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F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 1 0 U N I V E R S I T Y O F I L L I N O I S A T U R B A N A - C H A M P A I G N

Chemistry News

Arctic sunset captured by Chemistry alumnus Mark Patsavas.

Read more on page 6.

Inside this Issue

Dispatches From

the Arctic

PAGE 6

A Moment With

Martin Gruebele

PAGE 14

Letter from the Department

Head

PAGE 2

U.S. News & World Report

Ranks Chemistry #6

PAGE 3

2009-2010 Faculty Awards

PAGE 3

Commencement 2010

PAGE 4

Dispatches From the Arctic

PAGE 6

Ralph Cicerone Delivers

Inaugural Charles David

Keeling Lecture

PAGE 8

Alumni Proﬁle:

Charles David Keeling

PAGE 9

Gieseking Scholarship

Provides Valuable Research

Experience

PAGE 11

McCall Research Group

Brings Astrochemistry

to Illinois

PAGE 12

New Faces:

Professor So Hirata

PAGE 13

A Moment With

Martin Gruebele

PAGE 14

Faculty and Alumni Elected

Fellows of ACS

PAGE 16

Alumni Notes

PAGE 18

Chemistry at Illinois’

Oldest Alumnus:

Charles “Hap” Fisher

PAGE 18

Buhrke’s Research in X-ray

Florescence Garners

Birks Award

PAGE 19

Remembering

Richard Heckert

PAGE 20

Remembering

Stanley Smith

PAGE 21

In Memoriam

PAGE 22

W E L C O M E

Department Head

T D  C  I   

      

U.S. NewS & world

eport     . e

rankings represent a composite of a number of factors, includ-

ing peer assessment, student selectivity, faculty and nancial

resources, graduation and retention rates, and alumni giv-

ing rates. e ranking reects our dedication to excellence and

achievement. Only UC Berkeley, Cal Tech, MIT, Harvard, and

Stanford are ranked higher.

“As maligned as such rankings are,” noted Department Head

Steve Zimmerman, “departments live and die by them. Students

and potential faculty pay attention to the rankings as do the

administrators that set our budget.”

e rankings reect the considerable forward momentum Chem-

istry at Illinois has achieved recently. In the last year alone, the

department has had 16 patents listing chemistry faculty inven-

tors, four faculty and eight alumni elected ACS fellows, and a

number of other faculty and student awards. We also welcomed

Professor So Hirata, a world-renowned theoretical chemist from

the University of Florida. Read more about Dr. Hirata on page 12.

e rise in rankings also reects our insistence on attracting

some of the best and brightest graduate and undergraduate stu-

dents. On this and the broader successes of the department, Tom

Rauchfuss, former director of the School of Chemical Sciences,

pointed out: “Without a doubt, one can trace back the success of

our department to our very loyal alumni who have impacted our

programs immeasurably.” is is a point quickly picked up by

Zimmerman, who added, “ese rankings are absolutely a direct

result of the extraordinary partnership that we have built with our

successful alumni.”

e best-known American college and university rankings have

been compiled since 1983 by the magazine U.S. News & World

Report and are based upon data which U.S. News collects from

each educational institution either from an annual survey sent to

schools or from the institutions’ websites. It is also based upon

opinion surveys of university faculty and administrators who do

not belong to the school.

U.S. News & World Report

Ranks Chemistry #6

D E PA R T M E N T N E W S

A I     ,     A tAle of

wo CitieS   : “I     ,   

  …” Of course, the state of Illinois budget woes helped

to make it one of the most challenging times in recent memory. Sta

reductions were managed entirely in our administrative oce with

three of ve positions remaining unlled for a good portion of the

year as hiring was frozen; two of those three were permanently elimi-

nated. As a result, correspondence with our donors and supporters was

delayed, and the patience of many of our graduate students and faculty

was strained with slow responses on a broad range of services. We also

worked to manage a mid-year budget rescission and a cut in our teach-

ing assistant budget.

I sincerely thank everyone who stepped up and worked extra hours

under dicult circumstances to help us through this period. As always,

we have some outstanding sta working in the Department of Chem-

istry. With their considerable extra eort and creativity, I am happy

to say that for the most part we have weathered the storm. We have

reorganized and retrained some of the sta, hired a Stewardship and

Advancement Coordinator using non-state funds, and found new ways

to deliver instruction that do not compromise the high standards our

students deserve and have come to expect.

Challenges certainly remain with the state economy. And our out-

standing faculty continue to be courted by other universities. But good

news is abundant. As described in detail on page 12, we hired a bright

young theoretician, Professor So Hirata, from the University of Florida.

Our alumni and faculty continue to receive many awards, a sampling

of which can be found on page 3. With their extraordinary 2007 gift

toward a student support program, Dr. Robert C. and Carolyn Spring-

born have allowed us to attract some extraordinary graduate students

to Illinois. Indeed, Bob (B.S. 1951, Marvel) and Connie made their

annual trip back to campus a few weeks ago to meet the 17 remarkable

students known as Springborn Graduate Fellows.

In other anticipated news, the 2010 U.S. News and World Report rank-

ings, largely based on reputation, had the Department of Chemistry

at Illinois rising to sixth place. Even more impressive, the National

Research Council (NRC) nally released their data-driven ranking of

more than 5,000 doctoral programs in 62 elds at 212 universities in

the U.S. Rather than providing a single ranking, the NRC gave a range

with a 90% condence limit. Taking the mean of the range for the

overall ranking, our Department is well positioned in second place, tied

with Harvard University. Only UC Berkeley ranked higher. Keep an

eye out for the spring newsletter, which will feature an article about the

NRC rankings and what they mean for the Department of Chemistry.

Beyond educating students, research remains the central component

of our enterprise, and you will read in this issue how Illinois chemists

have changed our view of the Earth and the universe through pio-

neering research on the atmosphere, oceans, and outer space. Page 7

describes the inaugural Charles David Keeling Lecture series. Dave

Keeling (B.S. 1948) made the most accurate measurements of carbon

dioxide in the atmosphere, which has led to the current concern about

climate change. Related work is being carried out today by Mark Pat-

savas (B.S. 2006, Lauterbur). As part of his Ph.D. thesis he is measur-

ing carbon dioxide in seawater in the Arctic Ocean and has sent some

beautiful photographs (see page 8). Finally, page 11 oers an overview

of Professor Ben McCall’s pioneering work in astrochemistry.

I hope you nd this newsletter both interesting and informative. As

always, please share your ideas and stories with me (sczimmer@illinois.

edu) and best wishes for the upcoming holiday season!

Sincerely yours,

Steve C. Zimmerman

Head and Roger Adams Professor

Department of Chemistry

Letter from the

Martin D. Burke will receive a 2011 Arthur C. Cope Scholar

Award from the ACS. e award, which consists of $5,000, a cer-

ticate, and a $40,000 unrestricted research grant, encourages and

recognizes excellence in organic chemistry. Ten Arthur C. Cope

Scholars are named annually: four between the ages of 36 and

49, four age 50 or older, and two age 35 and younger. Burke will

deliver an address at the 242

ACS National Meeting in Denver in

August of 2011.

om H. Dunning, Jr. has been awarded the 2011 ACS Award

for Computers in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research. Since

1984, this award has annually recognized outstanding individual

achievement for the use of computers in education, product devel-

opment, or research in the chemical and biological sciences. Given

annually, it recognizes outstanding contributions to the advance-

ment of the use of computers in the chemical and biological sci-

ences, and consists of a cash prize and certicate. e monetary

award is $5,000, plus a $1,000 travel allowance to attend the meet-

ing at which the award will be presented.

Wilfred van der Donk will accept the 2010 Jeremy Knowles

Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry for his interdisciplin-

ary work on the discovery and development of new antibiotics, the

mechanism of fatty acid oxidation by cyclooxygenase and lipoxy-

genases, and the development of new biocatalysts for use in the

pharmaceutical industry. e award itself consists of 2,000 BP and

a medal, which was presented at the award lecture on September

17 at the RSC conference “Directing Biosynthesis 2010: Discovery,

Evolution, Function” in Durham, UK. As part of the award, van

der Donk will also be delivering a lectureship at UK universities

in March of 2011. is award is an especially tting one because

Knowles served as a visiting instructor in the Department of

Chemistry in 1962 well before he joined the Harvard faculty. His

extended time here as well as at Yale is cited as a major reason for

his wanting to work in an American chemistry department.

