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Technical Services
Chemistry’s
facilities and resources reflect the Department’s commitment
to research. Three connected buildings house the Chemistry Department’s
classrooms, research labs, and faculty offices.
The newest building, completed in 1988, is among
the largest chemistry centers built in the United
States in the last two decades. The upper three
floors of this Dow Laboratory building are devoted
to research. Two floors contain 46 research modules,
each with adjoining instrument rooms. One floor
houses custom-designed space for physical and analytical
chemists. Specialized facilities in the building
include several cold rooms, a -20 C freezer room,
incubation rooms, autoclaves, a hydrogenation facility,
and a polymer characterization laboratory. In the
center of the new building, an atrium with trees,
flowers, and a skylight roof create an inviting
environment to work and study.
RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION.
Advanced instrumentation is an essential component of Departmental
research. The Department and individual research groups collectively
maintain a multi-million dollar inventory of state-of-the-art hardware
and software that is constantly being updated. Major Departmental
equipment available to research faculty and students include the
following: a Varian UnityINOVA 800MHz NMR (housed in the chemistry
complex and shared with the Biophysics Research Division), a Bruker
AMX 500 MHz NMR, a Varian UnityINOVA 500 MHz NMR, a Varian UnityINOVA
400 MHz NMR, a Bruker AM 360 MHz NMR, a Bruker DSX 300 MHz Solid
State NMR, a Varian Mercury 300 MHz NMR, and a Bruker AC 200 MHz
NMR, Differential Scanning and Isothermal Titration Calorimeters.
Also available are a superconducting quantum interference detecting
(SQUID) magnetometer; two Bruker ESR spectrometers including a Bruker
EMX with X-band and Q-band capability; two X-ray diffractometers
with SGI workstations for data analysis; two magnetic sector mass
spectrometers (VG Micromass) capable of EI, CI or FAB high resolution
exact mass measurements; a Finnigan gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer;
two FT-IR spectrometers; an AVIV circular dichroism spectrometer;
a Shimadzu UV-VIS spectrophotometer; a Perkin-Elmer thermogravimetric
analyzer and differential scanning calorimeter; an ISA-Spex spectroflurometer;
fixed wavelength and tunable lasers; scanning and transmission electron
microscopes; a phosphorimager; scintillation counting apparatus;
ultra-centrifuges; and automated peptide, DNA, and RNA synthesis
facilities.
The Department maintains
in-house services for mass spectrometry, CHN analysis, atomic absorption
analysis, and X-ray crystallography. The Department also maintains
on-premise glassblowing, machine, and electronics shops to repair
and fabricate scientific apparatus that are not available commercially.
http://www.umich.edu/~techserv/
COMPUTATIONAL RESOURCES.
The Chemistry Department computational resources are centered around
four computers: a Silicon Graphics Octane, an 8-processor Silicon
Graphics 4D/380 GTXB, an IBM RS/6000-550, and a Silicon Graphics
12-processor Power-Challenge supercomputer shared between investigators
in Chemistry and the Biophysics Research Division. The Department
also has a 4-processor Silicon Graphics high performance server
for 3D molecular graphics. This computer is housed in special Visualization
Laboratory with projection screen capability in stereo. Individual
research groups own and operate several dozen other UNIX workstations,
plus some 200 personal computers. In addition, the University of
Michigan is a member of an academic consortium associated with the
San Diego Supercomputer Center, providing access to a Cray C90.
Finally, researchers in the Department can take advantage of the
Advanced Computer Architecture Laboratory in the Department of Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science, a world-renowned research facility
whose focus includes developing applications for their advanced
computer systems, including a 16-node Silicon Graphics Power-Challenger,
a 32-node Convex SPP-1000 and a 48-node IBM SP2. As Michigan plays
a major role in developing the Internet, communication between the
more than 25,000 computers on campus and those throughout the world
is fast and efficient.
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH
FACILITIES AND RESEARCH CENTERS. As one of the largest public
research institutions in the United States, the University of Michigan
sponsors a large number of specialized centers of research and campus-wide
research facilities. Two centers that many members of the Chemistry
Department frequently use or belong to are the Biomedical Research
Core Facilities (BRCF http://www.brcf.med.umich.edu)
and the Center for Ultrafast Optical Science (CUOS
http://www.eecs.umich.edu/CUOS). The BRCF provides
state-of-the art instrumentation and services to
assist in all types of biochemical and biomedical
research projects. Services performed by the BRCF
staff scientists include: peptide and nucleic acid
synthesis; N-terminal protein sequencing and amino
acid analysis; automated DNA sequencing; carbohydrate
analysis; laser desorbtion and electrospray mass
spectrometry; flow cytometry; monoclonal antibody
production; transgenic mouse production; and a
vector design service. The CUOS, established by
the National Science Foundation in 1991, is this
Nation’s foremost
center for conducting research on the production
and utilization of ultrashort optical pulses. Applications
of these femtosecond pulses in chemistry include
studies of the photochemistry and photophysics
of chemical and biological systems with time resolution
comparable to the time scale for nuclear motion;
coherent control of molecular systems using pulses
with sculptured phase and amplitude profiles; and
optical imaging using near-field scanning optical
microscopy. Research is also underway into the
production of ultrashort X-ray pulses that will
allow real-time structural studies of molecules
undergoing reaction.
