Announcing the 2024 Outstanding Undergraduates in Biochemistry or Chemical Biology

The Division of Biological Chemistry is happy to announce the recipients of the 2024 DBC Undergraduate Achievement in Biochemistry or Chemical Biology Award. In its inaugural year, this award is intended to recognize graduating seniors who display a significant aptitude for biochemistry or chemical biology and to encourage further interest in the field.

Departments of Chemistry or Biochemistry that offer ACS-approved Bachelor’s degree programs across the country were invited to select a top graduating senior student from their university. Individuals were selected based upon demonstrated excellence in a combination of coursework, research, service to the program, and a desire to pursue a career in biochemistry or chemical biology.

Recipients were awarded a certificate signed by the division chair, a commemorative pin, and a letter of recognition from the ACS Division of Biological Chemistry. They also received a one-year membership to the Division of Biological Chemistry.

Please join us in congratulating the recipients!

• California

  Aaron Chhun
  California State University

  Benjamin Ruvalcaba Jr.
  University of the Pacific

  Harrison Tarbox
  University of San Diego

  John B. Omiya
  Loyola Marymount University

  Julnar Al Azzam
  California State University

  Kyle Anderson
  University of California, Los Angeles

  Lia Thompson
  University of California, Irvine

  Matea Zelich
  Harvey Mudd College

  Michael Erdman
  University of the Pacific

  Ruth Bouquet
  Nicholls State University

  Sabrina Richter
  San Jose State University

  Tiffany Nguyen
  University of San Francisco

• Colorado

  Camden Trent
  University of Colorado, Colorado Springs

  Jack Demmert
  Fort Lewis College

  Raley Patch
  Colorado State University

  Victoria Colling
  Metropolitan State University of Denver

• Connecticut

  Audrey Wheeler
  Fairfield University

  Michael Gambardella
  Southern CT State University

  Olivia Brado
  Trinity College

• Florida

  Isabella Holt
  University of Tampa

  Nicholas McInchak
  Florida Atlantic University

• Georgia

  Aamna Aijaz
  Kennesaw State University

  Nathan Bowman
  Georgia Institute of Technology

• Idaho

  Ella Bunde
  Idaho State University

• Illinois

  Bilaal Ansari
  Lake Forest College

  David Cooper
  Illinois Institute of Technology

  Faith Breausche
  Illinois State University

  Jacob Czaicki
  Bradley University

  Natalie King
  Monmouth College

• Indiana

  Ethan S. Corral
  Purdue University Fort Wayne

• Iowa

  Robert Groves
  Central College

• Kentucky

  Alex Mullins
  Northern Kentucky University

• Louisiana

  Colton James
  Louisiana State University in Shreveport

• Maine

  Arvin Dayao
  Colby College

  Katherine Mueller
  University of Southern Maine

• Maryland

  Jayo Adegboyo
  University of Maryland

  Julia Frankis
  Salisbury University

  Kyle Murphy
  St. Mary's College of Maryland

• Massachusetts

  Bella DiChiara
  Clark University

  Eva Plankey
  Worcester Polytechnic Institute

  Gabrielle Beal
  College of the Holy Cross

  Helen Washington
  Mount Holyoke College

  Isabel Smith
  Suffolk University

  Jason B. Gladstone
  Northeastern University

  Joshua Hartley
  Framingham State University

  Kristi Liivak
  Boston College

  Shilei Li
  Smith College

• Michigan

  Esme Lowry
  Oakland University

  Holly Bowling
  Kalamazoo College

  Margaret Lynch
  Northern Michigan University

  Tristan Wrong
  Wayne State University

  Zoe Ziegler
  Grand Valley State University

• Minnesota

  Clara Lucero
  University of St. Thomas

  Equoia Gibson
