2001 - California State University, Long Beach Department of ...

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ChemistryBiochemistryRemarks by the Chairby Nail M. SenozanEditorial Groundbreaking Ceremony boxCSULBChemistry for the and New Biochemistry Science Building, DepartmentFeb. 2, 2001. Left to right:Newsletter Chemistry Chairs, past and present,Dr. Darwin Mayfield (ChairFall 2001, Number 261964-1966), Dr. Ken Marsi (ChairAn annual publication of the Department1975-1996), of Chemistry Dr. Nail and Senozan Biochemistry(Chair for 1996-present), past and present Dr. Rogerstudents Bauer and (Chair friends 1966-1975). of the department.shown: News Dr. Don items, Simonsen feature(Chairarticles, photos, and commentsNot1961-1963).are eagerly invited. All articlesnot signed in this issue of thePhoto by David J. NelsonNewsletter were researched andwritten by the Editor. TheNewsletter and other departmentalnews and information may beaccessed on the internet at thefollowing address:http://www.chemistry.natsci.csulb.eduTo send information about yourselfelectronically for publicationin the Newsletter, (1) open upthe website indicated above, (2)click on Newsletter, (3) click onthe Fall 2001 logo, (4) on theside bar, scroll to Alumni Response.The profile of our departmentcontinues to change rapidly.This fall two physical chemists,Dr. Christopher Brazier andDr. Stephen Mezyk, join theranks of our faculty as assistantprofessors.Dr. Brazier, a native of England,has a BS degree in mathematicsand chemistry from theUniversity of Southampton, UnitedKingdom, and a PhD in chemistryfrom the same institution.He is a spectroscopist with a particularinterest in small metalclusters that may play a role inrocket fuels. Dr. Brazier came tous from California State University,San Bernardino where hewas a lecturer.Dr. Mezyk has received hisPhD from the University of Melbourne,Australia, worked at theBrookhaven and Argonne NationalLaboratories and held post-doctoralpositions at the Universities ofSaskatchewan and Calgary and atNotre Dame. Prior to his appointmentat Long Beach, he was a researchassociate professor at theUniversity of North Carolina inWilmington. Dr. Mezyk’s researchis in reaction kinetics of transientspecies such as the hydroxyl radicaland the environmental impactof such species.Both Dr. Brazier and Dr.Mezyk join us with impressiverecords of scientific publications–over 80 articles between the twoof them in distinguished journalsof chemistry.This year, Dr. Marsi completeshis Faculty Early Retirement Program(FERP) while Dr. Baine beginsFERP. Dr. Marsi will continueto serve as the coordinator ofalumni relations and the editor ofthis Newsletter. Dr. Baine willkeep his responsibilities as thevice-chair and advisor to the StudentAffiliates of the AmericanChemical Society.We are presently authorized tosearch for two biochemists andone chemistry educator for the academicyear 2002-2003. Thus, bySeptember 2002 the number oftenured and tenure-track facultywho have joined our departmentsince 1997 will reach nine. Recentadditions to our faculty rosterinclude Dr. Doug McAbee(1997), now a tenured associateprofessor, Dr. Lijuan Li (1998),also now a tenured associate professor,Dr. Paul Buonora (2000),Dr. Krzysztof Slowinski (2001),and, starting this fall, Drs. Brazierand Mezyk. Meanwhile, since1997, Drs. Kalbus, Lieu, Devore,Wynston and now Dr. Marsi haveretired.We would also like to welcometwo new members to ouracademic/community liaison, theChemistry & Biochemistry AdvisoryCouncil. They are Dr. MichaelTreuheit of Amgen, Inc. andDr. Martin Sobczak of AblestikLaboratories, a division of NationalStarch and Chemical Corp. Weappreciate the dedicated assistanceof our 25-member AdvisoryCouncil, founded in 1977.