In The Super Supercapacitor, a three-minute video

made by award-winning director Brian Golden Davis as an

entry into the 2012 Focus Forward Filmmaker Competition
that has now gone viral, Maher El-Kady, a Ph.D. candidate
in Professor Richard Kaners group, can be seen throwing a
handful of batteries into the battery recycling bin, in favor
of running everyday gadgets with a superior replacement
the graphene supercapacitor. Graphene supercapacitors are
not only biodegradable, but are also able to charge and
discharge about 100 to 1000 times faster than the average
alkaline battery.
Think of electric carsthe higher the capacity of the
battery, the farther you can go on a single charge, and the
higher the power, the faster you can run your car, El-Kady
said. This is what you want in the end, so we ended up
making a supercapacitor that has twice as much energy
density as commercial supercapacitors, and twenty times as
much power.
The look of enthusiasm on El-Kadys face when he says,
Lets talk about the future, during an interview in Davis
film, is parallel to the large number of potential applications
that have been linked to graphene supercapacitors, and to
greener energy prospects, including flexible technology and
improved hybrid vehicles. Although Kaners group is not
the first to build graphene supercapacitors, the teams
scalable, environmentally friendly method is the most likely
to be commercially reproduced at this time. El-Kady was
one of two recipients of the 2012 Herbert Newby McCoy
Award, which honors the most significant research of the
year, for his research with Kaner that piqued the interest of
scientific journals, major news outlets, industry
professionals, and Davis, a film director with Los Angeles-
based company DocRiot.
Davis was one of about 100 people who contacted Kaner
following the March 2012 publication of an article in
Science, which described how graphite pieces are
transformed into graphite oxide, and, finally, into graphene,
using common LightScribe software designed for printing
text and images on CDs and DVDs, thus providing the
active material in supercapacitors. Davis read an article
about Kaner and El-Kadys research and wished to turn their
discovery into a human interest film, entering it into the
Focus Forward competition, which offered up to $200,000
in prizes to the best cinematographic features showcasing
pioneering research capable of world change.
I had done film work for Kia (continued on p. 13)


Chemistry
N E W S L E T T E R
&
Biochemistry
Department of
In This Issue Page
Chairs Message................2
Awards...........................2-5
Happenings.......................6
Seaborg Symposium........7-8
Distinguished Lectures......8-9
Alumni & Friends...........10-12
Research......................13-15
In Memoriam....................15
Calendar..........................16
Spring 2013
Volume 32 - Number 2
Graduate Student Maher El-Kady Puts the
Super in The Super Supercapacitor
2
Dear Alumni & Friends,
Even as this newsletter goes into
production, news keeps coming of faculty,
student, and postdoctoral fellow awards. In
fact, if you visit our Web site frequently, you
will see that news items have a rather limited
lifetime on our home page, as more news
rapidly moves on to the fore.
We highlight, here, the transformative
discoveries of Ric Kaner and Maher El-Kady
(see p. 1), but you will also find recent
research by Jim Gimzewski, Sarah Tolbert,
Carla Koehler, and Sabeeha Merchant, and
their students, which has been widely covered in the press, on our
Web site. Juli Feigons elucidation of the entire telomerase enzyme
complex, in collaboration with Professor Hong Zhou, is another
remarkable achievement (see our Web site).
The creativity and productivity of our department members is
remarkable. The breadth of our research, with chemistry,
biochemistry and molecular biology extending far into the physical,
biological and medical sciences, is unique. Furthermore, our
department gives just as much importance to top-notch, innovative
teaching and to community outreach.
Soon you will hear about a drive to improve the equipment in our
undergraduate teaching labs, and plans to create instructional space
for academic activities beyond the classroom. We will need your
help increasing our students academic experiences even further.
Next time you visit Young Hall, you will discover several
displays in the hallways, highlighting various aspects of the
department and its members. Notably, these displays are a donation
from the Alpha Chi Sigma (AXE) student group, which also
sponsors the AXE Glenn T. Seaborg Faculty award, which was
presented to Margot Quinlan this year. You will also not be surprised
to learn that our department had the most popular booth during Bruin
Day this year (see p. 6). The excitement conveyed by our ACS
student affiliates and AXE undergraduates will yield another
freshmen bumper crop!
In these pages, you will also read an interview with Ray and Dot
Wilson, where Ray traces their generosity to his experiences as an
undergraduate in our department (see p. 12). We are also pleased to
share with you some highlights of recent named lectures, in which
we honored the memory and legacy of department members (see pp.
8-9).
We also have a number of exciting events coming up. Among
these, we are thrilled to present our Alumni Awards to Doctors Judith
and Julie Swain, B.S. 1970. They will deliver our commencement
address on June 15.
We are delighted that Prof. Ken Houk will be the 2013 Seaborg
Award Medalist, and we are eager to announce the Distinguished
Lecturer Seminar Series as a quarterly event for all members of the
department, alumni, and friends to celebrate the breadth of science
that brings us together. We are looking forward to Prof. Frances
Arnolds Inaugural Lecture, to be held on November 6, 2013.
I invite you to read this newsletter and keep an eye on our Web
site: www.chemistry.ucla.edu. As always, I look forward to thanking
you in person for your support hasta pronto!
Raphael Levine Receives 2012 Israel Chemical
Society Gold Medal
Professor Raphael Levine was
awarded the 2012 Israel Chemical
Society (ICS) Gold Medal for his
fundamental contributions for
understanding chemical reactivity
on the molecular-scale, with special
reference to the role of energy and
for discovering that the methods of
thermodynamics can be applied to
nonequilibrium few-atom systems.
The award ceremony took place
at the opening ceremony of the 78th
annual meeting of the ICS in Tel
Aviv on February 12.
The ICS was founded in 1933 and aims at advancing pure
and applied chemistry at the national and international levels.
The ISC Gold Medal is the highest honor awarded annually
since 2002 to chemists by the organization.
Professor David Eisenberg Wins the Senior
Scientist Accomplishment Award from the
International Society of Computational Biology

The International Society of
Computational Biology (ISCB) will
award Professor David Eisenberg
with the Senior Scientist
Accomplishment Award at the 21st
Annual Intelligent Systems for
Molecular Biology Conference,
which takes place with the 12th
European Conference on
Computational Biology (ISMB/
ECCB 2013) in Berlin, Germany on
July 19-23, for his contributions to
the field of computational biology
through research, education, and
service.
As part of the conference,
Eisenberg will deliver a keynote address, discussing his recent
work in protein interactions by X-ray crystallography,
bioinformatics, and biochemistry, with an emphasis on amyloid-
forming proteins.
ISCB, formed in 1997, is a global community of over 3000
scientists committed to increasing the scientific understanding
of living systems through computation. The ISCB hosts annual
meetings, including the ISMB, the world's largest
bioinformatics conference.
Chair Miguel Garcia-Garibay Photo Credit: Reed Hutchinson
-
Raphael Levine
CHAI R S MESSAGE/ AWARDS
David Eisenberg
Chair Miguel Garcia-Garibay
3
Richard Kaner Selected as the Recipient of the
115th Faculty Research Lectureship, Awarded by
the UCLA Academic Senate
The UCLA Academic Senate selected
Professor Richard Kaner as the recipient of
the 115th Faculty Research Lectureship for
his outstanding record of accomplishment,
placing him among the universitys most
distinguished scholars.
As a recipient of the 115th Faculty
Research Lectureship, Kaner will give a
public lecture on the topic of his choice in
Fall 2013, to be followed by a reception
held in his honor.
Every year, the Academic Senate
awards lectureships to two faculty
members, one from the natural sciences and one from the
humanities, social disciplines, or creative arts, with the purpose of
acknowledging faculty achievements and giving the campus and
community the chance to learn about them from the perspectives
of the faculty honored. The first Faculty Research Lecture was
given in 1925, and the lectureship series was expanded to include
two a year in 1986. Faculty Research Lectureships are presented
biannually, in the Fall and Spring quarters.
Past recipients of Faculty Research Lectureships within the
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry include William G.
Young (1947), Saul Winstein (1955), Donald J. Cram (1970), Paul
D. Boyer (1982), David Eisenberg (1989), Mostafa A. El-Sayed
(1991), M. Frederick Hawthorne (1995), Kendall N. Houk (1998),
and Steven G. Clarke (2009).
Neil Garg Receives S.T. Li Prize for
Achievements in Science and Technology

