UCLA

Chem 268: Shiho Tanaka
2020-05-22 15:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
“Power of Biophysical Analyses in Drug Discovery”

Chem 218: Nanoscale vibrational spectroscopy of gold-cyanide self-assemblies: From monolayers to crystallites - Kristopher Barr
2020-05-28 12:00
Nanoscale vibrational spectroscopy of gold-cyanide self-assemblies: From monolayers to crystallites
My thesis work focuses on the integration of scanning tunneling microscopy with infrared spectroscopy, to provide unprecedented Ångstrom-scale resolution in surface imaging with spatially correlated chemical specificity. Scanning probe techniques generally lack chemical information. Inspired by recent advances coupling optical spectroscopies with scanning probe microscopies, I have developed a nanoscale infrared spectroscopic method applying scanning tunneling microscope probe tips as nanoantennas to obtain multiplexed molecular vibrational signals utilizing a Fourier transform interferometer at room temperature and ambient pressure. The sensitivity of the tunneling junction and nanoscale probe area enables the measurement of vibrational spectra orders of magnitude below the diffraction limit. I substantiated the effectiveness of this instrument by designing an air- and temperature-stable model system characterized by infrared absorption that couples to the electronic states of the gold substrate. Specifically, aurous cyanide (AuCN) self-assembled monolayers satisfy these requirements with the added benefit that its IR absorption lies outside of the carbon dioxide and water windows, thereby maintaining a high signal-to-noise ratio for these experiments. These atomically pristine hexagonal close-packed AuCN monolayers exhibit a strong absorption at 2140 cm−1. Upon thermal annealing, the surface rearranges into a ribbon structure with a blue-shifted absorption to 2230 cm−1. The unique vibrational contrast in AuCN monolayers resulting from thermally induced structural changes serves as an ideal model system for the new infrared scanning tunneling microscope (IR-STM). Upon prolonged vapor deposition, the self-assembled cyanide monolayers reconfigure into large-scale AuCN crystals, giving two distinct morphologies and significantly different vibrational modes, compared to the AuCN monolayer structures. Once again, temperature can tune gold-cyanide orientation and long-range ordering. This work provides new insights for controlled surface-mediated crystal growth in AuCN systems. Ultimately, combining with the chemical information gained from the developed IR-STM, surface-mediated growth will enable new methodologies for fabricating next-generation nanoscale semiconductors. Nanoscale semiconductors based on AuCN that are similar to nanoribbon structures have been demonstrated to be useful for nanoelectronics as well as in catalytic applications.

Chem 268: Jeffery Liu
2020-05-29 15:30
“Phosphoproteomics Reveals Spatial and Temporal Signal Transduction by Brain Opioid Receptor”

Chem 218: Lipid and Acoustic Strategies for Chemical Patterning and Gene Delivery - Jason Belling
2020-06-04 12:00
Lipid and Acoustic Strategies for Chemical Patterning and Gene Delivery
Supported lipid membranes are versatile biomimetic coatings for the chemical functionalization of inorganic surfaces. Developing simple and effective fabrication strategies to form supported lipid membranes with micropatterned geometries is a long-standing challenge. We demonstrate how the combination of chemical lift-off lithography (CLL) and easily prepared lipid bicelle nanostructures can yield micropatterned, supported lipid membranes on gold surfaces with high pattern resolution, conformal character, and biofunctionality. We further showed that bicelles can be used as a passivation strategy to reduce fouling in microfluidics designed for intracellular delivery. Of note, constricted microfluidic geometries that deform cells to a fraction of their diameter have emerged as a promising technology that facilitates high-performance gene editing. Unfortunately, these technologies are inherently limited by device lifetime due to the accumulation of cellular debris and eventual clogging. As these microfluidic technologies transition from conceptual prototypes to functional tools, there is a need to develop next-generation platforms with high-throughput and long lifespan. Towards this goal, we report the design and application of lipid-coated microfluidic and acoustofluidic platforms that are able to deliver plasmid rapidly and safely to model and human primary cell types. Our lipid-coated microfluidic system demonstrated a dramatic reduction in fouling, with blocking efficiency towards nonspecific protein adsorption and cell adhesion as compared to bare polydimethylsiloxane and glass microfluidic devices. We explored the application of our lipid layer by coating constricted microfluidic channels designed for the intracellular delivery of biomolecular cargo. We observed significant reductions in the accumulation of cell debris and delivery of large dextran molecules and plasmid while retaining high viability. In parallel, we developed an acoustofluidic method to deliver plasmids to immortalized and primary human cell types, based on the permeabilization of cell membranes with acoustic waves and shearing against the walls of glass microcapillaries. This acoustofluidic-mediated approach achieves fast and efficient intracellular delivery of an enhanced green fluorescent protein–expressing plasmid to cells at a scalable throughput of 200,000 cells/min in a single channel. Analyses of intracellular delivery and nuclear membrane rupture revealed mechanisms underlying acoustofluidic delivery and successful gene expression. Collectively, our studies show that these technologies are promising platforms for gene delivery and useful tools for investigating membrane repair.

