The Weekly Beaker

Volume 21, Number 3

Friday, September 30th, 2016
3:30 in Olin 04

Christopher Bowman, UC-Boulder “Clicking Polymers Together: Assembly of Complex, Controlled Polymer Structures from Efficient Chemistries”.

A new paradigm encompassing several distinct chemical reactions and, more importantly, a generalized approach to molecular design and synthesis has been rapidly adopted in the fields of chemical synthesis, biotechnology, materials science, drug discovery, surface science, and polymer synthesis and modification.  The Click Chemistry paradigm focuses on implementation of highly efficient reactions that achieve quantitative conversion under mild conditions.  As such, these reactions represent ideal candidates for further development, understanding and implementation.  In particular, the synergistic combination of these click chemistries with photochemical initiation and polymer formation has been used to afford 4D control of polymer formation, structure and patterned assembly.  Here, we will focus on three distinct vignettes related to our implementation of photoclickable polymer systems.  The first of these focuses on the development of covalent adaptable networks (CANs) where the ability to controllably alter the network structure is used to alter topography and other material properties by forming materials which can be switched revesibly from elastic to plastic simply by exposure to light.  Secondly, we will focus on the development of approaches to photoinitiate the Cu(I) catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) click reaction.  Here, implementation of this reaction in surface modification, hydrogel formation, and lithography as well as in the development of a new class of photopolymerization reactions will be presented.  Finally, the development and implementation of click nucleic acids (CNAs) based on the thiol-ene click reaction will be presented.  This distinct class of oligonucelotides combines the vast advantages of synthetic oligonucleotides such as peptide nucleic acids with the power of click reaction chemistry to form materials that hybridize with both natural and synthetic olignonucleoitides via Watson-Crick base pairing while being simple to produce in large scales appropriate for directed assembly and other high value materials applications.

Unfortunately, a meeting for all science faculty has been scheduled for common time on Thursday.  The meeting is a presentation of the transition plans for the chemistry and geology departments between the demolition of Mudd Hall and the construction of the new science building. Journal club will return next week.

Lunch with this week’s seminar speaker will be 1:10-2:10 p.m., in the LDC.  Meet in the hallway outside Mudd 169.  If you are off board, the department will cover your lunch. 

October 4th at 4pm in the Viking Theater at St Olaf College
Dr Lantos will deliver a lecture entitled “What we talk about when we talk about ethics: discussions about life and death on the NICU”. (The NICU is the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit).

October 5th at 7pm at the Northfield Public Library
Dr Lantos will deliver a public lecture entitled “Who’s Afraid of Big Bad Genomics?” 
Here is a description of a similar talk he gave last year: In the last five years, technology has changed the way that we think about and do genetic testing.  We used to test people to see if they had a specific genetic disease (like, for example, Huntingtons).  Today, we can look at someone’s entire genetic profile and discover all kinds of potential risk factors for disease.   This raises new and complex questions about how to interpret and communicate results.  Which parts of your genetic make-up matter for figuring out how at risk you are?  What should your doctor do if s/he finds you’re at risk for something that you didn’t even know about? This lecture will address some of the ethical issues raised by “The New Genomics.”

Read about a new, exciting internship opportunity to do summer research at the Center for Bioethics at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City  (Dr Lantos runs the Center). The “official” description is accessible via The Tunnel. If you have questions about any of this, please feel free to contact Prof. Daniel Groll in the philosophy department (dgroll).

The Kolenkow-Reitz Fund provides student stipend and travel support for Carleton students working with non-Carleton science and math faculty at another institution during winter break. Awards fund student stipends ($440/week for full time work) for up to 3 weeks during winter break and can include expenses for travel, lodging, and meals. No award will exceed $1500. Note that students must work full time in order to qualify. Carleton students are eligible to apply for this funding. Before applying, students should have already contacted and discussed the nature and timing of their project with the person they are planning to work as well as a faculty member at Carleton who can vouch for the project. Please note that previously funded students through the Kolenkow-Reitz Fund (winter break or summer) are less likely to get funded, but are still eligible to apply.

Application Deadline: Thursday, October 13, 2016,  5:00 PM

More details are available in the application form, which you can find here.

Questions?  Please contact Jennifer Wolff (jwolff@carleton.edu)