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Summer/September 2016 Vol. XCV, No.1
NORTHEASTERN SECTION • AMERICAN CHEMIC
ALSO
CIET
Y
FOUNDED 1898
NESACS
Monthly MeetingA Medicinal Chemistry Symposium at TakedaOncology: “Art and Science of Hit Generation”
Vivian WalworthIn Memoriam - 1922–2016
20th Andrew H. WeinbergMemorial LectureThe Birds of BuchenwaldBy Leland L. Johnson, Jr.
The Nucleus Summer/September 2016 3
The Nucleus is published monthly, except June and August, by the Northeastern Section of the AmericanChemical Society, Inc. Forms close for advertising on the 1st of the month of the preceding issue. Textmust be received by the editor six weeks before the date of issue.Editor: Michael P. Filosa, Ph.D., 18 Tamarack Road, Medfield, MA 02052 Email:
[email protected]; Tel: 508-843-9070Associate Editors: Myron S. Simon, 60 Seminary Ave. apt 272, Auburndale, MA 02466
Morton HoffmanBoard of Publications: James Phillips (Chair), Mary Mahaney, Ajay Purohit, Ken DrewBusiness Manager: Joshua Fine, Email: [email protected] Manager: Vacant: contact Michael Filosa at [email protected] Coordinator: Xavier Herault, Email: [email protected]: Morton Hoffman and James PhillipsProofreaders: Donald O. Rickter, Morton Z. Hoffman, Carol Mulrooney Webmaster: Roy Hagen, Email: [email protected] 2016, Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society, Inc.
The Northeastern Section of the American-Chemical Society, Inc.Office: Anna Singer, 12 Corcoran Road,Burlington, MA 01803(Voice or FAX) 781-272-1966.e-mail: [email protected] Homepage:http://www.NESACS.orgOfficers 2016ChairJerry P. JasinskiKeene State CollegeKeene, NH [email protected] L. Johnson, Jr.Conditas Biotechnology GroupP.O. Box 540Brookline, MA [email protected] Past ChairKatherine L. LeePfizer610 Main StreetCambridge, MA [email protected] SingerMilliporeSigma3 Strathmore Rd, Natick, MA 01760774-290-1391, [email protected] Piper19 Mill Rd, Harvard, MA 01451978-456-3155, [email protected] GordonArchivistKen MattesTrusteesDorothy Phillips, Ruth Tanner, Peter C. MeltzerDirectors-at-LargeDavid Harris, John Neumeyer, Ralph Scannell, John Burke, Ioannis Papayannopoulos, Christine Jaworek-LopesCouncilors /Alternate CouncilorsTerm Ends 12/31/2016Michael Singer Raymond BorgMary Shultz Mukund ChorghadeRobert Lichter Mary MahaneySophia R. Su Raj RajurMarietta Schwartz Sonja Strah-PleynetTerm Ends 12/31/2017Michael P. Filosa John PodobinskiDoris I. Lewis Patrick GordonChristine Jaworek-Lopes Anna SromekPatricia A. Mabrouk Mary BurgessMark Tebbe Ralph ScannellMorton Z. Hoffman Leland L. Johnson, Jr.Term Ends 12/31/2018Katherine Lee Kenneth MattesCatherine E. Costello Jackie O'NeilRuth Tanner Andrew ScholteMichaeline Chen Jerry P. Jasinski
ContentsVivian Walworth (In Memoriam - 1922–2016) _______________4By Mary McCann and John McCann
Monthly Meeting _______________________________________5A Medicinal Chemistry Symposium at Takeda Oncology: “Art and Science of HitGeneration”
Call for Nominations __________________________________5,6The Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public InterestThe 2016 Richards Medal Award
Call for Applications ____________________________________6NSYCC/NESACS-JCF/GDCh Exchange to Germany March 25–April 2, 2017
The 20th Andrew H. Weinberg Memorial Lecture______________7Mignon Lee-Cheun Loh, MD to speak at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
The Birds of Buchenwald_________________________________8By Leland L. Johnson, Jr.
NESACS Election Results _______________________________11
NUCLEUS Advertising Rates _____________________________13
NESACS Calendar _____________________________________16
Cover: (L-R) Jerry Jasinski (2016 NESACS Chair), Professor Timothy M. Swager (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and 2016 Esselen Award Recipi-ent) and Gustavus John Esselen IV at the Esselen Award dinner and award pres-entation held at the Harvard Faculty Club and the Pfizer Lecture Hall on April 7,2016. (Photo by Joel Laino).
Deadlines: October 2016 Issue: August 15, 2016 November 2016 Issue: September 15, 2016
All Chairs of standingCommittees, the editor of THE NUCLEUS, and the Trustees of SectionFunds are members of theBoard of Directors. AnyCoun cilor of the American Chemical Societyresiding within the section area is an ex officiomember of the Board of Directors.
4 The Nucleus Summer/September 2016
Reprinted with permission from the Soci-ety of Imaging Science and Technology(IS&T), from The Reporter, “Remember-ing Vivian Walworth: 1922 – 2016,Founding Member of IS&T, President,Editor, Scientist,” vol. 31, issue #2 (April-June 2016).Vivian Walworth was a Founding mem-ber in 1947 of the Society of Photo-graphic Scientists and Engineers, nowImaging Science and Technology(IS&T). She served our Society inmany ways for 69 years. She hadplanned to attend the 2016 EI meetingin San Francisco. She passed away onMarch 29, 2016.