“Being in the teaching professionis a precious privilege,” Dr.Marsi once remarked, and indeed,as our graduates embark on theirnew destinations, I realize againhow privileged and fortunate Ihave been to have touched theireducation. Elsewhere in thisnewsletter you will read moreabout the achievements of ourstudents, but here is a sampler:Kevin Phillips is now in his secondyear at Harvard where he iscreating a library of DNA moleculescapable of imparting catalyticactivity to metal complexes.Jared Aschcroft will begin PhDwork in analytical chemistry atRice University. Michael Eaganand Matthew Harris are startingmedical school, Mike at UCLAand Matthew at USC. And we areproud indeed to see our formerstudent Bette Korber receive theDistinguished Alumna award for2001. Dr. Korber (Caltech PhD)was recognized for her pioneeringstudies on the origins of the AIDSvirus. Her discoveries, which datethe appearance of the HIV to the1930s, received extensive nationalcoverage including a major articlein the Atlantic Monthly inOctober 2000.Cal State Long Beach continuesto be a very good place to studychemistry. In recent years, withnew faculty joining our ranks,research opportunities for undergraduatesand master’s studentshave greatly expanded. Our studentsnow can participate inexciting projects in many areasincluding electron tunnelingthrough films of molecules, modulationof electrical and opticalproperties of coordination compounds,characterization of biologicalreceptors and aggregation andfolding of proteins implicated indebilitating diseases. If you knowany good students who may enjoythe excitement of chemistry, tellthem to give us a call. We wouldlove to show them the possibilitiesthrough chemistry.Best regards and please stayin touch. ■Kenneth L. Marsi, EditorAppreciation is extended to ConnieLane, Publications Office ,for the Newsletter layout and toBob Freligh, Audiovisual Services,for many of the photographscontained in this Newsletter.(562) 985-4941e-mail: kmarsi@csulb.eduAlso pictured at the GroundbreakingCeremony for the New ScienceBuilding are left to right:Dr. Robert Loeschen (Chemistry),Associate Dean; Dr. Beth Ambos(Geology), Associate Dean; Dr. GlennNagel, Dean, College of NaturalSciences & Mathematics.Photo by Victoria Sanchez2
Fall 2001 • Number 26by Glenn NagelDean • College of Natural Sciences and MathematicsIrecently attended a conferenceof college and university presidentsand deans at Fermi NationalLaboratory outside of Chicago. Theconference was sponsored by fiveprivate foundations (Camille andHenry Dreyfus, W. M. Keck, M. J.Murdock, Research Corp. andRobert A. Welch Foundation) thathave been strong supporters of undergraduatestudent research.The purpose of the conferencewas to release the results (539pages) of a study undertaken toprovide a basic understanding ofthe environment for research inthe natural sciences at predominatelyundergraduate colleges anduniversities. CSULB was one of136 institutions invited to contributedata and opinions to thestudy. Other institutions includedliberal arts colleges (e.g., Bates,Carleton, Harvey Mudd, Knox,Middlebury, Mount Holyoke, Occidentaland Pomona Colleges) aswell as larger colleges and universities(e.g., William and Mary,Western Washington, NorthernArizona and Rochester Institute ofTechnology). Three CSU campuseswere represented (CSULB, CalPoly SLO and San Jose State). Inthe words of Dr. Michael Doyle,vice president of Research Corp.,“These institutions have served asa national resource for a significantproportion of students whoundertake professional careers inthe sciences and a primary reasonfor their output has been the researchexperiences of undergraduatestudents with faculty mentors.”The foundations were concerned,however, that the number of proposalsfrom science faculty wasdecreasing and that the opportunitiesfor external funding wereshrinking.I am happy to report that theconcerns of the organizers did notapply to our institution. CSULBranked #9 of 136 in the numberof research grants awarded and #4in the number of baccalaureate degreesconferred in the sciences. Inaddition, 87 students earningbachelor’s degrees in the sciencesfrom CSULB were granted PhD degreesbetween 1991 and 1999.While we are very proud ofthese accomplishments, there wassome room for concern. One calculationmade from the study wasthat it takes, on the average, morethan $35,000 in funding to producea published paper in a firstratescience journal. We stronglybelieve that student co-authorshipof a research paper is a real markof the quality of the work beingdone in our laboratories. Our costat CSULB was actually somewhathigher than the $35,000 figure,indicating that we either need tobe more aggressive in publishingwork or that we need to attractmore funding in order to increaseour publication rate with students.I believe strongly we must doboth. What can you as alumni andfriends of CSULB Chemistry andBiochemistry do to help us in