Phi Beta Kappa Takes in Chemists from 2015-17

Posted on July 7, 2017 by alan

Every May, just two or three days before graduation, the Dean of the Faculty announces the most recent group of Reed seniors to be elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honorary society. Here are the PBK “chemists” from three most-recent classes. Congratulations!

2015

  • Lisa Frueh – Chemistry
  • Natalie Keehan – Chemistry

2016

  • Carlo Berti – Chemistry
  • Bailey Simon – Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
  • Jazz Weisman – Chemistry

2017

  • Kristin Hirata – Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
  • Lauren Kupper – Environmental Studies-Chemistry
  • Oleks Lushchyk – Chemistry
  • Zac Mathe – Chemistry
  • August Staubus – Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
  • Claire Young – Environmental Studies-Chemistry
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Incompetent Blogger Unearths Emails from Ancient Reed Chemistry Civilizations

Posted on July 4, 2017 by alan

One of the great joys of my job is that I receive emails from alums and colleagues telling me about lovely changes in their lives: new jobs, marriages, babies, fellowships, and so on. Really delightful stuff. And, of course, because I also write for this blog, I hope that they will let me share their information here. Nearly everyone says ‘yes’ to my requests (thank you!) and my next step is usually to move their email into a special folder where it will patiently wait for a gap in my busy schedule. Ideally, this gap appears in the next few days, or perhaps a few weeks, and the post appears. Ideally. That is The Plan.

I decided earlier today to take a look at the folder to see what might have escaped my notice in the end-of-semester rush. Oh, woe! Buried at the “bottom” of this folder were emails that date back, well, if not to an ancient, lost civilization, at least to a time when iPads looked pretty new and cool. =(

Here, along with my apologies for overlooking your emails, are these antique notices of Reed Chemistry News for your enjoyment (from oldest to newest). I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did, then and now.

Continue reading →

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Alumni News from Reed Magazine, September 2016

Posted on June 24, 2017 by alan

Maybe the place to begin a dip into What Is a Reedie?, the Sept. 2016 issue of the Reed magazine, is by asking, “what is summer?”

  1. The time of year when it rains on Portland’s annual Grand Floral Parade.
  2. A time when the highly improbable – two consecutive 100 degree days in Portland – becomes, if not exactly likely, at least a distinct possibility.
  3. The season when Reed faculty catch up on their reading.
  4. All of the above.

If you answered #4, you are right! Parade day began in a distinctly soggy way, and even though the Parade was just two weeks ago, the skies have turned the corner and 100F has been bouncing in and out of the Sat/Sun forecasts for today and tomorrow. And, of course, this is the season when I kick back with my pile of Reed magazines, beginning with the Sept. 2016 issue, What Is a Reedie?

Continue reading →

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Janet Gunzner-Toste ’93 is an ACS Hero of Chemistry!

Posted on June 22, 2017 by alan

The American Chemical Society (ACS) recently announced its Heroes of Chemistry for 2017 and the list includes Janet’s team at Genentech. The Genentech heroes were recognized for the discovery and development of ERIVEDGE® (vismodegib), the first medicine to be approved for the treatment of metastatic or locally advanced basal cell carcinoma.

The ACS describes its Heroes of Chemistry awards Continue reading →

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Chemistry Grads return for 2017 Reunion

Posted on June 12, 2017 by alan

Over a dozen Reed chemistry graduates of all vintages returned to campus last week for 2017 Reunions. Prof. Arthur Glasfeld and Alan Shusterman (that’s me) were on hand to greet them when they stopped by the Chemistry building, and we joined several for the reunion march and dinner on Saturday night. It was a joy to get back together with old friends, meet their families, and even get acquainted with the friends they used to hang out with. We love you all!

