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New research: Paving the Way for a New Class of Antibiotics

New research: Paving the Way for a New Class of Antibiotics

March 14, 2024

Harvard University chemist Daniel Kahne has spent much of his career studying the fundamentals of how bacteria thrive and evade attack.

His lab has a special interest in gram-negative bacteria, which have an outer membrane that many antibiotics cannot cross.

Among these bacteria is carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, or CRAB. Designated by the World Health Organization as a “critical priority” for antibiotic development, CRAB kills hundreds of critically ill patients in the U.S....

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Yoshito Kishi, Morris Loeb Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus

FAS Memorial Minute for Yoshito Kishi, 85

March 12, 2024

At a meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences on March 5, 2024, the following tribute to the life and service of the late Yoshito Kishi was spread upon the permanent records of the Faculty.

Yoshito “Yoshi” Kishi was a renowned chemist whose scientific advances in organic chemistry were among the most impactful in the history of the field.

Although Kishi left Japan for Harvard only a few years into his independent career, he made major contributions to his native land through his mentorship of several generations of Japanese synthetic chemists, many of...

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David A. Evans

FAS Memorial Minute for David Albert Evans, 81

February 27, 2024

At a meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences on Feb. 6, 2024, the following tribute to the life and service of the late David Albert Evans was spread upon the permanent records of the Faculty.

David Albert Evans was one of the most influential organic chemists in the history of the field, and his impact was felt through his research, mentorship, and teaching.  He discovered practical and general ways to synthesize polyketides, a broad class of medicinally important natural products.  To crack this problem, he devised exquisitely simple yet broadly...

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CCB & Chemistry Club host 2024 Exploring Fields of Studies

CCB & Chemistry Club host 2024 Exploring Fields of Studies

February 26, 2024

The Chemistry Open House and Department Tour on Friday, February 23 was part of the Explore the Fields of Studies for the First-Year Students. Co-hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Studies in Chemistry and the Harvard Chemistry Club at the Cabot Library, students came to talk to chemistry concentrators and faculty members in Chemistry while enjoying some sweets, pizza, and chem-themed stickers. Concentrators presented their research posters and led a Department Tour to the Department Center, Pfizer Lecture Hall, and the Office for the Director of the Undergraduate Studies in...

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New research: Towards more efficient catalysts

New research: Towards more efficient catalysts

February 16, 2024

Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Harvard Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, and Utrecht University have reported on a previously elusive way to improve the selectivity of catalytic reactions, adding a new method of increasing the efficacy of catalysts for a potentially wide range of applications in various industries including pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and much more. 

The research is published in ...

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Chemistry Internship Reunion Celebrates Success of Local High Schoolers

Chemistry Internship Reunion Celebrates Success of Local High Schoolers

February 7, 2024

By Yahya Chaudhry

As a junior at Brighton High School in 2022, Roshaun Knight was unsure about his plans after graduation. An ambitious student, Knight had always wanted to go to college but had been putting off the application process, until he participated in the inaugural Harvard Chemistry High School Laboratory Skills (HSLS) summer internship program.

“Working with professors during the internship and working with other students confirmed to me that college is something I wanted to do,” Knight said...

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Undergraduate Teaching Program hosts Staff Training & Appreciation Dinner

Undergraduate Teaching Program hosts Staff Training & Appreciation Dinner

February 5, 2024

On Friday, January 26, CCB's Undergraduate Teaching Program hosted its spring staff training session and appreciation dinner. Chemistry Teaching Fellows and Peer Study Leader act as catalysts, lowering the activation energy required for students to achieve their own learning as they progress through their chemistry journeys. The most effective teachers are the ones who can help students go far while saying and doing very little for the students. The evidence is clear: students learn best when they engage in...

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A headshot of Xiaowei Zhuang

Xiaowei Zhuang inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame

January 19, 2024

Professor Xiaowei Zhaung, alsong with 14 other innovation pioneers whose inventions range from cancer treatments to theatrical technologies and special effects, will be honored in the 2024 class of National Inventors Hall of Fame® Inductees. 

In partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the Hall of Fame will honor these Inductees on May 9 at one of the innovation industry’s most highly anticipated events — “The Greatest Celebration of American Innovation®.”

“Every year, I am impressed and inspired by the accomplishments...

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