The S.T. Li Foundation awarded
Professor Neil Garg the 2012-2014
Li Prize for Achievements in
Science and Technology.
The award is given to a
distinguished scholar in a scientific
or technological field at a public
university and is delivered as an
unrestricted research grant. The
award honors Professor Shu-tian Li
(1900-1988) for whom the S.T. Li
prize is named after.
Miguel Garcia-Garibay Wins 2012 Inter-
American Photochemical Society Award in
Photochemistry
Professor Miguel Garcia-Garibay
won the 2012 Inter-American
Photochemical Society (I-APS) Award in
Photochemistry.
This award was established in 1988
to recognize outstanding contributions to
the advancement of the photochemical
and photophysical sciences, recognizing
achievements made during the past 10
years of the nominee's career. He was
recognized for his research on excited
state processes and reactivity in the solid
state. The award was presented to
Garcia-Garibay at the I-APS meeting in
Sarasota, Florida, in January 2013.
Paul Weiss and Co-workers Receive $1 million
W.M. Keck Foundation Grant
Professor and CNSI Director Paul
Weiss, Professor and Director of
Computational and Applied Mathematics
at UCLA Andrea Bertozzi, Professor of
Psychiatry and Director of the UCLA
Semel NeuroImaging Training Program
Mark Cohen, and Professor Stanley
Osher, who teaches mathematics,
computer science and electrical
engineering, were awarded a two-year,
$1 million W.M. Keck Foundation grant
to fund their research in practical uses of
compressive sensing, a process in
which mathematical algorithms are used to increase the accuracy
of health and science related pictures and data sets.
Our goal is to leverage mathematical advances to transform
the way imaging and related data are acquired, analyzed, and
understood, Weiss said. The result will be richer, more
meaningful data through significant changes in how experiments
are currently conducted and analyzed. In so doing, we hope to
advance the science of imaging.
Practical uses of compressive sensing may include detecting
epilepsy and improving brain-imaging, both of which will be
further examined by the researchers. Keck Foundation grants fund
innovative research in the areas of science, engineering, and
medicine.
SPRING 2013 NEWSLETTER FACULTY, STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS
Editorial Board Miguel Garcia-Garibay, Heather Maynard, Shahla Raissi
Editing & Production Kady Bell-Garcia, Jin Lee
College Development & Alumni Relations Kerri Yoder, Erica Marentes, Silvia
Orvietani Busch
Contributors Mandy Bell, Thomas Cahoon, Carol Canedo, Maher El-Kady, Miguel
Garcia-Garibay, Neil Garg, David Gingrich, Adam Goetz, Kendall Houk, Reed
Hutchinson, David Imai, Penny Jennings, Richard Kaner, Genevieve Lee, Margaret
MacDonald, Timothy Mahlanza, Denise Mantonya, Heather Maynard, Robert
McMahon, Craig Merlic, Yves Rubin, Melissa Woehrstein, and Lufeng Zou
UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
607 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569
Neil Garg
Miguel Garcia-Garibay
Paul Weiss
AWARDS
Richard Kaner
*More faculty and student awards can be viewed on our Web site at
www.chemistry.ucla.edu.
4
Heather Maynard Selected as 2013 Fellow of
the Division on Polymer Chemistry
Professor Heather Maynard was one of
six individuals chosen as a 2013 Fellow of
the Division of Polymer Chemistry (POLY
Fellow) by the Division of Polymer
Chemistry, of the American Chemical
Society. She was recognized for her
contributions made to the academic field
and profession of polymer science.
All POLY Fellows were awarded
plaques during the Spring ACS National
Meeting, during the Division of Polymer
Chemistry/Division of Polymeric
Materials: Science and Engineering Award
Reception on April 10. The Division of Polymer Chemistry was
founded in 1951 and is the second largest division of ACS,
following the Division of Organic Chemistry.
Shimon Weiss Wins Humboldt Research Award
Professor Shimon Weiss received a
Humboldt Research Award for his lifetime
achievements in research.
As a recipient of a Humboldt Research
Award, Weiss will have the opportunity to
collaborate on research projects of his
choice with likeminded experts at a
university in Germany for one year.
The Humboldt Research Award
recognizes researchers who have made
significant contributions to their fields and
are expected to continue to do so,
considering their full academic careers to
date. The foundation maintains a network of 25,000 Humboldt
Foundation alumni worldwide, known as the Humboldtians.
Anastassia Alexandrova Awarded a 2013 Alfred
P. Sloan Research Fellowship
Professor Anastassia Alexandrova was
one of 126 nationwide early-career
scientists and scholars to receive a 2013
Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship.
The fellowship selection was based on
Professor Alexandrova's independent
research accomplishments and
contributions to the field of chemistry.
Sloan Research Fellowships, which
recognize exceptional early-career
scientists and scholars in science,
mathematics, economics, and computer
science, are awarded for two years and include a $50,000 research
stipend. Sloan research fellows are nominated by their peers and
selected by a distinguished panel of senior scholars. They
represent the next generation of leaders in the natural sciences,
economics, and mathematics.
Jorge Torres Named 2013 Cottrell Scholar by
Research Corporation for Science Advancement

Professor Jorge Torres was named one
of thirteen 2013 Cottrell Scholars by the
Research Corporation for Science
Advancement (RCSA), recognizing his
scientific contributions to research and
his commitment to undergraduate
education.
Cottrell Scholar Awards are awarded
to exceptional early-career educators in
the physical sciences and related fields,
and only about 10 percent of applicants
pass the rigorous peer-review process.
Professor Torres proposed project
was centered on compounds that inhibit cell division. This study
will have an immediate impact on the field of cell biology by
providing critical tools which can be used to dissect and increase
our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms required for
cell division, Torres said.
Cottrell Scholars also become members of the Cottrell Scholars
Collaborative, a network of educators who meet annually to
discuss techniques for increasing the number of undergraduate
science majors. RCSA was founded in 1912, and is a private
foundation that aids basic research in the physical sciences
(astronomy, chemistry, physics, and related fields) at U.S. colleges
and universities.
James Liao Elected to National Academy of
Engineering
Professor James Liao was elected to
the National Academy of Engineering
(NAE) for his advances in metabolic
engineering of microorganisms to
produce fuels and chemicals.
Election to the National Academy of
Engineering is one of the highest honors
bestowed upon engineers. Those elected
as members represent exceptional
contributions to engineering research,
practice, or education, including, where
appropriate, significant contributions to
the engineering literature, and to the
pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making
major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or
developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering
education.
James Liao
Anastassia Alexandrova
Shimon Weiss
Jorge Torres Heather Maynard
AWARDS
5
2012 Departmental Awards Ceremony

The department recognized the efforts of our accomplished students and faculty at the
annual Departmental Awards Ceremony, held on November 19, 2012.
Several faculty members and administrative officers/deans were able to attend the
ceremony to present awards to the students being honored. Dean Joseph Rudnick presented
the Herbert Newby McCoy Award, and Associate Dean of the Graduate Division, Carlos
Grijalva, presented the Excellence in Second Year Academics and Research and the Hanson-
Dow Teaching Assistant Awards. Professor Roberts Smith was also on hand to present his
named research award with Professor Catherine Clarke. The award recipients are listed
below.
Hosmer Stone Prize for Excellence in General Chemistry: Justin Ondry
Bruce Merrifield Undergraduate Research Award: Jason Chang
Christopher Foote Fellows: Adam Goetz, Elizabeth Noey, Stephen Ramgren, Amanda
Silberstein
Excellence in Second Year Academics and Research: Noah Nathel, Cuiwen He, Xin Hong,
Zhao Li
Hanson-Dow Teaching Assistant Awards: Devin Brandt, Jonathan Brosmer, Elizabeth
Guenther, Alexander Huters, Argyris Kahros, Juneyoung Lee, Jeremy Oria, Stephanie Quan,
Courtney Roberts, Shane Stone, Evan Styduhar, Brianna Upton, Lisa Wang
Ralph & Charlene Bauer Award for Research in Inorganic Chemistry: Yue (Jessica) Wang
George Gregory Award for Research in Physical Chemistry: Mauricio Comas-Garcia
John Stauffer Fellowship for Outstanding Research in the
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry: Alexander Huters
Majeti-Alapati Fellowship for Research in Organic Chemistry: Thi (Kathy) Nguyen
Samson H. Cheng Biochemistry Teaching Award: Michael Thompson
John M. Jordan Memorial Award for Research in Biochemistry: Alexander Patananan
Roberts A. Smith Award for Research in Biochemistry: Letian Xie
Ernest F. Hare, Jr., Memorial Scholarship for Research: Reza Malmirchegini
Hanson-Dow Award for Excellence in Teaching: Sarah Tolbert
Herbert Newby McCoy Award: Maher El-Kady (student award), Jorge Torres (faculty award)
Audree Fowler Fellows in Protein Science
In 2008, an endowment from Dr. Audree Fowler (B.S. in chemistry, 1956 and Ph.D. in biochemistry, 1963)
established the Audree Fowler Fellows in Protein Science for Ph.D. students in the Molecular Biology
Interdepartmental Ph.D. Program, Biological Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Two students from the
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry were recipients of 2012 Audrey Fowler Fellowships:
Letian Xie (Clarke lab) and Anni Zhao (Eisenberg lab).
If you are interested in permanently endowing an award in honor of someone special in your life, please contact
Kerri Yoder, Director of Development for the Division of Physical Sciences, at (310) 794-9045 or by e-mail at
kyoder@support.ucla.edu.
Hanson Dow Awardee Sarah Tolbert
with Michael Jung
Herbert Newby McCoy Awardees with Dean Joseph Rudnick:
From Left to Right: Maher El-Kady, Jorge Torres
Excellence in Second Year Academics and
Research Awardees with Associate Dean
of the Graduate Division Carlos Grijalva:
Cuiwen He, Noah Fine Nathel, Xin Hong,
and Zhao Li
Christopher Foote Fellows with Professor
Kendall Houk: Stephen Ramgren,
Amanda Silberstein, Adam Goetz,
and Elizabeth Noey
Departmental Awards Photo Credit: Ale Wu
AWARDS
6
2013 UCLA Bruin Day
On April 13th, The Department of Chemistry &
Biochemistry welcomed thousands of future Bruins
and their families for UCLAs annual Bruin Day
event. The event provides an opportunity for
prospective students to visit UCLA and to find out
more about academics and life on campus.
The department event was hosted by Denise
Mantonya, Tim Mahlanza, and Mary Stirchak from
the Undergraduate Student Affairs Office, while
undergraduates from Alpha Chi Sigma and the
Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society
were also on hand to greet the visitors.
Chair Miguel Garcia-Garibay and Professor Neil
Garg were also present to meet the students and
families, and Professor Garg gave a mock lecture for
his Fiat Lux course, titled Chemicals: Friends or
Foes? Families took home fun souvenirs including
pens, flyers, and Chemistry & Biochemistry beach
balls.
Heather Maynard and Co-workers Develop New
Therapeutics for Accelerating Wound Healing

