<< >> Title Contents

CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT


With the planning and start of construction of the New Unified Science Facility, 1996-97 was a very busy year for the Chemistry Department. Assistant Professor Birgit Koehler was reappointed for a second term. Assistant Professor Andy Koch has accepted a position at St. Mary's College of Maryland, St. Mary's City, Maryland, and will be leaving Williamstown this summer. We all wish Andy and his family the very best. George A. "Tony" Truran joined the Department as an organic laboratory instructor, and will continue in that role for the 1997-98 academic year. Truran is finishing his Ph.D. in organic chemistry at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Nancy Barber, the department secretary for the past 26 years, retired in June. Nancy's last job was to pass along all of her accumulated knowledge to Debbie Morandi, the new department secretary. Next year promises to be another exciting year, as we anticipate hiring two new tenure-track faculty members.

Please save the weekend of May 16, 1998! In honor of Professor Hodge Markgraf's retirement, we are planning a chemistry majors reunion with a full weekend of activities. On Friday, the senior honors students will give presentations of their work, followed by a cookout, then an evening of socializing at the log. On Saturday, there will be a symposium in which several Markgraf students from throughout his career will speak on their current research. Department Chair Thoman will update everyone on the state of the Chemistry Department, and Professor Lovett, the Director of the Bronfman Science Center, will report on the progress of the Science Project. As this text is being written in mid June 1997, blasting is already underway for the foundation of the new science building. Tours (with hard hats!) will be an exciting part of the reunion activities. On Saturday evening, we will gather for dinner and stories at the Faculty Club. To round out the weekend, there will be a farewell brunch on Sunday, May 17, 1998.

The Chemistry Department received an award from the American Chemical Society for the best departmental safety program at an undergraduate institution in 1996. Professor Thoman accepted the plaque and $1000 check at the ACS meeting in Orlando, in August 1996, and Dr. Skinner, who wrote and submitted the documentation on the program, talked about "Challenges to Safety Programs at Small Colleges" at the ACS meeting in San Francisco in April 1997.

This year we continued to participate in the lectureship program under the sponsorship of the Class of 1960 Scholars Program. Three distinguished scientists were invited to campus to meet with our students and present a seminar. Professor Ronald Breslow of Columbia University and President, American Chemical Society, Professor William L. Jorgensen of Yale University, and Professor Chien Ho `57 of Carnegie-Mellon University, were the 1960 Scholar Speakers this year. Fourteen students were selected by the faculty to be Class of 1960 Scholars during 1997 and to participate in the seminar program which includes a preliminary meeting of the Scholars with a Chemistry Department faculty member to discuss some of the papers of the seminar speaker; attendance at the seminar/discussion; and an opportunity for further discussion with the seminar speaker at an informal reception or dinner. The students selected for this year are:

Class of 1960 Scholars in Chemistry
Amrita Ahuja Michael Darowish Ellen Roh Robert Chang Kerstin Dostal James Rowe Jessica Charland Graham Dresden Elliott Sohn Bo Yoon Choi Anastasia Hryhorczuk Leo Tsai Matthew Crawley Allison Lamanna

During the final week of classes, a number of awards were presented to chemistry students for outstanding scholarship. Aya E. Reiss `00 received the CRC Award as the outstanding student in the general chemistry course and Michelle B. Dunn `00 received the CRC Award as the outstanding student in the advanced general chemistry course. Christine H. Kim `99 was awarded the Harold H. Warren Prize in recognition of being the outstanding student in introductory organic chemistry. At the annual senior Honors Colloquium, Professor Thoman announced the American Chemical Society Polymer Division Award for excellence in introductory organic chemistry for Thomas R. Fleming `00, the American Chemical Society Analytical Division Award for James M. Rowe `98, the American Chemical Society Connecticut Valley Section Award for sustained scholastic excellence for David A. Vosburg `97, the American Institute of Chemists Student Award for outstanding scholastic achievement for Henry G. Roe `97, and the Frank C. Goodrich 1945 Award in Chemistry for demonstrated excellence in chemistry research to Jean L. Raphael `97.

