In the coming weeks we will be posting a series of articles about the many changes happening at the UCLA Molecular Instrumentation Center (MIC).
Housed and managed by the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, the MIC is a campus-wide, state-of-the-art core facility that enables the use of modern instrumentation in molecular characterizations. The purpose of the MIC is to meet the needs of the UCLA scientific community by providing all aspects of technical support in the application of modern instrumentation to solve problems in cutting-edge scientific research. The MIC is located on UCLA’s south campus in the Molecular Sciences building.
The MIC is undergoing a transition after the retirement of long-time director Jane Strouse, the tragic loss of Dafni Amirsakis, and the departure of two mass spectrometrists. The unit is now being run by interim director Ignacio Martini and is actively recruiting a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) scientist and a new mass spectrometrist. Many chemistry and biochemistry staff are pitching in to help during this transition – Building Manager Janette Kropat has agreed to help with MIC’s safety issues and Student Learning Center Program Manager Smadar Gilboa-Nonacs is helping to revamp the MIC website which will go live soon. The expectation is that MIC will be fully staffed by the end of the year, ready to help the departmental researchers meet their goals.
Staff Scientist Bob Taylor with the new arrival, a solid-state 600 Mhz NMR machine.
MIC is in the process of installing a new solid-state 600 Mhz NMR machine which is housed in a wing of the Molecular Sciences Building with the 800 Mhz NMR machine.
Stay tuned for more MIC news and information in the coming weeks.
Photos by Penny Jennings/UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