Professor Heather Maynard, graduate
students Thi Nguyen and Caitlin Decker,
former postdocs Sung-Hye Kim and
Darice Wong, and Professor Joseph Loo
have developed new bio-mimicking
therapeutics that can be used to quicken
the wound healing process.
A signaling molecule known as basic
fibroblast growth factor, or bFGF, is
secreted by our cells to activate healing
processes, as well as embryonic
development, tissue regeneration, bone
regeneration, the development and
maintenance of the nervous system, and stem cell renewal. It has
potential applications in medicine for stimulating or quickening
these processes, but has previously been too unstable for use
outside of the body.
The researchers discovered how to stabilize bFGF, synthesizing
a polymer that mimics the structure of heparin, a naturally
occurring complex sugar found on the surface of our cells, and
attaching it to bFGF, thus rendering it a more suitable candidate for
medical applications.
This stable bFGFpolymer conjugate may also be useful in
diseases other than wound healingfor example, vocal chord
repair, cardiac repair and bone regeneration, Maynard said. More
generally, we think that this idea of making polymers that mimic
natural stabilizers is useful in a wide range of fields.
The research was published February 17 in the online edition of
Nature Chemistry and appeared in the March 2013 edition of the
journal.
Judith and Julie Swain to Receive Alumni Awards
at Graduation
Doctors and alumnae Judith and
Julie Swain will accept the second
annual UCLA Chemistry &
Biochemistry Alumni Awards and will
also give speeches at the departmental
graduation ceremony on June 15.
Dr. Julie Swain, who received her
B.S. degree in chemistry at UCLA in
1970, before earning her M.D. from
Baylor College of Medicine, currently
serves as a cardiovascular surgeon at the
Food and Drug Administration. She also
previously served as the acting Deputy
Associate Administrator of the Office of
Biological and Physical Research at
NASA Headquarters, managing the
International Space Station research
program and other science research
programs in biology, biotechnology,
biomedical research and the physical
sciences.
Dr. Judith L. Swain, who received
her B.S. degree in chemistry at UCLA
in 1970, before earning her M.D. from
UC San Diego, currently serves as the
Executive Director of the Singapore
Institute for Clinical Sciences within
A*STAR, and as the Lien Ying Chow Professor of Medicine at the
National University of Singapore. She previously served as the
Dean for Translational Medicine and the Founding Director of the
College of Integrated Life Sciences (COILS) at UC San Diego.
Judith Swain
Julie Swain
Professor Neil Garg, Chair Miguel Garcia-Garibay (left), and Undergraduate Student
Affairs Ofcer Denise Mantonya (right) with undergraduates from Alpha Chi Sigma
and the Student Afliates of the American Chemical Society
HAPPENI NGS
Heather Maynard
7
2012 Seaborg Symposium & Dinner
The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, UCLAs Johnsson Comprehensive Cancer
Center, and UCLAs David Geffen School of Medicine co-sponsored the 2012 Glenn T. Seaborg
Symposium & Medal Presentation, titled Can Scientists Make the World a Better Place Through
Discovery, Dissemination, and Application of Knowledge?, held on December 7, 2012 at CNSI.
The 2012 Glenn T. Seaborg Medal was awarded to Harold Varmus, M.D., the 1989 Nobel Laureate
in Physiology or Medicine (with Michael Bishop) and Director of the National Cancer Institute.
Discovery is the thing that still drives me and drives my colleagues, but also how do we
disseminate, store, and use our knowledge, and how do we apply it to the real life problems faced
by the people who pay for that research in this country and in other places in the world, especially
in the developing world? Varmus asked during his introductory speech.
Professor Levi Garraway, M.D, Ph.D., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Broad Institute of Harvard
and MIT, Professor Michael Eisen, Ph.D., Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, University of
California Berkeley, and Professor Prabhat Jha, M.D., Ph.D., Centre for Global Health Research,
University of Toronto, served as the symposium speakers,
representing what Varmus called next generation scientists.
Garraway presented on the topic of Discovery of Scientific
Knowledge, giving a speech titled, The Cancer Genome in Biology
and Therapy, Eisen presented on the topic of Dissemination of
Scientific Knowledge, giving a speech titled, Building a Public
Library of Science, and Jha presented on the topic of Application of
Scientific Knowledge, giving a speech titled, Advancing Science to
Improve Health of the Global Poor. Varmus also presented on the
topic of How the National Cancer Institute is Trying to Make the
World a Better Place.
A poster session was also held as part of the Seaborg Symposium,
and Dean Joseph Rudnick presented award certificates at the evening
banquet and award ceremony. The graduate student winners were
Ronik Khachatoorian (1st place), Michael Lake (2nd place), and
Alexander Patananan (3rd place). The undergraduate student winners
were Thuy Tran (1st place), Jaideep Dudani (2nd place), and Taylor
Whitaker (3rd place).
Glenn T. Seaborg, a UCLA chemistry alumnus, was one of the
most influential chemists of the 20th century. He was the recipient of
the 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery and character-
ization of ten transuranium elements and had the distinction of having
element 106, Seaborgium, named after him during his lifetime. The
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry has awarded the Glenn T.
Seaborg medal to an internationally renowned scientist to honor
groundbreaking advances in chemistry or biochemistry, or
transformational contributions to science policy, since 1987. View
Seaborg presentations at www.seaborg.ucla.edu/seaborg2012.html.
Top Left: Chair Miguel Garcia-Garibay, Levi Garraway, Prabhat Jha,
Dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine, A. Eugene Robinson,
JCCC Director Judith Gasson, Harold Varmus, David Eisenberg,
Michael Eisen, William Gelbart, and Albert Courey
Top Right: Chair Miguel Garcia Garibay and his wife,
Beatriz Ruiz Silva
Bottom Left: Charles West, Atsuko Fujimoto, Roberts Smith,
Adela Smith, and Audree Fowler
Bottom Right: Charlene and Ralph Bauer
Seaborg Photo Credit: Penny Jennings
Harold Varmus and Director of
UCLAs Johnsson Comprehensive
Cancer Center Judith Gasson
2013 Glenn T. Seaborg Medalist
The 2013 Glenn T. Seaborg Medal will be awarded to Professor Kendall Houk. Houk received A.B., M.S.,
and Ph.D. degrees at Harvard, working with R. B. Woodward as a graduate student in the area of experimental
tests of orbital symmetry selection rules. He has taught at Louisiana State University, the University of
Pittsburgh, and UCLA since 1986. From 1988-1990, he was Director of the Chemistry Division of the National
Science Foundation. He was chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry from 1991-1994, and
became the Saul Winstein Chair in Organic Chemistry in 2009.
Professor Houk is an authority on theoretical and computational organic chemistry. Beginning as an
experimental organic chemist, he is now on the forefront of the applications of computation and theory, working
to understand and predict chemical and biological reactivity. He collaborates prodigiously with chemists all over
the world, has published nearly 900 articles, and has given named lectures throughout the United States. Among
his honors are the von Humboldt Foundation U.S. Senior Scientist Award, Arthur C. Cope (continued on p. 8)
Kendall Houk Kendall Houk Photo Credit: Reed Hutchinson
SEABORG SYMPOSI UM
8
David S. Sigman Memorial Lecture & Symposium
The 2013 David S.
Sigman Memorial Lecture
& Symposium honored
Professor Baldomero
Toto Olivera and was
held on January 17 at
CNSI. Olivera is the
Distinguished Professor Of
Biology at the Howard
Hughes Medical Institute
at the University of Utah,
and is a National Academy
of Sciences member.
His research lecture,
titled Investigating the
Cellular Complexity of the Nervous System, focused on the
venoms of predatory cone snails. A large number of peptide
neurotoxins (conopeptides) are present in these venoms and their
characterization led Oliveras research group to a broad
involvement with molecular neuroscience. Several of these
peptides reached human clinical trials and one (Prialt) was
approved for the treatment of intractable pain.
The lecture was followed by a reception and poster session in
the CNSI Foyer.
The Molecular Biology Institute, with generous contributions
from family and friends, established the David. S. Sigman
Memorial Fund in 2002. The fund ensures that the Sigman
Lectureship will continue in perpetuity to honor individuals for
their significant contributions to chemical biology. Sigman was an
internationally renowned UCLA professor, with joint appointments
in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the
Department of Biological Chemistry, who discovered chemical
nucleases and illuminated the molecular mechanisms by which
enzymes catalyze biological reactions. He was one of the founding
members of UCLAs Molecular Biology Institute, serving as its
associate director from 1994-2001. He died November 11, 2001, at
the age of 62, after a two-and-a-half-year battle with brain cancer.
Scott Lecture
Professor Daan Frenkel, from
the University of Cambridge,
England, presented the Fall Scott
lecture, held on November 5, 2012.
Frenkels lecture, titled, The
Unexpected Side of Entropy,
centered on the topic of the role of
entropy as an ordering force, the
importance of entropy in the self-
assembly of DNA-functionalized
colloids, and its possible relevance
for targeted drug delivery.
The Scott Lecture honors
Professor Emeritus Bob Scott, and
was established in 2004. The
Inaugural Dorothy Wilson Lecture,
held to honor Scott, featured
lectures by Professor Benjamin
Widom (Cornell University) and
Anneke Sengers (National Institute
of Standards and Technology).
Daniel Kivelson Lecture