At Class Day activities before graduation, the John Sabin Adriance Prize was awarded to Frederick C. Winston `97 as the senior chemistry major who maintained the highest rank in all courses offered by the Department. Also during Class Day, Poorab K. Sangani `97 was the recipient of the Leverett Mears Prize in recognition of outstanding scholastic achievement, admission to graduate study in the medical sciences or to medical school, and designation by the faculty of the Department as showing outstanding promise. The James F. Skinner Prize for achieving a distinguished record in chemistry and showing promise for teaching and scholarship was presented to David A. Vosburg `97.

During the summer of 1997, a number of Williams College chemistry majors were awarded research assistantships to conduct research in the laboratories of departmental faculty. We gratefully acknowledge support from the College, Hughes Grant, NSF, Pfizer Inc., the American Physical Society Division of Laser Science, and grants administered by the American Chemical Society.

Professor Raymond Chang continues to serve on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Committee on chemistry and the editorial board of Chemical Educator. He attended the American Chemical Society meeting in San Francisco in April 1997. The sixth edition of Chang's introductory chemistry text was published in July.

Professor Lawrence Kaplan continued to work on the multimedia, interactive CD-ROM project Sherlock which will provide exploration into the world of forensic science from the crime scene to the crime lab. This computer assisted instructional tool is being designed to enhance the laboratory program in forensic science as well as in other chemistry and science courses. He published a brief paper on the project "Forensic Science: An Interactive Multimedia Laboratory Program to Enhance Introductory Chemistry (Science) Courses" in theJournal of Chemical Education and presented a paper at the 213th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco in April 1997 entitled "Sherlock: A Multimedia Forensic Chemistry Project" with co-authors Andrew T. Selder `97, Annaliese K. Beery `97, and Hank Zill `97. Also at the ACS meeting he presented the paper "Forensic Science: An Interdisciplinary Vehicle for Teaching Critical Thinking in a Liberal Education."

Kaplan presented a seminar "Preparing an Effective NSF Proposal," at the "NSF Workshop for Undergraduate Faculty" sponsored by the New England Consortium for Undergraduate Science Education (NECUSE) held at Smith College in June 1996. During Winter Study, he taught Science for Kids with Professor Koehler. During the course, thirteen Williams students prepared and presented workshops on Forensic Science, Natural Disasters, Waves, and Astronomy for 125 local fourth graders and their parents.

Kaplan also continued to work with the microcalorimeter acquired from MicroCal, Inc. during the summer of `96 developing experiments for course laboratories as well as on research projects. With co-authors Dale Woodnutt `96 and Elliott H. Sohn `98, he presented a paper at the ACS meeting "The Use of the Isothermal Titration Microcalorimeter in the Undergraduate Chemistry and Biochemistry Laboratory" during the "New Approaches to Teaching Thermodynamics" symposium. He received a grant from The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Special Grants Program in the Chemical Sciences, for $35,000 to support the proposal "Introduction of Microcalorimetry into the Undergraduate Chemistry Curriculum."

In the research lab of Assistant Professor Birgit Koehler, Henry Roe `97 and Lawrence Marcus `97 spent last summer beginning a study of the interaction of atmospheric sulfur dioxide with soot particles. Henry Roe `97 continued this study during the academic year as his senior honors research project. Koehler presented a talk on this work in December at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco. Henry Roe `97 presented a talk at the Undergraduate Research Conference of the Connecticut Valley Section of the American Chemical Society at Amherst in April. Koehler recently received a Cottrell College Science Award from the Research Corporation that will fund the continuation of this project. Koehler also reviewed grants submitted to the Petroleum Research Fund and the National Science Foundation, reviewed papers for the Journal of Physical Chemistry and the Journal of Geophysical Research, and reviewed two laboratory manuals for a textbook publishing company.