Chem 268: Amy and Edward Miracco
2020-06-05 15:30
Dr. Amy Miracco: “A 360-degree perspective of academic-industry partnerships”
and
Dr. Ed Miracco: “Breaking into Biotech -and- What if mRNA could be medicine?”

Chem 218: Understanding the Effect of Composition and Nanostructure on Magnetic and Magnetoelectric Materials - Ty Karaba
2020-06-11 12:00
Understanding the Effect of Composition and Nanostructure on Magnetic and Magnetoelectric Materials
Abstract: The efficient control of magnetism at small scales is becoming increasingly important in the miniaturization and development of new technologies. However, conventional methods for this control become less efficient at smaller scales. Multiferroic composites are systems in which magnetization can be varied with electric field without the flow of current. This allows for more efficient existing devices, and opens up new types of technologies not possible without multiferroics. I will first discuss the development of new materials for the magnetostrictive component of these composites, optimizing for use in a multiferroic antenna. Using sol-gel chemistry, we explore how material composition and film quality can affect the magnetic properties of yttrium iron garnet based materials, with a goal of reducing high frequency losses and increasing magnetostriction. We look at how doping heavier transition metal and lanthanide ions into yttrium iron garnet affects the static and dynamic magnetic properties using magnetometry and ferromagnetic resonance. Second, I will investigate how the nanoscale structure of the multiferroic composite affects the magnetoelectric coupling. Here, we synthesize a mesoporous cobalt ferrite matrix, the magnetostrictive component, the surface of which is then conformally coated with a piezoelectric via atomic layer deposition. We then control the amount of residual porosity of the composite by varying the thickness of piezoelectric deposited. We find that the amount of magnetoelectric coupling is enhanced with larger residual porosities, with this porosity allowing for larger strains. We also see that the changing the ferroelectric material can greatly enhance this coupling. In summary, understanding how composition and structure affect the properties of these composites is crucially important when designing new multiferroic devices.

The 2020 Organic Graduate Symposium
2020-06-12 08:45
On Friday, June 12, the 2020 Organic Graduate Symposium featured research talks by fifteen of this year’s UCLA chemistry graduate students. The Organic Graduate Symposium is a daylong event that provides a forum for organic chemistry graduate students who are within one year of obtaining their Ph.D. to present their dissertation research at UCLA to their peers, researchers, and faculty. The Organic Graduate Symposium is open to the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry affiliates and their families.

