LATROBE, Pa. (AP) Alejandro Villanueva was in mid-answer trying to put his new contract the one that puts the former Army Ranger-turned-NFL left tackle in charge of protecting Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisbergers blind side for the rest of the decade in perspective when Ramon Fosters distinct Tennessee drawl came crashing over the top. Oh yes, Al! Foster said as he walked past. Pay the man! Get us new chairs in the O-line room. Villanueva smiled and shook his head at Fosters impromptu interview bomb, though the veteran guard and elder statesman on the unit most vital to Pittsburghs chances at ending New Englands long run at the top of the AFC might have a point. The seats in the groups meeting room are getting well worn. Call it the byproduct of the kind of stability thats a rarity in the salary cap era. The way the Steelers figure it, better to break in new furniture than new faces. Villanuevas deal, signed minutes before the defending AFC North champions opened training camp, means Pittsburghs entire front five Villanueva at left tackle, Foster at left guard, Maurkice Pouncey at center, David DeCastro at right guard and Marcus Gilbert at right tackle … Continue reading →

In BriefResearchers have discovered that quantum indistinguishability necessarily plays a significant role in some chemical processes. This changes the way scientists will view chemistry, and will influence isotope fractionation and enzymatic catalysis. In a world of quantum oddities, the phenomenon of indistinguishability, the impossibility of distinguishing between two quantum particles, remains notable. Superposition is one of the underlying causes of indistinguishability because there is no sure way to lock down an exact position of a quantum particle. This, in turn, makes it impossible to know which particle is which when two quantum particles interact in the same place. This leads to exotic particle behaviors, especially at low temperatures. Under those conditions, behavioral qualities of particles can resemble each other closely, causing phenomena such as Bose-Einstein condensates and superfluidity. Chemistry, though, requires relatively high temperatures, which cause most substances to shed their quantum properties. This is why indistinguishable physics and chemistry have traditionally been approached as if they were completely distinct, allowing chemists to ignore the effects of quantum indistinguishability with confidence. However, University of California Santa Barbara researchers Matthew Fisher and Leo Radzihovsky are turning the field of chemistry on its head, proving this confidence has been misplaced. The pair … Continue reading →

Photo by: Provided Peter Schiffer Image CHAMPAIGN The vice chancellor for research at the University of Illinois and a top chemistry professor on campus are both leaving after five years for two newly created positions at Yale. Vice Chancellor Peter Schiffer and his wife, Professor Sharon Hammes-Schiffer, who holds one of the prestigious Swanlund endowed faculty chairs on campus, were recruited by Yale, officials at the two schools announced Thursday. Schiffer, a Yale alumnus, will be the Ivy League school's inaugural vice provost for research, starting in October. He will be joined at Yale in January by Hammes-Schiffer, who will be the inaugural John Gamble Kirkwood Professor of Chemistry. At the UI, she is a renowned theoretical chemist who specializes in modeling quantum mechanical processes in systems relevant to both energy and biological sciences. She was recently named to the Center for Advanced Study at Illinois, the highest honor the campus bestows. "It's a really exciting opportunity for me and for Sharon," Schiffer said Thursday. "Yale is, like Illinois, a great research institution." It's also a chance to be closer to their sons, Zachary and Benjamin, who are students at MIT and Princeton, respectively, he said. Hammes-Schiffer was out of … Continue reading →

Heres the Bills news of note for August 4th. 1 - Sammy and Tyrod pleased with their chemistryThey havent made a lot of plays through the first week of training camp, but Sammy Watkins and Tyrod Taylor feel their on-field rapport is solid right now. I think our communication is way better (than last year), said Taylor. We had a situation (Thursday) where there was a miscommunication. Thats been one of maybe two mistakes. Weve mostly been on the same page. Getting some reps with him this spring definitely helped. I want to keep building out chemistry going forward. Taylor has always trusted Watkins in almost any kind of matchup in the passing game, but being on the field day after day has them back in a comfort zone with one another. 2 - Logan Thomas recruited to Bills by former Hokie teammateHes done well in his transition to the tight end position in training camp, but the opportunity that Logan Thomas currently has in Buffalo might not have happened were it not for a former college teammates phone call. Thomas had just been released by the New York Giants last November where he was still trying to make it … Continue reading →