She served IS&T on its Board ofDirectors, and was President from 1981-1985. She was the editor of the Journalof Imaging Science and its successorJournal of Imaging Science and Tech-nology from 1989-1996. She foundedthe IS&T Reporter, and was its editor fortwenty-two years. A generation of au-thors has benefited from her thoughtfuldiscussions of content and her helpfulsuggestions for improving the clarity oftheir message.
For her engagement with the IS&T,she was elected a Fellow of the Society1987, Honorary Member 2001, and re-ceived the rare President’s Citation in1988 and in 2009; Senior Member 1974;Service Award 1966.
Vivian received a B.S. in Chemistryfrom the University of Michigan in1942. Upon her arrival at Polaroid in1944, she joined the development teamof Polaroid’s first imaging product, Vec-
tographs. She worked on all aspects ofthe program, from design and manufac-ture, to installation of processing equip-ment and training. That 3D imagingmaterial was used extensively duringWorld War II for displaying aerial re-connaissance information. A hanger-sized display of Vectographs of theNormandy coast was part of the Alliedpreparations for the D-Day Invasion.After the war, her work continued toColor Vectographs and 3D movies. Thatwork extended into research and devel-opment of silver halide emulsions forPolaroid Instant Photography.
Vivian led Polaroid’s research onsilver halide emulsions from 1961 untilshe retired in 1985 as the Senior Man-ager for Photosensitive Materials. Vi-vian interacted with Ansel Adams andJohn Sexton, Polaroid consultants, onmany photographic projects. She wasPolaroid’s scientific interface with WolfBerg and J. W. Mitchel, international ex-perts in emulsion research. Her lab pro-vided tailored emulsions for the newPolaroid instant films then under devel-opment, and served as a resource for thecompany’s emulsion pilot and produc-tion plants. Her work at Polaroid in-cluded research and development ofpolarizers, 3D imaging processes, pho-tosensitive materials and photomicrog-raphy. Her 28 Patents reflect hercontributions in these fields.
Her laboratory provided special
support for Polavision, Polaroid’sunique instant additive color motion pic-ture film. Unlike most Polaroid film sys-tems that stripped the developedemulsion off the final print, this systemleft the entire emulsion in place on themovie film. The change in optical den-sity from projected white to projectedblack was the result of changes in silvercovering power. Unlike most silver im-ages, the entire image had a constantamount of silver. Whites were made bycompact chemically developed silver,while blacks were made of diffuse, high-covering power silver. Although Polav-ision was not a commercial success, theemulsion technology was remarkable.
Vivian Walworth In Memoriam-1922–2016By John and Mary McCann
2015 NESACS SponsorsInstititution Contribution LevelAmgen PlatinumBiogen, Idec PlatinumDavos Pharma PlatinumJohnson-Matthey PlatinumSK Life Sciences PlatinumNavin Fluorine International GoldVertex GoldEsselen Fund of the Boston Silver
FoundationMerck and Co. SilverNational Institute of Standards Silver
(NIST)Pharmacore SilverPLR Brand Services (Polaroid) SilverSanofi SilverMillipore-Sigma BronzeEuropean Chemical Sciences Bronze
(EuCheMS)The Royal Society of Chemistry BronzeGerman Chemical Society Bronze
(GDCh)Novartis BronzeStrem Chemicals BronzeContribution Levels DonationPlatinum $5,000+Gold $3,500-$4999Silver $2,000-$3,499Bronze $500-$1,999Meeting SponsorsAmgenCape Cod Community CollegeGenzyme-Sanofi Nova BiomedicalTakedaVertex
continued on page 12
(L-R) Elsa Dorfman, Vivian Walworth and DianeGrob Schmidt (ACS President) with the plaquehonoring Edwin Land at the NHCL dedicationheld at the MIT Museum on August 13, 2015.
(Photo by Samara Vise)
Photo by Olan Mills.