UCLA College’s Virtual Celebration
2020-06-12 15:00
Graduating members of the College’s Class of 2020 as well as family members and friends will be able to view the livestreamed airing of UCLA College’s Virtual Celebration by going to https://college.ucla.edu/commencement at 3:00pm PDT on Friday, June 12, 2020. Viewers need only a web browser and Internet access to attend. There is no registration necessary.
Anyone in the general public who visits the site also will be able to view the College’s main celebration livestreamed on June 12 at 3 pm PDT. After the initial airing, the College’s Virtual Celebration will be available on the website for repeat viewing. Separate links will be available for both the Spanish language version of the celebration, as well as the Chinese version of the celebration.
Beginning June 12, 2020, graduates and their families may visit https://college.ucla.edu/commencement at any time to find the individual slides that recognize each graduating student, view congratulatory messages from elected leaders and the President of the University of California, and find links to the College’s social media accounts where we will be celebrating our graduates with the hashtags #UCLACollege2020 and #UCLA2020.
This Virtual Celebration is for students graduating from all academic programs in the UCLA College of Letters and Science. To find more information about a particular professional school or academic department celebration, please visit https://www.commencement.ucla.edu/ for links and information about other virtual celebrations happening across campus.

2020 Virtual Graduation Celebration - Ph.D. and Masters Degree Candidates
2020-06-13 12:00
The Departmental 2020 Virtual Graduation Celebration for our 30 graduating Ph.D. degree candidates and two master of science candidates can be viewed here no later than Saturday, June 13, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time. The virtual celebration will not be “live,” so it can be accessed at anytime.
As a means to properly honor the Class of 2020 at a Departmental Commencement Ceremony, we have elected to offer a full in-person graduation ceremony for our students at a date to be determined.
Our hope is that the ceremony will take place in the 2020 calendar year if the current pandemic allows. However, attendance at our 2021 Departmental Commencement Ceremony will also be an option available to our students.
When possible, we will provide further details regarding the in-person celebration.
The College of Letters & Sciences Live Virtual Commencement – June 12, 2020 – Livestreaming at 3 pm PDTThe UCLA College’s Virtual Celebration for students graduating from all academic programs in the UCLA College of Letters and Science will be livestreamed on Friday, June 12, 2020 at https://college.ucla.edu/commencement. Viewers need only a web browser and Internet access to attend. There is no registration necessary. The celebration will include individual slides that recognize each graduating student, congratulatory messages from elected leaders and the President of the University of California, and links to the College’s social media accounts where we will be celebrating our graduates with the hashtags #UCLACollege2020 and #UCLA2020. After the initial airing, the College’s Virtual Celebration will be available on the website for repeat viewing. Separate links will be available for Spanish and Chinese language versions of the celebration.

2020 Virtual Graduation Celebration - Bachelor's of Science Degree Candidates
2020-06-13 14:00
The Departmental 2020 Virtual Graduation Celebration for our 299 bachelor’s of science degree candidates can be viewed here no later than Saturday, June 13, 2020 at 2:00 pm Pacific Time. The virtual celebration will not be “live,” so the content can be accessed at anytime.
https://virtualgrad.marchingorder.com/ucla/x
The College of Letters & Sciences Live Virtual Commencement
Additionally, the College of Letters & Sciences will be hosting a live virtual event on Friday, June 12, 2020 at 3:00PM Pacific Time (Info Here).
As a means to properly honor our students at a Departmental Commencement Ceremony, we have elected to offer a full in-person graduation ceremony for our students at a date to be determined.
Our hope is that the ceremony will take place in the 2020 calendar year if the current pandemic allows. However, attendance at our 2021 Departmental Commencement Ceremony will also be an option available to our students.
When possible, we will provide further details regarding the in-person celebration.

