Association of Chemists & Biochemists

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Volume 16, Number 1 -- Fall 95
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1569

You are cordially invited to attend the
Ninth Annual
Glenn T. Seaborg Medal Dinner
honoring George B. Rathmann
Saturday, November 4, 1995
at the UCLA Faculty Center
6:30 Social Hour
7:30 Dinner
8:30 Program

Please use form on page 4 for dinner reservations

You are also invited to the
Biotechnology in Chemistry and Biochemistry Symposium
also Saturday, November 4, 1995
3440 Molecular Sciences Building
Talks and Discussions
1:00-4:00 p.m.
Posters:
4:15-5:30 p.m.
Speakers will include:
Steve Clarke
Juli Feigon
Bill Gelbart
Jim Gober
Jay Gralla
Fred Hawthorne
Nir Kossovsky (Pathology)
Dave Sigman
Larry Souza (Amgen)
Joan Valentine

SEABORG MEDALIST

Dr. George B. Rathmann, the 1995 Seaborg Medalist, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1927. He received his B.S. from Northwestern in 1948 and his Ph.D from Princeton in 1952 where he did research on dielectrics with C. P. Smyth. He joined the Central Research Laboratories of the 3M Company in 1951, was appointed president of Litton Medical Systems in 1972, and was Vice President, Research and Development, of the Diagnostic Division of Abbott Laboratories from 1975 to 1980. After a sabbatical in Winston SalserÕs UCLA biology laboratory, Rathmann was recruited in 1980 by venture capitalists to become chairman, CEO, and president of a new biotech company, Amgen, Inc. He led Amgen from a two-person startup up to become a major player with more than 2,000 employees world-wide. In 1990 Rathmann became President and CEO of the newly formed ICOS Corporation in Seattle, Washington, and remains Chairman Emeritus of Amgen, Inc. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE

The summer always goes by very quickly. It seems that graduation was just a few weeks ago, but as I write this, the Bruins have already won their first game and we are in the midst of preparations for the Fall 1995 Quarter. Our Departmental Graduations continue to grow in size. This year the spectators were seated in the Court of Sciences and we used the patio steps as a platform. Seating was provided for 1000, but there were still many standees. There were over 220 recipients of Bachelor's Degrees (about 85% of them Biochemists) and 36 Ph.D.'s were hooded by their mentors. A full list of the honors and awards that were made during the ceremonies is given elsewhere in the Newsletter but I want to single out one for special mention. This is the fifth year that the Gold Family Foundation has provided a $1000 award to assist an undergraduate student who is Òa potentially creative individual for the chemical professionÓ and who has financial need. We thank them for this support. We were pleased to have Henry Bruman (BA '35) participate in the ceremonies. Although Henry went on to a distinguished career in Geography, he remains a chemist at heart. Last June, in an event described as the Academy Awards of the computer world, Arlene Russell and Orville Chapman received an award at the Smithsonian Institution that recognized the UCLA Science Challenge for "innovative use of information technology to benefit society". Ellen Burns, who is a graduate student with Craig Merlic, received one of four Graduate Woman of the Year Awards from the UCLA Association of Academic Women. Emily Carter has received the American Vacuum Society ÕS 1995 Peter Mark Award. We have just learned that Steve Clarke will be the 1996 recipient of the ACS Ralph P. Hirschmann Award in Peptide Chemistry. In the last Newsletter I wrote that we were just about to move into the renovated East Wing. Those of you who have remodeled homes will know that deadlines are difficult to meet. We finally began the move about a month ago, just in time to be able to use the new laboratory facilities for the Fall Quarter. Stop by and see the new labs when you join us on November 4 for the Seaborg Award Dinner! Chuck Knobler

ALUMNI NEWS

Margaret Aultman (BS '56) married classmate David Carlberg (BA Bacteriology '56, PhD '63). She has taught 1st and 2nd year high-school chemistry since 1960, the last 15 years at Cornelia Connelly School, "an ideal college-prep private all-girls high school in Anaheim". For more than 25 years she has been an active leader in the California Association of Chemistry teachers, and in environmental affairs in Orange County.

Rod S. Berman (BS '77) has recently joined Jeffer, Mangel, Butler, & Marmaro as a partner in its Intellectual Property Department. Rod continues to practice patent, trademark, and copyright law, as well as related licensing and litigation.

James C. Chang (PhD '64) will retire in August after 31 years of teaching at the University of Northern Iowa. Last year James served on the CLEP Natural Sciences Examination Development Committee of the College Board.

