ChemClub Holiday Party - Dec 8th, 2016 - 7 p.m. - Rock Bottom

ChemClub Holiday Party - Dec 8th, 2016 - 7 p.m. - Rock Bottom

FACULTY, STAFF, GRADUATE STUDENTS AND POST-DOCS

Mark your calendars for this year's Holiday party!

When: Thursday, December 8th, 2016, 7pm, Rock Bottom
Cost: $10 (includes appetizers and one beverage)

Please RSVP to Chris O'Keefe, Cody Caba, or Marlene by December 2nd (Friday)

Hope to see everyone there in a festive and holiday spirit!

-- 

University of Windsor Chemistry Club

Christmas Luncheon - Dec. 15 at 12 pm

CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON 

Attention: FACULTY, STAFF, GRADUATE STUDENTS, POST DOC, and MMB Students

We are planning a Christmas luncheon on Thursday, December 15, 2016 from 12:00-2:00 p.m. in the chemistry conference room #273 Essex Hall.  Tickets are $5.00 and must be purchased by Tuesday, December 13, 2016 from either Cathy or myself.   Ticket price at the door will be $100.00.  (Get the hint, you need to let us know in advance if you're coming).

Food will include: Pasta, chicken, another meat, salad, rolls,  vegetarian dishes,  pop and dessert 

We need to order the food on Tuesday, December 13th, so please purchase your ticket soon.  

WIN.CHEM volunteers work with local high school students

WIN.CHEM volunteers work with local high school students

Since 2014, our department has been running laboratory sessions and department tours for high school students from around Windsor and Essex County - this program is known as WIN.CHEM.  Students participate in interactive laboratories featuring work on cryogens, thermodynamics, chemical reactions and kinetics, combustion, and metals and alloys.  

Our graduate students and undergraduate volunteers make these outreach laboratories possible.  

If you are an undergraduate student in the Chemistry, Biochemistry or Chemistry & Physics programs, and are planning on taking the 59-410 Research and 59-400 Development of Leadership, Outreach and Presentation Skills courses, you can volunteer for this rewarding program.

If you are a high school student or teacher, please contact Prof. Jim Green (jgreen@uwindsor.ca) to arrange a visit to UWindsor to take part in our interactive WIN.CHEM laboratories.  For more information, click here!

Max Nascimento, '18, does some liquid nitrogen demonstrations for students from Villanova High School

Mitchell Dipasquale, '17, discusses miscibility with some students.

Lucas Foster,' 18, and Adan Ahmed, '17, demonstrate the dehydration of sugar with sulphuric acid.

Max Nascimento, '18, is not doing anything illegal here... he is just eating some graham crackers that have been dipped into liquid nitrogen.

Special thanks to all WIN.CHEM volunteers: Chris O'Keefe and David Hirsh (co-coordinators), Cameron Vojvodin, Natan Veinberg, Lucas Foster, Austin Peach, Jacqueline Gemus, Max Nascimento, Brent St Onge, Abbey Nicoletti, Jesse Ropat, Adan Ahmed, Mitchell Dipasquale, and Nadia Stephaniuk.

Special thanks to Chris O’Keefe, David Hirsh, and Stas Veinberg (Ph.D. 2016), who have been instrumental in organizing and running the WIN.CHEM sessions for the past three years.

Alumni Career Night highlights

Alumni Career Night was held on Fri. Dec. 2, 2016 at Mare Nostrum.  Two of our former grad students, Aaron Rossini (B.Sc. 2005, Ph.D. 2010), who is currently an assistant professor at Iowa State University, and his wife Erin Norton (M.Sc. 2008), who is the Education and Outreach Coordinator at the Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute at Iowa State University, gave presentations on their career paths and life after UWindsor.

We hope you can join us for future alumni evenings!

Alumni Career Night - Fri. Dec. 2, 2016 4-7 p.m.

Alumni Career Night - Fri. Dec. 2, 2016 4-7 p.m.

All undergraduates, graduate students, faculty and staff are invited to an Alumni Career Night on Fri. Dec. 2, 2016 at Mare Nostrum from 4-7 p.m.

