Nan Lin (magna cum laude), Stacey Moller (summa cum laude), Herbert Morais, David Munoz, Madhav Neupane, Mark Porterfield, Ulises Rangel, Bren-non Sessions, Laura Sudderth (cum laude), Parth Upadhyaya, Joseph Scott Villalpando, Caitlen Walker, Christopher Wilson, Miranda Wysocki, Han Xiao, Esneider Zamora, and Ryan Zentay. In August 2012, the following students received BA degrees: Karla Lumbi, and Kaitlin Wasko. The following students received BS degrees: Christopher Berger, Joshua Levin, John Vu, and An-drew Winn. Congratulations to all our graduates! Many of them have submitted senior autobiog-raphies, which can be found starting on page 7.

In the 2012-13 academic year, the department graduated 61 students with bachelor’s de-grees in chemistry. In December 2012, the following students graduated with BA degrees: Zachary Beal, Doan Bui, Jeffrey Davis, Cristin Garcia, Andrew Rendon (cum laude), Katherine Richards, Kimberly Trevino (cum laude), Catherine Watkins, and Karen Weir Gil. The follow-ing students graduated with BS degrees: Rachel Harvill, Kevin Holder, Sean Lau, Hoi Yu Leung, Nathan Winser, and Anne Yau. In May 2013, the following stu-dents graduated with BA de-grees: Kristen Ackerman (cum laude), Adriana Amagliani, Da-kota Brock, Ricardo Castro, Samantha Nash, Ethan Pulliam, Loran Termine, Shana Leigh Timmerman, Alaina Anderson

(cum laude), Paul Kim, Eliazar Candanoza, Lauren Montagnino, and James Sciandra. The follow-ing students received BS de-grees: Stephen Adams, Benjamin Cassidy (magna cum laude), Travyss Chitolie, Daniel Dob-bins, Megan Esteb (summa cum laude), Stephanie Florez (magna cum laude; Brown-Rudder Award winner), Devon Ke-bodeaux, Eric Kleihege, Deren Koseoglu, Kristin Light, Yen-

Congratulations 2012-13 Chemistry Graduates!

Academic Achievement Recognized on Parent’s Weekend The Chemistry Department held its 5th annual Undergradu-ate Awards Ceremony on Fri-day, April 12 at 4 p.m. The cere-mony is held to recognize aca-demic award winners, scholar-ship recipients, and graduating seniors.

The CRC Outstanding First Year Chemistry Course Award, given to the most outstanding student in first-year major or honors chemistry was present-ed to Ashley Leibham and Mat-thew Stouder. They received a small honorarium and a copy of the latest edition of the CRC

Handbook of Chemistry and Physics.

The Outstanding Achievement in Organic Chemistry, given to the highest achieving student in majors or honors organic chem-istry was presented to Callie Cheatham and Prithvi Vangal by Dr. Dan Singleton, the instruc-tor in the majors’ section of CHEM228. They received a small honorarium and a certifi-cate.

Chemistry Department Achievement Awards are pre-sented to the most outstanding junior and senior chemistry

majors who do not receive other substantial cash awards. Dr. David Russell, Department Head presented each of these students with a check and a certificate. Students receiving this award were Benjamin Cassi-dy, Megan Esteb, Stephanie Florez, Yen-Nan Lin, Steven Montalvo, JT Moore, Madhav Neupane, and Stephanie White.

The Jaan Laane Academic Achievement Awards, given to the two most outstanding jun-iors, with preference given to BS students, were presented by Dr. Jaan Laane to Bianca Ramirez and Kylee Stouder.

Sept. 13, 2013

Orbitals What’s Happening in Chemistry Circles

Department of Chemistry Undergraduate Advising Office 104 Chemistry Building 979-845-0520

Inside this issue:

Chemistry Scholar-ships Awarded

3

Stephanie Florez Pollack Receives Brown Rudder Award

4

Welcome New Students!

5

New Old Ags: Sen-ior Autobiog-raphies

7

Dr. Brown, Dr. Gaede, and Dr. Wheeler Receive Awards

10, 12

Student Organiza-tion Updates

11, 13

Continued next page

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2012-13 Academic Achievement Awards, continued

Bianca and Kylee each received substantial cash awards.

The Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry, given to the best student in CHEM415, was presented to Stacey Moller by Dr. James Batteas.

