News

2009-12-31 - The Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois is delighted to announce that Professor Catherine J. Murphy will be joining our faculty next fall.   Cathy graduated magna cum laude (Bronze Tablet) from UIUC in 1986 with a double degree in Chemistry and Biochemistry.  After obtaining a Ph.D. with Art Ellis at Wisconsin, she held sequential NSF and NIH postdoctoral fellowships...

2009-12-31 - LAS News writer Doug Peterson has written an article regarding Carl "Speed" Marvel and the Rubber Project. Read more at the LAS News website.

2009-12-31 - Dr. Ben McCall has won the Colblentz Award, given annually in the Molecular Spectroscopy Symposium at Ohio State. Read more about the Coblentz Award here, at their website: http://www.coblentz.org/COBLIST.HTM

2009-12-31 - Dr. Yi Lu and researchers have developed a new approach to cancer chemotherapy using short DNA strands to help target delivery of the drug directly to cancer cells, and 'call it off' should problems arise. Read more about this discovery in the RSC Chemistry World article. Illinois News Bureau Article CHAMPAIGN...

2009-12-31 - Pathogen recognition is the foundation of the body's immune response and survival against infection. A small cell-receptor protein called DC-SIGN is part of the immune system, and recognizes certain pathogens, including those responsible for Ebola, Dengue fever and HIV. How the molecule binds to pathogens has been unclear. New findings from a research team led by University of Illinois chemist...

2009-12-31 - Corked Bats and Distortion Goggles In Chicago, LAS students tackle the science of sports.When a professional pitcher hurls a 90-mile-per-hour fastball, the batter has roughly 450 milliseconds to swing, 300 of which are taken up looking at the ball, figuring out where it is heading, and deciding whether to swing. That gives a player about 150 milliseconds to actually swing the bat, which is why...

2009-12-31 - Parachute cords, climbing ropes, and smart coatings for bridges that change color when overstressed are several possible uses for force-sensitive polymers being developed by researchers at the University of Illinois. The polymers contain mechanically active molecules called mechanophores. When pushed or pulled with a certain force, specific chemical reactions are triggered in the mechanophores...

2009-12-31 - Dr. Ben McCall has won the prestigious 2009 Sloan Research Fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

2009-12-31 - Neil Kelleher received the 2009 Biemann Medal from the American Society for Mass Spectrometry. The Biemann Medal recognizes a significant achievement in basic or applied mass spectrometry made by an individual early in his or her career. Nominees should be within 15 years of receipt of the Ph.D. at the time they are nominated. The award is presented in honor of Professor Klaus Biemann whose...

2009-12-31 - The Holiday Chemistry Magic Show was featured on YouTube and on the Popular Science web site. See the Popular Science article & video or the...

2009-12-31 - Water molecules and proteins make good dance partners, and LAS scientists have the evidence to back it up. An LAS research team has become the first to measure the activity of water molecules as they perform an intricate ballet during protein folding, a process that enables proteins to perform their jobs within the body. Water molecules are not idle spectators to the folding process, but are...

2009-12-31 - A new method to induce protein folding by taking the pressure off of proteins is up to 100 times faster than previous methods, and could help guide more accurate computer simulations for how complex proteins fold, according to research by a team of University of Illinois scientists accepted for publication in the journal Nature Methods and posted on the journal's Web site May 31.

2009-12-31 - A study led by researchers at the University of Illinois reveals how a cellular protein recognizes an invading virus and alerts the body to the infection.The research, described this week in the journal Science and led by Illinois physics professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Taekjip Ha, settles a debate over how the protein, RIG-I (pronounced rig-EYE), is able to distinguish...

2009-12-31 - John Hartwig was selected to receive the prestigious 2009/2010 Joseph Chatt Award by the Royal Society of Chemistry for his highly original research in organometallic catalysis.

2009-12-31 - Dr. John Hartwig of Chemistry has just won the 2009 Mitsui Chemicals Catalysis Science Award for his work in the "Development of New Practical Catalytic Reactions Including Efficient C-H Bond Activation and Coupling Reactions".