This evening will feature a presentation by two of our former grad students - Aaron Rossini, who is currently an assistant professor at Iowa State University, and his wife Erin Norton, who is the Education and Outreach Coordinator at the Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute at Iowa State University.

They will discuss their time at Windsor, and the professional and person pathways that lead them from Windsor, to France, and to their current careers at Iowa State.

Doors open at 4 pm, presentation at 4:30, and a reception (with drinks and appetizers) will follow at 5:15.  

Come meet Aaron and Erin, do some networking, and enjoy some quality time with your friends and colleagues in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry!

Bowling with Mentors -Bowling with Mentors - November 28th from 6:30-8:00pm

Bowling with Mentors - November 28th from 6:30-8:00pm

The Undergraduate Chemistry Club is pleased to invite you to "Bowling with Mentors," an event back by popular demand!  This year, it will be held at Rose Bowl Lanes on November 28th from 6:30-8:00pm.  Pizza and drinks (non-alcoholic) will be provided as well as lanes and shoe rental!  Please save the date and RSVP at your earliest convenience.

We hope to see you there!

Cheers,

Undergraduate Chemistry Club

Chemistry, Biochemistry and MMB Grad Students Volunteer in the Community

Chemistry, Biochemistry and MMB Students Volunteer in the Community

This Fall, our department launched a new course called Development of Leadership, Outreach and Presentation Skills (59-400), which is open to our undergraduate students who are doing their honours theses (59-410).

Volunteer opportunities involve a number of activities internal to Chemistry & Biochemistry and the Faculty of Science, but also include external activities in the community, including working with children and seniors, and volunteering with charitable organizations, churches and hospitals.

It seems that the spirit of volunteerism is catching on in our department!

On Friday, November 11, 2016, eight of our grad students helped out at a fundraising dinner at Assumption/Holy Name Parish (proceeds from the dinner go towards a Youth program in the parish).

Chemistry & Biochemistry Ph.D. students - Yiting Chen, Neda Mashhadi, Ghazale Gholami, Yunyun Wu
MMB students - Theresa Amponsah, Diego Vazquez Figueroa, Fengyan Zhang, Anna Podlesnaia.

Congratulations to our students for helping out!

More stories about our undergraduate and graduate volunteers will be posted on this blog!

GA/TA Winter 2017 Job Postings

GA/TA Winter 2017 Job Postings

In accordance with Article 12:01 of the CUPE 4580 Collective Agreement the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry invites applications for TA / GA positions for the Winter term 2017. 

Applications must be submitted to: Beth Kickham in Essex Hall, Room 275-D.

Deadline for receiving applications: Thursday, December 8th, 2016 or until positions have been filled.

Click here for more information on applying for these positions.

Prof. Emeritus Ricardo Aroca - a celebration of his career

Prof. Ricardo Aroca, who recently retired from the University of Windsor, has informed us that he will be moving to Vancouver, and also updated us with some pictures from a recent symposium held in his honour (Symposium on Advanced Materials and Surface Science in honour of Ricardo Aroca).

Prof. Ricardo Aroca is an emeritus professor of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Windsor (Canada). He leads a research group dedicated to materials and surfaces, in which numerous research projects have been developed, funded by both public agencies and industry. Prof. Aroca has published over three hundred scientific articles related to surface-enhanced vibrational spectroscopy and their analytical applications, in addition to the fabrication and characterization of nanostructures. He is the author of the book Surface-Enhanced Vibrational Spectroscopy (John Wiley & Sons, 2006), and is considered a world authority in this scientific field. He is an associate member of Canada's Chemical Institute and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (USA) and has been recognized by the Canadian Society of Spectroscopy with the Gerhard Herzberg Award for his contributions to spectroscopy.


Congratulations to Prof. Aroca, and we wish him the best!

Thank you to Science Olympiad Volunteers!

The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry thanks the following people for their involvement in hosting 40 high school students during the Science Olympiad event on Oct. 14, 2016.

http://www1.uwindsor.ca/scienceolympiad/

We thank Dr. Giorgio Baggi, Justin Binder, Robert Gombar, and Dr. Simon Rondeau-Gagne for showing some of our research equipment!