Koehler continued teaching the advanced section of introductory chemistry and the second half of physical chemistry. Koehler served as the faculty advisor to the Chemistry Student Advisory Committee which became an official Student Affiliate Chapter of the American Chemical Society this year. Koehler also served on Divisional, Environmental Studies, and campus-wide committees.

During Winter Study, Koehler and Professor Kaplan taught Science for Kids. In this course, 13 Williams College students prepared and presented workshops on Forensic Science, Natural Disasters, Waves, and Astronomy for 125 local fourth graders and their parents. Each workshop included a combination of demonstrations and explanations by the Williams College students plus many hands-on experiments for the kids and their parents. The kids took home some of their creations and received a handout with descriptions of experiments to do at home. The program was very well received: the college students clearly enjoyed and learned from the experience, the kids became engrossed in the science and obviously enjoyed themselves, and the parents appreciated the chance to participate with their children while learning some science themselves. One father remarked that this was the only non-athletic event he has done with his son. The Williams Alumni Review featured the program with a photo-spread on the back cover of the Winter 1997 issue, and local newspapers published an article and photographs.

Professor Charles Lovett continued to serve as Director of Bronfman Science Center, Chair of the Science Executive Committee, and Chair of the Building Committee for the new science facility. In this capacity he marshaled the science project through the Design and Development phase and the completion of Construction Documents. He also continued to serve on the Executive Board of the New England Consortium for Undergraduate Science Education and on the Advisory Committee for Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL), a national reform movement to strengthen undergraduate science and mathematics.

Professor Lovett continued his research on the regulation of DNA repair in the bacterium Bacillus subtilis , supported by the National Science Foundation. In August, he was awarded a $315,000 grant from NSF to continue this research for the next three years. During the past year, this work involved the efforts of several Williams' students. Last summer, Darci Gaiotti, Martha Johnson, Michael Miller, and Poorab Sangani worked on this research as full-time research assistants. During the academic year, he directed Darci Gaiotti and Martha Johnson as Senior Honor students. He published with former students Michael Miller, `96, Joshua Resnick, `96, and Bradley Smith, `94, "The Bacillus subtilis dinR Gene Codes for the Analogue of Escherichia coli LexA: Purification and Characterization of the DinR Protein" in the December issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Professor Lovett served on the review panel for research grants submitted to the Molecular Genetics Division of the National Science Foundation in October. He also served as an ad hoc reviewer for the following journals: Journal of Bacteriology, Gene, Microbiology, Molecular Microbiology, and the Journal Molecular and Cellular Biology.

Last summer, Professor Lovett taught the Chemistry lectures component of the Williams College Summer Science Program for Minority Students. During the spring semester, Professor Lovett taught for the first time a course for non-science majors, AIDS: The Disease and Search for a Cure. He also taught Enzyme Kinetics and Mechanisms, a course he introduced several years ago, as an alternative to the second semester of physical chemistry, for students interested in graduate school in biochemistry.

Professor Hodge Markgraf continued his teaching and research as a full-time member of the department. In the fall semester he taught Organic Chemistry (CHEM 201) and in the spring he taught Physical Organic Chemistry (CHEM 311) and a tutorial in Heterocyclic Chemistry (CHEM 312T). His research group included thesis students Poorab Sangani `97 and David Vosburg `97, as well as Jessica Charland `98 and Jordan Dubow `00 who both started research as January WSP students and continued in the spring semester as independent studies students. David continued his work from last summer on the use of hetero Diels-Alder reactions in new routes to canthine-related alkaloids. Poorab started a new project on the influence of steric vs. electronic effects on the quaternization of strained heterocyclic systems with methyl iodide. Jessica and Jordan collaborated on a study of the kinetic isotope effects of Cr (VI) oxidation of bicyclic secondary alcohols. This summer Markgraf's group included Bo Yoon Choi `98, Scott Snyder `99, and Elliott Sohn `98. Bo extended earlier work by Poorab to oxidation of benzyl ethers by phase transfer catalysis. Elliott expanded the kinetic isotope effect study by preparing new deuterated bicyclic alcohols, and he sought to complete David's synthesis of isocanthin-6-one. Scott was awarded a Pfizer Undergraduate Summer Fellowship in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, which he used to explore hetero Diels-Alder routes to eburnamine alkaloids. The grant from Pfizer to Markgraf and Snyder, one of twenty awarded nationally, was the only one not given at a Ph.D. granting university. During the past Markgraf, Sangani, and Dr. Manuel Finkelstein published a communication on the oxidation of benzylamines by phase transfer catalysis. Markgraf, Finkelstein, and Professor Raymond Change, along with three of Markgraf's former Honors students plus three colleagues from the research laboratories of the former Sprague Electric Company, published a detailed mechanistic study of the process by which a diazonium ion substituent on a benzene ring is replaced by a hydrogen atom. Markgraf was a reviewer for the Journal of Organic Chemistry. This summer he kept the Leiden/Williams research exchange program intact by arranging for Williams student Richard von Bargen `98 to spend the summer at the University of Leiden in Professor Browwer's group and for Dutch student Remco Schoot Uiterkamp to join Professor Lovett's research group here.