2009-2010

Faculty Awards

2 | Depar tment of Chemistry News | Fall/Winter 2010 University of Illinois Department of Chemistry | 3

D E PA R T M E N T N E W S D E PA R T M E N T N E W S

Commencement 2010:

Chemistry Grads Look to the Future

Dr. Elaine Fuchs (in orange) poses with Mary Macmanus Ramsbottom, School of Chemical Sciences Head Andrew Gewirth

and Chemistry Head Steven C. Zimmerman

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry

Stevia Angesty

Jordan Cole Axelson *#&†

Mary Patricia Choules

Megan Cisemsia †

Joseph Daniel Gomez

Ashley R. Gupta

Charles Ho

Ada Huang

Gretchen S. Karcher

Robert Y. Lee

omas Joseph Mazzacano

Anthony Mazzotti #&†

Eugenio Mendoza

Tripta Pradeep Mishra

Lauren Moore

Jason Olejniczak

James omas Payne

Robyn J. Reuter

George Sang

Courtnay Shaner

Phillip Taylor †

omas Andrew Tiojanco

Aaron White

Henny Wong

Bachelor of Science in Liberal

Arts and Sciences

Favin Babu ≠†

Sukjin Bae

Christopher Beyer

Alyssa C. Bradley

Gretchen L. Bromann #†

Jenna Lyn Cameli

Brian Cho

Constance Hyojin Cho

Brian S. Choe

Michael John Choe*

Carlos de la Cruz Concepcion†

Delores Michelle Confer

Breanne Cornwell

Eric Christian Elleby

Kimberlee Fiala

Kourtney Kay Fox

Kimberly Ann Fricke

Yurica T. Fultz

Emily Ganschinietz

Matthew Ryan Gerber†≠

Nathan L. Haas†

Jeanne Marie Hankett

Ryan D. Harrington

Spencer omas Hart≠

John R. Holmstrom

Steven Huang

Christophe I. Jang

Gregory M. Jenkins

Jinwoo Jeong

Julee Jung

Jenier Hyunjin

Kelly Kinder

Youneun Koh

Jeanne M. Knuth

Paul G. Kornbluh

Sarah C. Kwon*†

Brittney Larsen

Hyun Min Lee

Joong Hyo Lee

Jung Wook Lee

Rebecca I. Lee

Ian Matthew Ludwig

Jacob V. Ludwig

Adam Marek

Marissa Jamie Marszalek

Oluwafemi Masha

Brian Maynard

Sonya Mohan

Ji Whan Moon

Melanie Nhu-Quynh Nyguyen

Jennifer L. Osiol≠

Beth A. Papanek

Jay June Park

Krystal Monique Preston

Anupama K. Puppala≠

Feng Que

Jared Reynolds

Emilie C. Robinson≠

James Rogers

Abasin Sa

Stuart Schelkopf *&†

Leonid A. Serebryannyy≠

Pooja Shrivastav

Jaclyn Christine Sievers

Stephanie J. Sterling≠

Robert F. Stewart

Kyle A. Sundell

Issac Christian Tan≠

omas A. Tiojanco

Paul R. Tredrea≠

Janelle Turner

Emily Underwood

Ashok Venugopal

Francis A. Villar

Julie J. Weber

Valerie Jean Wersching

James Nolan Winters

Jung Hee Woo†

Bachelor of Science in the

Teaching of Chemistry

Gerald Joseph Brady

Michael S. Frazier

Kimberly A. Fricke≠

Megan Livingston&

Jacob L. Marcotte

Daniel Rudnick

Mark Schadel

Patrick Sweeney

Master of Science in Chemistry

Rachel Kristina Campbell

Kyle B. Ford

Johnny Giles

Clara H. Jeong

Brandon S. Lange

Aaron Lozano

Jahed Momand

Richard W. Pierce

David Shellhamer

Praveen Sundaradevan

Christopher David Taylor

Haylee Michelle omas

Heath Cameron Timmons

Doctor of Philosophy in

Chemistry

Alaadin M. Alkilany

Stephen Michael Anthony

Alfred Baca

Rachel Lynn Behrens

John M. Boettcher

Michael Scott Bultman

Stefanie B. Bumpus

Andrew Scott Campbell

William Collins

Scott R. Daly

Jared H. Delcamp

Praveen Chowdary Duggirala

Hung Tuan Duong

Yan Fan

Jillian Rebecca Gunther

Daniel Heller

Richard Helmich

Mirth Tucker Hoyt

Leigh Anne Furgerson Ihnken

Philip A. Janowicz

Travis L. King

Richard Kohman

eodore E. Lapainis

Jin-Hee Lee

Charity Flener Lovitt

Jack Hung-Chang Liu

Stephen Todd Meyer

Michael Jonathan Motala

Christopher J. Musto

Nandini Nagraj

Amy L. Nicely

Mitchell T. Ong

Zakiah Naché Pierre

Alexis Anne Black Pyrkosz

Sreenivasa Rao Ramisetty

Matthew Aaron Rigsby

Jason D. Rodriguez

Patrick Neal Sisco

Lucas Benjamin ompson

Tu anh Truong

Benjamin Joel Tucker

Douglas Mwangi Warui

Curtis Whaley

John T. Whitteck

Rebekah C. Wilson

Fang Xie

Min Xie

Huabin Zhang

Doctor of Philosophy in

Chemical Physics

Jonathan Chen

Brian Alan Tom

*Bronze Tablet Recipient

& Phi Beta Kappa

# Chancellor’s Scholar

≠ Double Major/Dual Degree

† James Scholar recipient

• Triple Major

O M ,   D  C  

     . Family,

friends, and faculty joined in the celebration, which took place at the

Tyron Festival eater at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

with a reception that followed on the grounds of Noyes Laboratory.

e Aduro Brass Quintet performed at the ceremony, which included

remarks by Department Head Steve Zimmerman, Associate Dean of

the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Mary Macmanus Ramsbot-

tom, and Commencement Speaker Dr. Elaine Fuchs.

Fuchs (B.S. 1972, Hon. 2006), the Rebecca C. Lanceeld Profes-

sor in Mammalian Cell Biology and Development, and a Rockefeller

University and Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute,

delivered an inspirational commencement address that reected on

how her own training at the Illinois in physical chemistry enabled her

to ultimately study the biology of human skin. She advised students to

see their education as a beginning, not an end, noting that, “Although

I never took biology at the University of Illinois, I credit my educa-

tion here for teaching me to pursue my passion, rather than what I was

trained to do.”

In addition to recognizing each individual graduate for receiving their

degree, ve awards were given out to undergraduates who had distin-

guished themselves during their tenure at Illinois:

John C. Bailar Award for Outstanding Undergraduate esis

Carlos Concepcion

John David Barnwell Memorial Award for Academic

Achievement and personal Ethics and Scholarship

Paul Kornbluh

Reynold C. Fuson Awards for Academic Excellence

Eric Elleby and Jason Olejniczak

Peter C. and Gretchen Miller Markunas Scholarships

for Academic Achievement

Megan Cisemesia and Stuart Schelkopf

C.S. Marvel Award for Excellence in Undergraduate

esis Research

Jordan Axelson

After the ceremony, the graduates, faculty, family and guests gathered

on the lawn of Noyes Laboratory for a reception. A large tent pitched

on the Quad next to Noyes kept everyone dry as a light drizzle soon

gave way to sunshine that suited the joyful celebration.

2010 Department of Chemistry Graduates

4 | Depar tment of Chemistry News | Fall/Winter 2010 University of Illinois Department of Chemistry | 5

helicopter ying in between) mapping the ocean oor and determin-

ing seismic proles of the sediment, which will be used by the U.N. to

dene the mineral rights.

Perhaps it’s a good idea to mention more about what observing

ocean acidication in the Arctic Ocean means. e world’s oceans

act as a source or sink of atmospheric CO

. Because solubility of

gasses increases with decreasing temperatures, polar oceans have

the tendency to store more atmospheric CO

and act as a sink of

atmospheric CO

. e Arctic ice sheets are melting at a rapid rate,

which uncovers more ocean surface area and allows for more air-sea

gas exchange. Our research involves high precision spectrophoto-

metric methods to measure parameters of the carbon system, which

include: pH, CO

fugacity, total carbon, total alkalinity, dissolved

inorganic carbon, and carbonate ion concentration in seawater.

We also measured partial pressure of CO

in the atmosphere. is

cruise is unique because it is possibly the rst time that the carbon-

ate ion concentration has been directly measured in situ. Usually,

two of the parameters listed before are directly measured, and the

others are calculated using thermodynamic equilibria principles of

the marine carbon system. On this cruise, we were able to directly

M P (B.S. , L)   -

  P.D.      U

 S F      -

     A O. Below is an account

of his time on the Coast Guard Cutter Healy performing research

related to carbon systems measurements—a eld pioneered by

Charles David Keeling.

I am writing you from the Arctic Ocean aboard the Coast Guard Cut-

ter Healy, the U.S. Coast Guard’s largest diesel powered icebreaker. My

work here involves carbon system measurements (pH, CO

fugacity

of the water, pCO

of the air, total carbon), and I am performing the

world’s rst in-situ high precision measurements of carbonate ion in

seawater. It’s a simple method of adding lead chloride to seawater and

observing the ratio of the free lead peak vs. the complexed lead carbon-

ate peak in the ultraviolet spectrum (Byrne and Yao 2008). Our overall

goal in the Arctic is to make baseline measurements of these parame-

ters, so in the future we can observe ocean acidication (due to anthro-

pogenic CO

dissolution in the upper ocean). e cruise as a whole

exists because Canada and the U.S. are battling for mineral rights in

this area—so we have two icebreakers (one U.S., one Canadian, and a

Dispatches From the Arctic

By Mark Patsavas

measure carbonate, and cross check our calculations of the other

parameters, so we added more condence to our data set with

internal consistency.

