Professor ponders election to Bavarian Academy

Shore's tour of Germany includes stop at famed science academy

An Ohio State professor of chemistry's recent lecture tour in Germany was no ordinary academic journey -- it was his first chance to visit the country since becoming one of only three American chemists to join the ranks of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences.

Sheldon Shore, known in some circles as the "Red Boron" for his combined talents as a licensed pilot and an expert in boron hydride chemistry, spoke at four German universities in October 1999 about his research.

By Jo McCulty

Sheldon Shore is one of three American chemists in the Bavarian Academy of Sciences.

While ordinary members of the Bavarian Academy -- which inducted Shore in 1996 -- must live in Bavaria, Shore is one of only 80 nonresident "corresponding" members worldwide.

Despite the fact that Shore has garnered more than a dozen awards and recognitions since joining Ohio State's faculty in 1957 -- including both the Distinguished Scholar and Distinguished Lecturer awards and the Charles H. Kimberly Chair of Chemistry -- he appeared a little mystified at the honor.

"I keep waiting for them to phone to say they've got the wrong Shore," he quipped.

Founded in 1759, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences is one of the oldest science academies in the world. Past distinguished members include physicists Max Planck, Werner Heisenberg and Albert Einstein; chemist Justus von Liebig; the philosopher Goethe; and the folklorists known as the Brothers Grimm.

While in Munich, Shore visited the academy Residenz, the palace of a former Bavarian king. He was a guest of the current academy president, Heinrich Noeth, professor emeritus of the Inorganic Institute of the University of Munich. Noeth was a distinguished visiting professor of chemistry at Ohio State in 1982.

One of Shore's specialties is the study of boron hydrides -- molecules of boron and hydrogen that are unique among inorganic compounds. Shore found the "missing link" in a series of reactions that create the compounds, paving the way for chemists to synthesize them and other exotic boron-containing molecules.

In his nomination of Shore to the Bavarian Academy, Noeth commented that the creation of boron compounds was once very difficult. "Today we owe it to the work of Sheldon Shore that this is no longer true," he wrote.

He described the fundamental reaction principle that Shore developed to solve this problem as "elegant simplicity."

In fact, Shore was able to develop a pure form of the compound diborane that is used to implant elemental boron in computer chips. He earned a patent for this technique and 11 other patents on other areas of his research over the years.

Shore didn't confine his research to boron hydrides. He pioneered the study of metallaboranes in which boron hydride is inserted into heavy metal compounds called metal carbonyls.

Metal carbonyls make good catalysts for certain chemical reactions, and so Shore's research led him to a new field of work: the role of organometallic compounds in catalytic processes.

"If there's one thing in my career I'm especially proud of, it's that I was able to change with the times," Shore said.

Noeth cited not only Shore's research, but his talent as a speaker and instructor. He is known for incorporating history and humor into his lectures to capture his listeners' attention.

"He is a committed scientist," Noeth wrote. "He is an excellent teacher who electrifies his audiences."

Shore spoke at the University of Cologne, the University of Heidelberg, the Technical University of Aachen and the University of Freiburg.

In one of his lectures, Shore detailed his collaboration with Umit Ozkan, professor of chemical engineering at Ohio State. The two are working to design catalysts that remove nitrogen oxide emissions from the exhaust of coal-burning power plants.

The academy sponsors research in philosophy, history, mathematics and the natural sciences. It encourages interdisciplinary study and regularly funds work in music and other arts.

That may explain the nature of Noeth's comments as he concluded Shore's nomination: "It is also of interest that Sheldon Shore finds time for classical music and playing the piano. He is also a licensed pilot who for many years flew his single-engine red airplane, for which he was jokingly called ÔThe Red Boron.'"

University acquires new 247 telephone exchange

To keep pace with the increasing telecommunication needs of the University, UNITS recently purchased the 247 telephone exchange.

The new exchange will be used primarily for administrative offices, in addition to the current 292 and 688 exchanges. The University Medical Center will continue using the 293 exchange.

UNITS, the University's telecommunications department,

was to begin issuing the 247 telephone numbers this month. Departments placing orders for new Direct Inward Dial (DID) telephone numbers will be assigned either a 292, 247 or 688 number.

The dialing pattern for the 247 exchange will be the same as other University exchanges. To reach a 292, 293, 247 or 688 telephone number from another campus telephone, callers need only dial the last five digits of the number (e.g., 7-xxxx).

Off-campus callers will be able to reach a 247 telephone number directly by dialing the complete seven-digit number (247-xxxx).

For more information regarding this change, contact UNITS Customer Service at 292-8648 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Information also is available on UNITS' Web Site at www.units.ohio-state.edu.

Slow Registrar Web applications should be repaired in mid-January

It wasn't Y2K that slowed student, faculty and staff access to Office of the Registrar Web applications when classes began Jan. 5.

Officials cite an overwhelmed security system, which supports the registrar's Web applications.

The system had trouble handling the connection load when users logged on en masse at the start of the quarter.

"We knew saturation could be a problem someday, but it was one we really thought would be avoided through the acquisition of new replacement hardware," said Michael George, associate registrar for student support.

Installation of and movement to the new hardware was expected to solve the problem by mid-January, George said.

"In the meantime, we ask for your understanding and indulgence," he said.

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