ACS Women Chemists Committee presents 2023 award winners

Winners of the 2023 American Chemical Society Women Chemists Committee (WCC) awards were recognized during ACS Fall 2023 in San Francisco.

Maris Podgurski, a fourth-year chemistry major at Northeastern University, was presented the Priscilla Carney Jones Scholarship. Podgurski currently works in Roman Manetsch’s research group developing novel antimalarial inhibitors. She has gained experience as an analytical development co-op on the mass spectrometry team at Moderna and in small-molecule synthesis as a co-op on the exploratory chemistry team at FogPharma. Podgurski was inspired by these opportunities to further her education in chemistry and intends to pursue a PhD in organic synthesis with a goal to increase the sustainability of current synthetic routes.

Amaria Langhorne, a sophomore chemistry major and honor student at Tennessee State University, was presented the Overcoming Challenges Award. Langhorne has a 4.0 grade point average and is active on campus in the university’s Honors College and the Dr. Levi Watkins Jr. Society, a program for high-achieving students with aspirations in the dental and medical field. She plans to attend dental school and become an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

The WCC Eli Lilly Travel Award, sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company, was presented to Cristina Altamirano of Fairleigh Dickinson University, Keysha Cordero-Giménez of the University of Puerto Rico–Rio Piedras Campus, Keira Culley of the University of Colorado Boulder, Julianna Follmar of the University of California San Diego, Magdelene Lee of North Carolina State University, Theodora Leventis of the University of Iowa, Madelyn Smith of Loyola University Chicago, Tameka Taylor of Morgan State University, Alicia Wagner of Northeastern University, and Catherine Walker of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

The WCC Merck Research Award, sponsored by Merck & Co., was presented to Alyah Chmiel of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Mikaela DiBello of Yale University, Amanda Graboski of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Christine Hamadani of the University of Mississippi, Aishanee Sur of Texas A&M University, Emily Wearing of the University of Michigan, Manxi Yang of Purdue University, and Vivian Zhang of Northwestern University.

WCC’s ChemLuminary Award for the Most Outstanding Local Section Women Chemists Award was presented to the Nashville Local Section for its 26th Tennessee Girls in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) event. Girls in middle and high school had the chance to interact with women role models, ask questions in a safe environment, and connect with other girls interested in STEM.

The WCC Best Local Section Event/Activity Award was presented to the Puerto Rico Local Section for “The Power of Women in Science” symposium. The event brought awareness to the challenges society faces in meeting the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, and it offered educational opportunities for students and educators of all levels.

Visit www.acswcc.org for more information on WCC awards and recognition.