With this information, we can compare the dierence of the par-

tial pressure of CO

in the atmosphere with its tendency to dis-

solve into the ocean (fugacity). In areas where there is no ice, the

dierence in pressure is smaller than areas where there is still ice

cover. is makes sense because the areas of ocean without ice are

approaching gas exchange equilibrium with the atmosphere. e

areas of ocean covered with ice show greater potential to store

more atmospheric CO

. As the ice melts, this potential air-sea gas

exchange will occur. is is good news for atmospheric carbon

sequestration because the atmospheric CO

will dissolve into the

ocean, possibly reducing the greenhouse gas eect of CO

, but this

is bad news for ocean acidication. As the atmospheric CO

dis-

solves into the ocean, a series of equilibrium reactions with water

occurs and protons are released, lowering the pH of the seawater

(the basis of ocean acidication). e exact implications of ocean

acidication are not yet well understood, but most of life’s reactions

are pH dependent, especially the formation of calcium carbonate

shells or tests (the foundation of many organisms in the marine

food web). e important idea to understand is that we humans

are performing a very rapid acid titration in the earth’s oceans, and

we don’t know when we will reach the endpoint, nor do we fully

understand the possible eects of such a grand experiment.

e cruise itself was an adventure. We left out of Dutch Harbor,

Alaska, where the TV show “Deadliest Catch” is lmed. Life on

a ship is very dierent, and working in a research lab that has no

windows and is constantly vibrating when the ship is breaking ice

is not easy. e scenery was beautiful and ever-changing. e sun

barely set every night so the coloration of the sky in the twilight

was magnicent, especially against the unique ice formations. We

were visited by a few polar bears, along with whales, seals, and arc-

tic birds.

We had to ship our instrumentation and personal gear to Seward,

Alaska, in April, even though the cruise started August 1

. Because

of this I sent most of my old clothing in advance, so everything I

am wearing on the research cruise says ILLINOIS on it, and subse-

quently all of the pictures taken demonstrate my true Illini spirit.

■

6 | Depar tment of Chemistry News | Fall/Winter 2010 University of Illinois Department of Chemistry | 7

O S , , N A  S

P, C   N R C, 

I  D. R J. C  

 C D K L. In his lecture,

entitled “CO

, Energy, and Climate: en and Now,” Cicerone

spoke of Keeling’s life and groundbreaking research, how scientists

today are adapting and expanding the subject, possible implications

of the data, and the role of scientists in the global discourse on car-

bon dioxide emissions and climate change. e lecture, which was

the brainchild of Professor Benjamin McCall, was attended by two

of Keeling’s children, Eric Keeling and Emily Keeling Takahashi,

and was co-sponsored by the Department of Atmospheric Sciences.

roughout his speech Cicerone traced many facets of the global

climate change conversation back to Keeling and his highly detailed

data sets. “e world only needed one Dave Keeling,” joked Cice-

rone, who told anecdotes of Keeling’s extreme attention to detail

and preparations, including measuring gas levels in parts per mil-

lion, something that was cutting edge for the time and made for a

highly valuable data set. It is because of his precision and accuracy,

which Cicerone referred to as “really good chemistry… beyond

question,” that Keeling’s data is so important today.

Keeling inspired many to take up the cause of carbon cycle data

collection and understand its implications in the world today.

Cicerone displayed a number of graphs with data either begun or

inspired by Keeling, noting that former Vice President Al Gore car-

ried around a copy of the “Keeling Curve” and, at least for a time,

it was rumored that the chart was the only scientic graph in the

White House.

Cicerone closed his speech by noting the implications of Keeling

and his successors’ data and the role of scientists in the public dis-

cussion on climate change. Keeling saw himself as a scientist, not a

politician, and actually resisted the label of “climate change” until

the late 1990s when he felt that the data made it “crystal clear.”

Cicerone himself expressed hesitation over scientists’ involvement

in setting energy standards, saying, “I’m not sure that scientists

should decide what’s dangerous… that might be for the public

to decide.” However, he did stress that no matter what is gleaned

from the data, smart energy decisions are necessary and that energy

policy and technology must take into consideration security, costs,

and climate change data.

Cicerone’s own research has focused on atmospheric chemistry,

the radiative forcing of climate change due to trace gases, and the

sources of atmospheric methane, nitrous oxide and methyl halide

gases. He has served as founding chair of the Department of Earth

System Science at University of California, Irvine, and the presi-

dent of the American Geophysical Union. For his outstanding

research contributions to the understanding of Earth’s atmospheric

processes, biogeochemical cycles, and other key elements of the

climate system, Cicerone has won numerous awards, including the

Albert Einstein World Award in Science, the Bower Award and

Prize for Achievement in Science, and the Roger Revelle Medal.

In addition to the National Academy of Sciences, he is a mem-

ber of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American

Philosophical Society, the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, the Rus-

sian Academy of Sciences, and the Korean Academy of Science and

Technology.

■

Ralph Cicerone Delivers

Inaugural Charles David Keeling Lecture

Dr. Cicerone (center) with Eric Keeling

and Emily Keeling Takahashi, children

of the late Charles David Keeling

A 1948 alumnus of the University of Illinois Department of Chem-

istry, Keeling was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and earned a

Ph.D. in chemistry from Northwestern University in 1954. He

served as a postdoctoral fellow in geochemistry at the Califor-

nia Institute of Technology until he was recruited by preeminent

oceanographer Roger Revelle to the Scripps Institution of Ocean-

ography in 1956, where stayed throughout his career and where his

son Ralph currently serves as a professor.

It was at Cal Tech that Keeling developed the rst instrument to

measure carbon dioxide in atmospheric samples. A lifelong out-

doorsman, he camped at Big Sur, where he rst used his new device

to measure the level of carbon dioxide and found that it had risen

since the 19

century.

In 1958, Keeling started collecting carbon dioxide samples at the

International Geophysical Year (IGY) base in Mauna Loa, two miles

above sea level. Within two years, he had collected data to establish

strong seasonal variations in CO

levels that peaked in the late north-

ern hemisphere each winter, with a reduction in carbon dioxide that

followed during spring and early summer as plant growth increased

in the land-rich northern hemisphere. In 1961, Keeling produced

data showing that carbon dioxide levels were rising steadily. e plot

of his data, painstakingly collected with incomparable accuracy, is

now widely known as the “Keeling Curve.”

e data collection started by Keeling and continued at Mauna

Loa is the longest continuous record of atmospheric carbon dioxide

Alumni Proﬁle:

Charles David Keeling

T D  C  

      

    ,   

    C D

K, whose research at the Mauna Loa

Observatory in Hawaii directly contributed to

today’s worldwide discussion of the eect of

carbon dioxide on the Earth’s environment.

Continued next page

D E PA R T M E N T N E W S D E PA R T M E N T N E W S

8 | Depar tment of Chemistry News | Fall/Winter 2010 University of Illinois Department of Chemistry | 9

Alumni Proﬁle:

Charles David Keeling

continued from previous page

E ,     D  C-

       

    . In addition to private and

industrial fellowships for graduate students, the department oers

a variety of undergraduate scholarship opportunities for students.

is summer, the John E. Gieseking Scholarship provided research

opportunities for 11 undergraduate students.

Created seven years ago to provide aid to undergraduate chemistry

majors, the Gieseking Scholarship stands as a testament to John E.

Gieseking’s legacy and dedication to the University of Illinois and

the Department of Chemistry. e former Illinois professor, who

passed away in 2003, was a crop scientist and consulting chemist

who recognized the need to support undergraduate students in pur-

suing their academic interests.

Research opportunities for undergrads are often transformative,

leading many students to explore career paths in chemistry. Clare

Kane, 2010 Gieseking recipient, said of the experience, “e schol-

arship is important not just because it looks good on a resume, but

it provides an opportunity to explore areas of chemistry that might

otherwise not be available. Doing research this past summer has

taught me an enormous amount of chemistry that I would have

never learned in any lecture. A hands-on approach is really key to

understanding a complex subject such as chemistry.”

e Gieseking scholarship also gave students direct experience with

unscripted laboratory work, which employers and graduate schools

seek. By preparing students for the public presentations and collab-

orative work that are standard in the eld, they are far more con-

dent and eective scientists. Gieseking recipient Arabella Lazar said

of the experience, “Receiving the Gieseking scholarship was impor-

tant because it gave me a chance to experience what grad school

would be like. It gave me a better understanding of the research I

am doing and how to articulate that to others.”

As a part of the scholarship, each student was an integral member

of a research group, performing a variety of tasks and assisting grad-

uate students. is summer’s projects included: developing grafted

polymers for cell surface display, detecting RNA splicing using a

biarsenical tetracysteine system, developing analytical applications

of gold nanoparticles, and using hematoxylin and eosin staining to

identify cancerous tissues.

Receiving the Gieseking scholarship allowed students to stay on

campus for the summer and devote time to research and their stud-

ies, rather than returning home or taking a less career-focused job.

“A scholarship is an honor,” said Alexandra Rutz, a 2010 Gieseking

recipient, “but also a monetary award that allows the recipient to do

the work. e scholarship is important because otherwise, a student

may have to return home for the summer and take an ordinary job.

e scholarship provides the means to cover the expenses of living

away from home, thus facilitating an outstanding work experience.”

