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GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY Chemical genomics network Researchers at U.S. academic, government, and nonprofit institutions could, for the first time, get free access to extensive libraries of small organic molecules, such as those used by large pharmaceutical companies for drug discovery, if all goes according to the National Institute of Health’s (NIH’s) plan to create a nationwide chemical genomics network. The first step of the initiative, which was announced in early June, is to launch a Chemical Genomics Center under the National Human Genome Research Institute. The center plans to have a staff of about 50 scientists (primarily contract employees) and is expected to begin screen-
ing small molecules with high-throughput technology by the end of 2004. In 2005, NIH plans to fund up to 10 additional centers at other locations. “These chemical genomics centers will be coordinated to build a network in the academic research community for identifying a broad range of small molecules with promising properties for biological research,” says Thomas Insel of the National Institute of Mental Health, one of the institutes providing leadership for the initiative. According to the plan, data generated by the network will be deposited in a central database called PubChem and will be freely available to the scientific community. NIH plans to manage the data
collection, which could contain up to 1 million compounds. In contrast to pharmaceutical research, which tends to focus on biological targets with known relevance to human disease, the chemical genomics network plans to explore a much broader group of targets across the entire human genome. Although hundreds of thousands of proteins are believed to be encoded by the human genome, fewer than 500 interactions between proteins and small molecules have been characterized. Such data are needed to reveal the function of genes and the roles they play in critical biological pathways. Eventually, the efforts could reveal new targets for therapeutics. a —Britt E. Erickson
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From left to right: Jed Harrison, Mary Kaiser, Ted Kuwana, David Muddiman, André Striegel, Henry White
2004 DAC award recipients Six analytical chemists will receive awards from the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry (DAC). The awards will be presented at the ACS fall meeting in Philadelphia, Pa. D. Jed Harrison, professor of chemistry at the University of Alberta (Canada), will receive the Award in Chemical Instrumentation, sponsored by the Dow Chemical Foundation. Harrison’s research has focused on the application of micro- and nano-fabrication techniques for miniaturized chemical, biochemical, and biological instrumentation and sensor systems. Mary A. Kaiser, research fellow in the DuPont Corporate Center for Analyt262 A
ical Sciences in Wilmington, Del., will receive the Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Analytical Chemistry, sponsored by the Waters Corp. Her current technical interests involve analytical measurements of fluorine-containing compounds. Ted Kuwana, distinguished emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of Kansas, will receive the J. Calvin Giddings Award for Excellence in Education from the DAC, sponsored by the Dekker Foundation. Although retired from active teaching, he continues as a principal investigator of a National Science Foundation grant to develop the Analytical Sciences Digital Library—a peer-reviewed collection of Web-based
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resources for teachers, students, and practitioners. David C. Muddiman, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and director and founder of the W. M. Keck FTICR Mass Spectrometry Laboratory at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, will receive the Arthur F. Findeis Award for Outstanding Achievements by a Young Analytical Chemist, sponsored by the Philip Morris Cos. Muddiman’s research interests include the fundamentals and chemical and biological applications of FTICR-MS. André M. Striegel, assistant professor in the chemistry and biochemistry department at Florida State University, will receive the first annual Award for
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Young Investigators in Separation Science, sponsored by Agilent Technologies. This award will be presented at the 2005 Pittsburgh Conference.
Henry S. White, professor at the University of Utah, will receive the DAC Award in Electrochemistry, sponsored by Cole-Palmer. White’s research
interests include iontophoretic transport, electrochemistry in ultrathin-layer cells, pore-based sensors, and magnetic field-driven electrochemical fluidics.
2004–2005 DAC Graduate Fellowships awarded
From left to right: Emily Clark, Amy Tabert, Li Zhu, Jamie Cohen, Gerardo Gamez, Seppe Kuehn, Mark Poggi, Zachary Schultz, Zhanping Zhang
The ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry Graduate Fellowship Committee has selected nine analytical chemistry graduate students to receive ninemonth fellowships during the 2004– 2005 year or three-month fellowships during the summer of 2004. The Graduate Fellowship Program, which is sponsored by the benefactors named in the following student research profiles, aims to encourage basic research in analytical chemistry and to recognize future leaders in the field.
Nine-month fellowships Emily Clark of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville (Ingrid Fritsch) studies redox magnetohydrodynamics in order to control the fluid pumping and stirring needed to achieve enhancements in analytical applications. Such improvements could lead to portable anodic stripping
voltammetry devices with increased sensitivity for detecting heavy metals in small volumes. Procter & Gamble sponsored her fellowship. Amy Tabert of Purdue University (Graham Cooks) designs and constructs novel ion trap instrumentation for multiplexed MS, featuring parallel ion source/mass analyzer/detector channels for high-throughput sample analysis. GlaxoSmithKline sponsored her fellowship. Li Zhu of the Louisiana State University (Steven Soper) is developing highly multiplexed analytical methods for high-throughput genomic analyses. This multiplexing technology will be used to perform DNA sequencing in polymer-based microchips by coupling time-resolved fluorescence with spectral discrimination techniques. Eli Lilly & Co. sponsored her fellowship.
