Jenny.Green@asu.edu
MaryZhu @asu.edu
Chemistry.asu.edu

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A Message from the Chair

Consistency in excellence and excitement – this is not the hyperbole of a department chairman, but a proud assessment of what achievements and activity of members of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have shown throughout its history. This issue of our newsletter gives samples of the accomplishments of our alumni, students and faculty. Moreover, it marks the beginning of the 2009-10 academic year, which again breaks class records for the number of incoming freshman majors - 335! The Department now numbers over 1220 majors in both chemistry and biochemistry, with the latter now exceeding 1000 students. We are truly one of the largest chem and biochem departments in the country.

Homecoming takes on several different meanings this year. Dr. Gary Dirks (Ph.D. 1980) has returned to ASU as its founding director of Lightworks, a new solar energy initiative that focuses on the broad themes of light interaction with matter and the search for new practical ways of harvesting solar energy. After a distinguished career as president of both BP-Asia and BP-China, he has joined the university’s new School of Sustainability, taking up the cause of nurturing and developing practical new methods of renewable energy. He was the first doctoral student of Devens Gust and Tom and Ana Moore, whose world-renowned research on artificial photosynthesis sets a firm foundation for developing bioenergy. Now, he returns to help lead the university to new levels of activity and excellence as we address important societal needs.

Another alumnus, Dr. Spencer F. Silver (B.S. 1962), also returns to ASU during homecoming to be inducted into the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences “Hall of Fame”. After graduating with his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Colorado in 1966, he began what was to become a distinguished career in research chemistry at 3M Corporation. While working on developing an adhesive spray, he discovered a relatively weak “low-tack” adhesive that could be used over and over again. He and fellow 3M team member, Arthur Fry, co-invented what is now known as “Post-It notes”, those little bits of paper that have become ubiquitous in offices throughout the world. (Check out their story at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_Silver and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Fry).

High quality research continues to be produced by department members at a tremendous pace. News items, and highlights of research led by John Chaput, Yan Liu, Hao Yan, Ariel Anbar, Ranko Richert, John Kouvetakis, Stuart Lindsay, Devens Gust and Austen Angell, are described in this newsletter’s articles. We also welcome a new faculty member, Professor Vladimiro Mujica. Previously, he was a professor of chemistry at Venezuela’s national university, Universidad Central de Venezuela, held research appointments at Northwestern University and Argonne National Laboratories, served as one of seven directors of the Venezuelan Research Council for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICIT), chaired Venezuela’s National Commission of Oil Research and served as a member of the Organization of American States’ Interamerican Committee of Science and Technology. His research focuses on the quantum mechanical nature of conducting electrons in individual molecules. He and fellow researcher, Professor Mark Ratner, established the early theoretical underpinnings of what has now developed into the field of molecular electronics.

A striking measure of the department’s research effectiveness is its high ranking among national universities for publications in Science and Nature magazines, science’s two premiere, high impact journals. For the period of 2004-2009, it ranked 6th along with Northwestern and Yale universities and behind UC-Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, Stanford and Michigan in number of such publications. In this regard, it moved up from 7th place for the previous five-year period.

Our students continue to lead interesting lives, the stories of which are found in this newsletter and on our web site. Sarah Staton, a recent Fulbright Fellow, is carrying out research on biodiversity in Ecuador. Michelle Meighan returned from an NSF-sponsored exchange visit to Tasmania, Australia. Finally, Yobani Mejia-Lopez joined the department as one of ASU’s first Barack Obama scholars. These are but a few exciting activities of our students since our newsletter in May.

In closing my remarks here, I invite you to join us at the department’s annual homecoming reception to be held October 30th between 5:00 and 7:00 pm at the University Club.

You’ll enjoy meeting fellow alumni and current department members, as this event becomes bigger each year. We look forward to hearing about your life since leaving ASU and how your department can serve you in the future.

With best regards,

Bill Petuskey

Professor and Chair,
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry