From the Dean

Many of you watched as our president addressed the nation this past month. President Bush came before Congress with a seeming willingness to work in a bipartisan manner to confront many of the issues that are affecting and troubling American citizens. Many of us wonder, why is this such a hard task for our political representatives? Don’t we, the citizens of the United States work with people, who have different beliefs and agendas than our own—on a daily basis, no less?

If you look at how we operate within the university, we share similarities to Congress, in the sense that we must reach across the aisle and form new collaborations with other departments and colleges. However, if we are honest with ourselves, sometimes collaboration—of any kind—is easier said than done. Sometimes the hardest part is just making the first move to reach out to our colleagues, knowing we must make some concessions along the way and perhaps reconsider the way that we’ve been doing business.

The vitality of any college, university, or business depends upon the strength of its people and their ability to work together. As Dean, I consider myself very fortunate to have such a wonderful group of committed staff and faculty, who often go beyond what is asked—whether in the lab or in the office.

I consider people to be the greatest asset to any organization. Ask any top executive, and I’m sure he or she will agree. Too often, days pass and a kind thank-you goes unmentioned in the haste of our busy pace. We don’t often think about it, but we are all interconnected. Each contribution we make ultimately affects the performance and outcome of another individual and often a department’s achievements. In light of how crucial our people are to the College of Science, we have decided to launch the first Faculty and Staff Recognition Luncheon.

Join me in congratulating those who will be recognized during our inaugural ceremony, as we celebrate and pay tribute to your colleagues who make such a tremendous impact in helping us achieve our mission and goals in the College of Science.

Early Valentine’s Day wishes!
Jeff Vitter

Job Hunting or Know Someone Who Is?

Our friends in the corporate world often ask us to encourage our staff and graduates to apply for jobs, knowing the excellent workforce we exhibit. As a result, we will be linking you to companies, who are providing new positions and career opportunities.

We have just learned that Arxan Technologies, Inc.is hiring. If you haven't heard of Arxan, they offer products and services to protect valuable intellectual property from tampering and theft. Along with his colleagues from Purdue, Mike Atallah, professor of computer science and assistant director of CERIAS, created Arxan. Their customer list has grown to include military agencies, DOD contractors, high value desktop software vendors, embedded systems developers and DRM application vendors.

For additional information on Arxan, please visit our website at www.arxan.com, and for current job postings, please follow this link: Arxan Employment Opportunities.

SPOTLIGHT ON NEW FACULTY

Maxim Lyutikov

Maxim Maxim Lyutikov, assistant professor of physics, does research in high-energy astrophysics, compact objects, extragalactic astrophysics, cosmic rays, and plasma astrophysics. Before joining the CoS faculty, Maxim recently served as a reseach associate for the University of British Columbia.. Full Story

Martin Kruczenski

kruz Martin Kruczenski joined Purdue as an assistant professor of physics. Martin's areas of interest include string theory and its connections to gauge theory, how strings emerge from gauge theory in the large N limit, applications to quantum chromodynamics, string descriptions of confining gauge theories, string theory and blackhole physics, and supergravity. Martin previous served as a post doctoral researcher at Princeton University. Full story

SCIENCE PEOPLE

Mario J. Paniccia named Intel Fellow

mario Congratulations to Mario J. Paniccia, who has been appointed an Intel Fellow and director of the Photonics Technology Lab. Paniccia earned his Ph.D. in solid state physics from Purdue University in 1994. He joined Intel in 1995 as a lead researcher, developing a novel optical testing technology for probing transistor timing in microprocessors. Today this optical testing technology is the standard in the industry. Full story

Patrick Eugster earns prestigous CAREER Award

eugster We are pleased to announce that Patrick Eugster, assistant professor of Computer Science and head of the Photonics Technology Lab, has earned the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, being recognized for his project on "Pervasive Programming with Event Correlation." The CAREER program recognizes and supports the early career-development activities of teacher-scholars who are most likely to become academic leaders of the 21st century.

