2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Animale · Post by **Animale** » October 5, 2005, 11:03 am

Wow. My research advisor at MIT just won the 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Holy fucking shit.

Animale

Voronwë · Post by **Voronwë** » October 5, 2005, 11:08 am

yeah well i won it last year

that's awesome though;-) i bet it is exciting to be affiliated with that lab now! the guy better take you peons out to lunch or something !

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » October 5, 2005, 11:54 am

what did he do

Animale · Post by **Animale** » October 5, 2005, 12:14 pm

The lab developed olefin metathesis, which is a way to rearrange carbon-carbon double bonds to make "new" carbon-carbon double bonds in ONE step. Before this was developed, doing this reaction (which is important in drug synthesis and other organic reactions) took around 5 steps, with an overall yield of around 30%. By making it one step (and around 100% yield) this made many syntheses much easier.

A chemical written version of the reaction is this...

RC=CR + R'C=CR' -> RC=CR'

This scrambling can be controlled to yield interesting products.

Well, back to the press conferences and celebration stuff. I'm still in a bit of shock over this, we expected it but stuff like this is always a surprise.

Animale

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 5, 2005, 1:08 pm

Grats Animale, now put that MIT education to good use and invent a better way to build a cake or get your own Nobel Prize for cold fusion!

Trias · Post by **Trias** » October 5, 2005, 1:15 pm

hiya animale =)

that sounds damn cool; my extended congratulations

i miss our velks groups =D

masteen · Post by **masteen** » October 5, 2005, 1:18 pm

You should invent a strain of pot that is undetectable by all drug screens. Then you could be High Times MOTY. Screw that stupid Nobel thing!

Arborealus · Post by **Arborealus** » October 5, 2005, 4:33 pm

1 Step, 100% basically means far less waste and far cleaner products in addition to much more economical production...Very cool stuff

XunilTlatoani · Post by **XunilTlatoani** » October 5, 2005, 7:16 pm

Congratulations!

Skogen · Post by **Skogen** » October 6, 2005, 2:19 pm

The Matthew Effect:

In sociology, Matthew effect was a term coined by Robert K. Merton to describe how, among other things, eminent scientists will often get more credit than a comparatively unknown researcher even if their work is similar; it also means that credit will usually be given to researchers that are already famous: for example, a prize will almost always be awarded to the most senior researcher involved in a project, even if all the work was done by a graduate student. An example is given by the story of the isolation of the antibiotics streptomycin by Albert Schatz in 1943, and the attribution of all the credit, including the award of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1952, to his supervisor, Selman Waksman.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_effect

Maybe you deserve the prize Animale.

Animale · Post by **Animale** » October 6, 2005, 3:46 pm

Naw, the work he won the prize for was done largely in the 1980's and early 1990's. The thing about that "Micheal effect" is while its true that the advisor does little of the actual day to day work in the lab, he does train the people to do the work, and also intellectually directs the research that occurs. Without an advisor, most graduate students would accomplish little, and without students most advisors would accomplish far less than they have.

There are instances where situations such as the Schatz problem occurs, but by and large the system works well as is. Bosses get credit for their ideas that lead to successful graduate workers, graduate workers get credit for their contributions by getting to be a boss themselves somewhere.

Sometimes (particularly in Physics) the graduate student gets equal or greater credit than their boss for the discovery, but usually only if they continue in that field once they enter their independent careers. As it is now the Nobel prize is generally a "lifetime achievement award" for those who have changed significantly their particular field over several years. Its rarely given for a particular moment.

Animale

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » October 6, 2005, 8:56 pm

student's work is always credited on the teacher. I thought this was common?

Adex_Xeda · Post by **Adex_Xeda** » October 6, 2005, 11:27 pm

"olefin metathesis" That sounds like an european breakfast cereal.

Woohoo buckyballs for the masses?

Tuddi2 · Post by **Tuddi2** » October 8, 2005, 11:02 pm

step 1: collect underpants
step 3: profit

Nick · Post by **Nick** » October 9, 2005, 12:41 am

Personally I found the hilarious mocking of the US' foreign policy in regards to who won the Peace prize of even more relevance.

However, that's great news Animale, happy for ya man

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » October 9, 2005, 6:52 am

Congratulations, Animale, it must be a really great feeling to be part of such a great endeavor.

Animale · Post by **Animale** » May 18, 2006, 9:34 pm

Figured I'd bump this instead of starting a new thread so I can stroke my ego a bit.

I just received my Ph.D. in chemistry. Yay! It's now going to be Dr. Animale to all of you peons.

Dr. Animale

Sueven · Post by **Sueven** » May 18, 2006, 10:28 pm

Congratulations. That's a hell of an accomplishment.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » May 18, 2006, 10:46 pm

Grats man!

Vaemas · Post by **Vaemas** » May 18, 2006, 11:07 pm

That's awesome! Congratulations! Long row to hoe.

Zaelath · Post by **Zaelath** » May 19, 2006, 12:06 am

Gratz Doc. It's what now, another 2 years of study until you're Mr. again? or is that just in medicine

Trek · Post by **Trek** » May 19, 2006, 12:38 am

That is awesome!

Animale · Post by **Animale** » May 19, 2006, 12:46 am

My next step is to do a "post-doc." Which is basically just more laboratory research. In my case, I will be doing this in California, so I'm moving across the country. Should be good, I'm sick of the Boston weather (although it is going to be harder to follow my Red Sox since I won't have NESN easily anymore).

Animale

Tyek · Post by **Tyek** » May 19, 2006, 12:47 am

Wow, that is a lot of hard work and effort. Congrats on the accomplishment.

noel · Post by **noel** » May 19, 2006, 1:37 am

Congrats, Dr! What part of Cali will you be in?

Pherr the Dorf · Post by **Pherr the Dorf** » May 19, 2006, 8:00 pm

noel wrote:Congrats, Dr! What part of Cali will you be in?

Noel and I have beer covered whichever half of the state you end up in I think

Animale · Post by **Animale** » May 19, 2006, 11:52 pm

San Francisco/Berkeley area. Won't be moving out until August, so may have to wait a bit on that beer, hehe.

Animale

Pherr the Dorf · Post by **Pherr the Dorf** » May 20, 2006, 1:15 am

WOOT, that'd be beer on me then, let me know when it's close!

Kaldaur · Post by **Kaldaur** » May 20, 2006, 12:40 pm

Congratulations! That's a hell of an accomplishment. What did you write your dissertation on?

cadalano · Post by **cadalano** » May 20, 2006, 11:16 pm

which E.D. medication do you recommend most? please help

your pal,
cadalano

Animale · Post by **Animale** » May 21, 2006, 8:22 pm

Hmm... E.D. medication I recommend is getting yourself a hot woman. It's all her fault you know, not yours.

My dissertation topic was on catalytic dinitrogen reduction at a single molybdenum center. We use only protons and electrons to turn N2 into 2 NH3, with our group being the first to fully describe many of the steps in the cycle.

Thanks everyone for your congratulations. I appreciate it.

Animale

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » May 22, 2006, 3:48 am

Congrats again. How much money are / will you (be) making?

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » May 22, 2006, 4:13 am

Grats on the Ph.D. Animale.

Sony should hire you to balance the alchemy skill in EQ!