Gieseking Scholarship

Provides Valuable Research Experience

BACK ROW: Kathryn Filson, Joel Johnson, Alexandra Rutz, Clare Kane

FRONT ROW: Caryn Doner, Stephanie Lucas, Arabella Lazar

NOT PICTURED: Stephanie Lucas, Rebecca Weiner, Madeline Michael, Emily Allen,

Sarah Kwon

2010 Gieseking Scholarship Recipients and Faculty Sponsors

Emily Allen (Scott Silverman)

Caryn Doner (Catherine Murphy)

Kathryn Filson (Kenneth Suslick)

Joel Johnson (Steven C. Zimmerman)

Clare Kane (Alexander Scheeline)

Sarah Kwon (Scott Silverman)

Arabella Lazar (Paul Hergenrother)

Stephanie Lucas (Anne Baranger)

Madeline Michael (Ryan Bailey)

Alexandra Rutz (Steven C. Zimmerman)

Rebecca Weiner (Catherine Murphy)

in the world and is considered a reliable indicator

of the global trend in the mid-level troposphere.

Keeling’s research shows that the atmospheric con-

centration of carbon dioxide has grown from 315

parts per million (ppm) in 1958 to 380 ppm in

2005—which correlates with an increase in fossil

fuel emissions.

“Dave Keeling showed that atmospheric carbon

dioxide amounts have grown worldwide. His mea-

surements were done with great accuracy, from

1957 until now,” said Ralph Cicerone, President of

the National Academy of Sciences and the inau-

gural lecturer for the Department of Chemistry’s

Charles David Keeling Lecture. “e extremely

high quality of his research was traceable to the

amount of thought, integrity, and care that he

invested in it. His results were well known, used,

and respected around the world. During the early

1990s it was said that the only scientic data on

display in the White House was one of his graphs; I

think that story was true.”

Keeling won many awards during his career, includ-

ing the Second Half Century Award of the Ameri-

can Meteorological Society (1981), the Maurice

Ewing Medal of the American Geophysical Union

(1991), the Blue Planet Prize from the Science

Council of Japan and the Asahi Foundation (1993),

the National Medal of Science —the highest U.S.

Keeling Curve showing the variation of atmospheric carbon dioxide since 1958.

Image source: Wikimedia commons

award for scientic research lifetime achievement (2002), and the Tyler Prize for

Environmental Achievement, considered to be the world’s most distinguished

award in environmental science (2005).

In addition to his numerous awards, Keeling was a fellow of the American Academy

of Arts and Sciences, the American Geophysical Union, and the American Associa-

tion for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the National Academy of

Sciences. He served as a member of the Commission on Global Pollution of the

International Association of Meteorology, and as scientic director of the Central

Calibration Laboratory of the World Meteorological Organisation. He was

also the author of nearly 100 research articles.

■

10 | Depar tment of Chemistry News | Fall/Winter 2010 University of Illinois Department of Chemistry | 11

by the entire chemistry community. Today, they are increasingly

focusing their eorts on accurate methods for understanding sol-

ids, potentially leading to new and advanced materials. e Hirata

Research Group will benet from Illinois’ commitment to cutting-

edge computer technology and development. Hirata said, “Illinois

oers literally the best computing resources and the brightest minds

among colleagues in chemistry, physics, materials science, and com-

puter science for this type of research.”

In searching for a leading theoretician, the Department of Chem-

istry consulted with the top practitioners throughout the world,”

noted Steve Zimmerman. “e consensus was that So Hirata was

the leading gure in his age group, an incomparable scholar whose

creativity, breadth, and depth were simply outstanding. Naturally,

we are delighted he chose to join our community of scholars.”

e recipient of numerous awards, including Camille Drey-

fus Teacher-Scholar (2009-14), National Science Foundation

CAREER Award (2009-14), Hewlett-Packard Outstanding Junior

Faculty Award (2008), and the Japan Society for the Promotion of

Science Fellowship for Young Scientists (1996-99), Hirata consid-

ers the Medal of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular

Sciences as his most honored prize. In 2008, he won for his work

on theory and algorithm developments in electron correlated meth-

ods for molecules and extended systems. e award, presented to a

young member of the scientic community who has distinguished

themselves by a pioneering and important contribution, was also

bestowed upon Professor Nancy Makri in 1995.

T D  C     P-

 S H   U  I. Hirata received

his B.S and M.S. from the University of Tokyo and his Ph.D.

from the Graduate University for Advanced Studies (Institute for

Molecular Science) in Japan. After completing his graduate work,

he served as a visiting scholar at University of California, Berkeley

and a postdoctoral research associate at University of Florida. He

was a senior research scientist from 2001 to 2004 at Pacic North-

west National Laboratory prior to serving as assistant professor at

University of Florida, where he was promoted to associate profes-

sor in 2009. Hirata joined the Illinois faculty in August 2010 as full

professor and alumni research scholar as well as a faculty member

of the Institute for Advanced Computing Applications and Tech-

nologies (IACAT).

Chemistry rst attracted Hirata during his undergraduate stud-

ies. “As an undergraduate student at the University of Tokyo, I was

given two years to decide on a major,” said Hirata. “Of the vari-

ous subjects I studied during the rst two years, I was most deeply

impressed by the exquisite beauty of quantum mechanics and sta-

tistical thermodynamics as applied to chemistry—namely, by how

properties and transformations of molecules as individuals or as

innumerable sums can be infallibly described by these mathemati-

cal theories.”

He rst visited campus as a seminar speaker and was drawn to

Illinois for a variety of reasons. “I liked every aspect of the Univer-

sity,” he said, “from its unmatched record of excellence to how the

campus looked… I knew that joining the department would be the

best thing that could happen to my career.”

Hirata is a computational chemist who seeks to quantitatively

interpret and even predict the properties and transformations of

molecules, polymers, and solids. He and his coworkers develop new

mathematical methods and algorithms to make the fundamental

equations of motion of chemistry, which are high-dimensional par-

tial dierential equations, tractable for numerical solutions. ey

make the resulting computer software available for application

New Faces:

Professor So Hirata

The Department of Chemistry also welcomes…

Martha Awles, Career Counseling and Placement Services Secretary

Kristin Lang, Stewardship and Advancement Coordinator

Nicholas Llewellyn, Lecturer

Todd Spinner, Undergraduate Advisor (School of Chemical Sciences)

Alex Ibarra, Instructional Technology Specialist

e Milky Way galaxy contains roughly 10

molecules; some

16 orders of magnitude more than are present on Earth. Simple

diatomic molecules such as CH and CN were detected in interstel-

lar clouds in the late 1930s, but now the known chemical inventory

of these clouds includes roughly 150 species identied by high-res-

olution spectroscopy. Chemical models suggest there are hundreds,

if not thousands, more species that must be present but have not

yet been detected. ere are also hundreds of molecular transi-

tions (e.g., the Diuse Interstellar Bands, or DIBs) that have been

observed but not yet assigned to individual molecules. is rich

chemical inventory is not just a curiosity —these molecules play key

roles in the process of star formation, in seeding young planets such

as Earth with water and other pre-biotic compounds, and as power-

ful indirect probes of the temperatures, densities, radiation elds,

and velocities of interstellar clouds.

Understanding how these molecules are formed and destroyed in

such hostile environments is truly a grand challenge for the chemi-

cal sciences. Although the young eld of “astrochemistry” has made

impressive progress, there is a great deal left to be understood. As

illustrated in the gure below, the major areas of investigation that

feed into astrochemistry can be broadly classied into four topics:

molecular structure and spectroscopy; chemical reaction kinetics

and dynamics; astronomical spectroscopy; and astrochemical and

astrophysical modeling.

At Illinois, Professor Ben McCall leads a team of chemists, physi-

cists, and astronomers with expertise in all four of these areas. In

terms of molecular structure and spectroscopy, his group is building

innovative laser spectrometers to acquire the high-resolution, gas-

phase spectra of astrophysically important molecular ions (includ-

ing CH

, C

, etc.) as well as the large, highly

stable neutral molecule C

. He also actively collaborates with theo-

rists to perform state-of-the-art calculations of these and other mol-

ecules to guide his group’s laboratory and astronomical work. His

group is also active in measuring (and, with collaborators, calculat-

ing) the rates and branching ratios of key chemical reactions, espe-

cially those involving H

, the centerpiece of interstellar chemistry.

Most of McCall’s spectroscopic targets are also of great fundamen-

tal chemical interest, in that they exhibit non-classical bonding and

uxional dynamics (e.g., CH

, C

) or possess very high sym-

metry (C

). Some are also prototypical reactive intermediates in

organic chemical reactions, such as electrophilic aromatic substi-

FA C U LT Y

tution (C

). e detailed understanding of the structure and

intramolecular dynamics (e.g., tunneling motions) of these ions

may ultimately lead to new insights into organic reactivity from a

quantum mechanical perspective.

On the astronomical side, McCall is actively engaged in astronomi-

cal observations as well as analytical modeling. His group is best

known for its work on interstellar H

, and using its abundance to

infer the ux of interstellar cosmic rays. He is also involved in milli-

meter-wave searches for more complex molecules, such as urea, and

in the study of the DIBs in the optical. e close synergy of labora-

tory, observational, and theoretical work makes his group rather

unique.

McCall is also committed to educating the next generation of astro-

chemists. He has developed an entirely new undergraduate lecture

and laboratory course. e latter has made use of the University

of Illinois campus observatory. Steve Zimmerman, Head of the

Department of Chemistry, ttingly noted, “Ben is a rising superstar

who is pioneering this new and exciting area of chemistry. He is a

gifted lecturer and a sought-after research advisor. We are delighted

to have him here at Illinois.”