Graham Cooks interview with ChemTech

Graham Cooks, the Henry B. Hass Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry, recently conducted an interview with ChemTech magazine, which highlights the latest applications and technological aspects of research across the chemical sciences.Graham has earned international acclaim for his work in mass spectrometry, including fundamental phenomena, instrumentation, and analytical applications. Full story

SCIENCE NEWS AND RESEARCH

EAS faculty featured in new book Arctic Thaw

Arctic Thaw, The People of the Whale in a Changing Climate by Peter Lourie, features Paul Shepson and several members of his research group. The book is due for release in March and is suitable for children nine years of age and older, as well as adults of all ages. Visit the author’s website.

New single-molecule imaging system ends pRNA debate over phi29 motor

xao Scientists are able to view active molecules within a biological motor of the nanometer scale with the help of a new imaging system far more sensitive and powerful than existing optical microscopes. A Purdue University researcher has created a single-molecule imaging system to view deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA) and other tiny biological molecules. Full story

Studying large growth cones with nanometer resolution

An interdisplinary team from the Department of Biological Sciences, School of Chemical Engineering, and Bindley Biosciences Center at Purdue made the cover article in the December issue of Journal of Neurobiology. Full story

Healthcare focus moving to healing, not sickness, expert says

In years to come, hospitals and other healthcare facilities will look more like hotels or resorts and less like the institutional, often inconveniently designed buildings many think of today. Full story

Purdue looks to expand bridge to India

A delegation from Purdue University's Discovery Park is traveling in India from Jan. 29 to Feb. 7 to meet with government, industry, and university officials to sign a collaborative agreement with the country's Department of Science and Technology. Full story

Big molecule in a big fight

The next big thing in the fight against cancer may be just that—big. Chemistry associate professor P. V. Ramachandran and his team have created a synthetic replica of a large molecule found naturally in marine sponges, according to research published in Organic Letters. The molecule, dictyostatin, is a potential anti-tumor agent and has fewer side effects than similar drugs currently on the market, like paclitaxel (Taxol). Gathering the material naturally from marine sponges poses tremendous challenges. The work grows out of Ramachandran’s interest in the synthesis of medicinally important natural products via boranes—inorganic compounds of boron and hydrogen. Ramachandran is the director of the Herbert C. Brown Center for Borane Research in Purdue’s Department of Chemistry. Full story

New technology accurately identifies E. coli for food safety

Researchers have shown that a new low-cost system to quicklyidentify bacteria by analyzing scattered laser light can accurately distinguish between different strains of E. coli, a potentially valuable way to screen the food supply. The technique, which works by passing a laser beam through bacterial colonies growing on a nutrient medium, also promises to have future applications in medicine and homeland security, identifying dangerous organisms far more quickly and at much lower cost than conventional technologies. Full story

Stonehenge workers' village found

A village of small houses that may have sheltered the builders of the mysterious Stonehenge or people attending festivals there has been found by archaeologists studying the stone circle in England. Full story

PURDUE NEWS

Indy company rides biotech breakthrough. Full story

Economist: Road to energy independence could be bumpy. Full Story

Chemical explosion injures Purdue postdoctoral researcher. Full Story

Tweaksters explore, defy physics in "Fabulous Feats of Physical Fun!" Full Story

Television can sour relationships this Valentine's Day. Full Story

SCIENCE ALUMNI NEWS

Alumni, we want to hear from you! Please update your information and share your personal and professional news with the Science community. Click here.

Science Kids Club blasts off

The Science Kids Club is off and running! Since we launched the club in October, nearly 200 kids of all ages have joined! Enroll the special kids in your life in the Science Kids Club for Science fun for kids of all ages. More information.

Stay connected!

Join the Purdue Web Community and stay connected to your alma mater. This interactive site will help you keep in touch with your Purdue family—your friends, faculty and staff, and fellow alumni. Sign up and get started.

Increase your reach: Support Science by joining the Purdue President’s Council!