This year, Professor Park has been enjoying her assistant professor leave. She spent the first half of the year at Williams, followed by several months as a Visiting Scholar in the Chemistry Department at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Thomas Reid `97 and Nick Zammuto `98 worked in her lab at Williams during the summer of 1996 on the synthesis of mesogenic ligands, and Thomas Reid spent the fall of 1997 working on computer modeling of the proposed complexes as part of an independent study project. While in Ann Arbor, she developed and characterized a number of different families of liquid crystalline derivatives of_ metal-chain complexes, and is currently working towards characterizing their magnetic and electrical properties. In June 1997, she presented her work at the 5th International Conference on Metallomesogens in Neuchatel, Switzerland.

Associate Professor Enrique Peacock-López continued his research in complex dynamical chemical and biochemical mechanisms. In our work related to the Complement system, Michelle Pacholec `00 considered the implications of the Complement in autoimmune diseases. In the case of the Complement, recognition between self and non-self is regulated by a group of membrane bound proteins. Therefore, when this recognition mechanism is altered, we expect to see a self attack and damage. Michelle considered the extended model of the alternative pathway of the Complement, which was developed by Elizabeth Juang `95. For this model, Michelle varied the relevant parameter within physical bounds and observed the possible dynamical responses of the Complement.

In our studies in nonlinear enzyme kinetics, Professor Peacock-López studied a simple three substrate-three enzyme model. In this model, one enzyme is inhibited by its product, another is activated by its product and the third one follows Michaelis-Menten mechanism. For this model, we have observed a large variety of complex dynamical behaviors ranging from simple period one to period 32 oscillations to different routes to chaos.

Most hormone concentrations in the body are regulated by negative feedback mechanisms in which the production and release of hormones are regulated according to the concentration of related species. It is known that many hormones are released in a pulsatile manner. The mechanism driving these complex release patterns is not known in most cases. In this field, Casey H. Londergan '97 has considered communication and regulation of chemical oscillators mimicking hormonal patterns. Our results, "Modeling Recognition and Regulation Between Coupled Chemical Oscillators," will be presented at the Fifth Chemical Congress of North America this coming November. Also in this area, Annaliese Beery `97 considered the hypothalamus oscillatory release of Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and the corresponding pulses of Luteinizing hormone (LH). For this system, Annaliese modeled the interaction between a stable and robust oscillator (GnRH) and a template oscillator (LH). The model reproduces the hormonal time patterns and suggests that the robust stability is necessary to maintain the periodic secretion of hormones. Finally, Professor Peacock-López has served as reviewer for The Chemical Educator, Biophysical Chemistry and The Journal of Physical Chemistry.

Along with his research activities, Professor Peacock-López taught Advanced Quantum Chemistry where he has used MATHEMATICA as a tool to solve time-consuming numerical and symbolic calculations. Also, he participated in the McNair summer program and taught a Winter Study on the Manhattan project. Lastly, Professor Peacock-López' effort in teaching chemistry to children continued. This year, Professor Peacock-López gave demonstrations to second and fourth graders at the Williamstown Elementary School.