Stacey received a subscription to the journal Analytical Chemistry along with a small honorarium.

The ACS Undergraduate Award in Inorganic Chemistry, given to the student with the highest achievement in Inor-ganic Chemistry classes and research, was pre-sented to Mahav Neupane by his research advi-sor, Dr. John Gladysz. Madhav receives a small honorarium and a letter signed by the national chair of the Inorganic Division of the American Chemical Society. A new award in organic chem-istry for students pursuing research and advanced courses in organic chemistry was also presented to Madhav Neupane by Dr. Gladysz. Madhav re-ceives a small honorarium and recognition from the Organic Division of the American Chemical Society.

The ACS Leadership Award, given to the students who ex-hibit the most leadership in service of the ACS Student Affili-ates, was presented to Dakota Brock and Brennon Sessions by Dr. Tammy Tiner, advisor to the Student Affiliates. They received honoraria.

The Hypercube Scholar Award, presented to a student who exhibits promise for success in graduate school, was pre-sented to Ulises Rangel by his research advisor Dr. Stephen Wheeler. Ulises began graduate school at UC University of Wisconsin this semester, where he hopefully will be able to use his award, which is a copy of the Hypercube software package.

The Merck Index Award, given to the one or two most out-standing students pursuing careers in the health profession, was presented to Megan Esteb, who will receive a copy of the Merck Index. Unfortunately, the Merck Index Award is being discontinued, so Megan will be our last recipient of this recognition!

The Hugh McLean, Jr. Award, given to a student who has displayed unusual perseverance in the pursuit of his or her degree, was presented to Zachary Beal and Alaina Anderson by Dr. Holly Gaede.

The Chemistry Department Outstanding Undergraduate Award, given to the most outstanding graduating senior, with preference given to BS majors, was presented to Stacey Moller.

The 2012-13 departmental scholarship winners will also rec-ognized at the ceremony. The scholarships are awarded based to chemistry majors based on academic achievement,

financial need, and specific requirements requested by the scholarship donors. Chemistry majors who wish to be con-sidered for departmental scholarships must complete the university scholarship application form. Since many of the scholarships are based on need as well as academic achieve-ment, students are also encouraged to submit a FAFSA form.

Benjamin Cassidy, Yen-Nan Lin, Stacey Moller, and Stephanie White received Dow Aggies Scholarships. These scholarships are reserved for junior and senior chemistry majors. John

Nguyen and Esneider Zamora received The George C. Bauer Scholarship, which is intended for students demonstrating financial need. James Sciandra received Sharon Merritt Birtcher Scholarship, which is given to those intending to teach high school chemistry.

Shelby Hale received the Jennifer Lynn Drost ’99 Memorial Endowed Scholarship. Emily Cargi-le, Lauren Montagnino, and Andrew Rendon received Hach Scientific Foundation ACS Schol-arships, for those students intending to teach

high school chemistry.

Kristen Ackermann received The Dr. John L. Hogg Endowed Scholarship in Chemistry. Darcie Hicks and Pamela Valencia received the Eileen and Harry Lewis Scholarship. Bianca Ramirez received the Dr. Herman A. Liebhafsky Scholarship. Alaina Anderson, Quy Dong, Megan Esteb, Juan Guerrero, David Hersh, Madhav Neupane, Chan Park, and Ramsey Yusuf received the Dr. David W. Lipp ’66 Memorial Endowed Schol-arship. Ethan Pulliam received the Dawn C. ’96 and David A. ’88 Mason Scholarship in Chemistry.

Laura Kleihege, Netan Pruthi, Kayla Powers, and Kimberly Trevino received The Connie G. and Otto F. (Pete) Schumm Endowed Scholarship in Chemistry. Adriana Amagliani re-ceived The Emile A. Schweikert Endowed Scholarship. James Moore received the Dr. Minoru Tsutsui Memorial Scholar-ship. Congratulations to our scholarship recipients, and many thanks to the donors who have made these awards possible.

Finally, the participants in the inaugural summer research program were recognized: Daniel Dobbins, William Hunn, Yen-Nan Lin, Madhav Neupane, Steven Montalvo, Chan Park, Ulises Rangel, Kylee Stouder, Samantha Yruegas, and Lusa Yu. These students received a stipend for10 weeks of summer research, participating in weekly meetings along with stu-dents visiting from Universities all over the country, and pre-senting their research at a poster session and departmental symposium. These students were also eligible for support to attend the national ACS meeting the follow Spring. This sum-mer program continued last summer and will be offered again in 2014.