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Packers are half way through their public practices, and just one night away from Family Night at Lambeau. And for safety Ha Ha Clinton Dix, training camp has been a time of building chemistry. Entering his fourth year, Clinton Dix has made over 60 solo tackles each season, but he credits his success to working well with his teammates. "It's very important. You can establish a play that you didn't expect to happen and you haven't even talked about it. Just being on the same page, communicating, having a feel for each other being on the field, having so many snaps together as a tandem, it makes it a lot easier for us. You know, I'll take on any challenge that I need to, but I depend on all my teammates. I'm ready for anything but at the same time I think that as a whole, we're going to be fine," Clinton Dix said. Originally posted here: Building team chemistry is key for Clinton Dix - WSAW … Continue reading →

There is no question that Florida has had offensive line issues under Jim McElwain. After stepping foot in Gainesville and looking at the roster from a numbers standpoint, the offensive line was in disarray with only four scholarship offensive lineman to work with. McElwain had to make due with a makeshift offensive line in his first season, but has since built the depth at that position to where year three could showcase how good Florida really is up front. During the Spring and Summer, the offensive line took part in team building activities outside of football to help the unit build chemistry and really get a better understanding of knowing each other. The comradery between the offensive line is one aspect Gators center T.J. McCoy believes that the more time the unit spends together and trusts each other, the better they can be on the field. Yeah, we did a lot of outings this year, explained McCoy. We went to Yamatos, great place if you all know about Yamatos, great place. We had some hibachi. We went to Outback and ordered some wings and cheese fries. We went fishing, catfish fishing, went to a couple of ponds in Gainesville. That … Continue reading →

Harrison Wang, a 2017 graduate of Hinsdale Central High School, received a gold medal in the International Chemistry Olympiad held July 6-15. Wang was part of four-member team that represented the United States in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, competing against 293 students from 75 other countries. "My parents are pretty proud," said Wang, who lives in Hinsdale. The other members also won gold medals, making it the best performance by a U.S. team since the U.S. began participating in the Olympiad in 1984, said Joan Coyle, spokeswoman for the American Chemical Society, which sponsors the U.S. team. When asked whether he thinks the gold medal is a big deal, Wang said the chemistry in the Olympiad is different from the chemistry research being done, so professional chemists are not overly impressed by the achievement. "But education-wise, I think we are role models and we motivate kids to study chemistry," said Wang, who has a younger brother and sister. The other members of the team are Joshua Park of Massachusetts, Steven Liu of California and Brendan Yap of Carmel High School, Indiana. The medals were awarded based on scores from a five-hour written exam and a five-hour practical lab at the Olympiad. … Continue reading →

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- Every day at Chicago Bears training camp is about the quarterbacks. There is no quarterback controversy -- Mike Glennon is the clear-cut No. 1 -- but plenty of intrigue surrounds Glennon (still a relative unknown), Mark Sanchez (former high-profile starter) and Mitchell Trubisky (No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft). Heres a closer look at their day Wednesday: Mike Glennon Wow moment: Glennon is clearly on the same page with wide receiver Cameron Meredith, one of Glennons favorite targets on the practice field. Arguably Glennons best throw of the day happened in the opening 7-on-7 period when he rifled the ball to Meredith, who broke hard toward the right sideline approximately 15 to 20 yards downfield. Glennon put the ball on the money. Glennon later found Meredith over the middle in 11-on-11. Whoa moment: Glennon and Meredith did have a misfire on a deep ball in a full-team period. Meredith had a step on a defender downfield on the left seam, but Glennon sailed the ball over his head. Glennons ability to hit on those big plays is important. Again, teams are going to stack the box to stop running back Jordan Howard -- second … Continue reading →