Adapting to Challenging World Conditions through Scientific Education and Research Contributions Transitioning to new types of learning/research modalities to educate next generation scientists and researchers T he Fall 2019 semester (when we published our last newsletter) seems more distant than just under a year-and-a-half ago, so it’s hard to believe that within that time we celebrated the announcement that one of our own, Bob Flowers, would be the next Herbert J. and Ann L. Siegel Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. As that semester drew to a successful close and then as we adjourned to celebrate the 2019 holiday season, the Lehigh Chemistry family felt the customary sense of accomplishment that accompanies that time of year. The academic calendar was only half complete, however, and no one will argue with the notion that the Spring 2020 semester began a calendar year like none we've ever seen before. Between the start of the Spring 2020 semester in mid-January and Spring Break in March, both Lehigh and the nation had a growing sense of uncertainty about the burgeoning pandemic that had arrived and was quickly spreading. And although we recognized that the University would need to respond to mitigate risk, the abruptness with which we were asked to gather our notes, textbooks, and computer supplies, and begin remote operations was startling. Undergraduates would not return from that spring break until the following fall --and then only first-year students would be living on campus. Our graduate students, postdocs, research fellows, and faculty regained access to laboratories and offices during the summer--once safety protocols, user lists, and sign-in/out sheets for each room were drafted, approved, and posted online. Significant personnel changes were also woven into the fabric of 2020. During the summer, Lehigh welcomed a new provost, Dr. Nathan Urban, a neurobiologist from the University of Pittsburgh. And then at the beginning of September, we learned that President Simon will step down at the end of the current academic year. Closer to home, we wish the very best to our colleagues Marcos Pires and Yang Yang, who have moved on to new chapters in their life-adventures. You'll learn more in this newsletter about our efforts to continue excellent education and research during these challenging times-- and we welcome your news from this unusual year as well, so please stay in touch! Stay in Touch Lehigh Chemistry alums can be found all across the globe-- using their degrees to address universal issues that impact the world community. Your Lehigh Department of Chemistry would like to stay in touch. We love hearing about where your degree has taken you! Send your stories-- professional or personal--to mwr217@lehigh.edu ON THE COVER: a representative all-atom molecular dynamics system of a fully-glycosylated full-length SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein in a viral membrane. The membrane consists of a lipid mixture with DPPC:POPC:DPPE:POPE:DPPS:POPS:PSM:Chol=4:6:12:18:4:6:20:30. Color code: S protein in light blue; palmitoylated cysteine residues in green; glycans in red; DPPC and POPC in blue; DPPE and POPE in cyan; DPPS and POPS in pink; PSM in gray; and cholesterol in yellow. For clarity, water molecules and ions are omitted. The illustration was generated using VMD. in the Im lab. (To read more on Wonpil Im's research . . . please see the "Faculty News" section.) Department of Chemistry Seeley G. Mudd Building 6 E. Packer Avenue Bethlehem, PA 18015 Phone: (610) 758-3470 Fax: (610) 758-6536 https://chemistry.cas.lehigh.edu Academic Coordinator Kerry Livermore 610-758-3471 kjl212@lehigh.edu In This Issue 2 Chair's Update 3 Wittenberg Grant Plans 4 Flowers Named Dean 5 Xu Named Sloan Research Fellow 6 Department's COVID-19 Transition Page 2 · Lehigh University Department Chair Gregory S. Ferguson 610-758-3462 gf03@lehigh.edu Faculty Coordinator (Newsletter Editor) Mary Roberson 610-758-3470 mwr217@lehigh.edu 8 Faculty News 18Student News 21 Alumni News 20Staff/Department News
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