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RSC NEWS March 2005 |
Vol 36 : Issue No. 1 |
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Editors -- Marilyn Holloway and Sue Riches
Notes from the Editors
As we move into Autumn, New Year wishes seem slightly belated.
However, as this is the first issue of RSC News for 2005, we would
like to wish everyone in the School a very productive and peaceful
year. We would also like to invite and encourage staff and students
to take advantage of this means of sharing news (both professional and
personal) as well as views and witticisms. Photographs or sketches
would be especially welcome. Contributions may be either delivered
to the Academic Secretary's Office or emailed to asec@rsc.anu.edu.au by cob on Wednesday
of each off-pay week. This newsletter is also being circulated to
the Department of Chemistry so we would welcome contributions from staff
and students there.
AWARDS
Congratulations to:
Emeritus Professor Martin Bennett who has been elected to the prestigious Bavarian Academy of Sciences as a corresponding member.
Mr Christian Evenhuis (supervisor Professor Collins) who was selected as the winner of the Dean's Award for Best Publication 2004.
Dr Hidecki Onagi who was the winner of the Crawford Prize.
Dr Gwion Harfoot who has been awarded an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship.
Congratulations to the following completing PhD scholars:
Mr Brendon Barratt (supervisor Professor Easton) - The Development of PAM Enzyme Inhibitors and Cleavable Amino Acids for the Control of Peptide Hormone Levels.
Mr Franciscus Brink (supervisor Professor Withers) Ð Oxygen/Fluorine Ordering, Modulated Structures and Solid Solutions in Metal Oxyfluoride Systems.
Mr David Lupton (supervisor Professor Banwell) Ð Studies Directed Towards the Assembly of the Binary Vinca Alkaloids: A total Synthesis of (+)-Aspidospermidine.
Ms Karin Loscha (supervisor Dr Dixon) Ð Structures and Functions of Primosomal Proteins in Bacterial DNA Replication.
Mr Oliver Hutt (supervisor Professor Mander) Ð Studies Directed Towards the Total Synthesis of the Diterpene Alkaloids.
Item 1
Congratulations to Mr Paul Gugger who won the following prizes at the Braidwood Show on the weekend of 5/6 March:
1st Prize for his Plum Wine - he had one and a half wheelbarrows full of plums, making 60 litres of wine. Quoted by the judges "the main fault was that it was too alcoholic".
also:
Champion Photograph,
3 x 1st prizes for Photography,
2 x 2nd prizes for Photography,
1 x 3rd prizes for Photography.
Photographic contributions for RSC News would be very welcome, Paul! Come to think of it, so would some plum wine!
Item 2
Professor Alan Sargeson was delighted to be invited to join those present at University House on 8 March to witness the arrival of Crown Prince Frederick and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark for the signing of the Memoranda of Understanding between ANU and the University of Copenhagen.
When questioned by the ladies in the tea room about Princess Mary's outfit, Professor Sargeson summed it up in one economic phrase:
"She was wearing a big hat!"
Item 3
Congratulations and best wishes for the future also go to:
Mr Brendon Barratt on the occasion of his marriage to Nisha Bajpe on 2 January 2005.
Item 4
Does anyone have a record (or memory) of the "Cornforth Limericks"? The younger generations of RSC need to reap the benefits of these little gems.
Accommodation available?:- There is little or no accommodation available in the near Canberra area for incoming staff and students. If anyone has, or knows of accommodation vacant, please contact the Academic Secretary.
For sale:- Items for sale, i.e. cars, houses, household goods, books, CDs etc. are welcomed for the RSC News. No warranty will be given, and no correspondence entered into!
Arrivals
A welcome is extended to the following who have come to the School since our last issue:
Professor Keith Jones visited the school from Kingston University, UK, as a Visiting Fellow with Professor Easton.
Professor Ernst Schaumann visited the school from Germany, as a Visiting Fellow with Professor Banwell.
Dr Oded Godsi from Israel, has taken up a postdoctoral position with Professor Collin's research group (room E101, extension 58307).
Dr Michael John from Germany, has taken up a postdoctoral position with Professor Otting's research group (room E4C, extension 56506).
Dr Ruhu Qi has commenced as a Technical Officer in Dr Oakley's research group (room E216, extension 58017).
Professor Dr Hubert Schmidbaur came from Munich as a Visiting Fellow with Professor Wild's research group.
Associate Professor Xiaoheng Liu from Nanjing University, China visited Professor White's research group as a Visiting Fellow.
Dr Heather Netzloff from USA has taken up a postdoctoral position with Professor Collin's research group (room E107, extension 58307).
Mr Siu-Hung Chien has commenced a PhD Scholarship with Professor Gill's research group (room E117, extension 53573).
Dr Michael Carland has commenced as a Technical Officer with Dr Sherburn's group. (Room 210, extension 53762).
Mrs Gomotsag Bojase-Moleta has commenced a PhD Scholarship with Dr Sherburn's research group (room 233, extension 53645).
Ms Michelle Weir has commenced Honours with Professor Wild's research group (room 123, extension 54334).
Mr Alexander Bissember has commenced Honours with Professor Banwell's research group (room 203).
Mr David Pinkerton has commenced Honours with Professor Banwell's research group (room 127, extension 54334).