Professor Itai Cohen (Department of
Physics, Cornell University) presented
An Homage to Dan at the annual
Kivelson Lecture, held on January 28.
Cohen began his lecture by discussing
his undergraduate experience in
Professor Daniel Kivelsons group,
sharing personal anecdotes.
I am very proud to have been asked
to give this lecture in honor of Dan
Kivelson, Cohen said. During my
undergraduate years at UCLA, I
worked in Dans lab, and, through this
experience, became hooked on science.
Cohen also discussed his groups current work on linking
structure with mechanics in soft squishy materials, using their
newly developed Confocal Rheoscope to simultaneously measure
changes in the mechanical behavior and structural organization of
materials, ranging from shear thinning and thickening colloidal
suspensions to various strain stiffening biological tissues.
The Kivelson Lecture series was established in 2003 to honor
Daniel Kivelson, who was an active faculty member even after his
retirement, pursuing research in the area of liquid state dynamics
and the theory of the glass transition. The inaugural lecture was
held on January 23, 2003.

Daan Frenkel and
Robert Scott
Baldomero Toto Olivera is
presented with the David S.
Sigman Memorial Lectureship
Award
Itai Cohen
2013 Seaborg Medalist (continued from p. 7)
Scholar, James Flack Norris Award in Physical Organic Chemistry,
Computers in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Award, the
Tolman Medal, and the Arthur C. Cope Award, all from the
American Chemical Society. He was awarded the Schrdinger
Medal of the WATOC, the Faculty Research Lectureship at UCLA,
the Bruylants Chair from the University of Louvain-la-Neuve in
Belgium, the Dr. rer. nat. h. c. from the University of Essen,
Germany, an Erskine Fellowship in New Zealand, a Lady Davis
Fellow at the Technion in Haifa, Israel, a JSPS Fellowship in Japan
and the Robert Robinson Award of the UK Royal Society of
Chemistry. He was also elected to the American Academy of Arts
and Sciences, the International Academy of Quantum Molecular
Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences. He has been
named as Fellow of the AAAS, WATOC, ACS, and RSC.
Houk has served on the boards of a variety of funding agencies
and journals, including NIH Study Sections and the PRF Advisory
Board. He was Chair of the Chemistry Section of the AAAS, and is
now a Senior Editor of Accounts of Chemical Research. He was
Director of the UCLA Chemistry-Biology Interface Training
Program from 1999 until 2011, and is a member of the UCLA
Molecular Biology Institute and California NanoSystems Institute.
SEABORG/ DI STI NGUI SHED LECTURES
9
Norma Stoddart Prize Lecture
The second annual Norma Stoddart Prize Lecture was presented by
Dr. Sarah M. Bronner (formerly of the Garg Group, currently a
postdoctoral scholar with the Department of Chemistry at the California
Institute of Technology) on February 27, 2013. It was titled Indolynes
as Electrophilic Indole Surrogates: Fundamental Reactivity and
Synthetic Applications.
The Norma Stoddart Prize for Exemplary Citizenship and Excellence
in Graduate Research was established by an endowment at UCLA from
the Stoddart Family Trust. Norma Stoddart was the wife of Fraser
Stoddart, Saul Winstein Chair in Organic Chemistry (1997-2003) and
Fred Kavli Chair of NanoSystems Sciences (2003-2007) while he was
the director of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), and a
faculty member of UCLA.
Norma was a caring and loving mother to Fiona McCubbin and Alison Stoddart-Ho, both of whom were chemistry majors at Imperial
College London (ICL) and Cambridge University, respectively, going on to obtain their Ph.D. degrees in chemistry (Fiona at ICL and Alison
at Durham University). Norma was also a chemistry major at Edinburgh University, where she subsequently obtained a Ph.D. degree in
biochemistry within the Medical School. She was an active participant in many activities organized by the Department of Chemistry &
Biochemistry at UCLA from 1997 until the time of her passing in 2004.
The Norma Stoddart Prize honors graduate students who best represent the outstanding science, service and humanity that Norma brought
to UCLA. Recipients receive a $5,000 award and a commemorative plaque.
Distinguished Lecturer Seminar Series Coming in Fall 2013
We are delighted to invite you to join us for the inaugural UCLA Department
of Chemistry & Biochemistry Distinguished Lecturer Series. The lecture series
will be geared toward students, faculty, friends, and alumni whose interests range
from systems biology and complex molecule synthesis to nanomaterials and
chemical theory.
The Fall Quarter lecture will be presented by Professor Frances H. Arnold, the
Dick and Barbara Dickinson Professor of Chemical Engineering and
Biochemistry at California Institute of Technology, and will be held on November
6, 2013.
Arnold is an internationally recognized scientist and engineer. She earned her
B.S. in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Princeton University in 1979,
and her Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of California,
Berkeley. She has received many awards, including the 2011 Draper Prize and a
2011 National Medal of Technology and Innovation. She was elected to the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2011. Arnold also has the distinct
honor of being elected to all three National Academies in the United States.
Left: Fraser Stoddart and Sarah Bronner
Right: Kendall Houk, Heather Maynard, Fraser Stoddart, Sarah
Bronner, Neil Garg, and Miguel Garcia-Garibay
Norma Stoddart Prize Lecture Photo Credit: Steevens Alconcel
Supporting our Seminar Series
Your help is needed to support our world-renowned departmental seminar series! Each division has an outstanding seminar program.
Lecturers from all over the globe visit the department and share their cutting-edge research. Students, post-docs, and faculty have the
opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with famous academic and industrial researchers. This is not only crucial to their education, but
also to their future careers, as the seminar series allows them to make vital contacts.
Your funds will support these exciting and critical lectures, allowing the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry to maintain its
competitive edge and reputation for academic excellence. Your gift, however large or modest, is greatly appreciated.
To make your contribution, visit https://giving.ucla.edu/ChemAndBioChem. If you are interested in permanently endowing a seminar
series in honor of someone special in your life, please contact Kerri Yoder, Director of Development for the Division of Physical
Sciences, at (310) 794-9045 or by e-mail at kyoder@support.ucla.edu for more information.
*For more information about events, please visit www.chem.ucla.edu or contact the Chairs Office at 310-825-3958.
DI STI NGUI SHED LECTURES
Frances H. Arnold being awarded the National Medal of
Technology and Innovation Award by President Obama
Frances H. Arnold Photo Credit: U.S. Department of Commerce blog
10
Alumnus Robert McMahon Presents the
Inaugural Orville L. Chapman Lecture
Professor Robert
McMahon, from the
University of
Wisconsin-Madison,
joined Orville L.
Chapmans group as a
Ph.D. candidate in
1980, and, despite the
fact that he reminded
departmental staff of
Robert Sheridan,
another favored
graduate student, he
said he developed his
own relationship with The Big O that majorly impacted his
academic career. Chapman allowed his students independence in
pursuing their research interests and emphasized the importance of
communicating their findings through well-written articles,
leaving a lasting impression on McMahon. He shared memories of
Chapman at the Inaugural Orville L. Chapman Lecture, which was
held on February 28, 2013.
I consider this to be one of the most significant honors Ive
had professionally, because Professor Chapman was so important
to my graduate experience, my education, the way I think about
science, the way I run my research group, and the way I treat my
graduate students, McMahon said.
McMahon received a bachelors degree in chemistry from the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1980, and a Ph.D.
in organic chemistry from UCLA in 1985, studying mechanisms
of carbene rearrangements with Chapman. After researching
excited-state electron transfer as a postdoctoral research associate
with Professor Mark S. Wrighton at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, McMahon joined the faculty at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison in 1988, where he now serves as the Helfaer
Professor of Chemistry and as Vice Chair of his department.
McMahons lecture, titled Mechanistic Organic Chemistry of
Harsh Reaction Environments, was an extension of his work with
Chapman, as his group was studying carbenes when they
discovered the presence of some of these molecules in space. His
groups research is now focused on an emerging field of science
known as astrochemistry, in which the origins of organic
molecules and matter in interstellar space and Earth are studied.
There are 150 different organic molecules that have been
detected in space, and these molecules are hundreds of light years
away, so the idea that people have that space is empty is not right,
McMahon said. Its really a fundamental scientific problem, in
the sense that it underpins profound questions about the origin of
life.
McMahon said Chapman was the most extraordinarily creative
person he has ever known, demonstrated in his ability to conjure
up chemical possibilities and make them realities. Chapman taught
organic chemistry at UCLA for 30 years, also serving as Associate
Dean for Educational Innovation for 10 years, and was widely
recognized as a leader in various scientific fields, including
photochemistry, matrix isolation spectroscopy, reaction
intermediates, polymers, and materials design. He received his
bachelors degree in chemistry and English from Virginia
Polytechnic Institute, and his Ph.D. from Cornell University in
1957, before joining the chemistry faculty at Iowa State
University. In 1974, Chapman was elected to the National
Academy of Sciences and transferred to UCLA, where he
investigated organic reactive intermediates, such as carbenes,
nitrenes, and propadienones.
Chapmans ideas concerning the
novel molecule, C60, developed in
1980, when McMahon was
working as a graduate student in his
group, and, in 1981, he initiated
efforts directed at C60s chemical
synthesis, pioneering contributions
to materials chemistry. It was a
manifestation of this mans
tremendous creativity that he had
envisioned this, and not just C60,
but also other related fullerene type
structures, like C70 and C84,
McMahon said.
During his career, Chapman
received many awards, including
the Pure Chemistry Award and the Arthur C. Cope Medal from the
American Chemical Society. In collaboration with Arlene Russell,
a senior lecturer, he also led the UCLA Science Challenge, which
Professor Kendall Houk said was a case-study based approach to
revamping lower-division science education using technology. In
1995, he received the ComputerWorld Smithsonian Institute
Award for the best use of computers in education and academia.
Chapman and Russell also developed Calibrated Peer Review
TM