The Nucleus Summer/September 2016 5
Monthly MeetingThe 962nd Meeting of the Northeastern Section of the AmericanChemical Society
A Medicinal Chemistry Symposium“Art and Science of Hit Generation”
Thursday, September 8, 2016Takeda Oncology
40 Landsdowne Street, Cambridge, MA 02139For updated information please see the NESACS website. www.nesacs.org3:00 pm Refreshments3:15 pm Welcome3:20 pm Introductory Remarks
Confirmed SpeakersAlan Rigby, CSO, Warp Drive Bio, Cambridge, MAYun Ding, Manager Discovery Chemistry,
GlaxoSmithKline, ELT-Boston, Waltham, MAAnne Mai Wasserman, Merck Research Laboratory, Boston, MACraig Blain, RA Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, MA
6:00 pm Social Hour6:45 pm Dinner7:30 pm Keynote PresentationYOU MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE TO ATTEND THE SYMPO-SIUM. THERE IS NO REGISTRATION FEE TO ATTEND THE SYM-POSIUM. DINNER RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. THE PUBLICIS INVITEDDinner reservations should be made no later than noon, Thursday, September 1,2016. Reservations are to be made using PayPal: http://www.acssymposium.com/medchem-paypal.html. Select pay with credit or debit card option and follow theadditional instructions on the page. Members, $30; Non-members, $35; Retirees,$20; Students, $10. Reservations for new members and for additional informationcontact the administrative coordinatior, Anna Singer at [email protected](preferred) or at (781)-272-1966, 9am-6pm. Please do not call after hours. Reser-vations not cancelled at least 24 hours in advance must be paid. Directions to Takeda: Use the following address for your GPS : 40 LandsdowneSt, Cambridge, MA 02139 u
Call forNominations,2016RichardsMedal AwardThe ACS Northeastern Section (NE-SACS) is soliciting nominations for the2016 Theodore William RichardsMedal Award for conspicuous achieve-ment in any area of chemistry. TheMedal honors the U.S.’s first chemistryNobel Laureate and is awarded everytwo years. The 2014 Award was pre-sented to Professor Harry B. Gray of theCalifornia Institute of Technology.Nomination packages, consisting of abrief (no more than 5 pages) curriculumvitae for the nominee, a clear and con-cise (no more than 2 pages) nomination
Save thedate!15th Annual UndergraduateSymposium on Sustainabilityand the EnvironmentSaturday, November 19, 20169:00 AM – 3:00 PMBridgewater State UniversityDana Mohler-Faria Science and MathCenterPlease join us at the only symposiumdedicated to environmental research andsustainability projects that address theseissues from a campus, regional, national,or global perspective. Graduate, under-graduate and high school student posters(including completed, in progress, andproposed work) in all environmentaldisciplines are welcome. Please emailEd Brush ([email protected]) to addyour name to our email distribution list.A formal “Call for Abstracts” will besent electronically in late September. u
continued on page 11
Updated frequently • Late-breaking news • position postingsBack issues of the Nucleus archived • Career-related Links • Awards and Scholarships
WWW.NESACS.org
The NESACS website
Call forApplicationsNSYCC/NESACS-JCF/GDChExchange to Germany March25–April 2, 2017The Younger Chemists Committee andthe Education Committee of the North-eastern Section of the American Chemi-cal Society (NESACS, www.nesacs.org)invite applications from undergraduateand graduate students of chemistry, bio-chemistry, and chemical engineering(including materials science) at collegesand universities within the NortheasternSection who are currently engaged inoriginal research to spend a week in Ger-many as the guests of the Jungchemik-erforum (Young Chemists Committee;JCF) of the Gesellschaft DeutscherChemiker (German Chemical Society;GDCh). The exchange group will con-sist of up to 12 students and a number offaculty and industrial representatives.
The trip to Germany will start withan overnight flight from Boston on Sat-urday, March 25; return to Boston willbe on Sunday, April 2. The highlight ofthe visit will be the JCF Mainz-Wies-baden spring student chemistry researchconference (Fruehjahrssymposium) inMainz, taking place Wednesday-Satur-day, March 29-April 1, which will pro-vide the opportunity for all delegates toengage in extensive networking withGerman and hundreds of Internationalstudents, to take part in discussions fo-cused on research, careers, education,and international opportunities in chem-istry and related fields. The activities forthe first part of the week will include in-
dustrial, academic, scientific, and cul-tural excursions in and around Mainzand Frankfurt. Each student representa-tive from NESACS will be expected togive a poster or oral presentation onhis/her research at the Fruehjahrssym-posium and back in the Boston area atthe Northeast Student Chemistry Re-search Conference (NSCRC) in April2017. Air travel costs will be providedby NESACS, while the GDCh willcover ground transfers and accommoda-tions while we are in Germany. A work-ing knowledge of German, while useful,will not be required; the language of theFruehjahrssymposium and the otherevents will be English.
Application forms will be availableat the NSYCC (www.nsycc.org) andNESACS (www.nesacs.org) on or aboutSeptember 15, 2016. When applying,the following material must be submit-ted electronically using the electronicapplication form: 1) the abstract of thepresentation to be made at the Frueh-jahrssymposium and the NSCRC; 2) anessay on the relevance of the exchangeto your professional goals; 3) A letter ofrecommendation from your faculty re-search supervisor that supports your ap-plication. In addition, your facultyresearch advisor must certify that youare currently engaged in original re-search under her/his supervision, andthat s/he gives you permission to be ab-sent from the research laboratory for theperiod March 25-April 2, 2017; 4) ap-proval from your supervisor and the chairof your department for your absencefrom classes, the research laboratory, andother related responsibilities. Membersof the German Exchange Steering Com-mittee will interview program finalists.
Prospective applicants who may beplanning on attending the Spring ACSNational Meeting and Exposition in SanFrancisco should note that the ACSmeeting will take place immediately fol-lowing the trip to Mainz, which maymake it difficult for you to attend theACS meeting. Applications are being ac-cepted from students at colleges and uni-versities within the NESACS geographicarea, which comprises all of NewHampshire and the following countiesin eastern Massachusetts: Barnstable,
6 The Nucleus Summer/September 2016
Call forNominationsThe Gustavus John EsselenAward for Chemistry in thePublic InterestThe Northeastern Section of the Ameri-can Chemical Society (NESACS) isinviting nominations for its prestigiousGustavus John Esselen Award for Chem-istry in the Public Interest. This awardis given annually to a chemical scientist,whose scientific and technical work hascontributed to the public well-being andhas thereby communicated the positivevalues of the chemical profession. Thesignificance of this work should have be-come apparent within the five years pre-ceding nomination. The awardee shallbe a living resident of the United Statesor Canada at the time of the nomination.