Chemistry attendees included:

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Prof. Geraldine Richmond, 2017 Vollum Awardee

Posted on June 6, 2017 by alan

The recipient of the 2017 Vollum Award for Distinguished Accomplishment in Science and Technology is University of Oregon chemist, Prof. Geraldine (Geri) Richmond. Prof. Richmond is one of those very special scientists who can work on a broad scale, achieving international recognition as an advocate for women in science (she is the founder and director of COACh, a grassroots organization that has been assisting in the advancement of thousands of women scientists around the globe since 1997) and as a global leader in surface science, in particular, environmentally and technologically important processes that occur at water, semiconductor, and mineral surfaces. (UPDATE: The American Chemical Society has just announced that it is awarding its top honor, the 2018 Priestley Medal, to Prof. Richmond for “her pioneering contributions to our understanding of the molecular properties of liquid surfaces and her extraordinary service to chemistry on a global level.” C&EN, 7 Jun 2017)

Prof. Richmond will be delivering a special lecture, “Empowering Global Scientific Engagement,” on Tuesday, August 22 at 4:30-6:00 pm, Psychology 105.

Previous Vollum Awardees from the chemical sciences have included: Continue reading →

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Rose Gonoud ’17 Tackles Drug-Resistant Malaria

Posted on May 24, 2017 by alan

What is a Reed thesis? Search online and you might come across:

The Reed Thesis

During your final year, you will plunge headlong into an intellectual adventure—the senior thesis. Undertaken with support from a faculty adviser, the senior thesis is your opportunity to explore a problem or answer a question that holds particular significance for you. (read more)

For some seniors, this adventure may be more than ‘intellectual,’ it may also involve coming face-to-face with a life-threatening disease that attacks millions of humans every year: malaria.

This year one member of the Class of 2017, Rose Gonoud, took advantage of a special opportunity to synthesize anti-malarial drugs in the experimental chemotherapy laboratory of Prof. Michael Riscoe at OHSU. You can read more about Rose and how this came to pass at “Chem major battles malaria parasite“ (Sallyportal blog, 24 Apr 2017).

Rose Gonoud '17

Rose Gonoud ’17

Continue reading →

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Take Your Dog to Graduation Day

Posted on May 19, 2017 by alan

Q: What follows 9 months of Portland winter?
A: The 2017 Reed graduation ceremony, of course.

Reed’s ceremony took place during a one-day break from the rain and clouds last Monday, May 15. Our graduating class contained very flavor of chemistry: analytical, environmental, biochemical, inorganic, organic, physical, and even theoretical/computational. Congratulations to the Class of 2017!

You can watch the ceremony here. Or you can just admire the coolest-looking dog to ever graduate from the College, and its owner, freshly minted environmental chemist, Annelise Hill ’17.

Annelise Hill '17 (environmental studies-chemistry) and shaggy companion receive diploma from Pres. John Kroger

Annelise Hill ’17 (environmental studies-chemistry) and shaggy companion receive diploma from Pres. John Kroger

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Alumni News from Reed Magazine, June 2016

Posted on March 10, 2017 by alan

The Reed Magazine always carries a broad spectrum of articles, and Within Reach, the June 2016 issue, is no exception. There are articles on a diverse set of alumni pursuits (can you say, “emergency planning – gunpowder – prosthetic limbs” three times fast?), class notes, Reediana, and updates on Reed’s academic programs. A particularly exciting development in the latter category is a new academic program in “computer science” that will be formally launched in September (see Reed to Launch Computer Science Program, p.7 and Eliot Circular). The new program features courses in “computer science, computational biology, digital art, and internet culture,” and I confess that I would like nothing better than to see a regular offering in computational chemistry added to this mix. [Alumni, you can help make this happen. Just ask me how. – Alan]

Continue reading →

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Jeremy Waen ’06 On a Sustainable Path

Posted on February 18, 2017 by alan

Two days ago a group of Reed faculty got together to discuss how we could do more to help our students succeed after graduation. A widely shared concern was the “Graduate School or Bust!” mentality that seems to dominate student thinking. A few hours later I found myself chatting with Jeremy Waen ’06, the chemistry department’s invited seminar speaker. As Jeremy sketched his story for me, and then expanded on it later during his seminar (“From Thinking Small to Acting Big: One Reedie’s Atypical Career Path in an Era of Climate Change and Trumped-Up Politics”), I experienced first-hand the student dilemma that my colleagues had been talking about.

Continue reading →

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