We thank Lucas Foster, Max Nascimento, and Chris O'Keefe for entertaining everyone with a chemistry Magic Show!

Finally, we thank Michael-Anthony Ferrato and Dr. S. Holger Eichhorn for their presentations on careers in Chemistry and Biochemistry.

First place winners from Massey H.S.

Tea with Dr. Lee at 3 - Thurs. Oct. 13, 2016 at 3 pm, Rm 237 EH

Tea with Dr. Lee at 3
Faculty of Science Conference Room
Room #237 Essex Hall
Thursday, October 13, 2016

BRING YOUR OWN TEA CUP OR MUG
**ADMISSION: ONE OR MORE CANNED GOODS FOR THE FOOD DRIVE**
Drop box is in the Chemistry Office

Nobel prize in Supramolecular Chemistry - UWindsor contributions to this field cited by Nature

On Wednesday the Nobel for Chemistry was awarded to Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Fraser Stoddart and Ben Feringa, for making molecular machines.

https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2016/

The journal Nature has recently highlighted some of the important contributions to this field. http://www.nature.com/collections/mzxlcbfyzn/.

Interestingly one of the few not authored by the Nobel Winners is http://www.nature.com/nchem/journal/v7/n6/full/nchem.2258.html, an article from the from the labs of Stephen Loeb and Rob Schurko and their graduate students and postdocs Kelong Zhu, Christopher A. O'Keefe, and V. Nicholas Vukotic.

In honour of the Nobel Prize being awarded for the design and synthesis of molecular machines, Dr. Mutus hosted a breakfast party on Oct. 7, 2016 to celebrate this win for Supramolecular Chemistry.

Here is Dr. Loeb enjoying a pair of interlocked bagels!

NMR Workshop on Solution NMR - Oct. 13 and 14, 2016

2 DAY Workshop: Introduction to Practical Aspects of Solution NMR for Chemists 

Thursday October 13th and Friday October 14th: 9 am to noon each day 

This introductory workshop is geared toward undergraduate students, 410 students and new graduate students with limited (or no) NMR experience, but who are expected to make use of the NMR spectrometers as part of their research projects. 

The workshop is meant as a supplement to the "one on one" training that new NMR users receive and will allow an opportunity to go into greater depth on many topics, therefore students who have recently started to use our NMR instruments are especially encouraged to attend. Please inform new students in your lab who may not be on this mailing list.

The schedule will consist of a lecture to start each day followed by hands-on learning sessions where participants will get the opportunity to collect and process NMR data.

The topics covered include:

• How an NMR spectrometer works
• NMR Magnet Safety
• Preparation of NMR Samples
• Set up of 1D 1H and 13C NMR Experiments
• Processing and Presentation of NMR Data

The workshop is free of charge to members of the Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry; however,
enrolment is limited, so please register soon! 

To register click here

Matthew Revington
NMR Facility Manager
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of Windsor
519-253-3000 Ext 3997
http://scholar.google.ca/citations?hl=en&user=YWRVOsUAAAAJ

Safety Seminar - Fri. Sep. 30 @ 3 p.m. in 104 Toldo - Attendance is mandatory!

Safety Seminar - Fri. Sep. 30 @ 3 p.m. in 104 Toldo  - Attendance is mandatory!

“SAFETY SEMINAR”

It doesn’t happen by accident

________________________________________________________________________________

All undergraduate students working in the labs

All graduate students

Faculty & Staff

**This is a mandatory seminar and all students must attend**

3:00p.m.

    Friday, September 30, 2016

Room #104 Toldo

**Everyone Welcome**

Attention all Chem/Biochem Students: NSERC and CIHR Scholarships Info Session - Sept. 22 @ 1:00 PM

Attention all Chem/Biochem Students: NSERC and CIHR Scholarships Info Session - Sept. 22 @ 1:00 PM in 109 Essex Hall

IF ANY STUDENTS ARE APPLYING TO NSERC, CIHR, (PGS, CGS, VANIER) SCHOLARSHIPS, DR. MACDONALD IS HOLD AN INFORMATION/WORKSHOP FOR THE APPLICATIONS PROCESS. 

