Chemistry

“On October 10, 2012, Rod Bartlett received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia, the highest academic recognition given by the University. It is awarded to individuals who have contributed to the development of science and education in Slovakia and the Comenius University as well as making a fundamental contribution to the spread of the ideas of humanism, democracy, and understanding between nations. Recipients have included world famous personalities such as V�clav Havel, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, Simon Wiesenthal, and Zbygniew Brzezinski.”

The MQM congresses are focused on theory and method development in molecular quantum mechanics. It is part of the tradition to dedicate the event to a major contributor in this area of science. The MQM 2013 will be to the honor of Professor Rodney (?Rod?) Bartlett of the Quantum Theory Project of the University of Florida. Rod Bartlett will be honored for his seminal contributions towards the treatment of electron correlation.

“The University of Florida is one of the 10 institutional recipients of a 2013 Beckman Scholars Award from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. The Beckman Scholars Program provides scholarships of $19,300 for two summers and one academic year of undergraduate research by high achieving students. The multi-year undergraduate research projects and intensive faculty mentoring provide a unique experience for students who aspire to research careers. The UF Beckman Scholars Program, directed by Prof. Lisa McElwee-White, will provide support for a total of nine undergraduates who will work with mentors in Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, or the Florida Museum of Natural History. The Chemistry mentors are Professors McElwee-White, Gail Fanucci, Valeria Kleiman, Adrian Roitberg, and Ken Wagener. The first cohort of Beckman Scholars will be appointed in Spring 2013 and additional new Scholar appointments will continue through Spring 2015.”

“Step into the world of nanotechnology with Tiny Tech. Tiny Tech is a series of radio modules focusing on the science and engineering of the very small. Each module presents an aspect of nanoscale objects, ranging from the effects of size on chemical and physical properties to new technological applications in fields as diverse as electronic devices and medicine.”

“Congratulations to Professor Adam S. Veige on winning the 2012 UF Outstanding Mentor of Undergraduate Research Award. Professor Veige received the award on Sunday October 28th at the Swamp Symphony held at Flavet Field. The award was made in connection with the 2012 Homecoming Education Celebration. Since 1959, the event gives students an opportunity to nominate teachers and faculty who have had an outstanding impact on their academic career. Criteria for the award included a demonstrated history of 1) guiding students in planning for post-graduate research, 2) creating opportunities for students to do research, 3) mentoring students from diverse economic and social backgrounds, 4) actively encouraging students to publish their research, 5) coaching students in professional standards for presentation, and 6) educating students about grants and funding for research.”

“Join graduate student volunteers from the Chemistry Department of UF at Halloween Molecular Mania 2012: Chemistry Day at the Oaks Mall. This free, annual event features an array of interactive demonstrations designed to convey chemistry concepts to the youth of our community. These 15+ demonstrations range from making spider webs and slime, to super-cool chemistry featuring liquid nitrogen, and even imploding soda cans. Kids attending the event have a chance to win cool chemistry prizes in a free raffle. The event will take place this Saturday, October 27th, from 10am-3pm at Dillard’s Court in Oaks Mall. Please feel free to stop by with family and friends, or just to support the department. Graduate student Andrew Powers from the Veige group is organizing this year’s event, which is supported by the National Science Foundation, the ACS-Florida Section, the Chemistry Department, and the UF Center for Catalysis.”

“Congratulations to Prof. Rebecca Butcher on being named one of 25 New Scholars in Aging by the Ellison Medical Foundation. The objective of the program is to support new investigators of outstanding promise in the basic biological sciences relevant to understanding lifespan development processes and age-related diseases. The award is $100,000 per year, for a four year period. Dr. Butcher’s award will support her work on the identification of chemical signals that influence development, metabolism, and lifespan in the model organism C. elegans.”

http://old.chem.ufl.edu/images/Class_of_2012.pdf