Month: september 2017
Introduction to Synthetic biology
Do not miss the opportunity to hear Dr. Ralf Kellmann (Dept. of Biology & Hormonlaboratoriet HelseBergen) tell about their effort to use of synthetic biology to produce neosaxitoxin. Neosaxitoxin is one of the paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs), which are a group of neurotoxic alkaloids produced by algal blooms, i.e. marine dinoflagellates (red tides) and freshwater filamentous cyanobacteria. PSTs reversibly block voltage-gated sodium channels, and recent clinical trials on humans have indicated a positive safety profile for neosaxitoxin as a long-acting local anesthetic. The major challenge with neosaxitoxin and its relatives is the lack of a large-scale production process. We are employing synthetic biology to develop such a large-scale production process for neosaxitoxin, which we envision will be capable of covering the future world-market demand for neosaxitoxin.
Synthetic biology can be defined as: » the design and construction of novel biological pathways, organisms or devices, or the redesign of existing natural biological systems» (UK Royal Society). It is one of the currently fastest growing research fields, enabled by new technologies, such as the chemically synthesis of long (> 100 kb) DNA, and efficient combinatorial cloning techniques. Synthetic biology can be used as a research tool to uncover and characterise novel biochemical pathways, as well as to develop processes for the industrial production NPs and NP-derived derived drugs.
When and where: Thursday Sept 28 at 12.15 in Tripletten.
SOS Mexico
To help the victims of the two recent earthquakes that have devastated Mexico, Ivan and other members of the Mexican community in Bergen will be throwing a fund raiser tomorrow Saturday 23, at the restaurant Amarone in Østre Skostredet 12, from 2 to 6 pm. They will be selling food and organizing other family activities and all earnings will be donated to the Mexican Red Cross. More information on the Facebook page of the event.
Franziska is back
MSc. Franziska Ihlefeldt is a Phd student from Prof. Mats Tilset’s group (UiO) working in the GreenCAT project “Design of Green Catalysts for the Conversion of Renewable Resources into Polymers”, led by Erwan Le Roux and funded by NFR. Her project is focusing on the development of N-heterocyclic carbenes of group 8 as catalysts for the copolymerization of epoxides with CO2 . Franziska spent some time in Bergen last fall, and this time around she will have an extended stay at our department, lasting until the end of January next year. Good to have you back!
Guest lecture III
Seminar om patentering – 27. sept.
Patentstyret fra Oslo holder en forelesning for forskere, master- og ph.d.- studenter ved MatNat-fakultetet på onsdag 27. september kl. 10:15-13:00.
Presentasjonen omfatter innføring i patent, varemerke- og designbeskyttelse, verdiskaping med IPR (Intellectual Property Rights), patentinformasjon som informasjonskilde i FoU-planlegging (husk PatentPak!) samt bevissthet om egne og andres rettigheter. Dette er tema som aktuelle for mange på Kjemisk institutt (og ellers på fakultetet vårt).
Seminaret finner sted på Studentsenteret, seminarrom E (45 plasser), og plassbegrensningen gjør at det er nødvendig med påmelding. Påmeldingsfrist er 21. september og skjer her.
Heldags NKS-seminar ”Klima- og miljøanalyser” I DAG
Norsk kjemisk selskap-faggruppe for analytisk kjemi (NKS-FAK) inviterer til seminar i dag kl 08.45, torsdag 14. september, på Institutt for Geovitenskap, Realfagbygget, Auditorium 4.
Programmet inneholder 9 foredrag som dekker grunnleggende temaer innen analytisk kjemi som for eksempel god veieteknikk og kvalitetssikring, med problemstillinger fra nanopartikler, algegifter, og luft/jord/vann. Analyse av både uorganiske og organiske parametere vil behandles. 6 firmaer vil ha utstilling og der vil være god anledning til å diskutere ulike problemstillinger med dem.
Welcome back, Mali!
In the faculty board meeting last Thursday, PhD Mali Husby Rosnes was appointed as Assistant Professor at our Department, with a temporary contract running until August 2020. 
Her teaching duties will primarily be within the study programs in nanoscience and -technology, and she will also have a coordinating function in the nanoBergen research network. She will be a member of the group in Inorganic nanochemistry and catalysis. We are truly happy to welcome Mali as faculty member!
Chemists in Leiden for the ‘Write it Right’ workshop
Scientific writing is a major work in any research. All PhDs, postdocs, researchers and professors have to write manuscripts, proposals, books and much more. Gadi Rothenberg’s “Write it Right” course focuses on how to organize a manuscript to maximize its clarity and impact. Seven participants from our Department attended this two-day course held in Leiden (Holland) on September 6-7. They were asked to submit a two-page manuscript that was reviewed by the instructor and used as basis for exercises during the workshop. Each participant worked to improve his own manuscript and acted as peer reviewer for the others. The participants are very positive about the content and the trainer.
From the left to the right in the picture: Raju, Anamitra, Giovanni, Puia, Ivan, Marco, and Sondre.