December 2004

Around DMSE

Personnel

Aza Gevorkian will join ASO as a Human Resources Representative effective December 6. Aza will fill the role that Esther Greaves-Estwick vacated when she was recently promoted to Human Resources Administrator. Aza comes to us from Harvard University, where she is was a Staff Assistant at the Business School. Prior to moving to Boston, Aza worked as an Administrative Specialist in Benefits at UCLA, and she wishes to again work in the area of Human Resources. Aza's office will be located in ASO 8-328, and she will be reachable at 258-7045. Please join in welcoming Aza to her new role!

Events

Upgrade your version of Beilstein/Gmelin Crossfire to Version 7! (Note: this upgrade is only for PC's. MDL is currently not planning on an upgrade for mac users, but will continue to support version 6.) How? Go to the MIT libraries site for instructions. Because Version 7 is quite different from the previous versions, you may want to keep the older version on your computer until you get to used to version 7 (when installing version 7, you'll be asked if you want to delete any previous versions, say no).

Need help using Crossfire? Attend an IAP session!

CrossFire Beilstein and Gmelin - Advanced Features

Erja Kajosalo

Wed Jan 19, 10:30-11:30am, 14N-132 (DIRC)

Enrollment limited: first come, first served

Limited to 20 participants.

Prereq: Used either Beilstein or Gmelin

This session will demonstrate MDL Crossfire Commander software for searching information on organic and inorganic compounds using the latest version of CrossFire (version 7.0). The Beilstein database covers over 8 million compounds and reactions in organic chemistry. Gmelin provides access to over 1.5 million inorganic compounds and reactions, including organometallics.

We will also cover advanced substructure, reaction and factual searching.

Contact: Erja Kajosalo, 14S-132, x3-9795, kajosalo@mit.edu

IAP 2005 runs January 3-28, 2005. See the IAP website for a listing of subjects and activities offered. Please contact Kathy Farrell to propose an IAP activity or class.

Course 3 Activities and Subjects Offered IAP 2005 are:

• In Vino Veritas offered by Prof. Linn W. Hobbs, DMSE
• DMSE Graduate Medallion Casting offered by Mr. Jorge Feuchtwanger, DMSE Grad Student, and Mr. Marc Richard, DMSE Grad Student
• Glass Blowing offered by Mr. Peter Houk, DMSE Affiliate
• Introduction to Welding offered by Mr. Toby Bashaw (not yet posted)
• Introduction to Blacksmithing offered by Mr. Toby Bashaw (not yet posted)
• 3.37 Welding & Joining Processes taught by Prof. Thomas W. Eagar
• 3.371 Welding Technology taught by Prof. Thomas W. Eagar
• 3.53 Electrochemical Processing of Materials taught by Prof. Donald R. Sadoway

MIT's SUMMER INSTITUTE IN THE MATERIALS SCIENCE OF MATERIAL CULTURE [SIMSMC] to be held 6-17 June 2005. Sponsored by NSF, MIT convenes the fourth annual Summer Institute in the Materials Science of Material Culture [SIMSMC]. The job of SIMSMC is to encourage and assist faculty at liberal arts colleges in introducing materials science and engineering to their undergraduate curricula in imaginative and intellectually stimulating ways that are congruent with and relevant to the pursuits of liberal arts institutions. Archaeological science is the vehicle through which the SIMSMC instructors accomplish this educational goal.

SIMSMC participants are faculty drawn primarily from undergraduate liberal arts institutions that do not offer engineering. They represent a broad range of fields, including: anthropology, archaeology, art history, biology, chemistry, classics, earth sciences, environmental science, geography, history, physics. A few engineering faculty members may round out the group. The SIMSMC is a liberal arts guide to planning effective integration of these areas with materials engineering.

Working together with these colleagues, the MIT SIMSMC faculty present teaching modules that explore materials engineering in the context of material culture. In morning lectures and afternoon laboratories, the Summer Institutes concentrate on the materials processing technologies that transform natural and synthetic materials into cultural objects. Our template joins archaeology and materials science and engineering, but art history, classics, environmental science, geography, history and other fields are all excellent vehicles for providing students with an integrated educational experience as they explore the relations between people and their material world.

SIMSMC pays participant expenses: round-trip travel to MIT, housing on campus, and meals. Visit the SIMSMC website for an on-line APPLICATION FORM and further information.

Archives

Please contact Rachel Kemper with news and announcements for this page. The DMSE community will be informed of changes and updates to this page through regular e-mail notifications. Please see recent award opportunities and job postings in relevant fields.