Physical Chemistry Symposium Workshop for Undergraduate Chemistry Majors

American Chemical Society National Meeting
Washington, DC
August 16 - 20, 2009

Following on the success of the programming in Philadelphia last summer, Tom Stephenson will be organizing Workshops for Undergraduate Chemistry Majors at the Fall ACS meeting in Washington, DC. The focus audience is junior (rising senior) chemistry majors and applications are due by Feb. 13, 2009.

We will select up to 25 outstanding undergraduate chemistry students for a series of undergraduate student-focused talks and social events during the Washington meeting. The 2009 program chair for the Division of Physical Chemistry, Professor Martin Head-Gordon (UC-Berkeley), has assembled a dynamic program that touches on many of the most exciting areas in physical chemistry. For undergraduates who have completed the standard junior-level physical chemistry curriculum, the variety and specialization of these talks can be overwhelming. We plan a series of introductory talks for the undergraduates that will provide additional content and context so that they can make the best use of their time at the ACS meeting. In addition, we will schedule evening social events with selected speakers. Participants are also invited to present their research results as part of the Division of Physical Chemistry poster session.

With the financial support of the Division and a generous gift in honor of Professor Paul Raccah, we are able to pay for the student affiliate registration fee (and student affiliate membership fee, if needed) for the 25 undergraduate participants. We are not able, however, to support transportation, housing or meal costs (except for one dinner with symposium speakers and organizers) and ask that as part of the nomination process, your institution commit the funds needed to make student participation possible.

Ideal candidates for participation in this program will be chemistry majors who have completed their junior year at the time of the Washington meeting, have completed at least one semester of physical chemistry and will be planning to spend the summer of 2009 engaged in undergraduate research. The application form (pdf, MS-Word), which also details the application procedure and timeline, can be found below.

Questions should be addressed to Tom Stephenson (tstephe1@swarthmore.edu)

Application Instructions

A complete application consists of:

1. The one-page application form (pdf, MS-Word) to be completed by the student nominee
2. A copy of the student's undergraduate transcript (an unofficial copy is adequate)
3. The institutional commitment form
4. One letter of recommendation from a faculty member who knows the nominee well.

Instructions for the student nominee:

1. Complete the application form (pdf, MS-Word).
2. Request a letter of recommendation from a faculty member who is familiar with your work. Ask the faculty member to send the letter directly to the address shown below.
3. Obtain a financial commitment from your department chair or other relevant official. Use the institutional commitment form included as part of this packet (pdf, MS-Word).
4. Obtain a copy of your undergraduate transcript - an unofficial photocopy is adequate.
5. Mail your application form, the institutional commitment form and your transcript to the address shown below.

The deadline for the receipt of all application materials is Friday, February 13, 2009. All materials must be addressed to:

Nominees will be notified of the status of their applications no later than February 27, 2009.

Questions? Contact Tom Stephenson at 610/328-8561 or tstephe1@swarthmore.edu

Physical Chemistry Symposium Workshop for Undergraduate Chemistry Majors
American Chemical Society National Meeting
Washington, DC
August 16 - 20, 2009

Introductory talks will be organized to support the following Physical Chemistry Division Symposia

• The Physical Chemistry of Photon to Fuel Conversion
  Organizers: Heinz Frei (Lawrence Berkeley Lab), David Chandler (Berkeley), Elaine Chandler (Lawrence Berkeley Lab)
• Molecular Basis of Protein Aggregation and Amyloid Folding
  Organizers: Joan Shea (U.C. Santa Barbara), Ehud Gazit (Tel Aviv)
• Fluorescence Microscopy Beyond the Diffraction Limit
  Organizers: Jim Weisshaar (Wisconsin), Jan Liphardt (Berkeley)
• Chemical Reaction Dynamics in Gaseous and Condensed Phases
  Organizers: Simon North (Texas A&M), David Blank (Minnesota)
• Protected Metallic Clusters, Quantum Wells and Metal-Nanocrystal Molecules
  Organizers: Rob Whetten (Georgia Tech), Ignacio Garzon (UNAM), Ted Goodson (Michigan)