Dr. Macdonald has booked Essex Hall Room 109 from 1:00 - 2:30 PM on Thursday, Sept 22, 2016 in order to hold an information session/workshop for any students from Science who are planning to apply for NSERC or CIHR graduate scholarships (PGS, CGS, Vanier) this year.  He intends to provide frank information and helpful hints to all applicants in order to maximize their chances to secure scholarships.

For more information, contact Dr. Macdonald:

Charles L. B. Macdonald, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry
Associate Dean of Science – Graduate Studies
cmacd@uwindsor.ca

Welcome Back Social by the Chem Club - Fri. Sep. 16 @ 7 p.m.

Welcome Back Social by the Chem Club - Fri. Sep. 16 @ 7 p.m. 

What: Chem Club Welcome Social

When: Friday, September 16th @7pm

Where: Barrel House (3199 Sandwich Street)

Hope to see everyone Friday night to welcome new faculty and students into the department, as well as welcome back all students after a great summer! This event is open to undergraduate research students working in labs as well.

Thank you!

Departmental Social - Welcome to the new graduate students! Fri. Sept. 16, 2016

TO ALL FACULTY, STAFF AND GRADUATE STUDENTS

On Friday, September 16, 2016 at noon there will be an opportunity for everyone to meet all our new graduate students and socialize with pizza and drinks.

Everyone is welcome to attend.

Room #273 Essex Hall.

Marlene

Marlene Bezaire
Graduate Secretary
Chemistry & Biochemistry 

NSERC Scholarship Information Session - Sept. 12, 2016 at 9 a.m.

NSERC Scholarship Information Session - Sept. 12, 2016 at 9 a.m.

ATTENTION:  4TH YEAR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, MASTER'S AND PHD STUDENTS

If you are planning to apply for NSERC graduate scholarships/fellowships for next year (2017), please plan to attend the following information session:

Date:  Monday, September 12, 2016

Time:  9:00 a.m.

Location:  McPherson Lounge, Alumni Hall, 750 Sunset Avenue

This session will be an overview of the various scholarships available, including the Canada Graduate Scholarship (Master’s), Postgraduate Scholarships, and Postdoctoral Fellowships

In preparation for the session, please visit the NSERC website and view the resources available on-line (tutorials, videos), as follows:

Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC):

(Canadian or Permanent Residents only)

Doctoral  http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/students-etudiants/pg-cs/bellandpostgrad-belletsuperieures_eng.asp

Master's:  http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/students-etudiants/pg-cs/cgsm-bescm_eng.asp

NSERC Resource Videos:  http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Students-Etudiants/Videos-Videos/Index_eng.asp

If you are unable to attend at this time, we will have the presentation materials available afterwards on our website (http://www.uwindsor.ca/grad).

Note that these scholarships are available only to Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents. 

Undergrad Welcome Week Activities - Wed. Sep. 7, 2016

Undergrad Welcome Week Activities - Wed. Sep. 7, 2016

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry welcomes back it undergraduate students for the Fall 2016 term!

Welcome week activities for first-year students take place on Wed. Sep. 7, 2016
Second-, third-, and fourth-year students are also welcome to attend the undergrad research presentations and BBQ!

Schedule of Events  - Room 204 Toldo

10 am to 12 pm: Undergraduate Research Presentations (Toldo, Rm 202)

12 pm to 1:30 pm: BBQ for attendies of Undergraduate Research Presentations at main entrance of Essex Hall.

1:30 pm to 2:30 pm: Chem. Biochem. Program Orientation (Toldo, Rm 202)

See you on Sept. 7!

For more information, please contact Prof. Holger Eichhorn (Undergrad Chair).

Dr. Pandey is honoured for research in cancer therapeutics and neurodegeneration

Prof. Siyaram Pandey is to be honoured with “Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Samman” at the House of Lords, London UK on Sept 30, 2016 by the Non Resident Indian (NRI) Welfare Society.