(CPR), a computer network set up to track submissions and peer
reviews of student work.
McMahon said this effort was another demonstration of
Chapmans creativity and his combined love of chemistry and
English. It was a very sophisticated and forward looking use of
technology to try and help students learn to write without the
instructor having to read each individual sample, McMahon said.
McMahon also said Chapman demonstrated great pride in his
research group, a feeling that was mutual, treating his students as
extensions of his family. He even regularly invited them to
Thanksgiving dinner, hosted by Chapman and his wife, Susan,
who attended the lecture. I remember him saying, Well cook a
turkey thats roughly the size of the oven, McMahon said,
recalling one such Thanksgiving dinner. He really loved being at
the center of things, helping people to have a good time.
At the inaugural lecture, McMahon said Chapman was
remembered by many as a kind and gregarious person, who
served as a mentor to students and faculty alike. Houk echoed
these sentiments in his introductory speech.
All of us who knew Orville had wonderful personal
experiences of his kindnesses and consideration, Houk said. We
take this occasion to honor the life and memory of Orville
Chapman for his contributions to science, to education, and to all
the people whom he enriched at UCLA.
Robert McMahon and
Susan Chapman
Chapman Lecture Photo Credit: Lufeng Zou
Orville Chapman
ALUMNI & FRI ENDS
11
OUR GENEROUS SUPPORTERS
SEABORGIUM ($5000+)
3M Company
Alpha Chi Sigma Fraternity
Amgen Inc.
Anonymous
California Community
Foundation - Ralph &
Shirley Shapiro
Don, Dennis
Fortney, Andrew D.
Gelbart Family Trust
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.
Jim & Barbara Tsay Foundation
John P. McTague
Revocable Trust
Knobler, Charles M. &
Carolyn B.
Maxwell Technologies
Pfizer, Inc.
Schumaker, Verne N.
Shell Oil Company Foundation
The Albert Parvin Foundation
The Procter and Gamble
Company
The Wilson Trust Wilson,
Raymond A. & Dorothy A.
PLATINUM ($2500-4999)
Alnylam US, Inc.
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Pharmaceutical Group
Eli Lilly and Company
Rajbhandari, Udaya &
Lakshmanan, Harsha
Siebert, Eleanor D. & Raymond A.
GOLD ($1000-2499)
Allergan Inc.
Avila Therapeutics, Inc.
Baird, Richard L.
Bensimon, David & Daniele
Carter, Robert C. & Mae R.
Craig, Angela Yachiyo
Crawford, Thomas C. &
Sally A.
Creek, Jefferson L.
Diederich, Francois N. &
Georgine
Dote, Janis L. & Nagumo, Mark
Fang, Jiyu
Felker, Peter M. & Patti C.
Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund -
Dr. & Mrs. Sheldon Lewis
Fund
Genentech, Inc.
Goh, M. Cynthia
Gribble, Gordon W.
Houk, Kendall N. &
Garrell, Robin L.
Inami, Harry & Kazuko
Institut de Recherches Servier
Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Jordan, Ann S.
Kollmeyer, Willy D. &
Barbara D.
Lo, Frederick
Luminit LLC
Marott, Janet E.
Merck Company Foundation
Merlic, Craig
Minority Opportunities in
Research (MORE) Programs
Morimoto, Bruce H.
Myers, Jill A.
Phelps, Patricia E.
Schwartz, Daniel
Scott, William L.
Sweet, Jack
Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Timberlake, William D. &
Karen C.
Trius Therapeutics, Inc.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Yeates, Todd O.
SILVER ($500-999)
Boehringer Ingelheim
Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Chang, Ching-Jone & Evelyn
Clarke, Steven & Catherine F.
Fang, Cindy P.
Ferring Research Institute, Inc.
Fuchs, Herbert E.
Guo, Hailan
Hawthorne, Diana B.
Kaesz, Judy
Kaesz, Susan E.
Katz, Shoshannah D.
Kim, June Y.
Lew, Frances T.
Novartis U.S. Foundation
Prestwick Chemical, Inc.
Remy, David C.
Signal Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Stavros, Kimiko A. & Harry G.
The Boeing Company
Turner, Gloria E. & James L.
Tyssee, Donald A.
Wang, Hua & Xu, David D.
Weatherwax, Sharlene C.
BRONZE ($250-499)
Andersen, Amity &
Govind, Niranjan
Bernstein, Joel
Borden, Barry G.
Carter, Emily A.
Chen, Chuan-Run
Chevron Corporation
Chiang, Glenn
Comas Garcia, Mauricio
Davis, Grace M.
De, Sona
Dennis, Lawrence W. & Lise-
Marie
Envoy Therapeutics, Inc.
Flom, Michael S.
Fujimoto, Atsuko O. & Akira
Garcia-Garibay, Miguel A.
Griffin, T. Scott
Grudzinskas, Charles V. & Julie
Holzer, Margaret E.
Hyde, Alan M.
Johnson, Nancy K. &
Sean A.
Kaner, Richard & Sara D.
Katz, Marion F. & Howard E.
Katzenellenbogen,
Benjamin A.
Keller, Walter G.
Lockheed Martin
Corporation Foundation
Margerum, Larry & Suzanne C.
Marvin, Dean C. & Lee S.
Poon, Pak H.
Poon, Thomas
Qian, Wenyuan
Reisler, Emil & Hanna
Russell, Arlene A. &
Christopher T.
Sahyun, Melville R. V. &
Irene M.
Sanford, Lamb & David A.
Schwartz, Kenneth E. &
Tan, Jane H.
Schwartz, Richard S.
Scott, Robert L. & Elizabeth H.
Sirignano, Matthew D. &
Rachel M.
Smith, Roberts A. & Adela
Storer, Joey W.
Tarrasch, Marc E.
Thakur, Anjani K. & Vijaya
The Jewish Community
Foundation Lapporte-
Frankel Family Phil. Fund
Wasson, John & Gudrun H.
Williamson, Arthur G. &
Elizabeth
Xue, Ziling & Yang, Yihui
GENERAL ($100-249)
Abelt, Christopher J. &
Mooring, Anne M.
Aglipay, Ralph J. A.
Alancraig, Diane R. &
Septien, Alfredo
Aroeste, Jean L.
Bailey, Kathy R.
Barnes, Larry D. & Sandra L.
Bauer Investments L.P.
Berst, Charles A. & Roelina
Biale, John & Elena V.
Bienkowski, Lisa A.
Birely, John H.
Brenner, Martin & Brenda A.
Brown, Chappy D.
Brown, Priscilla G.
Carlberg, Margaret A.
Carter, Charles E. &
Margaret B.
Charuworn, Burt B. & Kanida
Chen, Yeajer A. & Suling C.
Cheng, Yun-Wu &
Chen, Yao-Chi
Chizhevsky, Igor
Clement, Noriko
Colgate-Palmolive Company
Copeland, Jason E.
Cordon, Martin
Crystal, Wilma S.
Delton, Mary H.
Dickinson, Eric
Digrande, Jana L.
El-Shall, Lisa A.
Fagerquist, Clifton K.
Fraser, James C. & Diana K.
Georgiadis, Taxiarchis M.
& Millie M.
Giuroiu, Monica P. & Horia
Goldstein, Rebecca A. &
George
Goyne, Thomas E. & Cheryl B.
Grove, David D.
Gutierrez, Carlos G.
Halim, Himawan & Aloysia N.
Hallett, Ruth G.
Hays, Auda K.
Ho, Hector W. & Mariane
Ho, Jennifer L.
Hobel, Calvin J. & Marsha
Hwang, Jimmy S.
J. Ho Construction Inc.
Karpowicz, Steven J.
Kasper, Jerome V. & Jean W.
Kelly, Casie &
Quintos-Abesamis, Jason
Lake, James A. & Laura M.
LeChan, Justin
Lefohn, Phyllis A. & Allen S.
Livinghouse, Thomas S.
Lowe III, John A.
Macari-Hinson, Margaret
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Andrew L.
Maynard, Heather D.
Mc Caskie, John E.
McNall, Lester R.
Meier, Dale J. & Helen J.
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Miller, Jeffrey E.
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Ohara, Pamela C. &
Chu, Michael A.
Payne, Gregory S. &
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Price II, William W.
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Regal Service Company
Reuter Dettmann, Lisa Y.
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Schwaber, Jules & Evelyne A.
Sorensen, Adam E.
Stine, Keith J.
Swartz, Barbara
Tao, Zheng & Zhu, Zhihong
The Leitereg Living Trust
Tsai, Mark C.
Venerable II, Grant D.
Watson, Joseph B. & Jennifer S.
Whiteker, Roy A. & Jean M.
Xue, Min
Yu, Kuen-Wai & Chiu, Lan-Kui
Yundt, William H.
Zehnder, Dean A. &
Biddle, Andrea K.
Zepeda Sr., Luis R. & Marta C.
Zhang, Xiaojun
Zheng, Shijun
Ziegler, Stanley M. & Frances
Zuccaro, David &
Herzberg, Viola M.

