Advertisement

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Synthesis

2016–17 Project SEED Scholars

by Linda Wang
January 30, 2017 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 95, Issue 5

The American Chemical Society Committee on Project SEED has announced the winners of its 2016–17 college scholarships. The recipients, who were selected from participants in ACS’s Project SEED research program, received one-year nonrenewable scholarships of up to $5,000 to help cover tuition and fees during their freshman year of college. The 31 scholarships for the 2016–17 academic year, which have a total value of $155,000, were funded by private corporations and individual donors. Additionally, three Project SEED college scholars received the Ciba Specialty Chemicals Scholarship.

Project SEED is ACS’s summer research program that enables economically disadvantaged high school students to conduct hands-on research. For more information, visit www.acs.org/projectseed.


Alfred & Isabel Bader Scholars

Alfred Bader is one of the founders of Aldrich Chemical, now Sigma-Aldrich. The Baders supported Project SEED for many years and contributed to the initiation of the Summer II SEED program.

Alicia Ball is a graduate of Garber High School in Essexville, Mich. Under the guidance of Adam Warhausen at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan, Ball worked on research titled “Synthesis, Characterization, Electrochemical, and Spectroelectrochemical Investigation of Wilkinson’s Catalyst and Analogues.” Ball is majoring in biomedical engineering at Michigan Technology University.

Idris Barakat is a graduate of Parkside High School in Salisbury, Md. At the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Barakat worked under the direction of Byungrok Min on research titled “Antioxidants Capacity in Fruits.” Barakat is majoring in biochemistry at Salisbury University.

Max Chee-Garza graduated from the Griffin School in Austin, Texas. He conducted research with Zachary Tozetich at the University of Texas, San Antonio. The title of his research is “Small-Molecule Sulfur Chemistry of Gallium(III) Porphyrinates: Structural Models for Complexes Resulting from the Interaction of Hemes with Hydrogen Sulfide.” He is majoring in biochemistry at Seattle University.

Chrisa-Kay Clarke is a graduate of Cypress Springs High School in Cypress, Texas. Under the mentorship of Gururaj Neelgund at Prairie View A&M University, she conducted research titled “Preparation of CuZnS (Copper Zinc Sulfide) Introduction.” She is majoring in chemistry at Prairie View A&M University.

Morgan Fabber graduated from Blackman High School in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Under the guidance of Greg Van Patten at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Fabber conducted research titled “Cation Exchanges with PbS Quantum Dots.” Fabber is majoring in chemistry at Vanderbilt University.

Jose Martinez Fernandez is a graduate of Cane Ridge High School in Antioch, Tenn. He conducted research titled “PbS Quantum Dots Cation Exchanges” under the mentorship of Greg Van Patten at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. He is majoring in chemistry at Harvard University.

Graciela Gautier Jusino is a graduate of Carmen Belen Veiga High School in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico. Under the direction of Jose Lasalde at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, Jusino conducted research titled “Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Detergent Complex Native Lipid Doping: Improvement in the Quality of Crystals.” Jusino is majoring in biochemistry at Iowa State University.

Kevin Huang graduated from Burlington High School in Vermont. He conducted research on “Regiocontrol of Allylic C–H Amination Reactions” with Matthias Brewer at the University of Vermont. Huang is majoring in chemistry at the University of Vermont.

Caleb Colón Jiménez
[+]Enlarge
Credit: Courtesy of Caleb Colón Jiménez
A photo of Caleb Colón Jiménez
Credit: Courtesy of Caleb Colón Jiménez

Caleb Colón Jiménez is a graduate of University Gardens High School in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Under the direction of Eduardo Nicolau at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, he conducted research titled “The Effect of Different Concentration Ratios of Sodium Hypochlorite (NaClO) on the TEMPO Mediated Oxidation of Cellulose Nanocrystals.” Jiménez is majoring in chemical engineering at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez.