The President's Council is a unique group of alumni and friends who contribute generously to the future of Purdue University. Working closely with the president, these leaders volunteer to support the University in ways that are very personal and meaningful to them. Through special events and programs, members build strong and lasting relationships with one another—relationships that enhance their experiences and change their lives. Join online!

Make the most of your gift!

The newly passed Pension Protection Act of 2006 contains a two-year IRA Charitable Rollover provision that will allow people age 70½ or older to exclude up to $100,000 from their gross income for a taxable year for direct gifts from a traditional or Roth IRA to a qualified charity in 2006 and 2007. To see about how you can take advantage of this opportunity to increase your giving power, read on!

SCIENCE EVENTS AND CALENDAR

Feb. 3. 11:30 a.m. Ag Fish Fry. Indiana State Fairgrounds, Blue Ribbon Pavilion.

Feb. 3. 3 p.m. "Fabulous Feats of Physical Fun!"Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center.

Feb. 6. Noon. Faculty and Staff Awards Luncheon. PMU, East/West Faculty Lounge.

Feb. 8. 12:15 p.m. Hillenbrand Dining Court. Cooking Valentine's Day sweets.

Feb. 9-13. Presidents Council Naples Weekend, read on.

Feb. 12. 6– 8 p.m. Barnes & Thornburg LLP Panel Discussion. Whistler, Room 116.

Feb. 22. 4:30-5:30 p.m. Inaugural Laskowski Lecture. WTHR, Room 104, hosted by Dr. Robert Van Etten.

Science Events

Science Seminars

Purdue Events

.