The Non-Resident Indians Welfare Society (NRI Welfare Society) of India was established with the noble objective of strengthening the interaction and bonds between India and Non-Resident Indians sprawling throughout the world strongly desire to see their motherland prosper and the common man should have better resources for bringing up his family. With this aim, thousands and thousands of NRIs have shown their readiness to make investments in India.

The Society organizes, seminars, conferences and symposia on national and International levels in different parts of the world and also honours NRI men and women from various parts of the world to recognize their work.

NRI Welfare society of India is organizing the Global Indian Summit in House of Lords, London, UK on 29-30 September and 1 October, 2016.

One of the highlight of the function will be presentation of Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Samman at House of Lords, London, to those who have made India made Shine. These Awards will be presented to 25 Indians from all over the Globe.

Professor Pandey was nominated and has been selected for this honour for his outstanding achievements as a researcher in the area of cancer therapeutics and neurodegeneration. He will be presented with Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Samman on Sept 30th 2016 at the Global Indian Summit in House of Lords, London UK.

Graduate Assistant Postings - Fall 2016

Graduate Assistant Postings - Fall 2016

In accordance with Article 12:01 of the CUPE 4580 Collective Agreement the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry invites applications for GA positions for the Fall term 2016. The total number of Graduate Assistantships allocated to the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry for 2016/17 is 58 GAs for a total of 8120 hours. 

For more information, visit this link:

http://www1.uwindsor.ca/chemistry/chemistry/ga-fall-2016-job-postings

Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Faculty Position in Biochemistry

Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Faculty Position in Biochemistry

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Windsor invites outstanding candidates to apply for a tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor in the area of Biochemistry, commencing July 1, 2017. This position is subject to final budgetary approval.


The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry has strong undergraduate and graduate programs, along with fundamental and applied research in Chemistry and Biochemistry. Currently the Department has 21 faculty and 11 support staff. Research areas include health-related biochemistry, the preparation and characterization of advanced materials, synthetic inorganic and organic chemistry, as well as solid-state chemistry. Our research programs are funded by the national granting councils (NSERC, CIHR), industrial sponsors and private funding agencies (HSFC, CRS, Michael J. Fox Foundation, Seeds4Hope Foundation, etc.). We have two Tier 1 Canada Research Chairs among our talented contingent of faculty. Our department is also home to the Center for Catalysis and Materials Research (CCMR) and actively participates in the Windsor Cancer Research Group. http://www.uwindsor.ca/chemistry


To ensure full consideration, complete an online application at 

http://www.uwindsor.ca/facultypositions

and ensure letters of reference are submitted by the deadline date of November 1, 2016. 

Applications may be considered after the deadline date; however, acceptance of late submissions is at the discretion of the appointment committee.

For more information click here.
   

A farewell to Dr. Boffa!

A farewell to Dr. Boffa!

Dr. Michael Boffa has been a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry since July of 2008.  As of July 1, 2016, Dr. Boffa has taken up a position in the Department of Biochemistry at Western University.  Over the past eight years, Dr. Boffa developed into a first rate researcher, becoming a world renowned expert in elucidating the physiological and pathophysiological roles of thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI).  He was very successful in attracting research funding from NSERC, HSFO, and the Windsor Essex County Cancer Centre Foundation.  Dr Boffa also was able to build a research group composed of a cadre of very enthusiastic and accomplished undergraduate and graduate students. Michael is an excellent teacher/mentor and his service to the Department and the University was unparalleled.  We are very sorry to see him go!

Michael, a heathy farewell and best wishes for continued success at Western!

On behalf of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UWindsor,

Bulent Mutus, Ph.D.
Head of Chemistry and Biochemistry

MMB Seminar Series - Luis G Villa-Diaz (Oakland University) - Jul. 12, 2016

MMB Seminar Series
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
__________________________________________________________________
TOPIC: “Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) self-renewal capabilities and their applications”
INVITED SPEAKER:
Luis G Villa-Diaz,
DVM, MAppSc, PhD Assistant Professor,
Biological Sciences Department,
Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA.

Time, Date and Place:
10:35 AM – 11:25 AM, July 12, 2016 (Tuesday)
Odette Building, Room #112
~~~A Warm Welcome to Everyone~~~