■

McCall Research Group Brings

Astrochemistry to Illinois

F A C U L T Y

12 | Depar tment of Chemistry News | Fall/Winter 2010 University of Illinois Department of Chemistry | 13

Is there anyone in particular that inspires you as a chemist?

My academic great-great grandfather Linus Pauling, who I was

lucky enough to still know in person, and his great-grandfather

Justus von Liebig. Von Liebig was one of the ﬁrst biological chem-

ists, and the ﬁrst to realize (before Woehler’s famous synthesis

of urea) that organic and inorganic matter are fundamentally

made from the same elements, and organic matter can be

synthesized. At the same time, he was very practical, inventing

everything from the basic laboratory condenser to the cubes of

meat extract still used to ﬂavor soups today. Pauling is perhaps

the most brilliant physical chemist ever. He introduced quantum

mechanics into chemistry and frankly, his general chemistry text is

still better than anything around today. He worked on everything

and anything, from protein secondary structure to quasi-crystals,

to hybrid orbitals, to transition state theory of enzymes.

In April, you were named a fellow of the American Academy of Arts

and Sciences. How does it feel to join such a prestigious group?

It’s great! I hope Francis Ford Coppola shows up (also elected this

year), so I can meet the creator of “Godfather,” “Apocalypse Now,” and

“Patton” in the ﬂesh and blood. It is an Academy of ARTS and Sciences!

Your groundbreaking research on protein folding within cells

has the potential to revolutionize the study of biological pro-

cesses in diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s. What

drew you to this area of study?

Frustration. We had been trying to study proteins in artiﬁcial

crowded environments in the test tube. Although we were slowly

getting results, it was very difﬁcult because proteins would ag-

gregate under these conditions [speaking of Alzheimer’s and

Huntington’s, which are aggregation-related diseases]. At one

point I thought, “It can’t be any harder to just do this in a real cell!”

Dr. Martin Gruebele, the James R. Eiszner Endowed Chair in

Chemistry, has been with the Department of Chemistry since 1992

and over the last 18 years has garnered a number of prestigious

awards for his innovative research, including a recent selection as

a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The Gruebele Group is engaged in experiments and computa-

tional modeling to study a broad range of fundamental problems

in chemical and biological physics. A common theme in these

experiments is the implementation of state-of-the-art laser tech-

niques to interrogate and manipulate complex molecular sys-

tems, coupled with quantum or classical simulations. The results

of these efforts are contributing to a deeper understanding of the

way that proteins fold into functional 3-dimensional molecules,

the details of how chemical bonds are broken by vibrational mo-

tion and how this can be controlled, and the switching of energy

ﬂow in large molecular structures on surfaces.

We caught up with Gruebele to discuss his latest research and

how his family and childhood led to his career as a chemist.

How did you decide to pursue an education and career in

chemistry?

In the 1970s in Austria, it was rather easy for children to buy chem-

icals and glassware, at least if you sounded like you knew what

you were talking about. So I had a fully stocked lab at home. My

parents wanted something more ‘practical’ than chemistry, but

after a pre-med semester as a biochemistry major, I switched over

to chemistry, synthesizing co-crystallization agents for Ken Sauer

at the Melvin Calvin Lab, and later doing gas phase spectros-

copy on ions of interest in interstellar chemistry with Rich Saykally

(at University of California, Berkeley).

A Moment with

Martin Gruebele

Graduate student Apratim Dhar started to set up a microscope

that could “jump” cells to induce a protein in them to fold or

unfold, and he was soon joined by Simon Ebbinghaus, who I was

lucky to get as a postdoc from Germany. Professor MacDonald

provided his microscope and came up with some crafty optical

tricks, and voila: proteins folded and unfolded in cells without

aggregating. In hindsight, cells have a few billion years of evolu-

tion behind them to make sure proteins don’t aggregate inside

of them under crowded conditions. We have yet to ﬁgure out in

detail how crowding within cells is physically different from the

simpliﬁed crowding models in test tubes.

You attended UC Berkeley for your undergraduate and gradu-

ate coursework and worked at the California Institute of Tech-

nology as a postdoctoral fellow. What made you decide to

move to the Midwest and pursue a career at Illinois?

Our group is very heavy on new instrumentation design. The

School of Chemical Sciences simply has the best shops and

facilities in the U.S. Period. The only serious competition was a

C4 position I had been offered in Germany. It also didn’t do any

harm that my then-girlfriend Nancy Makri had just gotten a job

here. So I said good-bye to the tenured professor offer in Germany,

and went to Illinois instead.

What is your favorite aspect of working at Illinois?

The students. I think this would be true anywhere. Students and

postdocs are like a great ampliﬁer that makes possible what a

single person could never come close to doing. Over the last 10

years we have seen an even further extension of this to interdis-

ciplinary collaboration creating very large ‘effective group sizes.’

Interdisciplinary interactions are easy and many on campus, and

I’ve co-authored papers with many other faculty. The interdisciplin-

ary system has its pitfalls (committee-ism), but also, as ‘Big Physics’

discovered over 70 years ago, its advantages.

If you could give advice to a student interested in pursuing a

career in chemistry, what would it be?

Find out where your greatest strengths are, and pursue them. Do

the rest as a hobby.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I’ve been here for well over a decade. I look forward to the

next! ■

F A C U L T Y

14 | Depar tment of Chemistry News | Fall/Winter 2010 University of Illinois Department of Chemistry | 15

F       D  C-

        

F   A C S (ACS) at the Fall

National Meeting in Boston. Unlike other ACS national awards, this

honor is bestowed upon scientists who have made outstanding contri-

butions to both chemistry and the ACS. e group includes scientists

from a wide range of disciplines and geographic locations, including 33

technical divisions and 79 local sections. e 2010 class also includes

distinguished scientists and engineers from industry, academia, and

government.

Professor Peter Beak, the James R. Eiszner Endowed Emeritus Chair

in Chemistry—a leader in physical organic chemistry—has advanced

the characterization and understanding of organic reactions. He has

made signicant contributions to stereochemistry through his study of

reaction geometry at nonstereogenic atoms. He also is a member of the

National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Academy

of Arts and Sciences.

Professor eodore Brown, an emeritus professor of chemistry, was

the founding director of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science

and Technology at Illinois. He has been an active leader and adviser

within the scientic community, including service on the ACS Gov-

erning Board for publishing and co-chairing a National Academy

committee on interdisciplinary research. He is a pioneer in the area

of organometallic chemistry. He has written books on philosophical,

social, and cognitive aspects of science and co-wrote a best-selling gen-

eral chemistry text.

Professor Jerey Moore, the Murchison-Mallory Professor of Chem-

istry, is an alumnus of Illinois who returned to join the faculty. His

research focuses on large organic molecules and polymers in three main

areas: macromolecule construction, self-healing polymers, and materi-

als for energy storage. He has a joint appointment in the Department

of Materials Science and Engineering, is a member of the Beckman

Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, and is a fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Professor Kenneth Suslick, the Marvin T. Schmidt Professor of

Chemistry, has pioneered the study of the chemical eects of ultra-

sound and its applications to nano-materials synthesis and sonolumi-

nescence, as well as exploring plasma formation in imploding bubbles.

His team also is at the forefront of chemical sensing, and developed

an articial “nose” capable of molecular recognition. He holds a joint

appointment in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering

and is a member of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and

Technology.

Chris Cramer (Ph.D. 1988, Denmark) is currently the Distinguished

McKnight and University Teaching Professor and holds the Elmore H.

Northey Chair in the Chemistry Department at the University of Min-

nesota, where he began his academic career in 1988. He also served as

an active duty ocer in the United States Army. His research interests

encompass the development and application of models that include

condensed-phase eects on structure and reactivity, the character-

ization of the electronic structures of organic and inorganic systems

having frontier-orbital near degeneracies, and the application of com-

putational methods for both catalyst and materials design, with special

interest in water splitting and oxygen activation. He is the recipient of

numerous professional awards and serves as the editor of eoretical

Chemistry Accounts and as the North American editor for the Journal of

Physical Organic Chemistry.

George Inglett (B.S. 1949), who worked as an undergraduate for

Professor G. Frederick Smith, has traveled to and lectured in about

60 countries in his career. He has published more than 300 articles,

books, chapters and patents and made about 270 presentations. He

has worked in private industry as well as the public sector, including

40 years at the USDA-ARS National Center for Agricultural Utiliza-

tion Research, where he created TRIM TECHNOLOGIES. Inglett

has been recognized many times for his expertise in the eld of food

science, including the prestigious Lincoln Award, the highest award for

achievement by the state of Illinois, in 2005. Said Inglett, “I have con-

tributed to many scientic discoveries and seen most of the world since

my undergrad days, but those Illinois days will never be forgotten.”

American Chemical Society

Faculty and Alumni Elected Fellows of the

Leonard Interrante (Ph.D. 1964. Bailar) is currently professor of

chemistry and chemical biology at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Insti-

tute. Interrante was an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow in London at Uni-

versity College. His rst teaching assignment came as an assistant

professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where he contin-

ued for four years. Before coming to Rensselaer in 1985, Interrante

spent 17 years at the General Electric Research and Development

Center in Schenectady. He is the founding and current editor-in-

chief of the ACS journal Chemistry of Materials.