Chem 278 Kaner Research Group Seminar
2020-07-15 16:30
Stephanie Aguilar, PhD candidate
“Perfluorophenylazide Photochemistry for Modification of Materials”

Dissertation Seminar: Scott McConnell
2020-09-04 13:00

2020 Summer Seminar Series: Research Spotlight Edition
2020-09-11 15:30
“Unraveling the complexity of Coenzyme Q Biosynthesis and Trafficking” by Michael Guile (C. Clarke lab)
and
“CryoEM structure of amyloid disaggregant EGCG bound to Alzheimer’s brain-derived fibrils of tau” by Paul Seidler, PhD (Eisenberg lab)
and
“Structure of the Fiber Core of Orb2A, A Functional Amyloid, Revealed by Micro-electron Diffraction” by Jeanette Bowler (Eisenberg lab)
and
“Microbial proteomics: Relating metabolism and protein modification” by Janine Fu (Loo lab)

2020 Summer Seminar Series: Amateur Hour! Meet BMSB first-years
2020-09-18 15:30
“Biochemical and Biophysical Characterization of the HECT E3 Ubiquitin Ligase HERC2 C-lobe” by Kayla Rich (Clark University –Spratt Lab)
and
“Protein Crystallography and X-ray Diffraction to determine the structure of Antibody Fab fragments” by Connor Short (UCLA –Rodriguez Lab)
and
“Myosin V and Spire coordinate to regulate actin dynamics in the Drosophilaoocyte” by Joseph Ong (UCLA –Quinlan Lab)

NSF Center for Integrated Catalysis Webinar Series
2020-09-22 13:00
The NSF Center for Integrated Catalysis is delighted to announce that it will be hosting a monthly webinar series. The first day of this series will be held on Tuesday, September 22 at 1:00 PM. We are pleased to invite all students, postdocs, faculty, and staff. Register here to receive Zoom details!

Inter-departmental Chemistry Symposium between UCLA and University of Michigan
2020-09-25 13:00
Everyone is invited to this Inter-departmental Chemistry Symposium between UCLA and University of Michigan (UMich) hosted by CBGSA

The symposium will feature two 15-minute talks from UCLA graduate students, and one 30-minute talk from a UMich graduate student.
• Stasik Popov (UCLA, Nelson Lab) – “C–C Bond Forming Reactions of Vinyl Carbocations Paired with Weakly Coordinating Anions”
• Kierstyn Anderson (UCLA, Spokoyny Lab) – “Elucidating the photophysical properties of halogenated anti-B18H22”
• Hannah Vonesh (UMich, Schindler Lab) – “Interrupted Carbonyl-Olefin Metathesis of Cyclic, Aliphatic Ketones”
Click here to register:http://tiny.cc/UMICH-UCLA-symposium

See flyer linked below for full abstracts. Join us again on October 9, 2020 at 1 p.m. PST for another joint symposium between UCLA and UMich!
Questions? Contact CBGSA at cbgsaucla@gmail.com.

Twists and turns along the path of reactivity-driven methods development
2020-09-29 14:00
Abstract:
Carbocations are important reactive intermediates that are invoked in many chemical transformations. These species are usually of the tricoordinated variety. Conversely, dicoordinated carbocations are rarely relevant in practical chemical processes due to their high energy and energetically challenging formation. In this talk I will discuss our recent efforts to utilize phenyl and vinyl carbocations in C–H functionalization reactions. We will describe how these high-energy dicoordinated carbocations can be generated under mild conditions and utilized in selective C–C bond forming reactions. Moreover, we will discuss our efforts to understand the mechanism of these reactions through computational chemistry, kinetics, electron microscopy, and isotopic labeling studies.

First-year and Transfer Undergraduate Student Welcome
2020-09-30 10:00
The UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry invites all incoming first-years and transfer students to our New Undergraduate Student Welcome event on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 from 10:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. Students will have the opportunity to hear from faculty and current students on various topics including academics, undergraduate research, and student involvement. There will also be a Q&A session in the various Zoom panels.
The Zoom meeting details can be found below:
Meeting ID: 941 1584 1966
Passcode: [REDACTED]
https://ucla.zoom.us/j/94115841966?pwd=[REDACTED]
We look forward to seeing you then!
Nick Baerg, Tim Mahlanza, and Sarah Eguchi Low
ugrad@chem.ucla.edu

