BLUE HEN CHEMIST

From the Chair:

This year has brought about an exciting change in administration at Delaware. Following a national search, Provost Daniel Rich appointed Department alumnus, Thomas M. Apple (UD Ph.D. 1982) Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Of course, as an added bonus, we gained a Department colleague, as Tom is also Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Prior to arriving in Newark this summer, Tom was vice provost for administration and dean of graduate education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. We are pleased to welcome Tom and his wife Anne, a department alumna (M.A. 1981), back to UD.

Last year, I highlighted the research accomplishments of Prof. Joel Schneider. Joel continues to excel. He has been granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor AND received a three year unrestricted award as a DuPont Young Professor. Congratulations Joel!

In January, the Provost named Prof. Burnaby Munson to the C. Eugene Bennett Chair in Chemistry. The appointment acknowledges Burnaby’s achievements as a scholar and teacher. Burnaby’s seminal studies of chemical ionization mass spectrometry has impacted chemical analysis and laid the foundation for MS analysis of large molecules, including synthetic polymers, proteins and nucleic acids. His leadership of the University’s Honors Program has been equally impressive. Burnaby’s inaugural lecture is scheduled for September 14, 2005. The C. Eugene Bennett Chair in Chemistry was established through contributions from C. Eugene Bennett’s widow, Edna Bennett Pierce, and the six Bennett children, three of whom are UD alumni. Dr. Bennett, a Ph.D. chemist, was founder of F&M Scientific Corp., which became the world’s largest producer of gas chromatographic equipment and was later acquired by Hewlett Packard in 1965.

Prof. Hal White received the College’s 2005 Outstanding Teaching Award. The award is based on student and peer evaluations, alumni testimonials, the number and range of courses offered, involvement in individual instruction, quality of advisement and mentoring, demonstrated commitment to student welfare and development and an acknowledged reputation in teaching. Hal is an internationally recognized leader in problem-based learning (PBL). He has been a staunch advocate of the critical interplay between undergraduate education and graduate research in the biological and chemical sciences, using his Directorship of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Program as a bully pulpit. Most recently, Hal’s efforts include developing and funding peer tutors to bring PBL into introductory chemistry and biology laboratory courses, and development (and teaching) of a graduate course designed to prepare new students in the sciences to serve as teaching assistants.

The Department added three new staff members this year. Mr. Fred Cruz (MA00) was appointed to the newly created Coordinator of Laboratory Services position. Fred is responsible for overseeing the upper level instructional laboratory courses and the affiliated teaching assistants. His positive impact on these courses has been both immediate and significant. We look forward to Fred’s continued myriad efforts on behalf of the students and faculty. In late spring, Mr. Yacek Milbrandt joined the Department as a senior electronics specialist. Mr. Jim Draper and Yacek are overseeing the moving of a number of Department instruments, as part of the Brown renovation project. As of this writing, Mr. Dave Murray has started in the new position of Facilities Manager. Dave has responsibility for the Department’s physical plant, including daily maintenance activities, and renovation and construction projects. He serves as the Department’s Chemical Hygiene Officer, working closely with Occupational Health and Safety on lab safety, waste management procedures, and safety orientations and training.

Several members of the Department left this past year. Mr. George Rutynowski (Machine Shop) completed a long career at the University. His work in the Department will have a lasting impact. Mr. Jim Farmer departed the position of Financial Services Coordinator this spring for a facilities position in the Department of Biological Sciences. He was a knowledgeable and tireless member of the Department. I enjoyed working closely with Jim over the past few years and wish him well. Prof. Yong Duan relocated to the west coast, where he is on the faculty at UC-Davis. Dr. Cherie Dotson, Director of the NUCLEUS Program, is moving to the University of Michigan this summer, where she has accepted a position as graduate recruiter in the College of Pharmacy. Cherie’s leadership of the NUCLEUS and affiliated programs over the past six years has had a profound effect on the students and staff. She provided the perfect combination of high standards with compassion and understanding that resulted in a unique connection with the NUCLEUS students. We wish Cherie, her husband, Garry and their two daughters great success as they return home. As of this writing, Prof. Roberta Colman is leading a search committee charged with the daunting task of identifying Cherie’s successor.

Significant progress has been made in planning for the Brown Laboratory renovations. The two-phase project commenced this summer with the preparation of temporary, “swing space” locations in Lammot duPont Laboratory, Alison Hall and the Delaware Biotechnology Institute. The project will proceed in two phases, with Brown North and the courtyard (the space between the North and South wings) renovated in phase I. The latter area is designed as a two-story facility to house service and research NMR magnets, eight instruments in total, with space for a proposed high field magnet (?800 Mhz). Phase II will result in renovation of Brown West. In addition to reclaiming research laboratory space on the third floor of Brown North, problem-based learning and computational chemistry classrooms are being added. The $22 million, 73,000 square foot project is scheduled for completion in mid-2007. With the classrooms and Chemistry/Biochemistry Branch Library relocated to Alison Hall and the Morris Library, respectively, the hustle of student traffic will be largely absent and certainly missed. I invite you to learn of the progress of the project by visiting the Department website for updates, www.udel.edu/chem/renovation.

This year will see a change in leadership of our graduate studies program. Prof. Eugene Mueller is stepping aside after three incredibly productive years as Director of Graduate Studies and Assistant Chair. Under Eugene’s direction, the graduate program has grown in quality and quantity. As measured by GPA and GRE scores, our entering classes continue to meet increasing expectations. In the past five years, full-time graduate enrollment has increased from 105 to 155 students. Throughout this BHC, you will read of the many and varied accomplishments of these talented students. Eugene brought energy, rigor and a personal flare that served the Department well. I am confident that Eugene’s successor, Prof. Andrew Teplyakov, will continue to strengthen the graduate program.

The Department commences two tenure track faculty searches this fall, in analytical chemistry and computational chemistry. I encourage you to share this information with colleagues and friends around the globe.

I extend my gratitude to the more than two hundred alumni, faculty, staff, parents, and friends who made donations to the Department in the past year. Your generosity is sincerely appreciated and your gifts are supporting numerous educational missions within the Department. Along these lines, the Department has established two new lectureships honoring former colleagues. The Richard F. Heck Lectureship in organometallic chemistry and the John C. Wriston Lectureship in biochemistry were established in the past year. I encourage those of you who benefited from their tutelage to consider giving in support of the lectureships.

Best wishes,