Our news blog continues to delve into the Reed magazine for news on alumni.
In “Marsh And The Periodic Table,” Steve Fowkes ’75 ponders the suggestion that the late Prof. Marsh Cronyn (’40) had once made to slide hydrogen across the periodic table so that it sat above carbon. Fowkes, in true Reed spirit, suggests we deconstruct the rigid constraints imposed by two-dimensional tables and explore the advantages of a three-dimensional “epi-cylindrical” periodic table instead. He points out that this “monstrosity” would allow hydrogen to hover above lithium, carbon, and fluorine simultaneously.
The Class Notes section of the Reed magazine March 2010 also reports on some Reed chemists:
- Laurel Wilkening ’66 was awarded the UC Irvine Medal, the university’s highest honor, for her service as chancellor 1993-98. During her reign, Laurel helped nudge UC Irvine into the ranks of the nation’s top 50 research universities; was instrumental in creating a public-private research park; played a key role in increasing the number of Regents’ Scholarships to transfer students; and strengthened outreach programs to local schools. A chemistry major at Reed, Laurel pursued a career in planetary science, became an expert on comets and meteorites, and has served on numerous NASA committees and space-related bodies. She also served on Reed’s board of trustees 1992-2002 and has been instrumental in restoring the Reed canyon.
- David Perry’73 wrote about a Reed chemist: “Chantal Sudbrack ’97, one of the founders of the Chicago alumni chapter, took a job in Cleveland with NASA. While it’s nice to have a rocket scientist in the family, I miss Chantal. Chicago’s a big place, but it seems a little bit emptier to me now that she’s gone.”
- Ken Jacobson ’75 was among three chemists to be inducted into the American Chemical Society Division of Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame in 2009. The award recognized his creativity and ability to combine the field of chemistry with those of pharmacology and molecular biology, which, in turn, has been influential in biomedical research and therapeutic development. “Over the course of two decades at NIH, Dr. Jacobson has made major contributions to the pharmacology of cell surface receptors, in particular purinergic receptors. His research has led to agents in clinical trials for cystic fibrosis, cancer, degenerative diseases, and autoimmune inflammatory diseases.” Ken runs the Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Recognition Section at the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland, is author or coauthor of over 500 scientific publications, and is an inventor on 35 issued U.S. patents.
- Mass High Tech (the journal of New England technology) recognized Roger Tung ’81 as a 2009 All-Star for his contributions to the pharmaceutical industry. The annual award honors pioneers and leaders across several business and technology sectors in New England. Roger has been a pioneer in the fight against AIDS. He coinvented two key HIV protease inhibitors that were used as commercial drugs, Agenerase and Lexiva, plus various other compounds to treat hepatitis and cystic fibrosis. His colleague Richard Aldrich is quoted: “Roger Tung is the best ‘drug hunter’ I’ve worked with, and I’ve worked with a lot of scientists over the years. What really distinguishes Roger from everyone else is that he is all about finding a drug that can be really useful for patients He’s not interested in impressing people with papers.”
- The Oregonian recently ran a piece on Luke Kanies ’96, founder of Reductive Labs in Portland [editor’s note: the company’s name has been updated to Puppet Labs]. The company’s product is Puppet — an open-source system administration software created by Luke. Reductive Labs also runs training programs for system administrators and offers technical support from NedSpace, in Portland’s Old Town.
- Kym Buchanan ’98 started his fourth year as a professor in education at the University of Wisoconsin-Stevens Point. He and his wife, Jodi, recently celebrated their 10th anniversary. They have two daughters, Bayli (5) and Dani (2). As a teacher, Kym says he owes much to Max Muller in the Reed theatre department, and as a scientist, to Professor Dan Gerrity in chemistry. Kym’s scholarship focuses on motivation and technology, including teaching using games. More at kymbuchanan.org.
- Congratulations to Molly Dodge ’04 and Stefan Minasian ’02, who were married in August in Molly’s dad’s backyard on the coast of Maine. They are thankful for the many friends and family who helped to the make the day special. (Scores of Reedies attended including two chemists, Marty Mulvihill ’02 and Brian Austin ’00.)
- Hats off to Elliot Levin ’04 and Amanda Cort ’07, who were married June 14, 2009.
Finally, we mourn the passing of Jeanne-Marie Bergheim Wyld ’49 who passed away on May 30, 2009. Her entry from the In Memoriam section reads, “Following the death of her father, a physician and surgeon, Jeanne-Marie left her hometown of Hawley, Minnesota, with her mother and sister and came to Portland. She attended Reed on a scholarship, and earned a BA in chemistry. She went to Stanford University on a four-year fellowship from the Atomic Energy Commission, ultimately earning a PhD. She taught chemistry at Vassar College in 1954. The following year, she married Henry W. Wyld Jr ’49. They later moved to Urbana, Illinois, where Henry was appointed to the physics department at the University of Illinois. In Urbana, Jeanne-Marie taught part time at Parkland College and at the University of Illinois and joined the League of Women Voters. She was the first Democrat to be elected to the Urbana City Council and later ran for mayor of Urbana (1969). She was a key figure in the fight against the Oakley Dam, a massive federal project that would have flooded 1,500 acres of parkland in order to provide water for nearby Decatur. As the emissary for the Save Allerton Park Committee, Jeanne-Marie flew to Washington, D.C., and made her case to officials in the Department of the Interior, the Treasury, and the Army Corps of Engineers, and to Senator Everett Dirksen. This effort was ultimately successful: the Oakley Dam was scrapped and the park endures. A snare drummer in high school and in the Portland Junior Symphony, Jeanne-Marie enjoyed music throughout her life. In retirement, she cared for elderly family members in her home, traveled extensively with Henry, and was active in the Wesley United Methodist Church. Survivors include Henry, a daughter, a grandson, and a sister; a son and daughter pr
edeceased her.”
edeceased her.”