Paul Jones (Ph.D. 1956, Fuson) is currently a visiting scholar at the

University of Michigan and professor emeritus of chemistry at the

University of New Hampshire, where he has been a faculty member

since completing his Ph.D. in 1956. In addition to his academic

positions, Jones has been the recipient of numerous research and

faculty fellow positions, including two Fulbright fellowships. He is

active in the American Chemical Society, serving as ACS Councilor,

Huron Valley Section from 2003-2009 and as a member of the

ACS Publications Committee from 2006-2010.

C. Gordon McCarty (Ph.D. 1963, Curtin) is currently adjunct

professor at University of South Carolina Beaufort. He had previ-

ously worked for Bayer Corporation in Pittsburg. In addition to his

industrial and academic careers, McCarty has been dedicated to the

ACS, serving on its board of directors.

Tim Minton (B.S. 1980) traces his scientic career back to his year

working with Professor Willis Flygare. After receiving his Ph.D.

from the University of California, Berkeley, Minton returned to

Illinois to do post-doctoral research with Doug McDonald. After

ve years at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Minton left to pursue an

academic career in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department

at Montana State University, where he has worked for 15 years.

His research focuses on reaction dynamics, with special emphasis

on hyperthermal gas-phase and gas-surface reactions and their rele-

vance to environmental eects on space vehicles in low Earth orbit.

John Verkade (B.S. 1956, Ph.D. 1960, Piper) is active in research and

teaching at Iowa State University, where he began immediately after

graduating from Illinois as Stan Piper’s rst Ph.D. student. Over his

half-century at Iowa State, his research in organophosphorus chem-

istry has resulted in more than 400 publications, eight books, and

20 patents. His service to the ACS has included posts as chair of the

Society Committee on Publications, the C&EN Editorial Board and

the Chemical Abstracts Services Committee as well as Region V Direc-

tory on the ACS Board of Directors. Piper inspired Verkade to pursue

an academic career by encouraging him to conduct his research on the

coordination chemistry of a new cage-like organophosphite ligand.

Verkade also said that he has Elias (E.J.) Corey and Reynold Fuson to

thank for teaching him the elegance of organic chemistry.

Christopher Welch (B.S. 1982, Ph.D. 1992, Pirkle) is a Distinguished

Senior Investigator at Merck Research Laboratories, where he has

been employed for 11 years. He worked with Professor Pirkle during

his undergraduate and graduate tenure at Illinois and noted that his

undergraduate research experience solidied his decision to become a

working chemist. Since receiving his Ph.D., he published more than

175 articles and is now viewed as an expert in the eld of chiral chro-

matography. Welch said, “At Illinois we were always reminded that in

addition to pursuing personal research objectives, it was also impor-

tant to support the infrastructure of chemistry. I have tried to follow

that guidance, and have been an active member of the ACS, where I

currently serve as a Councilor for the Division of Organic Chemistry

(ORGN). I’m thrilled to be one of the nine U of I graduates inducted

in the 2010 class of ACS fellows!”

Inaugurated in 2009, the fellows program recognizes a select group

among the 161,000 ACS members who have made exceptional

achievements in both science and society. e ACS is the world’s larg-

est professional society and we are delighted that so many Illinois

alumni have been selected as fellows.

■

Reprinted in part from an article by the University of Illinois News Bureau.

16 | Depar tment of Chemistry News | Fall/Winter 2010 University of Illinois Department of Chemistry | 17

Alumni Notes

Tony Barnes (Ph.D. 1984,

Nieman) is currently Senior

Vice President of Clinical

Diagnostics at Rules Based

Medicine in Austin, Texas, as

well as a Special Professor at

the University of Nottingham

and a fellow at the Institute for

Advancing Medical Innovation

at Kansas University. Previous

to his position at Rules Based

Medicine, Barnes started a

company with Professor John

Robertson of Nottingham

University with the goal of

using the early detection of

autoantibodies to cancer

speciﬁc antigens to save

cancer patients. The company

raised more than $45 million

in support and developed a

product which has recently

been shown to detect lung

cancer early and with good

reproducibility.

Theodore W. Gray (B.S. 1986)

one of the founders of Wolfram

Research and currently Wolfram’s

Director of User Interface

Technology, has received the

James T. Grady-James H. Stack

Award for Interpreting Chemistry

for the Public sponsored by the

American Chemical Society.

The purpose of the award is

to recognize, encourage, and

stimulate outstanding reporting

directly to the public, increasing

the public’s knowledge and

understanding of chemistry,

chemical engineering, and

related ﬁelds.

Philip Horwitz (M.S. 1955, Ph.D.

1957, Moeller) a Senior Scientist

for NorthStar Engineering

Technologies, was part of

a team that recently won a

2010 R&D Award. The awards,

widely recognized as the

“Oscars of Innovation,” identify

and celebrate the top high

technology products of the

year. The R&D 100 Awards

spans industry, academia,

and government sponsored

research: sophisticated

testing equipment, innovative

new materials, chemistry

breakthroughs, biomedical

products, consumer items,

and high-energy physics.

Horowitz is also the holder of

countless technology patents

on the subject of chemical

separations and the winner of

numerous awards, including

the 1984 Glenn T. Seaborg

Actinide Separations Award,

the 2000 American Chemical

Society Award in Separation

Science and Technology,

and in 2004, the prestigious

Becquerel Medal Award

presented by the Royal Society

of Chemistry in London.

Steven Thorn (M.S. 2000) is the

founder of Thorn & Associates

LLC. His practice covers all

aspects of federal and state

environmental law. Prior

to founding the ﬁrm, Thorn

was an Associate Regional

Counsel at U.S. EPA, Region 5

(handling matters in Illinois,

Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota,

Wisconsin and Michigan) and

an environmental attorney at

a large Chicago-based law

ﬁrm. During this time, he was

involved in several hundred

enforcement matters that

spanned the spectrum of

environmental statutes. In

addition to winning numerous

awards for his work, he was

designated a Leadership in

Energy and Environmental

Design Accredited Professional

(LEED

AP) by the United States

Green Building Council.

To submit an alumni update and

receive the most current and news,

check out the alumni page on the

Department of Chemistry website:

chemistry.illinois.edu/alumni

Chemistry at Illinois’

Oldest Alumnus:

Charles “Hap” Fisher

T D  C    

   C “H” F,

our oldest

known living alumnus, who celebrated his 104

birthday

on November 20, 2010.

Fisher was Professor R.C. Fuson’s rst U.S. graduate student,

receiving his M.S. and Ph.D. in 1929 and 1932. After com-

pleting his doctoral work during the Great Depression, he

received a three-year teaching appointment at Harvard Uni-

versity. Fisher has said his goal in life was to “make people’s

lives better through science,” and he had a successful and pro-

lic career after leaving Harvard to work for the U.S. govern-

ment in several research capacities, with the bulk of his time

spent at the Southern Regional Research Center (SRRC) in

New Orleans, Louisiana. During his tenure at SRRC, Fisher

appeared as inventor or co-inventor on 72 patents, includ-

ing popular products such as ame resistant cotton, fro-

zen orange juice, wash-wear and durable press cottons. In

addition to the numerous products he worked on, he also

authored more than 200 scientic articles.

He later returned to academia after his retirement from gov-

ernment work, teaching chemistry at Roanoke College, his

undergraduate alma mater. Despite his retirement, Fisher

actively taught and was instrumental in growing the chem-

istry department, suggesting programs such as guest speaker

seminars and student research initiatives. It wasn’t until his

100

birthday that he retired, again. Today, the Organic

Chemistry Lab at Roanoke College bears his name to recog-

nize his eorts and contributions.

Fisher and his work have garnered numerous awards and

recognition throughout his career, including the Presidential

Citation of Merit from the American Institute of Chemists

and being named a “Chemical Pioneer,” a program that he

was instrumental in initiating.

Happy 104

, Hap!

Do you want to…

Get the latest news and updates?

Visit our news page: chemistry.illinois.edu/news

Connect with other students and alumni and

become a facebook “fan” of Chemistry at Illinois?

“Like” Chemistry at Illinois on Facebook:

facebook.com/chemistryatillinois

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Fill out the enclosure or visit

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Network online with other alumni and friends of

the department?

Join the SCS Alumni Networking Group on LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2177109

Submit an alumni update?

Complete our alumni update form:

chemistry.illinois.edu/alumni/chem_alum_news.html

Access the SCS alumni database?

Visit scs.illinois.edu/alumnilist

GET CONNECTED

T D  C    

 D. V B (B.S. , M.S. , P.D. ) 

   B A

for his work in X-ray u-

orescence (XRF). e award was presented in August at the Den-

ver X-ray Conference, a meeting that attracts approximately 500

scientists from around the world. e award was established in

1986 to recognize outstanding contributions to the eld of X-ray

spectrometry, and was named in honor of L.S. (Verne) Birks for

his many contributions to the X-ray analysis eld.

e Birks Award is Burkhe’s second award from the Denver

X-ray Conference. In 2005, he received the Jenkins Award for

lifetime achievement in the advancement of the use of X-rays for

materials analysis.

Receiving both awards is an extraordinary accomplishment, an

honor shared only by Buhrke and his friend Dr. John Gilfrich.

ese awards stand as a testament to Buhkre’s ve-decade long

career and his outstanding contributions to the eld, includ-

ing writing the seminal text on specimen preparation, which has

enabled scientists worldwide to increase the accuracy of their

XRF and X-ray diraction (XRD) analysis.

