OSU-ChUME is hosting an event to watch the Bill Nye debate with Ken Ham (Answers in Genesis CEO) Tuesday February 4, 2014 at 4pm in Gilbert 324.
Come and join us for pizza, good conversation, and an interesting debate! The debate is estimated to last for 2 1/2 hours, so people are welcome to come join us only for part of the debate.
We hope to see you there!
OSU-ChUME Graduate Student Mentors
Chemistry Department,
Oregon State University
Professor Weston Borden from University of North Texas will be presenting a seminar titled “Tunneling by Carbon in Organic Reactions. Calculations Tell Experimentalists Where to Look and What to Look For,” on Thursday, February 6th at 5pm in LPSC 402.
a presentation by: Sue Kunda
Tuesday, February 4, 10:00 – 11:20 a.m., Autzen Classroom
OR
Tuesday, March 4, 4:00 – 5:20 p.m., Autzen Classroom
More info at: http://guides.library.oregonstate.edu/Library-Workshops-for-Grad-Students-Faculty
Guest Blogger: Lindsay Wills
OSU-ChUME hosted an event titled “Linus Pauling and the Responsibility of the Scientist” on Wednesday, January 22, 2014, 6pm. This event featured Linda Richards, who spoke about Linus Pauling and his legacy within the peace movement and nuclear proliferation. The goal of this event was to learn about Linus Pauling and to open discussions amongst undergraduate and graduate students about Linus Pauling and how his life can be used to understand our role as scientists in society today.
This event was a great success. Linda gave an exceptional presentation and was very knowledgeable about nuclear proliferation and Linus Pauling’s involvement in the peace movements of the 1960’s. The audience was also exceptional, asking a wide variety of questions about the scientific and societal aspects of the talk. The questions ranged from understanding how the effects of nuclear testing should be measured to what modern social movement is most analogous to the peace movement.
If you missed this event, there will be more events like this coming up later in the term! Next Tuesday, February 4, we will be hosting a watch party for Bill Nye’s debate with creationist Ken Ham (Location: TBA). Come join us for pizza and enthusiastic conversations about science!
Greetings!
You are invited to visit the Soeldner Campbell Fund web page, or view the attached document, to read the 2014-2015 Request for Proposal. The deadline to submit your application is April 1, 2014. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
Maylian Pak
Donor Relations Officer-So. Willamette Valley
_____________________________________
THE OREGON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
The Graduate School is now accepting nominations from departments and programs for the Oregon Lottery Graduate Scholarship. The deadline for Nominations is March 10. Information and nomination instructions are located at: http://gradschool.oregonstate.edu/finance/awards/oregon-lottery-scholarship
Oregon Episcopal School is short a few Chemistry and Physics Category judges for their Science Fair on Friday, February 21. Time is 7:30-3:00 at the Oregon Episcopal School in Portland, OR. Breakfast and Lunch are provided unless you’re a finalist judge in which case you’d be there till about 6pm and get dinner as well.
For more information, or to volunteer contact Christopher Mader, Science Faculty/Chair at Oregon Episcopal School 6300 SW Nicol Road, Portland, OR 97223, 503-416-9322, maderc@oes.edu.
Prof. Keith Nelson will be here Tuesday, January 28, 2014 in LPSC 402 at 4pm, presenting a seminar entitled: High-Field Terahertz Pulse Generation and Nonlinear THz Spectroscopy of Molecules and Materials.