  College of Saint Benedict

  Melissa Nguyen
  George Mason University

  Nathan Brandes
  Macalester College

  Otessa Olsen
  St. Olaf College

  Vasilii Vaganov
  Carleton College

• Mississippi

  Landon Lee
  The University of Southern Mississippi

• Missouri

  Kassie Northington
  Southeast Missouri State University

  Kellen Sharpe
  University of Missouri

  Ken Lee
  Washington University in St. Louis

  Sydney Lahm
  Saint Louis University

• Nebraska

  Olivia Nicholson
  Creighton University

• New Jersey

  Andrew Awad
  Ramapo College of New Jersey

  Daniel Geller
  Rider University

  Joel Moses
  Drew University

  Lynn Tran
  Stockton University

  Nicole Rodriguez Ortiz
  Montclair State University

• New York

  Alexis Madden
  SUNY New Paltz

  Allyson Isereau
  SUNY Brockport

  Colby Riexinger
  Buffalo State University

  Eric Goodney
  Colgate University

  Eva Scholz-Carlson
  Barnard College

  Josiah Morris
  Siena College

  Lyse Armand
  SUNY Old Westbury

  Mary Root
  Le Moyne College

  Miranda Bristol
  University at Albany, SUNY

  Morgan Truesdell
  Union College

  Pranay Talla
  Columbia University

  Zachary Turlington
  SUNY Cortland

• North Carolina

  Abigail Nimmo
  High Point University

  Katie Ward
  University of North Carolina Asheville

  Ruta Petrikis
  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  Zijun Xia
  Wake Forest University

• North Dakota

  Kirati Tayutivutikul
  University of North Dakota

• Ohio

  Branden Nicholas
  Wittenberg University

  Carly Sanders
  Ohio Wesleyan University

  CJ Haskins
  The Ohio State University

  Grant Greene
  The College of Wooster

  Korey Kihm
  Youngstown State University

• Oregon

  Star Garrigues
  University of Portland

• Pennsylvania

  Blake Neiderlander
  Allegheny College

  Brianna Bolorin
  Bucknell University

  Bridget Corpus
  Lafayette College

  David Broughton
  Franklin & Marshall College

  Delia Mamani
  Gannon University

  Devlin Swanson
  Colorado College

  Gabriella Belsito
  University of Pittsburgh

  Gwendolyn Lam
  Swarthmore College

  Jacqui Morin
  Gettysburg College

  Joseph Figura
  Washington & Jefferson College

  Julia Hines
  Geneva College

  Julian Kerry
  Thomas Jefferson University

  Luke Parker
  Shippensburg University

  Natalie Weinmann
  Millersville University

  Rocco Johnson Sotero
  Haverford College

  Samit Barua Chowdhury
  Susquehanna University

  Sarah Cotteta
  Villanova University

  Salvatore Brock
  Slippery Rock University

  Stephanie Brown
  Albright College

  Sydnee Jones
  Pennsylvania Western University

  Oliver Paszkowski
  East Stroudsburg University

  Zoe Moosbrugger
  Ursinus College

• Rhode Island

  Audrey Long
  Providence College

• South Carolina

  Austin Arias
  Furman University

  McKenna Kelly
  College of Charleston

• Tennessee

  Yousef Khashana
  Rhodes College

• Texas

  Kaylee Black
  Sam Houston State University

  Kendal Southwell
  Trinity University

  Sydni Sheffield
  Stephen F. Austin State University

• Utah

  Jacob Lee
  Weber State University

  Ty Demosthenes
  University of Utah

• Vermont

  Nicholas Perez
  University of Vermont

• Virginia

  Ajeya Dixon
  Norfolk State University

  Justin Berg
  William & Mary Integrated Science Center

  Will O'Neal
  Radford University

  Zachary Ryan
  James Madison University

• Washington

  Noah Goodwin-Rice
  Western Washington University

• District of Columbia

  Jonas Schemm
  Georgetown University

• West Virginia

  Kayla Tyler
  Marshall University

• Wisconsin

  Rachel Hawley
  University of Wisconsin

  Abril Lopez
  Beloit College

  Maxwell Lewis
  University of Wisconsin-River Falls