There is no limitation to the field ofchemistry. The selection committee fo-cuses on the general public recognitionof the work, as well as its scientific/tech-nical significance.
The Award consists of a bronzemedal and the sum of $5,000. Travel ex-penses incidental to the conferring of theaward will be reimbursed. The awardwill be presented at the April 2017 meet-ing of the Section. The Awardee is ex-pected to deliver an address on thesubject of the work for which the honoris conferred, or for work in progresswhich is also directed toward chemistryin the public interest.
Nominations should be submittedas a single pdf file including: 1) a lettersigned by the primary sponsor with a de-scription of the nominee’s work recog-nized as making a major contribution tothe public welfare and as communicatingpositive values of the chemical profes-sion, plus the names of two co-sponsors;2) short supporting co-sponsor state-ments; 3) the nominee’s professional bi-ography including a list of no more thanten of the nominee’s publications se-lected for their pertinence to the worknominated for recognition; and 4) copiesof popular and technical press news orfeature articles indicative of public ben-efit and interest. Further information is
available at www.nesacs.org. Nominations Are Due October 15,2016 to [email protected] with cc [email protected]. Award recip-ients will be notified by February 1,2017.Inquiries may be directed to the aboveor to Dr. Karl Hansen, Tel. (617) 417-7147 or Jeananne Piper Grady, Tel.(617) 620-8315. Address: 11 Thaxter St.,Hingham, MA 02043. u continued on page 7
The Nucleus Summer/September 2016 7
20th Andrew H. WeinbergMemorial Lecture
The mission of the Andrew H. Weinberg Annual Memorial Fund is to bring to-gether researchers from the field of chemotherapy development and the medicalcommunity in an annual symposium to create and foster an environment for co-operative synergy for inspiring and developing new concepts in pediatric cancerresearch and treatment.
Wednesday, September 28, 20164:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Yawkey Conference Center, Dana-Farber Cancer InstituteMignon Lee-Cheun Loh, MD
Benioff Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Chief of PediatricHematology/Oncology, The University of California,
San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital“New Genomic and Immunotherapeutic Approaches to
Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult ALL—What’s Next”Complimentary parking in the Yawkey Garage, located on Jimmy Fund WayContact: Tracey Cook, M.A.: 617-632-4450 [email protected] lecture will be available online at the following link:video.dfcionline.org/accordent/WeinbergSymposium092816
Bristol, Dukes, Essex, Middlesex, Nan-tucket, Norfolk, Plymouth, and Suffolk.Students interested in learning moreabout the German Exchange Pro-gram should attend the September 8,2016 and/or October 13, 2016 meet-ings of NESACS. There will be repre-sentatives from the SteeringCommittee at each meeting to answeryour questions. To register formonthly meetings, please visit http://acssymposium.com/paypal.html. For more information about the programor the application process, contact Le-land Johnson, Chair of the German Ex-change Steering Committee, [email protected] for electronic receipt of ap-plications: Tuesday, November 1,2016, at 5:00 p.m. u
Exchange to GermanyCall for ApplicationsContinued from page 6
Biography
Educated at Bryn Mawr College, Dr.Loh graduated cum laude with a majorin art history prior to entering medicalschool at Columbia University of Col-lege of Physicians and Surgeons. Shewas recruited to UCSF in 1999 aftercompleting her residency and fellow-ship training at Harvard MedicalSchool, and was promoted to associateprofessor of clinical pediatrics in 2007and to full professor in 2011. Dr. Loh isnationally and internationally recog-nized for her expertise and novel con-tributions in two childhood bloodcancers: acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL) and juvenile myelomonocyticleukemia (JMML). Dr. Loh currentlyserves as vice chair of biology for theALL committee of the Children’s On-cology Group (COG). She has servedas study co-chair for AALL03B1,which is the classification of acute lym-phoblastic leukemia trial for the COG,and represents the largest risk stratifica-tion trial in the history of pediatricleukemia research, having enrolled over11,000 children diagnosed with ALLsince 2004. Together with her co-chair,Dr. Loh reviews the clinical features ofeach child enrolled at diagnosis,leukemia genetics, and early responseto therapy, and renders a risk assign-
continued on page 12
Loh Abstract Dr. Loh will discuss her work as a laboratory investigator as well as theChildren’s Oncology Group Acute Lym-phoblastic Leukemia Committee Chairto translate patient oriented, laboratorybased observations into rational clinicaltrials. u
New MembersInvitation to attend a meetingYou are cordially invited to attend oneof our upcoming Section meetings as aguest of the Section at the social hourand dinner preceding the meeting.
Please call Anna Singer at 781-272-1966 between 9am-6pm, or email: sec-retary(at)nesacs.org by noon of the firstThursday of the month, letting her knowthat you are a new member. u
What’s Yours?Many local employers post positions
on the NESACS job board.
