Newsjournal body.qxp - College of Chemistry - University of ...

out as one of the “10 Emerging Technologies That
Will Change Your World” by Technology Review
magazine. With the addition of this extremely
exciting research
program, Jay’s research group will exceed its laboratory
space in Latimer Hall, and so Jay and his
team of fifty coworkers have moved to new
laboratories on Potter Street in Berkeley.
LBNL Director of Physical Biosciences Division
Professor Keasling has just been appointed
Director of the Physical Biosciences Division by
LBNL Director Steve Chu. Jay succeeds chemistry
professor Graham Fleming, who founded the
division in 1997. Fleming recently became the
LBNL’s Deputy Director.
Charles R. Wilke Professorship
The Wilke Chair was established last year to
honor Professor Charles R. Wilke, the founding
chairman of the department. After considerable
discussion and deliberation, the department
decided to use this Chair to support the work of
our junior faculty members. The first Wilke Chair
holder is David Schaffer. Support from the Wilke
Chair is helping David develop an exciting
research program in gene therapy. Also, as we
go to press, David’s promotion to associate professor
has just been approved, effective July 1.
Faculty Awards
Our faculty members continue to receive
recognition for their research and teaching
accomplishments. Nitash Balsara will receive
the Stine Award of the AIChE for his outstanding
accomplishments in the area of polymer science.
Enrique Iglesia has been selected as the Robert
Burwell Lecturer by the North American
Catalysis Society and as the Valdimir Ipatieff
Lecturer by Northwestern University. At commencement,
he will also receive the Donald Noyce
Prize, given to a faculty member in the physical
sciences by the College of Chemistry for out-
standing performance as an undergraduate
teacher. The prize honors the long-time undergraduate
dean of the college.
Product Development Program
The department has been working on
implementing a Product Development Program
for the past couple of years. The aim of this effort
is to expose new graduate students to what is
required to develop a new product and bring it to
market. Students enrolled in the program will
take a year of graduate courses in chemical
engineering and business administration, and
will then spend the summer months in two
internships in local industry. A director for the
program is soon to be appointed, and the department
will begin developing the program in
earnest during the coming academic year. If all
goes according to plan, we hope to have the first
cadre of students enter the program in the fall of
2006.
Congratulations to Graduates
In May another group of students will
graduate and become alumni of our department.
Congratulations to these wonderful young men
and women, and my best wishes for success as
they start their careers. My colleagues and I look
forward to seeing them on campus in the future
for various alumni events.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Initial injection
After one year
ENDOWED CHAIRS. “Support from
the Wilke Chair is helping David
[Schaffer] develop an exciting research
program in gene therapy.” Shown above
is the expression of the green fluorescent
protein (GFP) in the hippocampal
region of the brain of an adult rat after
the injection of an adeno-associated
virus (AAV) gene delivery vehicle carrying
the GFP gene. The image on the
right is that of GFP protein in a large
number of neurons one year after the
injection, meaning that this gene
delivery was highly efficient and allows
for sustained gene expression.
NATIONAL MEDALIST.
Professor John Prausnitz was selected
to receive the National Medal of
Science, the nation’s highest honor in
science and technology.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NEWSJOURNAL 2005
5