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Message from the Chair

Welcome to our Alumni and Friends!

Academic organizations are constantly adapting to a changing world. The Northwestern University Department of Chemistry is no exception. As one example of this change, it is now my pleasure to write this message as the new Chair of Chemistry. The outgoing Chair, Mark Ratner, did an outstanding job. I can only hope to do as well.

Another sign of change is when new faculty join the department. We are extremely pleased to have Professors Danna Freedman, David Harris, and Toru Shiozaki begin their independent academic careers at Northwestern. This is the first time, at least in my memory, that the department has hired three assistant professors in one year. Check out their web pages to find out what they are doing.

In June, we celebrated the achievements of our graduating students at Northwestern’s 154th commencement and proudly welcome them as new alumni of Northwestern and the Department of Chemistry. This year, our students received prestigious fellowships and awards from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense and the American Chemical Society. NuMat Technologies, a student entrepreneurial team led by Research Associate Professor Omar Farha, won the Rice Business Plan Competition and the Department of Energy’s inaugural National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition (winning over groups from Harvard, MIT, and Caltech). Chemistry faculty members were also recognized for their scholarly work. Some of the accomplishments included:

- Monica Olvera de la Cruz was elected to the National Academy of Sciences
- Tobin Marks was awarded the Dreyfus Prize in the Chemical Sciences
- Chad Mirkin and Mark Ratner were honored in National Geographic’s “100 Scientific Discoveries That Changed the World.”
- Tobin Marks and Samuel Stupp were elected to the National Academy of Engineering

Monica, Tobin, Chad and Sam have appointments in Materials Science and Engineering as well as Chemistry. Their achievements exemplify the value of strong multi-disciplinary collaborations that are so characteristic of research at Northwestern.

The research that leads to the aforementioned awards wouldn’t be possible without state-of-the-art labs, classrooms and facilities. We are excited to announce the opening of a new Integrated Molecular Structure Education and Research Center (IMSERC) facility in 2013. As a "one stop shop" for molecular structure characterization, all instrumentation and staff scientist offices will be located in a single location. Please stop by the new space the next time you visit campus -- we would be happy to give you a tour.

We hope you will stay connected to the Department of Chemistry and share your news and accomplishments with us. We look forward to hearing from you!

Best regards,

Peter Stair, Chair

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