Aimen Lateef graduated from Niles West High School in Skokie, Ill. Under the direction of Kathy Mortell and Miguel Ballicora at Loyola University in Chicago, Lateef conducted research titled “Investigating ADP Glucose Pyrophosphorylase.” Lateef is majoring in biochemistry at Dominican University.

Shally Lin is a graduate of Pittsford Mendon High School in New York. Under Callie Babbitt at Rochester Institute of Technology, Lin conducted research titled “Extracting Carbon Fullerenes from Natural Sediments.” Lin is majoring in biochemistry at the University at Buffalo, SUNY.

Yingqi (Linda) Lin graduated from Hunter College High School in New York City. Under the direction of Tianning Diao at New York University, she conducted research titled “Diazadiene Ligands and their NIBr2 Complexes.” She is majoring in biochemistry at Swarthmore College.

Tsz Yan Ng graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Richmond, Calif. Ng conducted research titled “The Abrasiveness of Soot” with Jonathan Moore at Chevron Oronite in Richmond. Ng is majoring in chemical engineering at the University of Toledo.

Thao Nguyen is a graduate of Volcano Vista High School in Albuquerque, N.M. Under the direction of Bernadette Hernandez-Sanchez of the Advanced Materials Laboratory in Albuquerque, Nguyen conducted research titled “The Formation of Tin Chalcogenides Nanomaterials.” Nguyen is majoring in chemistry at the University of New Mexico.

Jayde Nielsen is a graduate of Middleton High School in Idaho. Under the guidance of Kevin Ausman at Boise State University, Nielsen conducted research titled “Creating a Better Dispersion of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes (SWNT) in Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS).” Nielsen is majoring in chemical engineering at Brigham Young University.

Aisha Patel graduated from Niles West High School in Skokie, Ill. She conducted research titled “Iron-catalyzed Arene Prenylation for the Undergraduate Laboratory” under the mentorship of Chad Eichman at Loyola University Chicago. She is majoring in biochemistry at DePaul University.

Anthony Phero is a graduate of Centennial High School in Boise, Idaho. Under the mentorship of Ken Cornell at Boise State University, Phero conducted research titled “Activity of In Silico Selected Compounds Against E. coli Methylthioadenosine Nucleosidase (MTN).” He is majoring in biochemistry at the University of Utah.

Oliver Pichardo Peguero is a graduate of Escuela Especializada Bilingue Padre Rufo in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He conducted research titled “Dithiolene-based MRI Contrast Agents” under the guidance of Dalice Piñero at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. He is majoring in chemistry at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras.

Onyah Sheely is a graduate of Imani Christian Academy in Pittsburgh. Under the guidance of Robyn Francis at Covestro, Sheely conducted research titled “Competitive Comparisons between Multiple Carbonate Grades.” Sheely is majoring in chemistry at Howard University.

Crystal Vejar is a graduate of InTech Collegiate High School in Logan, Utah. She conducted research titled “Shigella Research” under the guidance of Nicholas Dickenson at Utah State University. She is majoring in biochemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Cassie Washam graduated from Western Boone Junior-Senior High School in Thorntown, Ind. She conducted research under the mentorship of Tara Chouinard at Eli Lilly & Co. Her research was titled “Biomarker Responses in Renin-Driven, Preclinical Model of Nephropathy.” She is majoring in biochemistry at DePauw University.


Ashland Scholars

Ashland is a global company that provides specialty chemicals, technologies, and expertise to customers worldwide.

Katherine Lindsay
[+]Enlarge
Credit: Courtesy of Katherine Lindsay
A photo of Katherine Lindsay.
Credit: Courtesy of Katherine Lindsay

Katherine Lindsay is a graduate of St. Theodore Guerin Catholic High School in Noblesville, Ind. She conducted research on “GPR120-mediated Effect on ACTH Secretion in AtT-20 Cells” with Michael Statnick and Susan Gackenheimer at Eli Lilly & Co. She is majoring in biochemistry at Denison University.

Demi Reed is a graduate of Firestone High School in Akron, Ohio. Under the mentorship of Charles Moorefield at the University of Akron, Reed conducted research titled “The Many Uses of Different

Types of Chemistry.” She is majoring in forensic chemistry at Ohio University.