12
Chemistry grabbed hold of
Raymond A. Wilson (class of
43) as a teenager, and never
let go. Born in Boyle Heights
and raised in Inglewood,
Wilson recalled having a
bent for the sciences, and in
high school he took all the
science courses that were
offered. He enrolled at UCLA
in 1939 and never wavered
from his decision to major in
chemistry.
In his first two years as a
Bruin, Wilson was a member
of the UCLA Rally
Committee. He helped
organize the massive card
tricks at football games and
decorate the goal posts in blue
and gold.
However, when the U.S.
entered the war in 1941, many such extracurricular activities were
curtailed. Around that time, Wilson began working in the
Chemistry Department to help pay for his tuition and his small
rented room near campus.
Although he graduated nearly seventy years ago, he has
enduring memories of several UCLA chemistry professors who
profoundly affected his life. Among them were Professors Charles
D. Coryell and James D. McCullough, who team-taught an
introductory chemistry course.
The two of them really convinced me I was in the right place,
that chemistry was the right subject for me, Wilson said.
And there was Prof. James B. Ramsey, who taught physical
chemistry.
He was very demanding and gave us pop quizzes once or
twice a week, Wilson recalled. You always did your homework
in that classor else.
Wilson graded papers for pioneering organic chemist Saul
Winstein, and worked as an assistant to Professor William R.
Crowell, a professor of quantitative analysis. A particular event
stands out in Wilsons memory.
One evening during a rare war-related blackout, a light bulb
that maintained a constant-temperature bath for experiments kept
flashing on and off. Thinking it might be a code transmission of
some sort, the authorities swiftly arrived and unplugged the bulb
causing all of the experiments to fail. To prevent a repeat of this
mishap, Wilson was immediately assigned to find an alternative
heat source for the constant-temperature bath.
Wilson credits his UCLA education for giving him an excellent
start to an immensely satisfying 40-year career with Shell Oil
Company.
Looking back, he noted, Im tickled pink that I got such a
great education, which helped me get a good job straight out of
college.
After he retired, Wilson decided to start giving back to UCLA.
In the 1990s, Wilson and his wife, Dorothy (Dot), donated a
piece of real estate to the Chemistry Department, to help fund the
new Chemistry building. During a visit to see the nearly
completed building, they were so impressed by Professor Richard
Kaner (their tour guide) that they decided to donate funds to
support his researchand have done so ever since.
Wilsons next major gift came in 2001, when he named UCLA
as the beneficiary of a large IRA and established the Ray and
Dorothy Wilson Endowment in Chemistry, which supports
visiting professors and student fellowships in the Department.
Over the years, the Shell Oil matching gift program has added
generously to the endowment.
Through their generosity, Dot and Ray Wilson have built a
solid legacy in the Department that is also a lasting tribute to the
chemistry professors who, seventy years ago, had such a profound
impact on a bright young chemistry student.
The generous support of our donors keeps UCLA at the
forefront of innovation and discovery. If you would like to inquire
about ways to give to the Department of Chemistry and
Biochemistry, please contact Kerri Yoder, Director of
Development for the Division of Physical Sciences, at (310)
794-9045 or by e-mail at kyoder@support.ucla.edu.
Why We Donate: Raymond & Dorothy Wilson
Raymond and Dorothy Wilson
BruinWorks is an online networking site exclusively for UCLA alumni. It allows alumni to connect professionally and personally
to a network of nearly 400,000 UCLA alumni. BruinWorks is a UCLA graduate's most valuable resource. BruinWorks enables you to
Network with other UCLA alumni from our department
Search for jobs, rsums and other alumni
Post a job or your own rsum
Access a comprehensive UCLA alumni directory
Explore a global calendar of UCLA events
Join interest and geographic alumni groups
Sign up for BruinWorks: Go to www.bruinworks.com and click on Log in. First-time users will be directed to sign up to establish
an account. If you already have an account, you can log in with your e-mail address and password.
ALUMNI & FRI ENDS
13
Motors on their hybrid cars, and everyone there basically expressed
that the key to hybrid vehicles was developing a new type of
battery, Davis said. Since battery technology develops very
slowly, I was super excited to read about Ric and Maher's work. I
didn't think, and don't think, even now, that people realize how big
a discovery a new energy storage device is.
Although The Super Supercapacitor did not win the grand
prize in the competition, it ranked as the second most viewed film
of 95 finalists, was viewed by over 1 million people on Web sites
such as Reddit, Vimeo, YouTube, and Upworthy, and was
translated into Portuguese, serving as a promotional vehicle for
possibilities to come.
It's not exactly Gangnam Style numbers, but for a three-
minute documentary on a science subject, it should be considered
very successful, Davis said.
Following publication of Kaner and El-Kadys Science article, a
leading supercapacitor company also offered them a contract and
large donation to fund further research on supercapacitors, for
potential applications in transportation and energy grid storage.
If you go to China, the new buses run on carbon-based
supercapacitors, and the reason they do that is a supercapacitor can
be charged and discharged relatively quickly, Kaner said,
describing one such application. While people are getting on and
off at a bus stop, you can charge your bus, and instead of having an
entire grid system, you just make the bus stop the charging station.
As long as theres a bus stop every 10 to 20 miles, where the bus
can be recharged, its very happy to go along, and you need very
little infrastructure.
El-Kady and Kaner have made several more breakthroughs over
the past year. Although their graphene supercapacitors can already
be charged 1000 times faster than batteries, El-Kady is working on
further boosting their capacity by making a supercapacitor-battery
hybrid that requires limited charging time to store a large amount
of power.
If you specially design the supercapacitor-battery hybrid, you
can get the best attributes of the two, El-Kady said.
They also developed mini versions of their supercapacitors,
called micro-supercapacitors, which is especially important since
the current portable electronics trend has spurred the
miniaturization of various technologies. Standard micro-fabrication
techniques have enabled on-chip micro-supercapacitors, but the
devices are expensive and are produced in a labor-intensive
process, thereby limiting their commercial applications. Using the
inexpensive LightScribe technique, El-Kady was able to make
more than 100 micro-supercapacitors on a single DVD disc in less
than 30 minutes, a terrific feat that may lead to direct power source
integration into computer processing chips. This research was
published in Nature Communications on February 12, 2013.
Its something that I believe is a very important step forward
towards the commercialization of graphene microsupercapacitors,
El-Kady said.
Kaner said El-Kadys educational background played a crucial
role in the discovery that graphene was ideal for building
supercapacitors, enabling him to take the lead in the continuation
of their research, and making him more than deserving of the
McCoy award.
This would not have come about unless Maher came with his
masters degree in electrochemistry, and, literally, after measuring
the speed of electron transfer on graphene, realized that this was a
good application, Kaner said. I have some background in
electrochemistrymy Ph.D. was on making the first batteries out of
conducting polymersbut I hadnt actually done much
electrochemistry since Id been here, so it was refreshing to see
him come, and he definitely deserves whatever accolades come his
way.
El-Kady has always pushed himself to succeed. An almost
middle child of a family of nine children, five boys and four girls,
El-Kady grew up in Egypt and was strongly encouraged to pursue
an education by his parents, both of whom lacked the opportunities
available to him.
My mother didnt get an education and my father didnt get an
education either, although he later learned how to read and write
some words, El-Kady said. They made sacrifices so I could
pursue what I love to do. I would like to take this opportunity to
remember my father who passed away when I was about to join
UCLA. Without his help, I wouldnt be here today. I would also
like to thank my mother, who gave me a lot of support during my
school studies to do something, to be an effective member of
society. Even though she didnt know exactly what that could be,
she was giving me the support to get a nice education, because then
I would eventually know my way and do better than they did.
El-Kady said science became a career path at an early age, as he
has looked up to Ahmed Zewail, the 1999 Nobel Laureate in
chemistry, since he was 12, and was first fascinated by his sixth to
eighth grade science teachers lab experiments. Fulfilling his
parents aspirations, he received his bachelors of science in
chemistry from Cairo University, in 2004, ranking as the top
student in his department and gaining a position as a professor at
Cairo University, to commence upon the completion of his
doctorate. His collaboration with Kaner, who he admired for his
work in conducting polymers, began while he was working on his
masters thesis, as his committee selected Kaner as an external
reviewer. Soon after completing his masters in physical chemistry,
in 2009, El-Kady received a graduate fellowship to earn his
doctorate in the United States, choosing to join Kaners group. He
intended to study conducting polymers, but became interested in
graphene, a newer material discovered in 2004.
Ric started at the time when conducting polymers were
actually the golden material, but, after 40 years, most of their
interesting applications had been done already, El-Kady said.
Current research has taught us that graphene is the new star
material of our time. Measurements showed that graphene is one of
the strongest materials known to man, conducts electricity better
than copper, and is completely flexible. Most interestingly,
graphene has extrememly high surface area. For example, you can
cover an entire football field with less than one gram of graphene.
These interesting properties suggested that graphene could be used
for a variety of applications. However, the question was if we could
make a useful device out of graphene, and before that, we needed
to ask a more important questioncould we make graphene using
an inexpensive and scalable process?
Kaner originally set out to find a scalable method for making
graphene, as the one made famous by 2010 Nobel Laureates Andre
Geim and Konstantin Novoselov was difficult (continued on p. 14)
The Super Supercapacitor (continued from p. 1)
RESEARCH
14
The Super Supercapacitor (continued from p. 14) Research Highlight: Pyridynes
Many commercially available drugs contain
organic molecules known as heterocycles, and
one of the most common heterocycles prevalent
in drugs is called the pyridine ring. Over 100
medications on the market today include
pyridine rings, such as Lunesta, commonly used
to treat insomnia, Actos, commonly used to treat
