From the Chair

Welcome back to Carleton after what I hope was a rejuvenating summer. We have a number of new faces in the department this year. I particularly want to welcome our new junior majors to the department. We are looking forward to lots of quality time with you in the P. Chem. and Advanced Lab courses, and beyond!

As a reminder, our new junior majors are:

In addition to our new majors, we also have two new faculty members joining us this year. Jimmy Blair is teaching in the organic chemistry laboratories during the Fall Term, to help rescue us from the unprecedented enrollments we have in Organic Chemistry I. Jimmy is no stranger to Carleton – he is a 2002 graduate! Since completing his undergraduate degree, Jimmy has been in the Chemical Biology program at UC Berkeley. In fact, he is working in Kevan Shokat’s lab, one of our visiting comps scientists from last year. We are grateful to Jimmy for graciously agreeing to put the last bit of his graduate work on hold while he teaches for us this term. Jimmy did research in my lab when he was an undergraduate, so I am particularly excited to have him with us. Jimmy’s office is Mudd 167. Stop by either there or in the organic chemistry labs, where he will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays, to say hello.

We are also delighted to welcome Michael Burand to Carleton. Michael is here for the whole year and will be primarily teaching introductory chemistry classes, but he will also be teaching a bit in the organic chemistry laboratories during the winter. Michael is a 2000 graduate of the University of Minnesota, Duluth. He moved south to the Minneapolis campus to do his graduate work in Kent Mann’s laboratories doing research in materials chemistry. After completing his Ph.D., Michael stayed on at the University of Minnesota to teach General Chemistry for a semester. He also taught introductory chemistry for a semester at Minneapolis Community & Technical College. Michael has a Carleton connection in that for the past year he has been a post-doc in the lab of Dan Frisbie (a 1989 alum) in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the U of M. Michael’s office is Mudd 165. Stop by and welcome him to Carleton when you get a chance.

Again, I welcome you to a new year of exciting chemistry, and I wish you great success as you begin the new academic year.

Seminar Announcement

No seminar this week.

Periodic Table Meets This Week

Periodic Table meets this Thursday in the East Dining Hall “Shearer Room” (the one that overlooks the lakes). We meet at noon in the chemistry hallway and walk over together, or you can join us there. If you are off board, the department will cover your lunch.

Big 10+ Graduate School Expo at Purdue University

This is an opportunity to learn more about some of the nation’s premier graduate programs and graduate education in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, agriculture, and related fields. Students will have the opportunity to talk to faculty, graduate students, and staff from premier institutions, such as Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Princeton, Purdue, UC-Berkeley, Vanderbilt, and many more! Students will also receive comprehensive information about graduate education, including how to fund their studies, how to apply, how to choose a graduate program, and much more.

Students may also apply for travel scholarships to attend the event after they register for the Expo. Nearly $27,000 in travel scholarships were awarded to eligible students last year. Students that attend the Grad Expo will also have the application fee waived when they apply for graduate admission to Purdue.

Students from all institutions, whether still enrolled at the undergraduate or master’s level or already graduated, are welcome. In particular, women and members of underrepresented groups are encouraged to participate. For complete details on the Big 10+ Graduate School Expo, please visit www.gradschool.purdue.edu/gradexpo. If you have questions, contact Dana Werner, Director of Graduate Student Recruitment Services, at dkwerner@purdue.edu or the office at gradexpo@purdue.edu.

Interview Preparation and Alumni Mixer

The Career Center is hosting an Interview Preparation and Alumni Mixer event next Tuesday, September 18, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in Great Hall. Alumni from 3M, Target, and other organizations will lead a session addressing interview tips, self-presentation skills, and conduct role-playing interview exercises for break out groups. The program will conclude with time for student and alumni interaction (the mixer). Hearty appetizers will be served. Deadline to sign up (in the Career Center) is this Friday, September 14.