About the honor, Buhrke said, “Receiving the Birks Award

is a very exciting event in my life. Birks and Jenkins are both

deceased. ey were very dear friends of mine and I hope they

are both looking down to see me smiling.”

roughout his career, Buhrke has remained involved in the

activities of Illinois and the Department of Chemistry. In 2007,

a generous bequest from Buhrke and his wife Janet led to the

renovation and dedication of 100 Noyes as “G.L. Clark Hall,”

named in honor of their friend and mentor Professor G.L.

Clark., an expert and innovator in X-ray applications, and who

mentored Gene Bertin, another recipient of the Birks Award

and friend of Buhrke and the Department.

Buhrke’s Research in X-ray

Florescence Garners

Birks Award

18 | Depar tment of Chemistry News | Fall/Winter 2010 University of Illinois Department of Chemistry | 19

A L U M N I

R E. H, I , ,  

CEO  DP,   J , ,    

P     .

He will be remembered for his kind-

ness, generosity, and dedication to Illinois chemistry, its students, and

its mission.

Heckert was born on January 13, 1924, in Oxford, Ohio. He gradu-

ated in 1944 from Miami University in Oxford with a B.A. in chemistry.

From 1944 to 1946, he served in the United States Army, working on

the top-secret Manhattan Project at the Oak Ridge, TN, atomic energy

facility. Following his discharge, he received an M.A. (1947) and a Ph.D.

(1949) in organic chemistry from Illinois under Harold Snyder.

Beginning in 1949, Heckert spent his entire career at the DuPont

Company, holding a number of positions and eventually rising to

CEO in 1986. Described by Fortune magazine as “gregarious, relaxed

and unappable… a 6-foot-3, friendly bear of a boss,” Heckert was

committed to research and safety. He lobbied extensively for fair treat-

ment of the chemical industry in Washington, DC, while working

hard to ensure that DuPont plants and products were safe for employ-

ees and their environs. He engineered the withdrawal of DuPont from

the Savannah River Plant, a nuclear facility DuPont managed for the

government. When it was determined that chlorouorocarbons were

detrimental to the ozone layer, he acted quickly to phase out CFCs by

the end of the century.

In addition to his work at DuPont, Heckert was also an advisory director

of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., as well as a director of Rem-

ington Arms Company, Inc. and RACI Holding, Inc. He was chairman

of both the National Association of Manufacturers and of the Society of

Chemical Industry as well as a member of the American Chemical Soci-

ety and National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

roughout his career, Heckert remained dedicated to the University

of Illinois and Department of Chemistry, receiving an Alumni Achieve-

ment Award in 2004. His commitment to excellence at Illinois and

his generosity allowed for the creation of both the Snyder Graduate

Fellowship, named in honor of his mentor at Illinois, and the Richard

E. Heckert Endowed Chair in Chemistry, currently held by Professor

Wilfred A. van der Donk.

Remembering

Richard Heckert

“It is a truly great honor to occupy the Heckert chair,” said van der

Donk. “Although I only had the pleasure to get to know him during a

period of about two years, I always tremendously enjoyed my conver-

sations with Dick. He had very diverse interests and such an open and

inquisitive mind. It was fun to talk about his days at Illinois and how

much things had changed. But at the same time, his recollections illus-

trated how in many ways Illinois chemistry has remained the same: a

highly interactive and collegial environment. And obviously, he had

fantastic stories from his illustrious career. I was particularly pleased

and honored that Dick was here for the investiture of the chair and

that my students got to meet him and hear him speak about chemistry

at Illinois and about his career.”

Always modest and unpretentious, at rst Heckert did not wish to

have the Chair named after himself, but instead merely wished to pro-

vide the funding to allow a Chair in chemistry to be created. Only at

the request of the department and the University of Illinois Founda-

tion would Heckert agree to allow the Richard E. Heckert Chair to be

named as it was. Now, it provides prestige and support to its holders

and stands as a tribute to one of chemistry’s distinguished alumni.

Richard is survived by his wife, Joanna, and two children from his rst

marriage, Alex Y. Heckert and Andra Heckert Rudershausen. An avid

outdoorsman, Heckert served the environment by chairing e Nature

Conservancy from 1989 to 1995. He enjoyed y-shing, ocean sh-

ing, hunting, as well as shooting trap and skeet. A six-handicap golfer

in his prime, he had memberships at Pine Valley and Augusta National

golf clubs. Heckert also served as president of the Bear River Club near

Brigham City, Utah, from 2001-2009. He was an avid vegetable gar-

dener, growing a truck-size garden at his home in Pennsylvania, and

also enjoyed the challenge of managing the shorter growing season in

his Wyoming garden.

“What an extraordinary person and amazing life,” noted Steve Zim-

merman. “Dick will be greatly missed here at Illinois. His humility in

attributing his success to Illinois and particularly Harold Snyder was

inspirational. I will always remember how when we walked through

Roger Adams Laboratory he would greet each student we passed with

a commanding, yet gregarious, Hello, how is it going? He clearly felt a

part of our family and we are fortunate to be able to count him as one

of Illinois’ greats.”

■

S G. S,  , ,   

 D  C,    J , , -

  -   .

Smith joined the faculty at Illinois in 1960 after receiving his B.S. from

the University of California, Berkley and his M.S. and Ph.D. from

UCLA. Within three years he had published three single authored

papers including his rst on what would become a seminal study on

the mechanism of Grignard, organolithium, and lithium aluminum

hydride addition to carbonyl compounds. is was made possible by

his development of a scanning, infrared, stopped-ow spectrometer. He

and his group subsequently carried out some of the earliest mechanis-

tic studies on the addition of copper reagents to unsaturated ketones.

Smith was widely regarded as one of the brightest young practitio-

ners in the area of physical organic chemistry, and his studies included

mechanistic work on solvolyses, alkylation, photochemical, rearrange-

ment, and elimination reactions.

In 1968 Smith began researching the use of computers in chemical

education, and in 1970 published in the Journal of Chemical Education

a groundbreaking paper entitled, “Use of Computers in the Teaching of

Organic Chemistry.” is began a 40-year period where his leadership

led to the widespread integration of computer-based technologies into

instruction in general and organic chemistry. Milestones during that

period included extending the PLATO-based instructional programs to

microcomputers in 1979, incorporating videodisc technology in 1984,

which enabled the integration of videos into learning programs, and

preparation of one of the rst instructional CDs.

Smith applied his research on computer-based chemical education in

the creation of the Chemistry Learning Center in 1972 as a way to

teach basic chemistry concepts through drill-based tutorials. Cut-

ting-edge in technology and philosophy, Smith’s vision was to allow

students to work through tutorials at their own pace and order of

choosing. In addition, he created a suite of tutorials in a broad range of

topics in chemistry. He was widely acknowledged as a leader in com-

puter-assisted learning in chemistry, with his programs widely adopted

by universities, colleges, and secondary schools.

Today, the Chemistry Learning Center continues Smith’s vision of pro-

viding technology and a high level of support to chemistry students.

Open six days a week and evenings to accommodate students’ busy

schedules, the CLC provides a variety of tutoring options, 70 com-

puter workstations, and study space. Smith had said of the space, “e

barriers to learning become lower. With the software it’s easier now to

imagine chemical structures, you can balance equations visually, not

rely solely on your imagination. Learning chemistry becomes concep-

tually easier.”

Over the years, he was widely recognized for his work with numerous

awards, including the EDUCOM/ENCRIPTAL Best Tutorial Soft-

ware Award and Best Chemistry Software Award (1987), the Chemical

Manufacturing Association Catalyst Award (1987), the Best Integrated

and Best Chemistry Software in 1989, the IBM/EDUCOM Robin-

son Award for Instructional Computing in 1992, and the George C.

Pimentel Award from the American Chemical Society in 1998. He was

a fellow of the Association for the Development of Computer-Based

Instruction and the Sloan Foundation. In 1990 Smith was appointed

Jubilee Professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and in

1995 was appointed as the rst Murchison-Mallory Chair in Chemis-

try, a title he held for more than a decade.

In addition to his innovation in computer-assisted learning and his pres-

tigious research career, Smith will be remembered as a great colleague,

advisor and friend. “Stan was an unfailing source of support and encour-

agement,” said Bob McMahon (B.S. 1980). ”I relied upon his wise coun-

sel and dispassionate advice throughout my professional career.”

Professor Peter Beak noted that Smith was instrumental in starting the

service facilities, now a vital resource provided by the School of Chemi-

cal Sciences. He wrote, “Stan was a truly remarkable colleague. Much

of my early work was forged by discussions with him. In that, as well as

in our later research, he was always willing to go out of his way to pro-

vide ideas, analysis, and helpful criticism.”

■

Remembering

Stanley Smith

A L U M N I

20 | Depar tment of Chemistry News | Fall/Winter 2010 University of Illinois Department of Chemistry | 21

In Memoriam

A L U M N I

William Banick, Jr. (Ph.D. 1957)

passed away November 11,

2009. He was born in Dunmore,

PA, and received his under-

graduate degree from Kings

College before receiving his

Ph.D. from the University of Illinois.