Find yours atwww.nesacs.org/jobs
I’ve contemplated writing and submitting this article since theGerman Exchange group from NESACS visited Buchenwaldduring our exchange to Jena back in March 2014. I’ve startedand stopped writing this piece in my office, on airplanes whiletraveling, while in coffee shops or hotels in Boston, San Fran-cisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Houston, Charlotte, FortMyers, Tampa, Orlando, Louisville, Puerto Rico, Mexico,Germany, and Caribbean spots.
I arrived in Frankfurt several days before the rest of thegroup in order to carry out alliance and joint venture discus-sions on behalf of the clients of my company, Conditas. Thosepotential partners are, and were, located in valley of the MainRiver. After I acquired my rental car, I headed for my desti-nation, where I found a quiet cemetery (Friedhof Fechenheim)on the western bank of the Main, shrouded with an earlymorning fog. I walked and contemplated my next 11 or sodays in Germany and Czech Republic.
I listened. I heard birds. I am not an ornithologist. I amnot a bird watcher. I am an admirer of birds. The songs of thebirds added extra tranquility to this memorial to thousands.The meetings went well, and in a few days, I would be inPrague.
Early on the morning I was to depart Prague to visit thefamily of a chemist I met during the German Exchange in2006, I had the pleasure of ascending the streets around PragueCastle. Around 5 am, I couldn’t sleep, so I walked the oftennoisy and crowded streets: Not that morning. Silence. Mostly.
Once again, there were birds singing to each other, wel-coming the day to come, and many of those birds would be“early enough” to “get the worm.” Later that day, after training70 miles to the east, I would be reacquainting myself with oldfriends and their growing family from Hradec Králové(Queen’s Castle) during my lovely stay. After Prague I joinedthe American Exchange delegation in Jena.
Months before, the German Chemical Society(GDCh)/NESACS hosts had planned for our delegation to
visit the small city of Weimar, former capital of Thuringia,and the focal point of a great deal of German politics and cul-ture, including residents Nietzsche, Goethe and Schiller, manycomposers, and famously, Walter Gropius and his design phi-losophy that would become the Bauhaus Movement.
I have opted to briefly describe our day trip from Jena toWeimar, endeavoring to describe a visit to Buchenwald withthe group that I will not soon forget. Although I travelled withthe group, my visit to the Memorial was quite solitary.
At 3 o’clock, Dr. Elisabeth Kapatsina (our GDCh hostwhile in Jena) and I rallied 10 or 11 of the students on the 2014Exchange to travel from Weimar to Buchenwald. It was Tues-day, March 25th, and we left Weimar in two taxi vans around3:15 or so in the afternoon. We all knew the visitor centerwould close at 4:00, but it was decided that that particularfacet of the visit to Buchenwald was less important than“going” to the site. And so we went.
Reflecting upon her amazing knowledge, poise and grace,Elisabeth was an amazing host on this day (and every day),knowing the range of reactions we might have upon our visit.Her willingness to accompany the group reflects one of themyriad reasons I strongly believe she is the right person tocontinue the legacy of the exchange program from the GDChside of the equation.
In the vans from Weimar, we experienced a brief yet in-tense hailstorm that left rock salt-sized hailstones covering theshaded areas across the Buchenwald Memorial. The student
8 The Nucleus Summer/September 2016
The Birds of BuchenwaldBy Leland L. Johnson, Jr.
continued on page 9
group and Elisabeth gathered outside the camp. I knew that Iwould be unable to accompany them. I left them to tour attheir own pace and in their own way.
Emotionally charged reactions were in my future. Iavoided contact with the group for personal reasons. I knewthat my own understanding of what occurred at Buchenwaldwould magnify these reactions. I also knew that concentrationcamps under Nazi Germany were not reserved for those witha Jewish heritage, but I did feel a connection through my twochildren, who are Jewish, and through their mother whosegreat-grandfather was the only sibling to emigrate from West-ern Europe more than a hundred years ago. He was the solesurvivor of his line. I knew that my children’s distant cousinswere less numerous or non-existent due to the relentless col-lection, torture, and extermination of so many souls atBuchenwald and other camps under control of Germany be-fore and during World War II.
I paused as I entered the camp to take a picture from thesouthern entrance. The sunlight defined the trees, though notbeech trees, as “Buchenwald” (Beech Forest) would suggest.
The main entrance to the camp was visible in the distance(center of image) to the northwest along a barbed-wire enclo-sure. The shadows and sun caught my eye as I approached,and the scene seemed to correctly approximate my assump-
tions of what I might find just over the hill and through thegate. I entered at the southeast guardhouse and snapped an-other picture, peered at my map, curious to connect my ownnotions to the historical realities surrounding me.
I continued into the camp, walking to the far side of abuilding to witness the display of a work cart, one that cruellyfacilitated the endless duties of those inmates physically able
to push the carts. As it turns out, I framed the picture with thehanging post (left), a ten-foot tree trunk used to hang prisonersdestined to spend time in a position much like crucifixion, ondisplay for the masses, “usually resulting in dislocation of theshoulders” (Buchenwald Concentration Camp, Wallstein).Reading the provided captions near the work cart, I found thatthe cart was used as another final tool to work prisoners “todeath,” and the building was in fact, the crematorium. I movedslowly down the slope of the camp, toward the north.
