Purdue News

April 3, 1998 Chemistry lecture series focuses on single molecules WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A scientist who pioneered strategies for studying and detecting single molecules will present three public talks April 13-15 at Purdue University. Richard Keller, laboratory fellow in the Chemical Science and Technology Division at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, will talk about the significance of studying single molecules and his pioneering efforts to develop strategies to make such studies possible. Other than the atoms of pure elements, single molecules are the lowest quantity of matter that can be detected. Only in the past decade have scientists developed strategies to make such studies possible, said Fred Lytle, professor of chemistry at Purdue. Keller's talks, open to the public, will be held at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, April 13-15, in Room 104 of the Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry. On April 13, Keller will talk about "Why Would Anybody Want to Detect Single Molecules?" The April 14 topic is "Efficient Detection, Identification and Photochemistry of Single Molecules," and the April 15 topic is "Application of Single Molecule Detection to DNA Sequencing and DNA Fragment Sizing." Keller received the American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry Award for Spectrochemical Analysis in 1993 for his pioneering work in developing strategies to detect single molecules. In 1996 he was awarded the Lester W. Strock Award from the Society for Applied Spectroscopy. The lectures are part of the Kelly Lecture Series in Chemistry, sponsored by Purdue's Department of Chemistry. The series was established in 1956 to bring outstanding scientists and engineers to campus for lectures and discussions in the Department of Chemistry and the School of Chemical Engineering. CONTACT: Lytle, (765) 494-5261; e-mail, lytle@chem.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page