Associate Professor David P. Richardson was on sabbatical leave this year and was a Visiting Scholar at Boston University working in the laboratory of Professor John K. Snyder where he concentrated on learning new multi-dimensional NMR techniques for use in structural analysis of proteins and natural products. In October, he presented a seminar at Hamilton College entitled "Biologically-Active Natural Products from Southeast Asian Plants." In February, he presented a Chemistry Department Seminar at Boston University entitled "Searching for the Source of Toxicity in Southeast Asian Dart Poisons." Professor Richardson also attended the American Chemical Society national convention in April.

Dr. Anne Skinner was appointed in June 1996 as the first News Editor of the CUR Quarterly, the primary publication of the Council on Undergraduate Research. She presented her research on the age of flint artifacts at a lithic studies symposium during the April 1997 meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The papers from this symposium will be published as a volume in the New Directions in Archaeology series. In May 1997 she and her co-worker, Dr. Bonnie Blackwell of Queens College, NYC, were awarded an NSF grant from the Archaeometry program to finance further testing of both the flint materials and of fossil teeth.

For the ACS-sponsored 14th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education in Clemson, SC in August 1996, Dr. Skinner organized a symposium on the teaching of archaeological chemistry. The presentations included courses designed to prepare the professional archaeologist for field work as well as courses such as the one she has taught several times as a WSP offering, introducing primarily non-scientists to an interesting application of chemistry.

Associate Professor Jay Thoman extended his research on the fluorescence quenching of gas-phase nitric oxide to include many new collision partners at low temperatures (215-300K). The temperature dependence of the fluorescence quenching efficiency helps to identify which mechanisms might be responsible for quenching. Taking advantage of the small but significant vapor pressure of organic liquids, Thoman and his students measured the quenching efficiency of numerous fuel molecules. Jim Rowe `98, Fred Winston `97, and Tom Fleming `00 kept the lab operating and added some technological improvements in sample handling. With several co-authors, Thoman presented this work at the American Chemical Society National Meeting in Orlando, Florida. Fred Winston `97 presented the results of his work, quenching of nitric oxide fluorescence by cyclic molecules, at the Connecticut Valley Section of the American Chemical Society meeting in May.

Professor Thoman taught CHEM 101, Concepts of Chemistry, the chemistry portion of the science seminar ENVI 102 Introduction to Environmental Science, and part of the laboratory program in CHEM 102. With help from Professor Victor Hill of the Mathematics Department, he sponsored an independent study semester in Chemical Applications of Group Theory. With Professor Chang, he reintroduced the Winter Study course Glass and Glassblowing, which had not been taught for a decade. Thoman continued service as a reviewer for Chemical Educator, as chair of the Department, and as chair of the Committee on Academic Standing.

Last summer Assistant Professor Deborah Weiss arrived in Williamstown and set up her laboratories in the Bronfman Science Center in preparation of working with her two honors students Eli Boritz `97 and Stacey Rutledge `97. During the academic year the Weiss lab group made significant progress towards understanding how a particular DNA negative regulatory element, NEG-1, contributes to the controlled expression of the immunologically relevant gene, Interleukin-4. Boritz worked on purifying a protein binds to this DNA regulatory element, Rutledge undertook studies looking at two sub-regions with NEG-1 that appear to act in a co-operative fashion to effect function; during WS `97 two additional students Robert Chang `98 and Ellissa Hallem `99 also contributed to this research. The data generated by these studies was included in a research proposal submitted by Weiss that was recently funded by the National Science Foundation. This award for $240,000 will support these lines of study over the next three years.