ourquest of Academic Excellence? Thefirst is all important: promote ourprogram to your peers and associatesand encourage talented studentsto apply for admission here.Second, we are always in need offunds to support student-facultyresearch. Your contributions canhelp support student researchfellowships, lab materials andsupplies, or costs associated withthe presentation and publicationof results.If you wish to let us knowof a student who is interested inapplying or has applied to CSULB,you can reach me by calling562/985-1521 or by e-mail(gnagel@csulb.edu). Donations tosupport undergraduate researchin Chemistry and Biochemistrymay be made via Dr. Marsi as isdescribed elsewhere in thisnewsletter.Your support and continuinginterest in science at CSULB isdeeply appreciated. ■EditorialB o xC S U L BChemistry and BiochemistryDepartment NewsletterFall 2001, Number 26An annual publication of theDepartment of Chemistry and Biochemistryfor past and present studentsand friends of the department.News items, feature articles,photos and comments are eagerlyinvited. All articles not signed inthis issue of the Newsletter wereresearched and written by theEditor. The Newsletter and otherdepartmental news and informationmay be accessed on the Internet atthe following address:http://www.chemistry.natsci.csulb.edu.To send information about yourselfelectronically for publication in theNewsletter, (1) open up the Website indicated above, (2) click onNewsletter, (3) click on the Fall2001 logo, (4) on the side bar,scroll to Alumni Response.Kenneth L. Marsi, Editor562/985-4941e-mail: kmarsi@csulb.eduAllergan Distinguished Visiting Lecturerby Tom MaricichCollege of Natural Sciences and MathematicsAppreciation is extended toConnie Lane, Publications Office,for the Newsletter layout and toBob Freligh, Audio Visual Services,for many of the photographs containedin this Newsletter.The 22nd Annual DistinguishedVisiting Lecturer was Dr.Catherine Fenselau, professor ofchemistry at the University ofMaryland. Dr. Fenselau received anAB from Bryn Mawr College, andher PhD from Stanford University,where she worked with Dr. CarlDjerassi. She is a former presidentof the American Society of MassSpectroscopy. She is also the recipientof the Garvan Metal of theAmerican Chemical Society, theMaryland Chemist Award and theMerit Award of the National Institutesof Health. Dr. Fenselau is thenewly elected chair of the AnalyticalDivision of the AmericanChemical Society. Since she trainedas an organic chemist, the widescope of her expertise isreflected in the breadth of her recentpublications, appearing inAnalytical Chemistry and in Cellularand Molecular Biology.While at CSULB, Dr. Fenselaupresented two lectures to studentsand faculty, at times with standingroom only. In her first, a generallecture, titled “How Much DoThings Weigh?,” she presented thecapability of mass spectrometry toweigh individual molecules, molecularcomplexes and even smallviruses. Dr. Fenselau illustratedhow the determination of molecularmasses provided answers toimportant questions in biology,medicine and space travel.After an interactive luncheonwith students, Dr. Fenselau gavea more technical talk, titled“Chemistry of Zinc-Binding ProteinsStudied with ElectrosprayMass Spectrometry” to a crowd ofchemists and biologists. Her revolutionarytechniques for accurateanalysis of high molecular weightproteins (greater than 30K Daltons)is paving the way for betterunderstanding of these proteins.Dr. Fenselau and her co-workershave used electrospray MS at pH8.0 in combination with accuratemass measurements to confirm themultiplicity of insulin in stablenon-covalent complexes with zincions. They showed that the natureand number of ligands involved inchelation agrees with resultsfrom crystal andsolution structures.Counting the numberof ligands participatingin each centerallowed deductionof the geometricconfiguration of theligand field and gaveindirect information about theconformational state of the insulinmonomers in solution.An enthusiastic discussionensued, which has led to newdialog between our universitiesand between differentdisciplines.The lecture was followedby a receptionand dinner at Andiamo’sRestaurant in Long Beach.This lectureship issponsored by a generousgift from Allergan Pharmaceuticals,Inc. ■3
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