Abstract: In recent years it has become possible to generate single-cycle or few-cycle pulses of light at terahertz (THz) frequencies with electric field strengths in the MV/cm range. This has opened up broad new possibilities for nonlinear spectroscopy and coherent control of previously inaccessible collective processes and low-frequency resonances. Generation of intense pulses in the 1-THz frequency range is itself achieved through collective coherent control over the lattice of a nonlinear optical crystal. If the crystal is a thin slab, it can act as a THz waveguide into which elements such as THz bandgap structures, dipole antennas, and others can be incorporated for a variety of applications. THz pulses generated in a bulk crystal can be projected into free space and used for nonlinear spectroscopy. The THz fields can be exploited through their acceleration of electrons or ions or through the forces they exert on ionic or molecular dipoles. THz-driven electronic responses have resulted in impact and tunneling ionization of semiconductors and in collective electronic/structural phase transitions in correlated electron materials. These dynamical responses have been monitored with THz, optical, and hard x-ray probe pulses. THz-driven lattice responses include “soft” optic phonon vibrations as well as induced orientation of nanometer-size polar regions in crystals near ferroelectric phase transitions. Finally, THz coherent control over multiple rotational states of polar molecules in the gas phase has been demonstrated, including the observation of an unusual form of THz superradiance resulting from the transient collective orientation of the molecular dipoles. THz field generation, manipulation, and applications, and the wide-ranging prospects for nonlinear THz spectroscopy, will be discussed.
Michael Hughes has been selected as one of our Undergrads of the Quarter for Fall 2013. Michael grew up in San Jose and went to Westmont High School. He is a non-traditional student who came to OSU while he was living in Medford, OR because of his interest in Animal Science and the benefits of OSU’s in-state tuition. While taking CH 12X as a requirement for Animal Science, he fell in love with Chemistry because “it felt like a puzzle” and “dissected the world in a way that made sense to him.” He was excited about the possibility to “explore the world” in ways he hadn’t thought of before. He got interested in undergraduate research over two years ago – working in Professor John Simonsen’s lab in Wood Science on cellulose nanocrystals. His favorite courses have been the intergrated labs as they help to show the connection between lecture and practical science. Dr. Chris Pastorek is his favorite instructor during his time here. When not working lab or taking courses, he enjoys spending time with his wife and young daughter. He plans to attend UC-Santa Barbara this fall for graduate school in Chemistry. After obtaining his PhD degree, he wants to continue to stay engaged in research. We are so proud of students like Michael who have found their passion in Chemistry!
Corinne Brucks has been selected as one of our Undergrads of the Quarter for Winter 2014. Corinne grew up in Beaverton area. She became interested in Chemistry at a young age (6-7th grade). One of the advantages she notes from being homeschooled was that she was able to devote considerable time to her interests in Chemistry. She wrote long reports on chemistry topics and read multiple books on the subject from her local library – including a book series on each element and “The Periodic Kingdom” which she particularly enjoyed. She initially enrolled at Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri where she got an Associate Degree in Science. It was a professor at Cottey (Dr. Ganga Fernando) who was a key mentor that got the ball rolling for Corinne, providing her first research opportunity and encouraging her to apply to summer undergraduate research internships. Corinne is particularly grateful to Dr. Fernando for her help. Corinne always planned to return to OSU to complete her BS degree because of the strong reputation for its science program, and she loves OSU and Corvallis. Her favorite classes so far at OSU have been Inorganic Chemistry (CH 411 & CH 412) and Dr. Ji has been her favorite Chemistry instructor. She has had multiple research opportunities at OSU. Her minor in computer science was inspired by a summer internship through our NSF Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry (led by OSU Chemistry Professor Doug Keszler) in Professor Paul Cheong’s lab. Last summer, she completed another CSMC internship down at the University of Oregon in Professor Mark Lonergan’s lab. She is currently working on an Undergraduate Research, Innovation, Scholarship and Creativity (URISC) supported project with Professor Sean Burrows on applying MATLAB to create algorithms for making the best biosensors. After graduation, she wants to go to graduate school in Chemistry. Her dream job would be to be a professor where she can teach and do research. She comments that she “enjoys explaining concepts to people”. While not studying chemistry, Corinne likes to do ballroom dancing on campus. Corinne is another wonderful example of the high caliber students that we attract to OSU Chemistry, and we are so proud of her successes.
Update: Corrine was also the recipient of the 1st ever Keith McKennon Memorial Scholarship. The Chemistry Department is grateful for the support of alumni and friends who established this Scholarship. Corinne, will do a wonderful job of honoring this long-time friend of the Department through her contributions to the state, nation, and world.