Photos from the 2016 Seaborg Symposium & Medal Award Dinner honoring Professor Michael Jung are now available for viewing.
The full photo gallery is available here. On Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, Prof. Michael Jung, UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, was honored by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry with the 2016 Glenn T. Seaborg Medal. The Seaborg events were included in the three-day Alumni Reunion which took place over the same weekend.
The 2016 Seaborg Symposium, titled “Drug Discovery: From Bench to Market,” took place at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), with lectures by Prof. Michael Jung, Dr. John C. Martin (Executive Chairman, Gilead Sciences, Inc.), Prof. Paul A. Wender (Bergstrom Professor of Chemistry, Stanford University), and Prof. Peter B. Dervan (Bren Professor of Chemistry, California Institute of Technology). Profs. Catherine Clarke, Patrick Harran, Neil Garg, and Ken Houk introduced the speakers.
(From left) Seminar speakers with faculty and symposium attendees from Gilead and Caltech: Cathy Clarke, Paul Wender, John Martin, Kevin Young, Michael Jung, Swami Swaminathan, Peter Dervan, Jacqueline Barton, Bill Lee.
Before the symposium, chemistry and biochemistry postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduate students participated in a poster session in the CNSI lobby and 5th floor presentation space as well as at the Young Hall Student Center as part of the Alumni Reunion.
The symposium was followed by a reception and dinner at UCLA’s new Luskin Conference Center. Professor and Chair Catherine F. Clarke welcomed more than 300 guests, including the 2015 Alumni Award recipient Dr. Myung Ki Hong and his wife Lorrie Hong, who recently made a generous gift to the department.
(From left) Audree Fowler, alumni and supporters Margaret Holzer, Atsuko Fujimoto, and Akira Fujimoto. Alumnus and supporter Sep Sarshar and Melissa Misetich.
(From left) Alumni Constance Walker, Suki Tamura, Lily Lou and Teresa Speakman. (Right) Alice Jung and Robin Garrell.
(Left) Chuck Knobler, Carolyn Knobler, and alumnus Robert McMahon. (Right) Alumni and supporters Irene and Melville Sahyun.
Former and current Jung members – Min Woo Ha, Hyo-jin Gim, Binh Vu, Tina Choe, Dongwon Yoo, Sun-Joon Min.
(From left) Lorraine Young, Sabeeha Merchant, Brian Young, Stephanie Young, Neil Bajpayee.
After dinner Prof. Albert Courey, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the UCLA Division of Physical Sciences, gave an overview of the Division of Physical Sciences and introduced Prof. Robin Garrell, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate Division, who gave a slide show recapping the background and accomplishments of UCLA Alumnus Prof. Glenn T. Seaborg, for whom the medal is named.
Prof. Ken Houk gave a memorial presentation in honor of another UCLA alumnus, Prof. Emeritus John D. Roberts, a pioneering chemist with a long illustrious career at CalTech, and described his vision of establishing a Roberts Chair at UCLA.
Poster session judges Assistant Profs. Hosea Nelson, Ellen Sletten, and Alex Spokoyny announced the two undergraduate and four graduate student poster session award winners. Prof. Albert Courey presented the 2016 Glenn T. Seaborg Medal to Prof. Michael Jung. Prof. Jung thanked all his former lab members; more than 50 were in attendance and traveled from all over the world to attend the Seaborg events.
Prof. Jung announced that he and his wife Alice are establishing the Michael and Alice Jung Chair in Medicinal Chemistry with their gift of one million dollars plus a matching gift from the Jung funds. Prof. Michael Jung received two standing ovations!
Former and current members of Mike Jung’s group pose for a photo after the dinner banquet.
Current Jung Group members – Front row: Gaoyuan Ma, Min Woo Ha, Hyo Jin Gim, MEJ, Xiaohong Chen, Emelyne Diers, Xiaoguang Liu. Back Row: Gyudong Kim, Jonghoon Kim, Yanpeng Xing, Daniel Sun, Elshan Ralalage, Johnny Pan. (Photo courtesy of Mike Jung.)
In addition to faculty, postdocs, and students, many alumni, donors, and friends of the department attended the evening’s events.
Special guests at the Seaborg medal dinner included Judi Smith, Dean of UCLA’s new School of Music, and Emerita Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education, and Ken Houk Saul Winstein Distinguished Professor and past Seaborg Medalist.
The department wishes to thank the generous support of the following donors whose donations made the Seaborg events possible: Gilead, Dr. Sep Sarshar, PMV Pharma, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Ionis Pharmacheuticals, Amgen, Prof. Judith Smith, and Pfizer, as well as the many individuals who gave student dinner support.
To learn more about the 2016 Seaborg Symposium visit www.seaborg.ucla.edu.
The Alumni Reunion Weekend
Alumni reunion attendees with faculty, postdoc, undergraduate, and graduate student poster presenters.
The first Departmental Alumni Reunion Weekend was organized around the Seaborg Symposium and Dinner. A reception was held on the Friday night prior to the symposium at a local Westwood restaurant, Skylight Gardens. The department Chair, Catherine Clarke, Assistant Dean Kathleen Micham, Seaborg Awardee Mike Jung, other faculty welcomed Chemistry and Biochemistry alumni at a festive reception.
On Saturday morning our alumni were welcomed at an Open House in the former library space of Young Hall. This space will be renovated to hold the Chemistry and Biochemistry Student Collaborative Learning Space and a new auditorium. Students presenting their Seaborg posters met with alumni and pitched their research. Graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, and alumni enjoyed a continental breakfast and refreshments and the opportunity to network and discuss career paths. Sunday brunch at the Luskin Conference Center provided an opportunity for alumni and faculty to mingle, share news, and say farewells.
Photos by Reed Hutchinson.