Dan Demeo (PhD '69) is still a senior scientist at Hughes Aircraft, where he spends his time doing surface analysis.

Norman J. Juster (BS '43, PhD '56) has been awarded the 1995 Agnes Ann Green Award for Distinguished Service to the Southern California Section of the American Chemical Society.

Charles P. Marion (BS '47, ScD '52,MIT) and his wife Martha Jane celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in October 1993. Charles retired in 1986 after 33 years with Texaco Inc. and Texaco Development Corporation.

Norton R. Townsley (BS '64) has just passed the California bar exam and has opened an office in Culver City for the practice of patent law.

The Department has its own page on the World Wide Web. It contains information about our programs, the faculty and, each week, "This Week in Chemistry and Biochemistry", a listing of all seminars and other events. The address is: http://www.chem.ucla.edu/dept.

1995 Honors and Awards

Highest Honors

Wayne Wei-Chung Chang
Lili Chih-Chen Chao
Dorcas Chi
Armin Garabed Jegalian
Justin Lo

Song-Ngoc Le Nguyen
Kambiz Raoufi
Steven Cary Rothman
Annie Su
Diana Yi-Ti Tsai

Honors

Sartaj Marty Arora
Amir Berjis
Ryan Tyler Bise
Vinh Tuong Cam
Burawit Charuworn
Thuthuy Thi Dang
Sandra Sachiko Fujiyama
Pam Kaur Grewall
Alice Soojung Ha
Jon-Erik Cleophas Holty
Patrick Hsieh
Grace Woan-Ching Huang
Mylinh Dang Huynh

Jennifer Anjeng Juang
Amir Sasan Karimi
Roy Shuji Katayama
Kyungrok Kim
Sonja Krane
Nathalie Nguyen
Nilesh Jagubhai Patel
Ruth Yuan-Mei Peng
Jeffrey Charles Petrilla
Paul Han Shih
Homan Sima
Dora T. Tung
Melody Chih-Hwa Yang

Arthur Furst Award (Undergraduate Research)
Lily Chih-Chen Chao

Dolores Cannon Southam Award (Research)

Ryan Taylor Bise Song-Ngoc Le Nguyen

Dunn Award (Biochemistry)

Grace Woan-Ching Huang
Steven Cary Rothman
Annie Su
Diana Yi-Ti Tsai
Wayne Wei-Chung Chang
Lily Chi-Chen Chao

Geissman Award (Organic Chemistry)

Paul Cody Johnson
Lily Chih-Chen Chao
Wayne Wei-Chung Chang

Ramsey Award (Physical Chemistry)

Ryan Tyler Bise
Alice Soojung Ha (1994)

Ralph H. Bauer Award (Inorganic Chemistry)

Song-Ngoc Le Nguyen

Ethyl Terry McCoy Award

Armin Garabed Jegalian
Alice Soojung Ha
Sandra Sachiko Fujiyama
Thuthuy Thi Dang Grace Woan-Ching Huang (1994)
Dorcas Chi (1993)
Annie Su (1993)

Gold Family Foundation Award

Gabriel Mendez (1995)
Ruth Yuan-Mei Peng (1994)
Richard Israel Juarez, Jr. (1993)

Hypercube Scholar

Carolyn Marie Huff

Merck Index Awards

Sartaj Marty Arora
Burawit Charuworn
Patrick Hsieh
Kyungrok Kim
Justin Lo
Kambiz Raoufi

American Institute of Chemists Foundation Award

Song-Ngoc Le Nguyen (1994)

Association Officers for 1995-96

President: Katherine A. Kantardjieff, MS'86, PhD'90
President-Elect: Brian M. Pierce, B.S.'78, Ph.D'83 (UCR)
Past President: Edward J.A. Pope, BS'83, MS'85, PhD'89
Treasurer: William Timberlake, MS'66
Secretary: Eva M. Escobar, BS '83 MS'86 (Eng)
Historian: Yoshie Kadota, BA '37 Editors: Thomas L. Jacobs, Professor Emeritus
Robert L. Scott, Professor Emeritus
Editor Emeritus: Sandra I. Lamb, BS'54, PhD'59
Graduate Representative: Brian Fraser
Undergraduate Representatives:
Grace Huang, Rowena Rege

PLEASE SEND DUES FOR 1995 ($20)
IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO
Please make check out to and send to:
UCLA Association of Chemists and Biochemists
UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1569