As I approached the Jewish Memorial, Block 22,thoughts of distant relatives entered my mind. I saw the count-less stones, set upon the foundation of the Jewish barracks asa commemoration by visitors and as a remembrance of thosewho suffered there. I picked up three stones of different sizes
The Nucleus Summer/September 2016 9
continued on page 10
Birds of BuchenwaldContinued from page 8
10 The Nucleus Summer/September 2016
to represent my family, crudely mimicking what I and othershad done at the unveiling of the recently deceased matriarchat her headstone unveiling ceremony. I paused. I read the in-scription. “So that the generation to come might know, thechildren, yet to be born, that they too might rise and declareto their children.” And so I promised myself to follow thissolemn request at the appropriate time.
After taking that in, I moved to what seemed to be thecenter of the camp. I turned. I saw the NESACS student groupdescending northeastward toward the collection center whereincoming inmates were processed. I would not visit the pro-cessing center.
I completed a 360-degree rotation, taking in the expanseof the inmate camp. Something caught my ear. I heard birds.Not blue jays or robins. Not distinctive bobwhites calling toeach other. Meadowlarks? Definitely, I heard meadowlarks ofsome species. To my knowledge, no live trees remained withinthe MAIN camp enclosure, so these birds were singing fromthe edge of the camp, hundreds of meters from where I stood.From that point on, there was a bit of peace on my path. Abovethe noise of the gravel beneath my feet, I heard the song ofthe meadowlarks. These were the birds of Buchenwald.
I felt a bit of comfort as I descended north into a gladeknown as “the little camp.” Having two children (then) undersix years old, I was quickly crushed to read of the horrors thechildren and the sick endured in this tiny portion of the camp.Overcrowding and wretched conditions in the little camp usu-ally meant quick, but agonizing death to those who were sentthere from the main camp. I was compelled to stay, to studythe grounds, to read the walls. To remember. There were col-lections of rusted cooking sheets, pots, broken ceramic plates,cups, bowls, utensils, and other recovered artifacts from thecamp. The memorial that has been set up within the camp isvery fitting, remembering all nationalities and all of the knownmajor work camps and extermination camps from that time. Iwas compelled to look around this opening on the edge of theforest. Nearly surrounded by trees, this opening provided pro-
tection for the birds, and they sang in the little camp. I as-cended the path back to the main inmate area.
As I left the little camp, one of the students approached.We spoke for a moment and parted ways. He rejoined thegroup. I did not.
In the Northwestcorner of the camp,there was a single, re-stored inmate block, soI walked around thebuilding. The windowswere more translucentthan I would haveliked, but it seemed tofit the historical natureof the site. There werebunks and dirt floorswith tools for renova-tions ongoing aroundand within the struc-ture.
After the barracks, I headed up the hill to the Soviet me-morial to the many Communists that died and were killed inBuchenwald; a prominent memorial at the site as Buchenwaldand Weimar are in what was East Germany. I could not readthe text but I knew what was there in stone. I looked againover the expanse of the camp, toward the east, the largestbuilding, the processing center, and further to the right. I sawbasalt markers between the Communist memorial and thesoutheast entrance, so I went over to read.
When I arrived, I read that this was the memorial to theRoma and Sinti (“Gypsy”) victims of the Holocaust. I foundscores of pillars of basalt to be a part of this memorial. Closeby, a solitary individual, I imagine him to have been much likeme, was mourning those who were lost. I left this stranger be-hind in his grief.
I then decided to walk along the barbed wire fence alongthe south of the camp. I approached the main gate, walkedaround the inmates’ canteen, and knew that my time at
Birds of BuchenwaldContinued from page 9
continued on page 14
View to the NW, into the little camp (l). View to the SE, from the bottom of the little camp (r).
The 2016 NESACS Nominating Com-mittee would like to announce the re-sults of the 2016 NESACS election, forterms beginning in 2017, as follows:Chair-Elect TotalWinner
Mindy Levine 190 XMukund Chorghade 90
Treasurer TotalWinnerAshis Saha 238 X
Trustee TotalWinnerDorothy J. Phillips 171 XRobert Lichter 105
Councilor (C) / Alternate Councilor (A)Thomas R. Gilbert 205 CMary Jane Shultz 188 CMichael Singer 187 CLisa Marcaurelle 178 CMarietta Schwartz 173 CLeland L. Johnson, Jr. 172 AMary A. Mahaney 163 AJerry P. Jasinski 154 ASofia Santos 147 APatrick M. Gordon 146 ARobert Lichter 143 Sonja Strah-Pleynet 142 Mukund S. Chorghade 138 Raj (SB) Rajur 122 Raymond E. Borg 119 Kenneth Mattes 116 R. Christian (Chris) Moreton 110 Ajay Purohit 107
Director-at-Large TotalWinnerMichael Filosa 131 XDavid Harris 119 XJohn Neumeyer 116 James Phillips 92 Myron S. Simon 54
Nominating Committee TotalWinnerSophia Su 152 XThomas R. Gilbert 149 XMary Jane Shultz 145 James Phillips 82
Norris Award CommitteeTotalWinnerGeorge O’Doherty 158 XR. Christian (Chris) Moreton 120 XSamuel Pazicni 116 Ajay Purohit 91