Bayer Scholars

The Bayer USA Foundation has been a major donor to Project SEED and a major contributor to the Project SEED endowment.

Mayesha Awal
[+]Enlarge
Credit: Courtesy of Mayesha Awal
A photo of Mayesha Awal.
Credit: Courtesy of Mayesha Awal

Mayesha Awal is a graduate of Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. Under the direction of X. Charlie Dong at Indiana University School of Medicine, Awal conducted research titled “Search for Small Molecules to Increase Health and Longevity.” She is majoring in biochemistry at Georgetown University.

Jose Ayala graduated from Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne, N.J. He researched “Carbon Allocation in Wetland Grasses” at Rutgers University, Newark, under Karina Schafer. He is majoring in chemistry at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.

Stefannie Morales Jiménez is a graduate of University Gardens High School in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She conducted research titled “Evaluation of Synthesized Nanocrystalline Hydroxyapatite-based Coatings for Applications in Bone Tissue Engineering” under the guidance of Eduardo Nicolau at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras. She is majoring in chemical engineering at the University of Puerto Rico, Bayamón.


Fosbinder Scholars

The estate of Elizabeth Ernst Fosbinder, wife of late ACS member Russell J. Fosbinder, has provided an endowment to fund scholarships for graduates of Project SEED.

Mary Martinez Núñez is a graduate of Metropolitan Soundview High School in New York City. Her research at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, was titled “Determining the Appropriate Techniques to Quantify Titanium(IV) and Iron(II) Concentrations, and the Levels of Titanium in a Cell Line Treated with Metal Bound Serum Transferrin.” Her mentor was Arthur Tinoco. She is majoring in biochemistry at Bronx Community College.

Leul Tesfaye is a graduate of Wheaton High School in Maryland. She conducted research under Andrei Vedernikov at the University of Maryland, College Park, titled “Aerobic C–H Oxidation of Benzene with a Pt II Complex.” Tesfaye is majoring in chemical engineering at Cornell University.


Ullyot Scholar

Glenn E. Ullyot was an accomplished chemical researcher who worked for Smith, Kline & French Laboratories. He was a major contributor to the discovery and manufacture of new drugs of critical value to the medical world. His wife, Barbara, had a management career at ACS.

Jessica Chung is a graduate of Valley Catholic High School in Beaverton, Ore. With Angela Hoffman at the University of Portland, she conducted research titled “Flavonoids Found in Dahlia Petals May Inhibit Hyaluronidase.” She is majoring in biochemistry at the University of Portland.


ACS Project SEED Scholars

These scholarships are provided through the generosity of ACS friends and members.

Cindy Gnawa
[+]Enlarge
Credit: Courtesy of Cindy Gnawa
A photo of Cindy Gnawa.
Credit: Courtesy of Cindy Gnawa

Cindy Gnawa is a graduate of Wheaton High School in Maryland. She conducted research on “Synthesis of Macrocycles” under Richard Weiss at Georgetown University. She is majoring in biochemistry at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Lia Thung is a graduate of Golden Valley High School in Merced, Calif. Under the direction of Vincent Tung at the University of California, Merced, she conducted research titled “Perovskite Solar Cell Studies.” She is majoring in chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley.


Ciba Specialty Chemicals Scholars

The Ciba Foundation, through the Ciba Specialty Chemicals Scholars Endowment, offers Project SEED college scholarship recipients three-year renewable scholarships for the remainder of their chemical science degree programs.

The recipients are Medinat Akindele, who is majoring in chemistry at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities; SangHo Jee, who is majoring in biochemistry at the University of Maryland, College Park; and Brooklyn Trujillo, who is majoring in chemistry at Colorado State University, Pueblo. 


CORRECTION: This story was updated on Feb. 13, 2017, to correct the university attended by Ullyot Scholar Jessica Chung. She is currently attending the University of Portland, not Harvard University.

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

0 /1 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.