Graduating Seniors Receive Prestigious Fellowships

10 graduating seniors who majored in chemistry and/or performed research in the chemistry labs of the Gottwald Science Center have received acceptance to prestigious graduate programs, with nearly one million dollars in fellowships. Each of these seniors will receive a full tuition scholarship along with a generous $21,000+ annual cost of living stipend. Many of these students worked for multiple years in mentors’ laboratories and had occasion to present their research at scientific meetings and in peer-reviewed scientific journals. The 10 seniors are:

Alex Badiceanu, major in biochemistry and molecular biology, major in computer science, minor in mathematics
Research Advisor: Dr. Kristine Nolin
Research: Alex worked in Dr. Nolin’ lab for 3 summers and 5 semesters, focusing on methodology development using rhenium(V)-oxo complex as catalysts for various reactions such as tandem Meyer-Schuster rearrangement-conjugate addition reactions and thiol additions to epoxides and oxetanes.
Awards: Science Scholar, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Sophomore Research Award
Graduate School: Johns Hopkins University, Ph. D. in biomedical engineering
Graduate Research: computational cardiology

Megan Hoerrner, major in chemistry, minor in archaeology
Research Advisor: Dr. John Gupton
Research: Megan’s work for the past three years focused on ortho group activation of Suzuki cross-coupling reactions of a bromopyrrole ester.
Awards: Chemistry Department Senior Research Achievement Award
Graduate School: University of Delaware, Ph. D. in chemistry
Graduate Research: organic chemistry

William Kretz, major in chemistry (with honors), major in mathematics
Research Advisor: Dr. Kelling Donald
Research: William has worked for three years on improvements to the theoretical pVSAM model, as well as performed theoretical studies on halomethanes and their halogen bonding capabilities.
Awards: Chemistry Department Senior Research Achievement Award, Chemistry Department Junior Research Achievement Award
Graduate School: Cornell University, Ph. D. in chemistry
Graduate Research: theoretical chemistry

Ting Li, major in chemistry, minor in mathematics
Research Advisor: Dr. Emma Goldman
Research: Ting has worked on experimental studies of phenalene and bis (phenalenyl) transition metal complexes
Awards: VAS Edward S. Harlow Scholarship
Graduate School: Columbia University, M.S. in material science

Katie Lounsbury , major in chemistry
Research Advisor: Dr. Gupton
Research: Katie has worked in Dr. Gupton’s lab for the past year on pyrimidine and pyrrole analogs with applications to anti-malarial and anti-tumor research.
Awards: ACS award for outstanding senior chemist
Graduate School: Boston College, PhD in chemistry
Graduate studies: organic chemistry

Rotimi Omorodion, major in biochemistry & molecular biology, minor in studio art
Research Advisor: Dr. Kelling Donald
Research: For the last 3.5 years, Rotimi has performed theoretical investigations into the rotational barriers of alkyne molecules, and sigma hole-mediated interactions.
Awards: Inorganic Chemistry award, ACS undergraduate award in Inorganic Chemistry, Sigma Pi Pi honor society
Graduate School: Scripps Research Institute, Ph.D. in chemical and biological sciences
Graduate Research: biochemistry, structural biology and chemical biology

Jon Patteson, major in chemistry (with honors)
Research Advisor: Dr. John Gupton
Research: For the last 3.5 years, Jon has worked on novel synthetic strategies of pyrrole-containing natural products. He has also worked with Dr. Neil Vasdev at Harvard Medical School for the last two summers on the development of synthetic strategies for fluroine-18 PET radiotracers.
Awards: Science Scholar, Thomas L. Howard Scholarship, J. Stanton Pierce award, Analytical Chemistry Award, Garnett-Ryland Award, ACS Award in Organic Chemistry
Graduate School: UNC Chapel Hill, Ph. D. in chemistry
Graduate Research: biochemical synthesis and natural product discovery

David Stevens, major in chemistry (with honors), major in biochemistry and molecular biology
Research Advisor: Dr. Carol Parish
Research: For the last 3.5 years, David has performed computational studies on the flap dynamics of the HIV-1 protease, which provides critical information for the creation of a more effective inhibitor drug for that enzyme.
Awards: Chemistry Department Senior Service Award
Graduate School: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Ph. D. in chemistry
Graduate Research: physical chemistry

Nathan Watwood, major in chemistry, major in interdisciplinary physics, minor in dance
Research Advisor: Dr. Con Beausang
Research: Investigation of heavy metal atoms following surrogate reactions
Awards: William Lockey Jr. Scholarship, Alton Williams Scholarship, Robert E. Loving Award
Graduate School: Michigan State University, Ph.D. in nuclear chemistry
Graduate Research: nuclear chemistry 

Sichong Zhou, major in chemistry, minor in mathematics
Research Advisor: Dr. John Gupton
Research: Sichong spent three years in Dr. Gupton's lab working on synthesizing marine natural products and also studied novel pyrimidine structures as anti-malarial drug analogs on chloro-attached pyrimidine cross-couplings.
Awards: Junior Research Achievement, American Institute of Chemists Award
Graduate School: Cornell University, M.S. in chemical engineering
Graduate Research: Undecided

The chemistry department congratulates these students on their achievements and wishes them much luck in their future studies.