The last plan election made during the month of April will be your insurance carrier for July 1. If you do not have a PAWS account, your HR Contact will have your enrollment form. If you wish to add or delete dependents, enroll as a late applicant, or cancel coverage, you must obtain the appropriate forms from the website or the Benefits Service Center. Other enrollment forms, including blank health insurance forms, flexible spending account, dental and vision forms, can be obtained in the Benefits Service Center in the HRM Office or at any of the Annual Enrollment meetings.
DENTAL
The Benefits Service Center is pleased to announce the introduction of a second dental option provided by Ameritas Group for the 2005/2006 fiscal year. The new dental option called the Basic Plan Option [Option 2] will offer a more basic plan of benefits at a lower premium than the current enhanced benefit that is offered. This basic plan pays 100% for preventative care services and benefits for basic and major services are paid on a fee based schedule. The benefit schedule lets you know up front in fixed dollar amounts how much the Plan pays according to the scheduled amount. The fee based schedule will be available on the HRM Benefits website to review at www.lsu.edu/benefits and at the annual enrollment meetings. Employees may enroll in either option during the month of April. If you are already enrolled in the Enhanced Option [Option 1] that is currently offered and want to keep that option, you do not need to do anything.
ANNUAL ENROLLMENT MEETINGS
More details on the new dental plan options and health plan changes will be available at all annual enrollment meetings and on our website at www.lsu.edu/benefits during the month of April, as well as, in the Benefits Service Center in the HRM Office located in 304Thomas Boyd.
Informational meetings regarding health plan changes and monthly premiums
will be discussed at the following meetings:
April 7 Pennington, Conference Center 9:00 AM
April 7 Ag Center, 214 Efferson Hall 1:00 PM
*April 12 Vet Med, Auditorium 1:30 PM
April 13 Facility Services, Lunch Room 7:30 AM
April 13 Facility Services, Lunch Room 3:30 PM
*April 14 LSU Union, Cotillion Ballroom 10:30 AM
April 15 Benefits Fair, Cotillion Ballroom 10:00 AM-3:00 PM
April 18 Ag Center, 214 Efferson Hall 9:00 AM
April 19 Facility Services, Lunch Room 7:30 AM
April 19 Pennington, Conference Center 1:00 PM
*April 20 LSU Union, Cotillion Ballroom *10:30 AM & 1:00 PM
*Interpreter for the hearing impaired will be present at this meeting.
The LSU System Health Plan administered by Definity Health will also hold separate meetings to discuss plan enhancements on the following dates:
April 4 CEBA Room 1120 10:30 AM
April 4 Law Center Room 303 1:30 PM
April 11 COATES Room 145 1:30 PM
April 14 LSU Union, Vieux Carre’ Room 1:30 PM
April 21 LSU Union, Red River Room 10:00 AM
NEW LIFE INSURANCE OFFERING. the LSU System will offer a new life insurance program to all LSU System employees underwritten by ReliaStar, an ING company. Employees will be given an opportunity to purchase coverage on a guaranteed issue basis throughout the month of April. All employees who currently have coverage with Unum will automatically convert to the new ING policy at lower rates; they can also purchase additional coverage up to the guaranteed issue limits during the month of April. More information will be sent to employees' home addresses, and we will publish the information on our web site some time next week.
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FREE INCOME TAX PREPARATION AND ELECTRONIC FILING
Beginning January 18, 2005 through April 14, 2005, LSU's VITA site will operate on Tuesdays from 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM and on Thursdays from 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM. The site will be located in the lunchroom of the Facility Services building. No appointment is needed, but if you wish to take advantage of this service, you will need to present the following:
Valid picture ID
Social Security Card: A card for each person who will be represented on the tax return must be presented.
All Income Statements: W-2's, 1099's, proof of social security benefits for taxpayers and/or dependents, unemployment, and interest statements.
Spouse: If you are filing a joint return, your spouse must accompany you.
Please note that the VITA site is not authorized to prepare "married filing separately" returns.
Please refer any questions to Sheri Thompson at 578-5739 or Marian Augustine at 578-7056.
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To the faculty: Please come by and introduce the new post docs, grad students or visiting professors to our office staff. We will be glad to help in getting an account established in our Online Order Tracking System system and give them a brief training session on using the OOTS system.
Do you have information that you would like us to include in the next newsletter?
Please e-mail us. The deadline for inclusion in the monthly newsletter is the 20th of each month.