Continued from page 1

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Department of Chemistry Announces 2013-14 Scholarship Recipients The Department of Chemistry has awarded nearly $65,000 in scholarships to undergraduate chemistry majors for the 2013-14 academic year. These scholarships are endowed by generous donors, some honoring former teachers or students. Congratu-lations to all our recipients, and many thanks to the donors who made these scholarships possible. ACS-Hach Scientific Foundation Scholarships are intend-ed for chemistry majors who have demonstrated progress to-ward becoming certified to teach, with at least a 3.0 GPA. The awardees are Mary Ann Bilhartz, Joshua Muehlbrad, and Molly Huff. The George C. Bauer Scholarship, was established in 1968 by Mrs. George C. Bauer, in memory of her husband who was a professor of analytical chemistry at Texas A&M. This year’s awardee is Samantha Yruegas. Sharon Merritt Birtcher Scholarship is awarded to stu-dents planning to become teachers. The recipient is Matthew Robbins. The Dow Aggie Scholarships are given to outstanding junior or senior chemistry majors. This scholarship was made available by the generous support of Dow Chemical and its employees to support Texas A&M University and its students. This year’s awardees are Nicholas Gamez, Kristina Goldstein, Juan Guerrero, and Alyssa Rosas. Jennifer Lynn Drost ’99 Endowed Memorial Scholarship in Chemistry . This scholarship was established by the Drost family in memory of Jennifer Drost, a former chemistry major. Preference is given to outstanding out-of-state students. This year’s awardee is Kari Stratton. The Dr. John L. Hogg Endowed Scholarship in Chemis-try was established in memory of long-time undergraduate advi-sor Dr. Hogg. The scholarship provides support for a full time student in good standing pursuing an undergraduate degree in chemistry. The awardee is Daniel San Miguel.

Eileen Lob Lewis ’65 and Harry S. (Hank) Lewis ‘65 Premier Endowed Scholarship in Chemistry is an en-dowed scholarship in honor of the Lewises. Preference given to a female chemistry major based on financial need and not pri-marily academic achievement; application required. The award-ee is Darcie Hicks and Pamela Valencia. Dr. Herman A. Liebhafsky Scholarship was established by Dr. William R. Howell ’69 and Cindy Howell to honor a former chemistry professor. Given to a chemistry major based on fi-nancial need and achievement; there is a preference for some-one from a “rural” Texas area. The awardee is Bianca Ramirez . The Dr. David W. Lipp ’66 Memorial Endowed Scholar-ship in Chemistry. Established in November 2005 by the Lipp Family Foundation in memory of Dr. David W. Lipp ’66, the scholarship provides support for full time students in good standing pursuing an undergraduate degree in chemistry. The awardees are Cody Bryant, Quy Duong, JT Moore, Chan Park, Kayla Powers, Alyssa Smith, Robert Stevens, and Ramsey Yusuf. The Dawn C. ’96 and David A. ’88 Mason Endowed Scholarship in Chemistry, established by former students, is awarded to a chemistry major on the basis of academic achieve-ment. Preference is given to a member of the corps of cadets. The recipient is Netan Pruthi. Connie G. and Otto F. (Pete) ’45 Schumm Endowed Scholarship was established as a gift from Mr. and Mrs. Schumm. It is awarded to outstanding chemistry majors based on both financial need and academic performance. This year’s awardees are Agata Bachleda, Josephine Eshon, Michaela Love, and John Nguyen. The Emile A. Schweikert Endowed Scholarship was es-tablished in honor of Dr. Emile Schweikert, who served as the Head of the Department of Chemistry for many years and con-tinues as an esteemed faculty member. The scholarship provides support for a full time student in good standing pursuing an undergraduate degree in chemistry. The awardees are Vivian Deng and Ashley Leibham.

To be considered for a scholarship, chemistry majors must apply online using the University Scholarship applica on, found at scholarships.tamu.edu. The applica on will open October 15 and close February 1.

Most scholarships are based on financial need. To be considered for these, you will have to complete a FAFSA.

We generally do not award scholarship to students who have already received substan al scholarships.