Weiss taught the first semester of biochemistry in the fall covering the structure and function of proteins and DNA, as well as overall gene expression. During the spring she taught the advanced section of introductory chemistry. In preparation for teaching a winter study entitled Genetics and Disease: The Biology, Psychology and Ethics of Genetic Testing, Weiss attended a conference at the Whitehead Institute that was directly related to these topics, "Genetics of Common Diseases: a Practical Approach." Last fall, along with eight research students, she also attended a symposium at Dartmouth on the subject of eukaryotic transcription.

CHEMISTRY COLLOQUIA
Darci Gaiotti, Martha Johnson, Jin Kwon, Casey Londergan, Natalia Raoof, Jean Raphael, Thomas Reid, Henry Roe, Eli Boritz, Geoffrey Findlay, Benjamin Partan, Stacey Rutledge, Poorab Sangani, Andrew Selder, David Vosburg, Frederick Winston
Senior Research Projects
Professor Bruce M. Novak, Silvio O. Conte National Center for Polymer Research,
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
"The Direct Polymerization of Vinyl Alcohol, the Unstable Tautomer of Acetaldehyde"
Professor Coleen Pugh, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
"Amphiphilic Approaches to Materials Synthesis"
Professor Ronald Breslow, Columbia University, President, American Chemical Society
Class of 1960 Scholars Speaker
"Artificial Enzymes"
Professor William D. Lubell, Université de Montréal
"Turns, Sheets and Helices: Synthesis, Analysis and Use of Azacycloalkane Amino
Acids as Mimetics of Peptide Secondary Structure"
Professor Eric Jacobsen, Harvard University
Sponsored by Organic Syntheses, Inc.
"Asymmetric Catalysis"
Professor William L. Jorgensen, Yale University
Class of `60 Scholars Speaker
"Computer Modeling from Chemistry in Solution to Drug Design"
Dr. Elliot P. Cowan `77, Division of Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Center for Biologics
Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration
"Identifying a Link Between Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type I Infection and
Neurologic Disease: Taxing the Nervous System"
Professor Chien Ho `57, Carnegie-Mellon University
Charles Compton Lectureship and Class of `60 Scholars Speaker
"Design and Engineering of Hemoglobins for Applications in Medicine and Biotechnology"
Dr. Annabel Muenter, Photoscience Division, Eastman Kodak Research Labs
"Dye Sensitization of Silver Halide: An Essential Element in Color Photography"
Dr. David W. Chandler, Combustion Research Facility, Sandia National Laboratories
"The Photochemistry of N2O Studied by Ion Imaging"
POSTGRADUATE PLANS OF DEPARTMENT MAJORS
Colleen P. Campbell
Geoffrey S. Findlay
Product manager for software company, Austin, Texas
Darci A. Gaiotti
Working in cancer research at NIH for 2 years, then back to school
Stuart T. Guthrie
M.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
Phung M. Huynh
M.D., University of California, Davis
Jin W. Kwon
Dove Associates, Management Consultants, Boston
Casey H. Londergan
Graduate Research Assistant, Los Alamos National Laboratory for one year
Lawrence M. Marcus
Ph.D. Chemistry, Indiana University
Aram S. Mardian
Benjamin W. Partan
Visit Vietnam and live on $300 a year
Michele C. Pulling
World Teach in Ecuador, then to medical school
Natalia Raoof
Medical School
Jean L. Raphael
M.D., Harvard Medical School
Thomas T. Reid
Information Technology Consultant with Cambridge
Technology Group (CTG), Cambridge, Massachusetts
Henry G. Roe
Ph.D. Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley
Stacey E. Rutledge
Ph.D. Chemistry, Yale University
Poorab K. Sangani
M.D., Cornell University Medical School
Andrew T. Selder
Work in computer programming field
Liat N. Shama
Peter H. Sinclair
Travel and work in Asia and Europe; medical school in 1998
May Tsui
Health care consulting, The Advisory Board, Washington, D.C.
David A. Vosburg
Ph.D., Organic Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute,
La Jolla, California
Frederick C. Winston
Working as a math tutor in Switzerland during this summer; applying
to graduate school in the fall
Hagen Yang


<< >> Title Contents