| Chemistry, Summer 1997 | |
| Alumni newsletter of the Department of Chemistry |
Supported in part by dues-paying members of the IU Alumni Association |
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This has been a time of significant change for our chemistry department. Without doubt, the most dramatic of those changes was brought on by the announcement of Paul Grieco, chair of the departmen t for nine years, that he would step down on July 1, 1997. It is for that reason that I am writing this message.
Paul guided the department skillfully during some of its most critical years. During his term, 15 new faculty were hired, the department moved into entirely new or completely renovated space, and our undergraduate enrollments reached an all-time peak. In addition, we reestablished prominence in the field of biochemistry, became one of the top schools in the country in the area of synthetic organic chemistry (due in no small measure to the strength of Paulıs own program), recovered from the loss of thre e analytical chemistry faculty, grew in stature in inorganic chemistry, and added exciting new talent in physical chemistry. Luster was added to our P-chem program during this period also by the election of Charles Parmenter to the National Academy of Sciences.
Regrettably, Paul has decided not only to step down from the chairship, but also to relocate to Montana State University. Coupled with the announced move of Bill Roush to the University of Michigan, we are now faced with the need to rebuild in t he area of synthetic organic chemistry, something that we intend to do and which has strong support from the IU administration. Of course, these planned departures are a loss to the department, but we are all grateful to both Paul and Bill for all they ha ve contributed and achieved during their time here. Paul, for example, has graduated 27 PhDs from IU, was named to the Earl Blough Professorship, and received four major awards. Similarly, Bill graduated 15 PhDs, was elected to receive a Distinguished Pro fessorship, and received three major awards. We wish them well in their new positions.
Meanwhile, many other faculty have continued to be recognized locally, nationally and internationally. David Clemmer was the recipient of a 1997 Research Award from the American Society for Mass Spectrometry. These awards are given annually to o utstanding young scientists to promote academic research in mass spectrometry. The competition is open to academic scientists who are within four years of joining the tenure-track faculty of a North American university.
Charles Parmenter won the 199798 IU Distinguished Faculty Research Lecture Award. This award, given jointly by Research and the University Graduate School and the Bloomington Chancellor's Office, honors the significant role of research and crea tivity on the Bloomington campus. The principal event associated with the award is the presentation of a major lecture for the entire university community. Professor Parmenter will deliver his lecture on Feb. 18, 1998.
George Ewing has been selected as an Indiana University Chancellors' Professor, a title that he will carry for the remainder of his career at IU. The recognition is given to faculty members who have achieved local, national, and international di stinction in both teaching and research/creative activity and in their interdependence. An award reception for Professor Ewing and the other recipients of Chancellorsı Professorships will be held in the fall of this year. Their names will also be engraved on plaques in the Indiana Memorial Union.
Teaching Excellence Recognition Awards have recently been announced for eight of our faculty: Adam Allerhand, Jack Crandall, Romualdo de Souza, George Ewing, Charles Parmenter, Dennis Peters, Lee Todd, and Rupert Wentworth. These awards w ere recently established by the board of trustees, and this is the first year they have been given. Faculty actively engaged in teaching, who have completed three years of service at IU, are eligible to receive them. Each faculty member was ranked on the basis of teaching contributions, innovation and excellence, with factors such as course enrollments and student evaluations playing an important role. Congratulations to all!
Ernest Davidson has been selected by the Theoretical Chemistry Institute at the University of Wisconsin to receive the 199798 Hirschfelder Prize. This award, intended to recognize achievements in theoretical chemistry and related fields, was es tablished in 1991 as a memorial to Professor Joseph O. Hirschfelder. Professor Hirschfelder had a distinguished career of teaching, research, and public service at the University of Wisconsin for more than 40 years. Professor Davidson will visit the Unive rsity of Wisconsin this fall to receive the award and present three lectures.
Last, Ronald A. Hites has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a recognition given to only a small fraction of the members of the AAAS.
It is our intention to build on these records of achievement in the years to come. Of course, to do so will require dedication, hard work, careful planning, and support from both internal and external sources. We have been assured by the IU administrat ion that our department of chemistry is one of the treasures of the university, whose stature they are committed to sustain and improve. It, therefore, figures prominently in the new IU Endowment Campaign that was recently announced. The focus of that cam paign will be to develop an endowed funding base for the support of faculty chairs, graduate student fellowships, and undergraduate scholarships. We hope that you will consider contributing to that funding base. Your contribution can be as targeted as you desire and need not be aimed at supporting a chair, fellowship, or scholarship in order to be considered as a part of the campaign. For example, gifts present or promised can be used for any of a broad variety of purposes, from support of a particular su bfield of chemistry, to establishment of a lectureship, to provision of a student award, to general support of the department's activities. If you wish further information about this new program, please call or write me.
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We face tremendous opportunities for the future and are extremely optimistic about what they might offer our department. I would welcome the chance to discuss them with you and hope that you might find time in the near future to visit us and to reestab lish ties with the department. It is a vital, vibrant organization, with connections to the past and a vision of things to come. We hope that you will share in our enthusiasm and sense of accomplishment.
-- Gary M. Hieftje
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Last updated: May 15, 1997
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Copyright 1997, the
Trustees of Indiana University