Do not hesitate to inquire about any of these scholarships.

Texas A&M University sen-iors Robert Carpenter, an applied mathematics major, and Stephanie Florez-Malaver, a biomedical sci-ences/chemistry double major, each have been rec-ognized with the Brown Foundation-Earl Rudder Memorial Outstanding Stu-dent Award, earning two of Texas A&M's three top stu-dent awards presented ear-lier today (Friday, May 10) during spring commence-ment ceremonies.

The prestigious award hon-ors the top two students university-wide who exem-plify the leadership and re-lated traits of the late Gen. Earl Rudder, a World War II hero who served as presi-dent of Texas A&M from 1959 until his death in 1970. The award includes a cash gift of $5,000.

The identities of the win-ners were kept confidential until the 2 p.m. ceremony involving the College of Sci-ence, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, College of Geosci-ences, and College of Archi-tecture at which they re-ceived their diplomas.

Florez-Malaver, who was born in Colombia and now lives in College Station, boasts a minor in neurosci-ence in addition to her dou-ble major in biomedical sci-ences and chemistry, gradu-ating with a GPR of 3.84. She is the founder and for-mer president of the Latin dance group on campus called Salsa Fusion, former director of the American

Medical Student Associa-tion, a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Eta Sigma honor societies and works with the Texas A&M Family Med-ical Clinic.

Holly Gaede, Florez-Malaver's academic adviser, says she can attest to the fact that Stephanie is not a student who seeks out the easiest academic route. "Stephanie added a second major in chemistry when her honors organic chemis-try professor, David Bergbreiter, recommended that an undergraduate de-gree in chemistry was an essential prerequisite for a Ph.D. in chemistry, a route she was considering," Gaede said.

Gaede recounts that Florez-Malaver's parents were suc-cessful professionals in Co-lombia who immigrated to the U.S. and had to start over. "Stephanie, the most fluent in English, took on a leadership role and worked many hours while in high school to help support her family."

This experience, Gaede says, has given her a maturi-ty and perspective that not many student her age pos-sess. "While at Texas A&M, Stephanie pursued her spe-cial interests as an interna-tional student, taking on several leadership roles in student organizations. She is the president and founder of Salsa Fusion Latin Dance, was coordinator of Interna-tional Week on campus and a member of the Colombia Student Organization."

Karen Wooley, W.T. Doherty-Welch Chair in Chemistry, says Florez-Malaver has extensive and diverse research experience and is an outstanding student. "She contributed significantly to the intellectual excellence of Texas A&M while gaining experiences that will be critical to her contin-ued development. For the past two and a half years, she has been undertaking research in my labor-atory through a position as a Fel-low of the Honors Undergradu-ate Research Program. Former students who received this train-ing in my laboratory are leading scientists in the chemical industry. I consider Stephanie to be one of the top few among them."

To learn more about the Brown-Rudder Award, go to http://graduation.tamu.edu/brownrudder.html.

This article is excerpted from an article written by Tura King, Di-vision of Marketing & Communi-cations, (979) 845-4670 or tura-king@tamu.edu, and published at http://www.science.tamu.edu/articles/1065/

Science's Robert Carpenter, Stephanie Florez-Malaver Sweep Brown-Rudder Awards

Page 4

Newly minted College of Science graduates Stephanie Florez-Malaver (left) and Robert Carpen-ter (right) -- pictured along with Gates-Muller Award recipient Jus-tin Cardenas -- receive congratula-tions from Texas A&M President Dr. R. Bowen Loftin as the 2013

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Welcome to Our New Students!