He worked for American Cyan-

amid for 40 years before retiring

in 1997, and was a member of

the American Chemical Society.

Banick is survived by his wife of

53 years, Elizabeth, two daugh-

ters, a son, and siblings, as well

as many grandchildren, nieces,

and nephews.

Homer J. Birch (M.S. 1949,

Ph.D. 1952) born June 1, 1918,

passed away April 18, 2010.

After working as a chemist and

supervisor during World War II,

Birch completed his M.S. and

Ph.D. at Illinois while working

as a teaching assistant and a

research chemist doing instru-

mental work for other students.

He also assisted in the early

development of carbonless

copy paper for National Cash

Belle Works of DuPont where he

performed advanced analyses

in polymer development and

catalyst research. Birch has

been a resident of the township

of Marshall since 1957. He came

to Pennsylvania in 1956 to work

at Callery Chemical Company

in Evans City as a chemical

laboratory supervisor in the

development of high-energy

fuels for the U.S. Department of

the Navy. In 1959, he worked at

the Applied Research Labora-

tory at U.S. Steel as an associate

research consultant, where he

performed analytical work in the

development of plated steels,

cements, and various polymers.

Birch is survived by his wife of

66 years, Edith Mielow, and his

children Norman James Birch

(Aileen), and Emily Kristine Birch

(Barbara Jones), his brother

Paul Birch of Struthers, OH, and

numerous cousins, nieces, and

nephews. He was preceded in

death by his brother Clifford and

his sister Mary Louise.

Fred Easterday Boettner (Ph.D.

1947) passed away February

3, 20 10. Bor n in Murp hys-

boro, IL, Boettner received his

undergraduate degree from

Carthage College and his

master’s degree from Tulane

University before attending the

University of Illinois. His career

spanned ﬁve decades, and he

was well known in the chem-

ical field, accumulating more

than 25 U.S. patents and 228

foreign patents. His work with

the National Cancer Institute

was especially acclaimed due

to his participation in the devel-

opment of Taxol, an anti-cancer

drug. Boettner was a member

of the American Chemical

Society for more than ﬁfty years.

An accomplished woodcarver,

he is survived by three children,

his grandchildren, and a great

granddaughter.

Paul L. Cook (M.S. 1952, Ph.D.

1954) passed away February 2,

2010. He was born March 2, 1925 in

Holland, MI, to Peter and Adriana

(Breen) Cook. He graduated from

Holland Christian High School in

1943, then served his country in

the U.S. Army during World War II

in the 102nd Infantry from June

1943-September 1945, stationed

in France, Belgium, Holland, and

Germany. Cook received the

Bronze Star for Bravery. He gradu-

ated from Hope College in 1950

and received a master’s degree

and Ph.D. degree in organic

chemistry from the University of

Illinois. After graduate school he

began his teaching career at

Albion College. He taught chem-

istry for 36 years, served on many

faculty committees, and passed

on his love for chemistry and

education to students who went

on to graduate school or medical

school. He was a member of

the American Chemical Society,

Sigma XI, The University of Illi-

nois Alumni Association, Albion

Exchange Club, and the Lansing

American Legion. In addition to

his wife, Alice, of 58 years, he is

survived by four daughters, ten

grandchildren, and one brother.

He was preceded in death by

his parents, a sister, and brother-

in-law.

Philip Nickerson James (Ph.D.

1957) born August 15, 1932, died

peacefully of natural causes in

Sun City, AZ, on June 28, 2010.

James was a graduate of MIT

and held a Ph.D. in organic

chemistry from the University of

Illinois. He married the love of

his life, Barbara Fagan James,

in 1954. After working as an

executive leader in academia,

industry, and government for

more than 40 years, James

and his wife retired and toured

America in their motor home. He

is survived by his sons, Greg and

Larry, and his grandchildren,

Chris and Jill.

Edwin G. Krebs (B.S. 1940, Hon.

1995) born in Lansing, IA, on

June 6, 1918, passed away

December 21, 2009, in Seattle.

Krebs was a member of the

National Academy of Sciences

and received a number of major

prizes, most notably a shared

1992 Nobel Prize for discovering

a crucial bodily process that

helps govern the movement of

muscles, the shape and divi-

sion of cells, and even learning

and memory. The process he

discovered in the 1950s with

Edmond H. Fischer, a colleague

at the University of Washington,

activates proteins that can

change the entire character of

cell functions, thus regulating

them. Among other actions, the

process can trigger the release

of hormones that govern bodily

functions. Krebs, who continued

his teaching and research after

receiving the Nobel Prize at

age 74, taught for much of his

career at the University of Wash-

ington, including returning from

UC Irvine in 1977 as chair of the

Department of Pharmacology.

He was also an investigator for

the Howard Hughes Medical

Institute. Krebs is survived by his

wife of 64 years, Virginia “Deedy”;

three children, Sally Herman,

Rober t Kre bs, and Mar tha

Abrego, and their spouses, Dan

Herman and Phil Abrego; four

grandchildren; and six great-

grandchildren.

Harriet Neville “MiMi” Limper

(B.S. 1944) of Baton Rouge, LA,

and formerly of Millstadt, IL, was

born November 28, 1924, and

passed July 15, 2010, at her

home. Limper graduated from

the University of Illinois with a

degree in chemistry. She was a

retired technical writer for Ethyl

Corp and an avid reader who

loved to sew and do crossword

puzzles. She was preceded in

death by her husband, Arthur

F. Limper; parents, Harry C. and

Florence Neville neé Devere; a

brother, Howard Neville; and a

sister, Genevieve Saupe. She

is survived by her son, Arthur

(Terri) Limper Jr.; daughter, Anne

Limper Burke; sister, Charlotte

Crowe; brother, Donald Neville;

son-in-law, Stephen Burke; seven

grandchildren, Travis Limper,

Laure Limper, Megan Pettit,

Brandee Hart, Ryan Burke, Mack-

enzie Burke, and Caitlin Burke;

four great-grandchildren, Forrest

Moore, Trey Simms, Zeke Limper,

and Arabella Limper.

Dr. Pierre J Marteney (Ph.D.

1961) of Manchester, CT, died

January 18, 2010, at Hartford

Hospital of a massive stroke.

Born on New Year’s Day, 1932, in

Ridley Park, PA, he was the older

son of Reverend (Col.) C. Walton

Marteney and Lorene Rathje

Marteney. He met his wife, Judith

Carolyn Gates, at the University

of Illinois while earning a Ph.D.

in physical chemistry. He spent

his career as a research scientist

at the United Aircraft Research

Laboratories (now the United

Technology Research Center)

where he specialized in catalytic

combustion and fuel. Marteney

was author and co-author of

many scientific papers and

reports, and a member of the

American Chemical Society.

In addition to his career as a

research scientist, Pierre had

a lifelong love of music and

stage, and was honored to

be the recipient of the Third

Annual Hall of Fame Awards for

Arts in Manchester. Marteney is

survived by his wife, Judith Gates

Marteney; his daughter, Susan

Marteney, and her daughter

Ly d i a M a r t e n e y ; M a r t h a

Marteney and her husband,

Robert Nelson; his sister-in-law

Arline Franquiz Marteney; and

one aunt, Annabelle Marteney

Cruise of Huntington, WV, several

nieces, nephews, and cousins.

John Thomas (Jack) Marvel

(A.B. 1959) born September 14,

1938, in Champaign, IL, died on

February 27, 2010, in Tucson, AZ.

The son of Carl “Speed” Marvel,

he earned his Ph.D. in chemistry

from Massachusetts Institute of

Technology in 1964, and was

an assistant professor of chem-

istry and biochemistry at the

University of Arizona until 1968.

He left academia for the corpo-

rate world joining Monsanto’s

Agricultural Products Company,

attended the Stanford Executive

Program in the Graduate School

of Business in 1977, and from

1985 to 1987 was Monsanto’s

General Manager of Science

a n d Te ch n ol o g y E uro p e/

Africa, headquartered in Brus-

sels, Belgium. In 1988 he joined

Ethyl Corp. in Baton Rouge, LA,

as Corporate Vice President for

Research and Development

until taking early retirement and

moving to Tucson in 1995. Marvel

served on the Secretary of Agri-

culture’s User Advisory Board,

Advent Europe Technical Advi-

sory Board, EEC’s Biotechnology

Group, as well as consulting for

corporations and working with

the American Chemical Society.

Paula S. Moffett (M.S. 1977)

died May 10, 2010, along with

her companion Mark Yellen in

Tuscaloosa, AL. Moffett was an

anesthesiologist for Medical

Anesthesia Group. Previously,

she was the director of the Divi-

sion of Pulmonary and Critical

Care Medicine and the Intensive

Care Unit at St. Jude Children’s

Research Hospital. She was a

proponent of the arts, serving on

the board of the contemporary

art venue, Power House. Moffett

was an avid traveler and partici-

pated in a number of medical

mission trips to Peru organized

by Dr. Coyle Shea. She is survived

by her daughter, Lesley Bozeman

(Morgan Mar tin) of Tusca-

loosa, AL, son, Daniel Bozeman

of Memphis, her father and

mother, Dan and Judy Moffett

of Memphis, her sister, Dana

Moffett (Chris Durban) of Wash-

ington, D.C., and her brother, Pat

Moffett (Sue) of Atlanta.

A L U M N I

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