Total Ballots 286 The tellers were John Burke, Brian Ger-stenberger, Katherine Lee, Frank Lover-ing, Andrew Scholte, Anna Sromek,John Williams and Christoph Zapf.Thank you to all of the candidates andto all who voted in this election. Weoffer our sincere apologies to CarolMulrooney, whose name was mistak-enly omitted from the ballot. 2016 NESACS Nominating Commit-teeKatherine Lee, Chair, John Burke, An-drew Scholte, Anna Sromek, JohnWilliams u
The Nucleus Summer/September 2016 11
Q. Exactly, how many awards andscholarships does NESACS sponsor? A) One b) Two c) Many
www.nesacs.org/awards
Your one-stop source to career-relatedlinks in the Chemical Sciences
WWW.NESACS.ORG/CAREERS
2016 Election Resultsletter that outlines the candidate’s “con-spicuous achievements in chemistry”on which the nomination is based, andan optional one-page supporting letter,should be submitted electronically as asingle PDF file to Anna Singer <[email protected]>, NESACS Adminis-trative Secretary, by October 31, 2016.The award will be presented on Thurs-day, March 23, 2017.For more information, see <http://www.nesacs.org/awards_richards-medal.html> or contact the Chair of the 2016Richards Medal Award Committee,Jerry Jasinski <[email protected]>.Nominations must be received by Oc-tober 31, 2016. u
Richards NominationsContinued from page 5
12 The Nucleus Summer/September 2016
ment at the end of induction in order toensure that children receive appropri-ately intensive therapy. The large num-ber of banked samples acquired from
these patients at diagnosis has providedadditional rich resources for Dr. Lohand her colleagues to analyze for addi-tional abnormalities that will providenew insights into the causes of this mostcommon cancer of childhood. She co-ordinates a large number of these stud-ies and is widely recognized for herability to promote productive and accu-rate high profile collaborations in theleukemia community. For instance, to-gether with the chair of the ALL comit-tee, Dr. Stephen Hunger, Dr. Lohassembled a group of senior investiga-tors that successfully applied for a two-year Grand Opportunity grant, whichwas part of the American Recovery andReinvestment Act passed by PresidentObama in 2009.
Dr. Loh also conducts laboratoryresearch and has made seminal contri-butions to unraveling the genetics of adeadly leukemia, juvenile myelomono-cytic leukemia. Though this is a rela-tively rare disease, it is nonethelessnearly universally fatal unless theseyoung patients receive a bone marrowtransplant. Dr. Loh has identified atleast two new genes that are mutated inthis disorder, with the most recent dis-covery extending beyond JMML. Therecent discovery of inherited mutationsin a gene called CBL that predisposesfamilies and affected children to devel-opmental phenotypes (learning delay,hearing loss, poor growth) as well ascancer, are a breakthrough in humandisease. This observation was initiatedthrough old-fashioned detective workand a passion for listening to what pa-tients “tell” us, either through theirsymptoms or words or family historieswith the “a-ha” moment being realizedthrough harnessing sophisticated ge-nomic technologies on a simple set ofblood samples. Dr. Loh has publishedmany papers in collaboration with in-ternational investigators and has servedon the board of directors of a family ad-vocacy group, the JMML Foundation.Dr. Loh is also interested in how the ge-netic alterations described in this disor-der lead to faulty wiring within cancercells, and her laboratory has developeda keen expertise in harnessing the latesttechnology, phosphoflow cytometry, toanswer these questions. u
Dr. Loh BiographyContinued from page 7
She was simultaneously the man-ager of the Research Microscopy Labo-ratory. Vivian was a strong advocate ofmicroscopy in the analysis of photo-graphic systems. Under her guidance theMicroscopy Laboratory expanded theirlight and electron microscopy capabili-ties and became a resource for the entirecompany.
Vivian was a role model and men-tor to both women and men in science,and in corporate life. She was a full-timeworking Mom who, with her husbandWilbur, raised five wonderful and de-voted children. She and her husbandfound time to tend a summer garden inNova Scotia, the family’s vacationhome. For fifteen years, she was co-leader of the Concord Mariners, a seniorGirl Scout troop that featured sailing,seamanship and community service.She was a member of the Boston Myco-logical Club from the early 1950’s
She was a long-time member of theAmerican Chemical Society and was amember of the local chapter editorialboard. She was recognized for her sev-enty-five year involvement at the Au-gust 2015 ACS meeting when thePolaroid Osborne Street site was (at Vi-vian’s nomination) designated an ACSNational Historic Chemical Landmark.
Vivian was the “Boswell of InstantPhotography.” She worked closely withPolaroid’s President and Director of Re-search, Edwin Land. She collaboratedwith him on journal articles describingPolaroid technologies, and was the“ghost writer” for “The Universe ofOne-Step Photography” in the IS&T
Vivian WalworthContinued from page 4
(L-R) Stephen Herchen (Former Polaroid VPand CTO of the Impossible Project), Myron S.Simon (Former Polaroid Chemistry Managerand NESACS Board) and Vivian K. Walworth atthe NHCL dedication. (Photo by Samara Vise)
publication Pioneers of Photography.She worked with Land and HowardRogers to publish “One-Step Photogra-phy” in the seventh edition of Neblette’sHandbook of Photography and Reprog-raphy. She was editor or chapter authoron other comprehensive publications de-scribing photographic systems. (Imag-ing Processes and Materials: Neblette’seighth edition, three editions of the KirkOthmer Encyclopedia of ChemicalTechnology, and the SPSE Handbook ofPhotographic Science and Engineering).