Ms Jennifer Hodgson has commenced Honours with Dr Coote's research group (room E105, extension 55411).
Miss Georgina Statham has commenced Honours with Professor Easton's research group (room 109, extension 54207).
Mr Roger Coulston has commenced Honours with Professor Easton's research group (room 209, extension 53733).
Dr Andrew Kralicek visited the school from New Zealand, as a Visiting Fellow with Dr Dixon.
Dr Sindra Peterson Arksold visited the school from Sweden, as a Visiting Fellow with Professor Krausz.
Mr James Hennessy from UK is currently a Visiting International Scholar with Professor Easton's research group.
Associate Professor Paul Keller from the University of Wollongong visited Dr Sherburn's group.
Mr David Brittain has commenced a PhD Scholarship with Professor Easton and Dr Coote (room 109/E105, extension 55411/54207).
Dr Albert Prodan from Slovenia visited Professor Wither's research group as a visiting fellow.
Ms Jacki Kitching has commenced a PhD Scholarship with Professor Banwell's research group (room 235, extension 54032).
Dr Robert Thomas from Oxford, UK, visited Professor White's research group as a visiting fellow.
Miss Lynne Thomas is currently visiting the school from the UK as a Visiting Scholar with Professor Welberry.
Dr Jonathan Foot, formerly from the University of York, UK, has taken up a postdoctoral position with Professor Banwell's research group (room 133, extension 58293).
Professor Alain Gibaud from France is currently a visiting fellow with Professor White's research group.
Mr Adrian Hawley has commenced a PhD scholarship with Professor White (room 2, extension 53575).
Mr Mark Teese has commenced a PhD scholarship, jointly with Professor Easton and CSIRO Entomology.
Dr Ekaterina Izgorodina has joined Dr Coote's group as a postdoctoral fellow.
Ms Subashani Maniam has commenced a PhD Scholarship with Professor Easton's research group (room 220, extension 53764).
Mr Alexander Buchan has commenced a PhD scholarship with Professor Easton's research group (room 209, extension 53733).
Ms Suzanne Williams has joined Professor White's group as administrative assistant.
Professor Ed Constable from the University of Basel is currently a Visiting Fellow with Professor Wild's group (room 132A).
Dr Joerg Steinbach from Germany has taken up a postdoctoral position with Professor Wild's research group (room 209, extension 54334).
Dr Diane Robinson has recently arrived from Bath, UK, to join Dr Sherburn's group as a Postdoctoral Fellow.
Ms Lena Britton has returned to Professor White's office to work on the Uniche Project.
The School was also host to 22 Summer Research Scholars, 18 of which were from Australian Universities and 4 from New Zealand.
Departures
Farewell and best wishes to the following who have left the School since our last issue:
Miss Carrie Roper who has left to pursue a career change. We wish her all the best.
Dr Madeleine Schultz who has taken up a Fellowship with the University of Queensland.
Mr Michael Bartlett who has returned to Perth, Western Australia.
Mr James Crow who has returned to England following the completion of his PhD.
Dr Satish Chand who has taken up a Research Officer position with the University of Queensland.
Dr David Loong who has taken up a Postdoctoral Fellowship with the University of Sydney.
Ms Val Wayte who has left to take up a publishing position in the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies.
Dr Jens Renner who has returned to Germany.
Dr Regis Tripoli who has taken up a postdoctoral position in the UK.
Miss Karin Loscha who has returned to Bremen, Germany following the completion of her PhD.
MEMORY LANE
The "L.U.S.H." notes are returning. What are these? LUSH is the acronym for "Legion of Universal Science Historians". LUSH formulated part of our early RSC News Issues and are the birth dates, places and notable science achievements of famous chemists/physicists/scientists of note. They were a source of cheer for Bramley's attendees to raise their glasses to and esteem. The lists are interesting but dated, and it will be up to future readers of the RSC news to submit their own additions to this list of notables.
LUSH dates for March:
| March 19 | 1883 | WALTER NORMAN HAWORTH, the first British organic chemist to receive the Nobel Prize, was born in Lancashire. |
| 1900 | JEAN-FREDERIC JOLIOT, the nuclear physicist, was born in Paris. He married Irene Curie, and they shared the 1935 Nobel Prize for chemistry. | |
| March 21 | 1543 | De revolutionibus orbium caelestium libris VI was published, two months before the author's death. It is the chief work of NICOLAUS COPERNICUS. |
| 1768 | JEAN BAPTISTE JOSEPH FOURIER, known for his mathematical and physical work on heat diffusion, born in Auxerre. | |
| 1884 | GEORGE DAVID BIRKHOFF was born in Michigan. He is remembered for his ergodic theorem, his proof of Poincare's geometric theorem, etc. | |
| March 26 | 1753 | BENJAMIN THOMPSON was born in Massachusetts. He did important work on heat and became Count Rumford. |
| 1838 | ALEXANDER FRIEDRICH KHUNE, the physiologist, was born in Hamburg. Work in physiological chemistry led him to coin the word "enzyme". | |
| 1897 | YUSUKE HAGIHARA, the astronomer, was born in Osaka. See his massive treatise on celestial mechanics. | |