LIBRARIES. Chemistry
students have access to one of the finest and most complete library
systems in the country. In fact, Michigan houses the eighth largest
university library collection in the United States. A fully-integrated
Science Library includes all major titles in organic, inorganic,
analytical, physical, materials, and biochemistry, and the nearby
medical and engineering libraries provide a host of other technical
resources. Libraries are open seven days a week and offer on-line
search and retrieval capabilities from any networked computer.http://www.lib.umich.edu/
GSC
The Graduate Student
Council is composed of current graduate students and its responsibilities
include planning social activities throughout the year . The GSC
also acts as an informal advocate group for students and meets periodically
with the Executive Committee of the Department to discuss relevant
issues. For students trying to find a place to live in Ann Arbor,
the GSC has compiled a list of ratings of area apartment complexes
to assist in the search. Entering students are also assigned a ‘Big
Sib’ by the GSC, an older graduate student who is available
to answer any questions about the graduate program, coursework,
or living in Ann Arbor. For more information see: http://www.umich.edu/~chemgsc/
Living
in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor is a community
of 130,000 and is one of the leading research cities in the world.
Ann Arbor is among the best when it comes to robotics, computers,
aerospace systems, optics, lasers and biotechnology.
Ann Arbor has what makes
life more than just study. Money magazine
(July, 1996 issue) asked their readers in a survey: "Where would you most like
to live given any choice?" When it came to
the arts they said Ann Arbor. When it came to low
crime, again they said Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor was
also listed in the top five cities when it comes
to housing, schools (K through infinity), and transportation.
In fact, Ann Arbor ranked as the fifth most desirable
city in the United States to live.
Ann Arbor successfully
combines the comfort and charm of a small city
with all the excitement of a metropolitan area.
The city’s landscape is a pleasant
blend of parks, office buildings, shops, tree-lined
streets and historic preservation areas.
If you need a break from
academics, the City and the University offer
music, museums, theater, films, lectures and
a constant stream of distinguished scholars,
public figures, poets, writers, and artists throughout
the year. Both the City and the University sponsor
a lively year-round calendar of cultural events,
featuring orchestras, troups, touring companies
and individual artists of national and international
note. There is music for every taste – from classical and jazz to rock
and folk – as well as fully-staged productions
of opera, dance, musical theater and drama. In
July, painters, potters, photographers, and sculptors
display their creations at the famous Ann Arbor
Art Fairs, which literally transform the streets
into a paved gallery.
And let us not forget
recreation. The University offers excellent participatory
sports facilities through the Recreational Sports
Department. Michigan is also Big 10 sports at
its best – football, basketball, baseball,
hockey and swimming, as well as virtually all other men’s and
women’s sports. On a more personal level, Ann Arbor’s
surrounding countryside offers opportunities for
canoeing, bicycling, lake swimming and picnicking.
In short, Ann Arbor is
everything you’d expect it to be – vital,
intelligent, inspiring, and fun.
Most students live within
walking or bicycling distance of their classes. The selection of
privately-managed housing ranges from contemporary high-rise apartments
to duplexes in historical mansions or older Ann Arbor homes. Students
looking for housing should check with the University Housing Office
referrals. Rents vary according to location and amenities.
University-owned housing
options are also available. North Campus housing, home to many graduate
students and their families, is adjacent to many University buildings,
including the Colleges of Engineering, Architecture and Urban Planning,
and the Schools of Art and Music. This area is also close to recreational
facilities and shopping centers. A University system of free bus
transportation is available to shuttle students from North Campus
to all other campus areas.
Because University housing
is a popular option for many students, we advise you to apply early
to increase the likelihood of securing space. Contact the Office
of University Housing, 1011 Student Activities Building, University
of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1316, (734) 763-3164 (http://www.housing.umich.edu/)
for further information.
Apply
to the PhD Program
Faculty
by Research Area | Faculty
(Alpha Listing)
Research
Areas | Degree Requirements | Fellowship Opportunities | Facilities
Graduate Student Committee | Living
in Ann Arbor | Graduate
Handbook (pdf)
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