NEWS
Nominations for 1992 Coblentz Society Awards Nominations are requested for the 1992 Coblentz, Williams-Wright, and Ellis Lippincott Awards sponsored by the Coblentz Society. Additional support for the Lippincott Award comes from the Optical Society of America and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy. The Coblentz Award is presented annually at the Pittsburgh Conference and Exposition to an outstanding young spectroscopist. The award winner receives a $1000 prize and a travel allowance. Nominees must be under the age of 36 as of J a n u a r y 1, 1992. Nominations should include a detailed description of the individual's accomplishments, a curriculum vitae, and as many supporting letters as possible. For more information, contact Geri Richmond, Department of Chemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 87403 (503-686-4635). Deadline is August 1. The Williams-Wright Award also is presented annually at the Pittsburgh Conference and Exposition. The award, which includes a $1000 prize and a travel allowance, is presented to an industrial spectroscopist who has made significant contributions to the field of vibrational spectroscopy. Nominations should consist of a curriculum vitae, a statement of the nominee's significant contributions, and citations of any publications or talks. Seconding letters are useful but not necessary. Files on nominees are kept active for three years, after which time the candidate must be renominated. For more information, contact Nicholas Schlotter, Bell Communications Research, Navesink Research Center, SX-163, 331 Newman Springs Road, Red Bank, NJ 07701-7020 (201-758-2840). Deadline is J u n e 1. The Ellis Lippincott Award honors a researcher for significant contributions and notable achievements that have influenced scientists in the field of vibrational spectroscopy. It is awarded annually at an appropriate scientific meeting. The winner receives a medal and a travel allowance. Nominations should include background information sufficient to justify the nomination. As with the Williams-Wright Award, files on Lippincott Award nominees are kept active for three years, after which time the candidate must be renominated. For more information, contact J a r u s Quinn, Optical Society of America, 2010 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20036 (202-416-1400). Deadline is October 1.
Soviet Scientists Seek Work As a result of social and political changes in the Soviet Union, financial support for scientific research in certain fields has been curtailed or eliminated. To maintain their research skills and support themselves, Soviet chemists plan to supply custom-synthesized compounds to Western scientists and companies. The synthesis work is being coordinated through the International Solidarity Association, a nongovernmental, noncommercial organization recently established in the
Soviet Union. According to the Association, Soviet chemists are willing to provide materials for every chemical field, including biotechnology, specialty chemicals, and organometallics. Prices will be attractive, but sufficient to support the hard-pressed scientists. Organizers anticipate that orders will be filled in three to eight weeks. The products are not mass-produced industrial materials; rather, they are the intellectual property of the particular scientist or group. All proceeds from the custom synthesis, except for nominal sales-related expenses, will go to the individual or group responsible for the work. In addition, the Soviets will personally thank and correspond with their U.S. customers. Organizers hope that such communication will lead to improved relations between the two scientific communities. For more information, contact the International Solidarity Association, 6085 Venice Blvd., # 23, Los Angeles, CA 90034 (213-275-3571 or fax 213-275-5648).
First Mössbauer by Synchrotron Researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) have announced the first use of synchrotron light to perform direct Mossbauer spectroscopy. "Synchrotron-based Mossbauer spectroscopy not only allows us to study materials without radioactive parents, but also permits us to look at time-dependent phenomenon," explains BNL physicist Jerome Hastings. The successful experiment was performed on the X-ray ring at BNL's National Synchrotron Light Source. Using a specially designed monochromator, the physicists irradiated a 5 7 Fe-enriched foil with X-rays and collected a time-dependent interference pattern arising from two Mossbauer transitions. The monochromator was a key factor in the experiment. Without it, the narrow energy band absorbed by a sample because of the Mossbauer effect would be lost within the broad energy spectrum emitted by the synchrotron. The monochromator filters the appropriate energy width by reflecting the "white" X-ray beam six times on the surfaces of "perfect" silicon crystals. Now that they have demonstrated the synchrotron's potential, BNL researchers plan to investigate other elements such as gold and tin.
Kolthoff Enrichment Award Winners The ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry has announced the 1991 winners of the I. M. Kolthoff Enrichment Awards, given to students with an interest in analytical chemistry who are entering their final year of undergraduate work. The awardees are James Blankenship, Virginia Military Institute; Michael Ducey, University of Kansas; Teresa Holbrook, Eastern Michigan University; Rebecca Petsch, University of Iowa; and Daniel Riemer, Tennessee Technological University. Marnie Dornhecker, Baldwin-Wallace College, and Susan Yan, Cornell University, received honorable mentions. ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 63, NO. 10, MAY 15, 1991 · 555 A