Our undergraduate chemistry program continues to grow. This year, we welcome 134 first-year students and 13 transfer stu-dents. In addition, we’ve have welcomed several change of majors into the department over the past year. Welcome to all our new chemists! NAME HIGH SCHOOL Freshmen Abouelkheir, Gabriella R. A & M Consolidated High School Adams, Landon J. Sharyland High School Arismendi, Bryan M. Los Fresnos High School Arp, Christopher J. Woodlands College Park Hs Bae, Jonathan I. Pasadena Memorial High School Beck, Clayton M. Medina Valley High School Becktold, Ashley N. Franklin High School Berger, Sarah J. Rockwall High School Bierschenk, Stephen M. St Dominic Savio Catholic Hs Botts, Stephen P. Douglas MacArthur High School Brooks, Marissa J. Brooks Academy High School Busari, Opeyemi M. Hillcrest High School Caldwell, Claire E. Allen High School Canady, Lauren C. Klein Oak High School Caparas, Ana Isabella D. Southwest Christian Academy Castillo, Alyssa M. Winston Churchill High School Castillo, Brenda M. W H Adamson High School Cooper, Charles W. The Baylor School Cosio, Mario N. Foy H Moody Science/Health Hs Cotton, Alicia L. Southwest High School Cunningham, Colton A. Ronald Reagan High School Dobsky, Christopher P. Langham Creek High School Drake, David S. Macarthur High School Drey, Michael J. Humble High School Drillette, Abbey C. Brock High School Du, Jasmine Y. Texas Academy Math & Science Eavenson, Dayton T. Rockwall High School Eaves, Alyssa C. Foster High School Ebere, Oby C. Alief Early College High Sch Escobar, Edwin R. Alief Taylor High School Espinoza, Brandon R. Dr John D Horn High School Farber, Astri C. Antonian College Prep Hs Ferreira, Jocelyn C E King High School Flores, Luis O. Mayde Creek High School Floto, Michael E. James Bowie High School Fong, Margarita United High School Galan, Ernesto Alief Early College High Sch Gao, Shang High School In China Gaona, Daniel A. John H Reagan Senior Hs Gebremicael, Aron Plano West Senior High School Gerringer, Joseph C. Saint Pius X High School Gilbreth, Michael J. Texas Academy Math & Science Gonzalez, Maria G. South San Antonio High School Guerra, Jonathan C. Winston Churchill High School Harris, Christine S. Deer Park High School South Havens, Steven M. Cy-Fair Senior High School Hernandez, Vanessa Victory Early College HS Herrington, Patrick L. Dickinson High School Hoang, Nghi M. Skyline High School Hoelscher, Nicholas P. Arlington High School Howard, Kyle D. Clear Falls High School

Ittiruck, Tanya Carroll Senior High School Ivey, Forrest W. Ross S Sterling High School Jerpseth, Kevin S. Cedar Creek High School Jimenez, Alyssa Sharyland High School Johnson, Mary E. Texas Home School Johnson, Nicole A. Cypress Falls High School Kibremesgana Tekie, Makda Liberty High School Kyle, William G. Burnet High School Labutis, Tanner J. Plano Senior High School Lazaris, Athena M. William P Clements High School Le, Julian T. Flower Mound High School Le, Trang H. Coronado High School Lee, Da Eun Memorial Senior High School Lee, Joyce M. Oakridge School Lee, Myunghoon Memorial Senior High School Lee, Sungjeen J. Mansfield High School Leon Marquez, Sergio High School In Mexico Leyendecker, Scott T. Byron P Steele High School Lindhardt, Destiny S. Cy-Fair Senior High School Loeser, Lance J. William P Clements High School Lu, Crystal Y. Dulles High School Luna, Mireya W H Adamson High School Malone, Blake D. Kingwood High School Maurice, Magy A. Langham Creek High School Mazan, Nicole J. Plano West Senior High School McLaughlin, Andrew S. Clear Falls High School Melendez, Michael A. Smithson Valley High School Moreno, Laura I. Pasadena High School Nacianceno, Dali Sam Rayburn High School Neitzel, Phillip A. Bay Area Christian School Nguyen, Khanh P. Westbury Senior High School Nguyen, Minh N. Klein Oak High School Nichols, Ashley M. Sandra Day O'Connor Hs Ofoegbu, Chidinma D. Wylie High School Olson, Jakob G. Florence High School Orzabal, Marcus R. A & M Consolidated High School Pachuca, Fernando Northbrook Senior High School Paredes, Francisco J. Thomas Jefferson High School Parrish, David A. New Braunfels Senior Hs Person, Bridget E. Westlake High School Pineda, Sergio S. Ball High School Piwetz, Olivia G. Canterbury Episcopal School Pospisil, Elizabeth R. Texas Academy Math & Science Pruett, Brandon A. Clear Springs High School Quill, Thomas M. Canyon High School Ramirez, McKenzie N. Prince Of Peace Christian Sch Ramirez, Pablo D. Thurgood Marshall Read, Quentin B. Quanah High School Reeve, Thomas M. Boerne Samuel V. Champion Reyes, Amy R. C E King High School Rivas, Jacob G. C E King High School Robb, Elijah W. John Paul II High School Roberts, Rachael M. Duncanville High School Robinson, Colleen F. Temple High School Sala, Amanda N. Pantego Christian Academy Sbarra, Aaron M. Gig Harbor High School Schwartzkopf, Crimson M. Prosper High School Settle, Courtney C. Azle High School Shea, Jacqueline R. Deer Park High School South