Spatiotemporal Control of Chemistry and Biology Enabled by Electrochemistry and Nanomaterials
2020-09-30 16:00
Abstract: Electrochemical nanomaterial has witnessed its extensive applications in catalysis, energy storage, and conversion. So what are the new frontiers for electrochemistry and nanomaterials? Can we discover new synergies of electrochemical nanomaterials with research disciplines that were not often considered before? Because electrochemical nanomaterials spatiotemporally transform chemical species and control their concentration profiles at a microscopic scale, we envision electrochemistry at nanoscale a viable tool to transduce electronic signals into non-equilibrium systems with spatiotemporal gradients of free energy µ(t,r) and entropy S(t,r). This talk will offer the research demonstrated so far in the Liu group that includes the spatiotemporal control in chemical catalysis and microbiology, given the ubiquity of non-equilibrium systems in chemistry and biology.

Introduction of Biochemistry Faculty to First Year Biochemistry Graduate Students
2020-10-02 15:30

228 Seminar: Prof. Justin Caram
2020-10-05 16:00
“On circumventing the limits of organic chromophore photophysics”

Midstream Presentation: Jiahui Lu
2020-10-06 16:00
Jiahui Lu
Eisenberg Group
“CryoEM structure of the LCD of hnRNPA2 and its conversion to pathogenic amyloid”

Chem 268: Jose Rodriguez
2020-10-09 15:30

Chem 228: Prof. Dr. Frank Wuerthner
2020-10-12 09:00
“Supramolecular Photosystems with Precise Spatial Organization of Dyes”

Chem 278: Prof. Hailiang Wang
2020-10-14 16:30
“Heterogenized Molecular Catalyst Materials for Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Conversion”
Abstract: Sustainable energy utilization and carbon emission reduction are critical challenges for the world. Solving these challenges requires precise control of many important chemical reactions with sluggish kinetics and myriad possible reaction pathways and associated products. There is a critical need for selective, active, durable and low-cost catalysts. This talk presents our research efforts aimed at bridging the gap between homogenous catalysis and heterogeneous catalysis to realize materials with new or improved electrocatalytic properties for the carbon dioxide reduction reactions. We have developed heterogenized metal-complex electrocatalysts allowing for mechanism-based optimization at the molecular level. We have discovered interesting phenomena including ligand-mediated electron transfer, beyond two-electron reduction via a domino process, and reversible restructuring under reaction conditions. We have also designed reactors to enhance electrochemical performance, study surface/interface phenomena, and perform thermodynamically challenging reactions.

Chem 218 Student Exit Seminar: Chuanzhen Zhao
2020-10-15 12:00
“Implantable and Wearable Bioelectronics: Eavesdropping on Chemical Signaling”
Advisors: Prof. Paul Weiss and Prof. Anne Andrews

Exploring Fluoro: Five years of the Sletten Group
2020-10-15 14:00
Abstract: The Sletten Group works in three different areas which all encompass “fluoro” to control and detect chemistries in living systems. These include 1) fluorous nanoemulsions as versatile scaffolds for drug delivery, 2) fluoroarenes as chemical reporter groups for non-covalent bioorthogonal chemistry, and 3) fluorophores for the shortwave infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum for real-time multiplexed imaging. This talk will briefly highlight recent advances in fluorous nanoemulsions and fluoroarene chemical reporters before focusing on the development of bright fluorophore for the near and shortwave infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, which enable high-resolution, real-time, multicolor imaging in mice.

Chem 268: David Eisenberg
2020-10-16 15:30

Chem 228: Prof. Jay Foley
2020-10-19 16:00
“Refractions in the plastic pulse: Controlling light and heat with hybrid nanostructures”

NSF Center for Integrated Catalysis Webinar Series
2020-10-20 13:00
The NSF Center for Integrated Catalysis is delighted to announce that it will be hosting a monthly webinar series. The second day of this series will be held on Tuesday, October 20th at 1:00 PM. We are pleased to invite all students, postdocs, faculty, and staff.