Type II diabetes, Nexium, commonly used to
treat acid reflux, and Singulair, commonly used
to treat asthma. By making compounds called
pyridynes, Professor Neil Garg and Adam
Goetz, a Ph.D. candidate in Gargs laboratory, introduced a new tool
to allow chemists to construct various molecular structures that can
potentially aid in future drug discovery. This research was published
online in Nature Chemistry on November 25.
You need basic chemistry to be able to access potential drugs, and
we think this is a very useful tool that drug companies will be able to
use to make new chemicals that they have not been able to make
before, Garg said.
Pyridine rings consist of six atoms that can be numbered for
classification purposes. Garg and Goetz wanted to introduce new
arrangements of atoms, or substituents, on pyridine rings in a
controlled process, in order to form new molecular structures to aid
chemists in drug discovery. They aimed at producing 3,4-pyridynes,
in which the third and fourth atoms in a pyridine ring are attached to
one another by a very reactive triple bond. The high reactivity of the
pyridyne allows for many possible chemical reactions, Garg said.
Although chemists have been producing these types of pyridynes
for over 30 years, Garg and Goetz recognized some limitations in
their methods, as they were not user-friendly, not often used in drug
discovery, and were more likely to result in two, rather than one,
product, which is not helpful to those trying to make very specific
compounds. To simplify the process, Garg and Goetz prepared
pyridyne precursors, which are stable chemicals that can be stored
in bottles. Pyridyne precursors can be put into chemical reactions to
be converted into pyridynes. They can then be used to quickly react
with another ingredient, which can be chosen by the researcher, to
form a new product. Since the last ingredient will vary in different
reactions, according to a chemists preference, many new substituted
pyridines can be made.
Garg and Goetz are currently focused on making their pyridyne
precursors commercially available. A leading chemical supplier has
already purchased three compounds to test market viability, the first
step toward drug companies widely using pyridynes in drug
discovery.
Theres a popular quote by one of the former directors of the
National Institutes of Health, and he said that the No. 1 stumbling
block in drug discovery is synthetic organic chemistry, Garg said. I
think a lot of industrial researchers agree. Were good at synthetic
organic chemistry, but we will always need new ways to build
molecules, and new ways to build molecules that have never been
made before. Our pyridyne chemistry is a contribution along those
lines.
*This is the first article in our Research Highlights series. Please look for
future Research Highlights online at www.chemistry.ucla.edu.
to reproduce. Geim and Novoselovs method used tape to peel
layers from a piece of graphite until one layer, graphene, resulted.
Kaners method instead involved chemical exfoliation of graphene
sheets from graphite oxide, documented in the most-cited article in
Nature Nanotechnology, and El-Kady said he wanted to take this
finding to the next step.
My goal at that time was to make a graphene supercapacitor
that could store more energy than commercially available
supercapacitors and also provide more power, El-Kady said.
However, researchers have faced the common challenge that
the single layers of graphene stick together, reducing its surface
area. To produce graphene sheets that remained separate once
combined into supercapacitors, El-Kady, Veronica Strong, a
former graduate student, Sergey Dubin, another Ph.D. candidate in
Kaners group, and Kaner decided to use a laser to convert
graphite oxide into graphene, settling on the laser inside a
LightScribe drive, because it was inexpensive and accessible. A
few years earlier, they discovered that graphite oxide could convert
into graphene when exposed to intense light, and the LightScribe
method provided control over the speedy conversion process.
We looked at the microscopic structure of graphene and found
that the graphene sheets were separated nicely and were highly
conductive, El-Kady said. So I thought this was the material that
we were after for making an ideal battery or supercapacitor.
El-Kady hurried to build a supercapacitor, running to Radio
Shack to buy several LEDs, ordering electrolytes, and using 10-
year-old electrolytes found in the lab for the time being. Once the
supercapacitor was ready, El-Kady charged it and attached it to an
LED. Amazingly enough, it worked, El-Kady said. It lit up the
LED for several minutes, and I was so excited about it, so I called
Veronica (Strong) and said, Here is the interesting application that
were after.
I was convinced that it would be very important, because
youre always wondering whether scientists can discover a
wonderful battery that you can have in your cell phone for several
days instead of one, El-Kady added. The second thing is that we
can make it completely flexible.
Flexible technology suitable for roll-up displays has recently
gained popularity among researchers. While batteries could break
and lose conductivity if bent, graphene supercapacitors can be bent
in several directions and maintain conductivity, paving the way for
applications in military equipment and flat screen, bendable
displays, such as the Samsung Youm Flexible OLED Displays,
which were presented at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show
(CES).
Kaner said El-Kadys discovery prompted him to recall his own
days as a student, when his graduate advisor, Nobel Laureate Alan
MacDiarmid, would make him demonstrate his findings before
trusting that he had produced significant results.
He didnt believe anything until he could actually see or touch
it, so it just reminded me of when my advisor used to say, Ok, you
say this battery works? I want to see how it works, Kaner said.
After graduating in June, El-Kady said he plans to return to
Egypt in time for Eid al-Fitr, the festival that follows Ramadan, to
celebrate the end of a month of fasting with (continued on p. 15)
Nexium
Pyridyne Ring
RESEARCH
15
his family. Determined to apply his valuable
education to instruction at Cairo University, El-
Kady also said he intended to teach his students
various lab demonstrations. He even used his
McCoy award to stock up on textbooks, either
unavailable or too expensive in Egypt, which he
said would provide necessary updates to the
current curriculum. El-Kady will teach in Egypt
for a year, before attempting to secure a post-
doctoral position in the United States.
Although he is still interested in graphene, he
said he plans on finding applications for more
recent discoveries, such as water splitting, which
may lead to clean energy sources. He met Nobel
Laureate Sir Harold Kroto at the Lindau Nobel
Laureates Meeting in Germany, in 2009, and,
while at the meeting, was featured in another
short film, titled Nanotechnology: Use and
Misuse, in which he discussed similar research
interests with Kroto. He walked away with a
lesson he continues to utilize todayembrace the
scientific method, leaving others opinions
behind.
(Kroto) liked the dogma in science that we
should not be affected by previous thoughts about
things, El-Kady said. I think thats very
important. It was inspiring, because scientists had
a dogma about graphene; they thought that any
two-dimensional crystal should not exist in
nature, and thats actually why graphene was
discovered very late. People considered it an
unstable form of carbon that shouldn't exist, but
the guys who won the Nobel Prize put an end to
these thoughtsgraphene is stableand it was like
a shock to the scientific community.
Similarily, Kaner has urged his research group
to move forward in innovation, rather than finding
one solution to a problem and considering it
solved, something that El-Kady said he wished to
instill in his students.
You can make a high surface material, and
stop and say, Well this is a high surface material,
and it will make a very nice battery, but then you
need to prove that you made this material, and
that it will perform better than others in the
market or in previous literature, El-Kady said.
So thats why Ric is always encouraging us to
find applications; were always after applications
that society is interested in, and if you talk about
them, theyll get excited.
The photo featured on p. 1 is a still from Brian
Golden Davis The Super Supercapacitor. The
short film can be viewed at: http://vimeo.com/
focusforwardfilms/semifinalists/51873011.
Norma Bernstein
Norma Olivier Bernstein, wife of Richard Barry
Bernstein (a founding father of the field of chemical
reaction dynamics, and professor of chemistry at UCLA
from 1983-1990), passed away on August 30, 2012. Born
in Pella, Iowa of Dutch immigrants, Norma pursued a
career in nursing and was an operating room supervisor
when she met her husband of 42 years. Her life was
dedicated to supporting Richard's research and career,
including helping him in his role as editor of Chemical
Physical Letters, and raising their four children, all of whom survive her (Neil,
Minda, Beth and Julie).
Richard (Dick) Gillespie
Richard (Dick) Gillespie, an alumnus and long-time
staff member in the department, passed away on January 25,
2013, at the age of 90. Dick started working in our solutions
preparation lab in 1951, while also finishing up his B.S.,
which he earned in 1953. He became head of the Freshman
Storeroom, overseeing all chemistry undergraduate
laboratory solutions, while he also studied part-time with
Professor Ken Trueblood to earn an M.S. in X-ray
crystallography, which he completed in 1958. Rather than pursuing a doctorate,
Dick embraced his passion for instrumentation, and was the department's
mainstay in its instrumentation facility from 1955 until his retirement in 1982.
Joan Peter
Joan Carol Peter, wife of James B. Peter (a postdoctoral
scholar in Paul Boyer's group, School of Medicine faculty
member, and 2001 Seaborg Medalist) passed away on
November 6, 2012, at age 78. Born and raised in Omaha,
Nebraska, Joan and Jim were married for 53 yearsfrom
1955 until his death in 2009. In 1963, Joan and Jim moved
to Santa Monica, where they raised their seven children.
They later had 13 grandchildren and three great
grandchildren. Throughout her life, Joan excelled in her
main roles as mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and also
volunteered with various organizations, such as Meals on Wheels. Jim and Joan
Peter also generously endowed the Paul D. Boyer chair in Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology.
George Rathmann
George B. Rathmann, the first chief executive of
Amgen, 1995 Seaborg Medalist, and a friend of the
department, passed away at his home in Palo Alto,
California on April 23, 2012. He was 84. Rathmann was
widely known as one of the fathers of the biotechnology
industry, leading Amgen in the development of two major
drugs; Epogen, to treat anemia, and Neupogen, which
prevents cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy from
getting infections. He worked for 20 years at 3M before
becoming head of research and development for the
diagnostics division of Abbott Laboratories in 1975,
where he stayed until he was recruited to run Amgen. He worked with Winston
Salser, who started Amgen, at UCLA in the seventies. He is survived by his
wife, Joy; his daughters, Margaret Rathmann, Laura Jean Rathmann and Sally
Kadifa; his son, Richard; and 13 grandchildren.
RESEARCH/ I N MEMORI AM
Richard (Dick) Gillespie
1922 2013



