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Richard Blatchly (right) with lab colleagues,
including Reiko Oda who is holding the flask,
at the European Institute of Chemistry and
Biology in France.
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Call it fate, or Kismet, or an act of providence
- the research that has born the most interesting
fruit so far turns out to be a powerful metaphor
for the Fulbright Scholars program itself.
Reiko Oda, one of my collaborators here in Bordeaux,
began a project several years ago in which molecules
that are ordinarily found separately in nature
are bound together by loose associations in an
attempt to generate interesting large structures.
These large structures would be composed of many
copies of the molecular pairs. This past fall,
I began making some of these pairings, using a
peptide (made up of a few amino acids) and a lipid,
or fat-related molecules. Normally, these molecules
don't mix, but prefer to stick with members of
their own kind. However, if you arrange the charges
correctly, you can force them to stick together.
Note in the picture to the left how the two portions
of the molecule are colored differently (the top
is green, yellow and red, while the bottom is
more uniformly blue).
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| An Example of how molecules can be forced
to stick together. The two portions of the
molecule are colored differently - the top
is green, yellow and red, while the bottom
is more uniformly blue. |
We used a tool called infrared spectroscopy to
examine the molecules for the effects of pairing,
and found that when we arranged for the molecules
to stay together for a while in the proper environment,
that both types of molecules were changed, not
only in the way they interacted with the opposite
type, but also with members of their own kind.
When we combined them, if the selection of molecules
was done well, the interactions between the like
members were considerably strengthened. Together,
the paired molecules did what neither of the single
types could do - they arranged into structures
large enough to be seen through a microscope,
with a lovely twist to the structure.
So, if you think about it, we have done at nanoscale
what the Fulbright Commission does with people.
Selecting those molecules we thought would make
a big difference is like selecting scholars. Bringing
them together with people who are somehow very
different and asking them to form an alliance,
recognizing that it may take some time - that's
what we all have been doing for the past few months.
In chemistry, this kind of reaction takes energy
to overcome barriers. Likewise, the Commission
provided funds and the catalytic action of their
experienced guidance. Then, the difficult part
in any experiment: waiting to see what the difference
is. Like the Commission, we did not know exactly
what the final result would be. However, we were
confident that something interesting would happen.
This science was done collaboratively (quite
normal in science). I must credit Reiko Oda for
the original idea, the lab funding and the photo
enhancement. She is holding the flask in the picture
of the group. Graduate student Aurelie Brizard
was an important contact, since she was working
on similar systems. She not only shared technical
tips, but also had the patience to wait for me
to explain what I wanted in my imperfect French.
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Unlike the experience of Fulbrighters, my molecules
do not form memories. If I separate them, they
will retain nothing from the experience. This
is hugely different from my experience, and that
of my family. We have met scores of people in
and out of the academic settings, many French,
some from such exotic climes as Turkey, China
and Wales. We have traveled to 3 corners of the
Hexagon and sampled the rich diversity and history
of this crossroads. So I can leave you with a
"Happy New Year" message in Japanese,
(akemashiteomedetou gozaimasu), featuring micrographs
of our multicultural molecules and promise you
that not only will we remember this year, but
it will change fundamentally the way we interact
with both Europeans and with Americans.
Please contact
us if you would like to submit your own story
and/or photographs.
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