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Ten Department of Chemistry students, including six graduate students and four undergraduate seniors, have received honors in the 2016 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) program.
Fellowship honorees include graduate students Constance Anderson, David Goldfeld and Courtney Olson, and undergraduate students Jacob Kautsky and Nathan Klein. Honorable mention honorees include graduate students Anna Huff, Jorden Johnson, James Moore and Derek Saxon, and undergraduate Stephanie Breunig.
The prestigious and competitive GRF program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees. Fellowship winners receive three years of support and a $34,000 annual stipend. The Department of Chemistry receives a $12,000 cost-of-education allowance. The NSF awarded fellowships to 2,000 individuals from among 17,000 applicants.
Constance “Connie” Anderson is a first-year graduate student working in Professor Christopher Douglas’ laboratory. She is working on Ir catalyzed tandem C-O C-H activation. After completing her doctorate, she would like to work in academia.
David Goldfeld is a first-year graduate student working with Professor Marc Hillmyer. He is researching both processing techniques for sustainable consumer products as well as applications of polyelectrolytes in self-assembled systems. After completion of his doctorate, he plans to continue work in academia.
Jacob Kautzky is a senior undergraduate working in Professor Thomas Hoye's group. His research is currently a total synthesis of a natural product with the key step being a hexadehydro-Diels-Alder reaction. He will be attending graduate school next year.
Nathan Klein is a senior undergraduate working in Professor Christy Haynes' group doing analytical chemistry research. His current research focus encompasses analyzing nanoparticle interactions in complex biological matrices. This fall, he will be attending graduate school to pursue a doctorate in chemistry.
Courtney Olson is a second-year graduate student working with Professor Aaron Massari. Her research focuses on 2D-IR spectroscopy. She wants to study the dynamics of polymers (with Si-H modes) while swelling and stretching the polymer and relate this information back to the macroscopic properties. She hopes to work in academia after completing her doctorate.
Stephanie Breunig is a senior undergraduate who will pursue doctorate studies in chemistry beginning in the fall. She is interested in chemical biology, and currently is a member of Professor Daniel Harki's laboratory in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry. She works on the synthesis of APOBEC3 inhibitors as well as a novel method for the formation of triazolo-oxadiazoles.
Anna Huff is a first-year graduate student working with Professor Ken Leopold. Her research interests are in experimental physical chemistry with a focus on molecular spectroscopy. She is studying molecular clusters relevant to atmospheric processes, particularly, in the formation of atmospheric aerosol particles.
Jorden Johnson is a first-year graduate student working with Professor William Pomerantz. Her research focuses on the discovery and synthesis of small molecules that can be used as chemical probes for studying epigentic regulatory proteins. After completing her doctorate, she hopes to work in industry.
James “JT” Moore is a second-year graduate student in Professor Connie Lu's laboratory. As a synthetic inorganic/organometallic chemist, his research interests include studying the bonding and reactivity of heterobimetallic complexes comprised of transition metals from different rows on the periodic table. He hopes to work in academia after obtaining his doctorate.
Derek Saxon is a first-year graduate student working with Professor Theresa Reineke. As a member of the Center for Sustainable Polymers, his research interests focus on the synthesis of sustainable, sugar-derived polycarbonates and polyesters. He plans to work in industrial research and development after completing his doctorate.