Summer 2004 fellowships Jamie Cohen of Cornell University (Héctor Abruña) uses silicon fabrication techniques, along with electrochemistry, in order to develop a planar membraneless microchannel fuel-cell platform. The platform can be used to analyze a variety of fuel systems and to understand the kinetic behavior of fuel oxidation at the anode catalyst surface. Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development sponsored her fellowship. Gerardo Gamez of Indiana University–Bloomington (Gary Hieftje) studies the mechanisms of fundamental processes that occur in glow discharges and inductively coupled plasmas. He uses diagnostic tools that include laser Thomson scattering, laser Rayleigh scattering, and laser-induced fluorescence. The Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh
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PEOPLE sponsored his fellowship. Seppe Kuehn of Cornell University (John Marohn) works toward the realization of detecting magnetic resonance from a single proton by detecting magnetic resonance as a force. This work aims to implement a “molecular microscope” that could determine the 3-D structure of a single copy of a large biomolecule. The Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh sponsored his fellowship. Mark Poggi of Georgia Tech (Lawrence Bottomley) uses a novel force spectroscopic technique to evaluate the interfacial and mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes. The Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh sponsored his fellowship. Zachary Schultz of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (Andrew Gewirth) studies the behavior of adsorbate molecules relevant to corrosion and deposition processes at the electro-
Arnold Orville Beckman (1900–2004)
COURTESY OF JERRY GALLWAS
Arnold O. Beckman, credited with launching the electronic revolution in chemistry, died on May 18 at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, Calif. He was 104 years old. His invention and commercialization of the pH meter in 1934 introduced electronic measurement into the chemical sciences and revolutionized the study of chemistry and biology. Beckman was born in the small Midwestern town of Cullom, Ill. His first job was in his father’s blacksmith shop shooing flies off the horses and later putting steel tires on wooden wagon wheels. Following 264 A
chemical interface by using in situ IR–vis sum frequency generation spectroscopy. The Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh sponsored his fellowship. Zhanping Zhang of the University of Delaware (Thomas Beebe) uses atomic force microscopy and other surfacesensitive spectroscopies to study of the interactions between ligands and nervecell receptors. She is trying to better understand the factors that modulate the extension of neurons for nerve-regeneration applications. Eastman Chemical Co. sponsored her fellowship.
Applications are now being accepted for the 2005–2006 ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry (DAC) Graduate Fellowships. These fellowships are available to full-time graduate students working toward a doctorate in analytical chemistry.
Applicants must be nominated by their graduate thesis advisors and must have completed their second year of graduate studies by the time their fellowships begin. The applicant’s thesis advisor must be a member of the DAC, and only one nomination per advisor will be accepted. In addition to the application forms, applicants must submit three letters of recommendation and copies of their undergraduate and graduate transcripts. Detailed information about the DAC Graduate Fellowship Program and the application process can be found on the program homepage (www.wabash.edu/ acsgraduatefellowship/home.htm). Application forms may be downloaded from this website or may be obtained by contacting Richard F. Dallinger at Wabash College (765-361-6242; fax 765-3616149;
[email protected] [preferred]). Completed application packages for the 2005–2006 fellowships must be submitted by December 10, 2004.
high school graduation in 1918, he joined the U.S. Marines. Later, inspired by a chemistry text he found in the attic at age nine, he went on to earn B.S. (chemical engineering) and M.A. (physical chemistry) degrees at the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. (photochemistry) at Caltech. During 1924–1926, Beckman worked at Western Electric under Walter A. Shewhart on statistical quality control, gaining exposure to cutting-edge circuit and vacuum tube design. The experience opened his eyes to the potential of electronic measurement. He joined the Caltech faculty in 1928 and became well known for his innovative teaching, research, and problemsolving skills. In 1934, a friend brought him the problem of determining the pH in citrus products dosed with sulfur dioxide. Beckman replaced the fragile electrode and benchtop apparatus with a rugged glass electrode and two-stage electronic amplifier packaged in a small metal box. A few weeks later, the friend
returned and asked for a second acidimeter, because the first was always in use. The rest is history. The pH meter was recognized as an ACS National Historic Chemical Landmark in March 2004. By 1939, Beckman had produced more than 2000 units and reluctantly left Caltech to run the business full time. He realized that electronic amplification could be used in other chemical applications and produced the first commercial UV–vis spectrophotometer in 1941, the famous Beckman DU. Thousands of applications were developed on the DU, including vitamin A measurements, detection of organic contaminants in ground water, and the first complete chemical analysis of DNA—the basis of Chargaff ’s rules. The outbreak of World War II created demand for synthetic rubber, which required the rapid analysis of C4 isomers in hydrocarbon mixtures for production of butadiene. Beckman teamed with Shell Development to create the first commercial IR spectrophotometer, the Beckman
Applications for 2005–2006 DAC Graduate Fellowships
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