Book description
What's it really like to be a chemist?
Leading chemists share what they do, how they do it, and why they
love it.
“Letters to a young …” has been a much-loved way for professionals in
a field to convey their enthusiasm and the realities of what they do
to the next generation. Now, Letters to a Young Chemist does
the same for the chemical sciences. Written with a humorous touch by
some of today's leading chemists, this book presents missives to
“Angela,” a fictional undergraduate considering a career in chemistry.
The different chapters offer a mix of fundamental principles,
contemporary issues, and challenges for the future. Marye Anne Fox,
Chancellor of the University of California San Diego, talks about
learning to do research and modern physical organic chemistry.
Brothers Jonathan and Daniel Sessler explain the chemistry of
anesthetics that make modern surgery possible while Elizabeth Nolan
talks about biological imaging. Terry Collins talks about green
chemistry, a more sustainable way of doing chemistry, while several
authors including Carl Wamser, Harry Gray, John Magyar, and Penny
Brothers discuss the crucial contributions that chemists can make in
meeting global energy needs.
Letters to a Young Chemist gives students and professionals
alike a unique window into the real world of chemistry. Entertaining,
informative, and full of honest and inspiring advice, it serves as a
helpful guide throughout your education and career.
“The different chapters describe both the wonders of the molecular
world and the practical benefits afforded by chemistry ... and if
any girl out there thinks that chemistry is a man's world, this book
should be a good antidote.” -Marye Anne Fox, Chancellor of the
University of California, San Diego, and winner of the 2009 US
National Medal of Science
“Letters to a Young Chemist offers significant ammunition for
motivating young people to consider chemistry as a career. ... This
book should also be required reading for all faculty members who
teach chemistry in high schools, colleges, and universities.”
-Stephen J. Lippard, Arthur Amos Noyes Professor of Chemistry,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and winner of the 2006 US
National Medal of Science
Abhik Ghosh, Editor, is a professor of inorganic
and materials chemistry at the University of Tromso, Norway. A former
Senior Fellow at the San Diego Supercomputer Center and a frequent
Visiting Research Fellow at The University of Auckland, New Zealand,
he has recently completed a term as an Outstanding Younger Researcher
of the Research Council of Norway. He serves or has served on the
editorial advisory boards of the Journal of Inorganic
Biochemistry, the Journal of Biological Inorganic
Chemistry, and the Journal of Porphyrins and
Phthalocyanines. His research interests lie at the intersection of
bioinorganic, materials and computational chemistry.