February 2007
From the Dean Many of you watched as our president addressed the nation this past month. President Bush came before Congress with a seeming willingness to work in a bipartisan manner to confront many of the issues that are affecting and troubling American citizens. Many of us wonder, why is this such a hard task for our political representatives? Don’t we, the citizens of the United States work with people, who have different beliefs and agendas than our own—on a daily basis, no less? If you look at how we operate within the university, we share similarities to Congress, in the sense that we must reach across the aisle and form new collaborations with other departments and colleges. However, if we are honest with ourselves, sometimes collaboration—of any kind—is easier said than done. Sometimes the hardest part is just making the first move to reach out to our colleagues, knowing we must make some concessions along the way and perhaps reconsider the way that we’ve been doing business. The vitality of any college, university, or business depends upon the strength of its people and their ability to work together. As Dean, I consider myself very fortunate to have such a wonderful group of committed staff and faculty, who often go beyond what is asked—whether in the lab or in the office. I consider people to be the greatest asset to any organization. Ask any top executive, and I’m sure he or she will agree. Too often, days pass and a kind thank-you goes unmentioned in the haste of our busy pace. We don’t often think about it, but we are all interconnected. Each contribution we make ultimately affects the performance and outcome of another individual and often a department’s achievements. In light of how crucial our people are to the College of Science, we have decided to launch the first Faculty and Staff Recognition Luncheon. Join me in congratulating those who will be recognized during our inaugural ceremony, as we celebrate and pay tribute to your colleagues who make such a tremendous impact in helping us achieve our mission and goals in the College of Science. Early Valentine’s Day wishes! Jeff Vitter Job Hunting or Know Someone Who Is? Our friends in the corporate world often ask us to encourage our staff and graduates to apply for jobs, knowing the excellent workforce we exhibit. As a result, we will be linking you to companies, who are providing new positions and career opportunities. We have just learned that Arxan Technologies, Inc.is hiring. If you haven't heard of Arxan, they offer products and services to protect valuable intellectual property from tampering and theft. Along with his colleagues from Purdue, Mike Atallah, professor of computer science and assistant director of CERIAS, created Arxan. Their customer list has grown to include military agencies, DOD contractors, high value desktop software vendors, embedded systems developers and DRM application vendors. For additional information on Arxan, please visit our website at www.arxan.com, and for current job postings, please follow this link: Arxan Employment Opportunities. *SPOTLIGHT ON NEW FACULTY* Maxim Lyutikov Maxim Lyutikov, assistant professor of physics, does research in high-energy astrophysics, compact objects, extragalactic astrophysics, cosmic rays, and plasma astrophysics. Before joining the CoS faculty, Maxim recently served as a reseach associate for the University of British Columbia.. Full Story Martin Kruczenski Martin Kruczenski joined Purdue as an assistant professor of physics. Martin's areas of interest include string theory and its connections to gauge theory, how strings emerge from gauge theory in the large N limit, applications to quantum chromodynamics, string descriptions of confining gauge theories, string theory and blackhole physics, and supergravity. Martin previous served as a post doctoral researcher at Princeton University. Full story *SCIENCE PEOPLE* Mario J. Paniccia named Intel Fellow Congratulations to Mario J. Paniccia, who has been appointed an Intel Fellow and director of the Photonics Technology Lab. Paniccia earned his Ph.D. in solid state physics from Purdue University in 1994. He joined Intel in 1995 as a lead researcher, developing a novel optical testing technology for probing transistor timing in microprocessors. Today this optical testing technology is the standard in the industry. Full story Patrick Eugster earns prestigous CAREER Award We are pleased to announce that Patrick Eugster, assistant professor of Computer Science and head of the Photonics Technology Lab, has earned the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, being recognized for his project on "Pervasive Programming with Event Correlation." The CAREER program recognizes and supports the early career-development activities of teacher-scholars who are most likely to become academic leaders of the 21st century. Graham Cooks interview with ChemTech Graham Cooks, the Henry B. Hass Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry, recently conducted an interview with ChemTech magazine, which highlights the latest applications and technological aspects of research across the chemical sciences.Graham has earned international acclaim for his work in mass spectrometry, including fundamental phenomena, instrumentation, and analytical applications. Full story *SCIENCE NEWS AND RESEARCH* EAS faculty featured in new book Arctic Thaw Arctic Thaw, The People of the Whale in a Changing Climate by Peter Lourie, features Paul Shepson and several members of his research group. The book is due for release in March and is suitable for children nine years of age and older, as well as adults of all ages. Visit the author’s website. New single-molecule imaging system ends pRNA debate over phi29 motor Scientists are able to view active molecules within a biological motor of the nanometer scale with the help of a new imaging system far more sensitive and powerful than existing optical microscopes. A Purdue University researcher has created a single-molecule imaging system to view deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA) and other tiny biological molecules. Full story Studying large growth cones with nanometer resolution An interdisplinary team from the Department of Biological Sciences, School