Vivian’s scientific work came fullcircle. She continued her work in stere-ographic photography. After retiringfrom Polaroid, she consulted at RowlandInstitute for Science on bringing colorVectographs into the digital age. Withother Polaroid scientists, she was afounder of Stereo Jet Inc., which is con-tinuing to develop ink-jet processes forprinting 3D images. She has been an organizing force at each StereoscopicDisplays and Applications Conferenceheld annually as part of the ElectronicImaging Meeting. She is responsible forthe standard use of circular polarizers in3D viewing glasses to reduce image in-teraction and allow viewers’ head tilt.As John Merritt wrote, “We have lost oneof the primary pillars of the stereoscopiccommunity and we will miss her deeply.”
She was a scientist, inventor,scholar, author, editor, Senior Managerat Polaroid, role model, hiker, expertmycologist, and community leader inGirl Scouts and conservation programsin her town. At the same time she was awife, mother, grandmother. Every fall,she hosted her friends and neighbors,roasting a whole lamb on a spit at thefamily ”Beast Feast” in her back yard.The IS&T and all of many associates, inall her activities, will remember herwarm smile, her enthusiasm, her gentleencouragement, her skill at bringingpeople together, and her fierce skill atproofreading. u
The Nucleus Summer/September 2016 13
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14 The Nucleus Summer/September 2016
Buchenwald was coming to a close. Icould recognize NESACS students whohad already exited the inmate camp, soI decided to take one last look around.No picture…just the memories.
As I look back on that surreal after-noon in March, I want to thank NE-SACS for sending me to Germany, andto thank the overwhelming majority ofstudents on the trip who also visitedBuchenwald. The tour allowed each ofus to experience, in our own ways, thismemorial to history. We have all readabout the Holocaust, and heard about it,and perhaps we have visited local me-morials to that dark part of human his-tory…this allowed me to see it formyself. And I have been truly affected.
The peace I took from Buchenwaldwas this: As more and more people visitthese sites, and witness the atrocities ofa small part in the history of Germany,it will be less likely that the world wouldallow something like this to happenagain. I will remember the trip to Ger-many, I will remember the birds offeringtheir songs to me while I walked, and Iwill remember Buchenwald. u
Birds of BuchenwaldContinued from page 10
Check the NESACS home pagefor late Calendar additions:http://www.NESACS.orgNote also the Chemistry Department webpages for travel directions and updates.These include:http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/chemistry/s
eminars.htmlhttp://www.bu.edu/chemistry/seminars/http://www.brandeis.edu/departments/chem
istry/events/index.htmlhttp://chemistry.harvard.edu/calendar/upco
minghttp://www.northeastern.edu/cos/chemistry/
events-2/http://chemistry.mit.edu/events/allhttp://chem.tufts.edu/seminars.htmlhttp://engineering.tufts.edu/chbe/newsEven
ts/seminarSeries/index.asphttp://www.chem.umb.eduhttp://www.umassd.edu/cas/chemistry/http://www.uml.edu/Sciences/chemistry/Se
minars-and-Colloquia.aspxhttp://www.unh.edu/chemistry/events
August 19Prof. Walter Thiel (Max-Planck-Institut fuerKohlenforschung)Harvard, Pfizer Lecture Hall 4:15 pm
September 8Prof. Kyoko Nozaki (University of Tokyo)MIT, Room 6-120 4:00 pmProf. Dean Toste (UCal-Berkeley)Boston College, Merkert 130 4:00 pmDr. Jay Keasling (Lawrence BerkeleyLaboratory)Harvard, Pfizer Lecture Hall 4:15 pm
September 9Prof. Kyoko Nozaki (University of Tokyo)MIT, Room 6-1204:00 pmProf. Masakatsu Shibasacki (MicrobialChemistry Research Foundation)Boston College, Merkert 130 4:00 pm
September 13Prof. Melanie Sanford (Michigan)Harvard, Pfizer Lecture Hall4:15 pm
September 14Prof. Neil Kelleher (Northwestern)Northeastern, 129 Hurtig Hall12:00 pm
September 15Prof. Donna Blackmond (Scripps) & Dr. YvesDucharme (Merck)MIT, Room 6-1204:00 pmProf. Thomas W. Hamann (Michigan State)Boston College, Merkert 1304:00 pm
September 20Prof. Karen Wooley (Texas A&M)Boston College, Merkert 1304:00 pm
September 21Prof. Bradley Pentelute (MIT)Northeastern, 129 Hurtig Hall12:00 pm
September 22Prof. Hanadi Sleiman (McGill University)MIT, Room 6-1204:00 pm
September 27Prof. Bill DeGrado (UCSF)Boston College, Merkert 130 4:00 pm
September 28Prof. Shirley Liu (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)“Using Epigenetic Profiling and CRISPR Screento Study Cancer Progression and DrugResponse”Northeastern, 129 Hurtig Hall 12:00 pm
September 29Prof. Yogesh Surendranath (MIT)Boston College, Merkert 130 4:00 pm
Notices for The NucleusCalendar of Seminars should besent to:Xavier Herault, email:xherault(at)outlook.com u
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