The Catalyst Vol.7


Quarterly NEWSLETTER May 2011 VOL. 7 Provided By:

New sensor developed by MIT chemical engineers can detect tiny traces of explosives —insciences.org CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – MIT researchers have created a new detector so sensitive it can pick up a single molecule of an explosive such as TNT. To create the sensors, chemical engineers led by Michael Strano coated carbon nanotubes – hollow, one-atom-thick cylinders made of pure carbon – with protein fragments normally found in bee venom. This is the first time those proteins have been shown to react to explosives, specifically a class known as nitro-aromatic compounds that includes TNT. If developed into commercial devices, such sensors would be far more sensitive than existing explosives detectors – commonly used at airports, for example – which use spectrometry to analyze charged particles as they move through the air. Read More What Are the Benefits of Using a Staffing Company? —ehow.com Finding an employee who is a perfect fit for a company and its corporate culture is often difficult, costly and time-consuming. Further, if a company has a special project lasting for a specific time frame, and lacks the in-house personnel, a temporary worker is often the answer. As such, looking to a staffing agency to assist in finding temporary or permanent workers saves company resources; often the match is successful. Read More Anne Nelson Senior Recruiter Lab Support Anne joined Lab Support in 1997 as an Account Manager at the Chicago branch. After two years, she moved to Des Moines and opened the Iowa branch office. She remembers having only a phone and phone book the first day in the office, and she just started calling. With her contribution as a Senior Recruiter, the branch has since grown into a thriving business. For this success, Anne was awarded President’s Club honors in 2003. Along with her staffing experience, Anne is an experienced scientific professional. She received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Iowa State University and a master’s degree in food science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. After finishing graduate school, she worked in an R&D lab for a food ingredient company in Iowa, before joining Lab Support. Anne believes that what makes the Iowa team successful is that they are genuinely honest with clients and employees, and always respond quickly. This seemingly simple approach is a differentiator for Lab Support, and a key factor in building relationships. Some of the things Anne enjoys most about her job are these relationships – getting to know her candidates and helping them in their career development, and networking within the scientific community. She takes great pride in the core values of On Assignment with its focus on being a high quality and highly personable service. She also values the team she works with within her division and the outstanding corporate support teams who provide timely and professional service. Anne is active in her local scientific community, including membership in the Iowa Biotechnology Association and the Iowa Section of the Institute of Food Technologists, and serving on the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) Biotechnology Program Advisory Board. When Anne is not involved in science-related pursuits, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their three boys who are ages 9, 7, and 3. She also enjoys gardening, running, biking, and playing tennis.							Top 10 EU health trends ift.org Read More How a Blind Man Drove the Daytona Speedway, With the Help of Lasers popsci.com Read More Novel Nanowires Make Fuel Cells More Efficient insciences.org Read More Life and the Cosmos, Word by Painstaking Word nytimes.com Read More US Farmers Dodge the Impacts of Global Warming – At Least for Now sciencedaily.com Read More Shortages of key drugs endanger patients washingtonpost.com Read More The following Industries expect to have an increase in projects that may result in additional contract staff* within the time frames below: 4-6 months: Contract Testing Labs Personal Care Products 6-9 months: Food and Beverage Pharmaceutical 6-9 months: Biotechnology Flavor and Fragrance Industrial Manufacturing *This insight is based on our comprehensive March 2011 survey of contract staffing buyers. The full report is titled, "Lab Support Index." The above results are from the report and are related to buyers' strategies for managing staffing resources. In February of this year, On Assignment expanded its service offerings and global footprint with the acquisition of Valesta, a provider of clinical research staffing in Western Europe. Valesta is primarily focused on positions in the pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device industries as well as at CRO's (contract research organizations).

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