Richard (Dick) Gillespie, an alumnus and long-time staff member in the department,
passed away in his sleep on Friday, January 25 at the age of 90.

Dick was an extremely important member of our department for 31 years. He started
working in our solutions preparation lab in 1951 while working towards his BS, which he
earned 1953. Soon he was responsible for all chemistry undergraduate laboratory
solutions and in charge of the Freshman Storeroom. At the same time, Dick continued his
education by studying part-time with Professor Ken Trueblood for a Masters in X-ray
crystallography, which he completed in 1958. Rather than pursuing a doctorate, Dick
decided that his true interests lay in instrumentation, and from 1955 until his retirement in
1982, he was the Department's mainstay in its instrumentation facility. Dick was an
expert in NMR, infrared, ultraviolet and mass spectrometry. He was concerned with the
maintenance of the departmental instruments and instructed hundreds of researchers in
their use. He loved the challenge of trouble-shooting problems with instruments and in
designing new experiments. Dick was extremely supportive of faculty and students alike
who often sought him out for his help, in-depth knowledge and advice. Jane Strouse,
who overlapped with Dick for two years at the beginning of her career in instrumentation,
found Dick to be not only an able mentor, but also a wonderful person to know and work
with.

Dick is survived by his wife, Virginia, of 65 years, his daughter, Diane and son, Steve.

Visitation will be held at Forest Lawn, Glendale today, Tuesday, January 29 from
1-4 p.m.
Joan Peter
Dick Gillespie
Norma and Richard
Bernstein
The Super Supercapacitor
(continued from p. 14)
In Memoriam
George
Rathmann



Department Graduation Ceremony and
Awarding of Alumni Awards to Drs. Judith
and Julie Swain
June 15, 2013 (Reception at 4:00 p.m., Ceremony at
5:00 p.m., Court of Sciences)
Hawthorne Lecture, Presented by Professor
Philip Power, University of California, Davis
October 9, 2013 (Contact Inorganic Divisional Office
for time and location information: 310-825-4208)



Seaborg Symposium & Medal Award
Banquet, Honoring Professor Kendall
Houk
October 26, 2013 (CNSI Auditorium, 12:00-5:45
p.m., Covel Commons, 6:30-8:30 p.m.) (see p. 7-8)

Distinguished Lecturer Seminar Series,
Presented by Professor Frances H. Arnold,
California Institute of Technology
November 6, 2013 (4:00 p.m., Contact Jin Lee for
location information: jinlee@chem.ucla.edu)

Departmental Awards Ceremony
November 18, 2013 (Court of Sciences, Room 24, 4:00
p.m.)
115th Faculty Research Lectureship,
Presented by Professor Richard Kaner
Time and location information to be announced.
15
June
6
Nov.
2013
Upcoming Events
in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
9
Oct.
18
Nov.
26
Oct.
TBA
Fall
*More lectures and events can be viewed on our calendar on our Web site at www.chemistry.ucla.edu.
SEABORG 2013
October 26, 2013
Registration Available in Fall 2013
www.seaborg.ucla.edu
Professor Kendall Houk
Saul Winstein Chair, Organic Chemistry
HONORING