of Chemical Engineering, and Bindley Biosciences Center at Purdue made the cover article in the December issue of Journal of Neurobiology. Full story Healthcare focus moving to healing, not sickness, expert says In years to come, hospitals and other healthcare facilities will look more like hotels or resorts and less like the institutional, often inconveniently designed buildings many think of today. Full story Purdue looks to expand bridge to India A delegation from Purdue University's Discovery Park is traveling in India from Jan. 29 to Feb. 7 to meet with government, industry, and university officials to sign a collaborative agreement with the country's Department of Science and Technology. Full story Big molecule in a big fight The next big thing in the fight against cancer may be just that—big. Chemistry associate professor P. V. Ramachandran and his team have created a synthetic replica of a large molecule found naturally in marine sponges, according to research published in Organic Letters. The molecule, dictyostatin, is a potential anti-tumor agent and has fewer side effects than similar drugs currently on the market, like paclitaxel (Taxol). Gathering the material naturally from marine sponges poses tremendous challenges. The work grows out of Ramachandran’s interest in the synthesis of medicinally important natural products via boranes—inorganic compounds of boron and hydrogen. Ramachandran is the director of the Herbert C. Brown Center for Borane Research in Purdue’s Department of Chemistry. Full story New technology accurately identifies E. coli for food safety Researchers have shown that a new low-cost system to quicklyidentify bacteria by analyzing scattered laser light can accurately distinguish between different strains of E. coli, a potentially valuable way to screen the food supply. The technique, which works by passing a laser beam through bacterial colonies growing on a nutrient medium, also promises to have future applications in medicine and homeland security, identifying dangerous organisms far more quickly and at much lower cost than conventional technologies. Full story Stonehenge workers' village found A village of small houses that may have sheltered the builders of the mysterious Stonehenge or people attending festivals there has been found by archaeologists studying the stone circle in England. Full story PURDUE NEWS Indy company rides biotech breakthrough. Full story Economist: Road to energy independence could be bumpy. Full Story Chemical explosion injures Purdue postdoctoral researcher. Full Story Tweaksters explore, defy physics in "Fabulous Feats of Physical Fun!" Full Story Television can sour relationships this Valentine's Day. Full Story SCIENCE ALUMNI NEWS Alumni, we want to hear from you! Please update your information and share your personal and professional news with the Science community. Click here. Science Kids Club blasts off The Science Kids Club is off and running! Since we launched the club in October, nearly 200 kids of all ages have joined! Enroll the special kids in your life in the Science Kids Club for Science fun for kids of all ages. More information. Stay connected! Join the Purdue Web Community and stay connected to your alma mater. This interactive site will help you keep in touch with your Purdue family—your friends, faculty and staff, and fellow alumni. Sign up and get started. Increase your reach: Support Science by joining the Purdue President’s Council! The President's Council is a unique group of alumni and friends who contribute generously to the future of Purdue University. Working closely with the president, these leaders volunteer to support the University in ways that are very personal and meaningful to them. Through special events and programs, members build strong and lasting relationships with one another—relationships that enhance their experiences and change their lives. Join online! Make the most of your gift! The newly passed Pension Protection Act of 2006 contains a two-year IRA Charitable Rollover provision that will allow people age 70½ or older to exclude up to $100,000 from their gross income for a taxable year for direct gifts from a traditional or Roth IRA to a qualified charity in 2006 and 2007. To see about how you can take advantage of this opportunity to increase your giving power, read on! *SCIENCE EVENTS AND CALENDAR* Feb. 3. 11:30 a.m. Ag Fish Fry. Indiana State Fairgrounds, Blue Ribbon Pavilion. Feb. 3. 3 p.m. "Fabulous Feats of Physical Fun!"Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center. Feb. 6. Noon. Faculty and Staff Awards Luncheon. PMU, East/West Faculty Lounge. Feb. 8. 12:15 p.m. Hillenbrand Dining Court. Cooking Valentine's Day sweets. Feb. 9-13. Presidents Council Naples Weekend, read on. Feb. 12. 6– 8 p.m. Barnes & Thornburg LLP Panel Discussion. Whistler, Room 116. Feb. 22. 4:30-5:30 p.m. Inaugural Laskowski Lecture. WTHR, Room 104, hosted by Dr. Robert Van Etten. Science Events Science Seminars Purdue Events .	In this Issue: Science People Mario J. Paniccia Named Intel Fellow Professor Eugster Earns Prestigous CAREER Award Grahm Cooks Interview with ChemTech Paul Shepson and EAS featured in new book Meet new Physics faculty Araxan Job Postings Plus More! Science News and Research New single-molecule imaging system Studying large growth cones with nanometer resolution Health-care trend moving focus on healing, not sickness, expert says Purdue looks to expand bridge to India Big molecule in a big fight New technology accurately identifies E. coli for food safety Stonehenge workers' village found Purdue News Indy company rides biotech breakthrough Purdue looks to expand bridge to India Road to energy independence could be bumpy Chemical explosion injures Purdue postdoctoral "Fabulous Feats of Physical Fun!" Television can sour relationships this Valentine's Day Science Alumni News Job Hunting or Know Someone Who Is? Science Events and Calendar Science alumni: We want to hear from you! Share your professional news and your personal and family milestones by clicking here. Contact us Past issues of Science @ Purdue Insights, the College of Science Magazine Scientific Notation, a publication by Purdue Science Student Council College of Science Purdue News Purdue University