Continued next page

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Sim, Eugene High School In Korea Sim, Lauren V. Seven Lakes High School Smelley, Kayla B. Kingwood Park Hs Smith, Hannah M. Shawnee Mission East H S Swisher, Cameron J. Wimberley High School Taylor, Kevin M. Rowlett High School Teel, Ryan L. Friendswood High School Thibodeaux, Xavier J. Westfield High School Tong, Sally Lloyd V Berkner High School Tong, Vivian N. John B Connally High School Torres, Alma R. Law Enforce & Criminal Just Hs Tran, An T. Woodlands College Park Hs The Traverse, Jason T. Burges High School Turner, Clint A. Rockwall High School Tyler, Tarik J. Second Baptist Upper School Valdivia Martinez, Veronica F. Woodlands Preparatory School Vasquez, Alberto James Pace High School Vogel, Andrew D. Cinco Ranch High School Waldo, Joshua E. Clyde High School Wilks, Anthony C. Central High School

Williams, Reuben B. Freeport High School Xia, Walter Westwood High School Zavala, Miguel Waxahachie High School Zemanek, Sydney K. Bryan High School Transfers Bruhn, Jonathan M. Big Sandy High School Crowe, Brock A. Dimond High School Lee, Elbert F. Fort Bend Christian Academy Lee,Seok Woo Martin, Caroline H. Castilleja School McCandless, Jason H. Central High School Mikulencak, Colton E. Thrall High School Morgan, Allison M. Plano East Senior High School Neal, Stephen F. Rockwall Heath High School Ortiz, Jose D. Victory Early College HS Sander, Kyle P. Liberty High School Sayler, Nathaniel B. Georgetown High School Sumaiya Turna, Sayada High School In Bangladesh

Welcome Incoming Chemistry Students

Andrew Bach Christoper Barker Jooyeon Chae Redis Duraj Daniel Frazier Steven Guo

Donald Hendrix Molly Huff Pamela Isaac Adam Kier Le Le Christopher Liehr

Diego Lopez Anastasia Lopez Benton Mahaffey Aaron Menchacha Troy Privett David Riddle

Sarah Roque Joel Russell Kirby Siebert Ian Sindelar Nga Tran Matthew Wesson

Welcome to Recently Declared Chemistry Majors

This Fall, two new faculty members have joined the de-partment. Dr. Lei Fang joins us as an assistant professor after completing postdoctoral study at Stanford University and obtaining his Ph.D. at Northwestern. His research area is organic chemistry and polymer synthesis, with partic-ular emphasis on organic elec-tronic materials and macro-molecules for energy conver-sion and storage. This Fall he is teaching CHEM227. He will be looking for undergraduates to join his research group beginning next semester. To learn more about his research, visit the departmental web

page at http://www.chem.tamu.edu/faculty/. We are also joined by Dr. Soon Mi Lim as a Lecturer. Dr. Lim received her Ph.D. here at Texas A&M with ana-lytical chemist Dr. Paul Cremer and did postdoctoral work at the Texas A&M Health Science Center in the Department of Systems Biolo-gy and Translational Medicine. She has taught at Texas A&M in the first year program, and has also taught at Blinn re-cently. This semester she is teaching CHEM316 and will be working on redeveloping the quantitative chemistry labora-tories.

Please welcome these new faculty as you see them in the classrooms and hallways!

New Faculty Members Join Department

Public Policy In-ternship Program

Bring your talents to D.C., Austin, Paris, London, or other European Union

cities!

A PPIP internship provides par-ticipants the opportunity to work full-time in policy-related internships for a semester. In-ternship sites vary and typically range from governmental agen-cies to non-profit organizations and private firms. Students take an active role in their organiza-tions and gain valuable knowledge that will prepare them for life after graduation.

They are currently accepting applications. Visit ppip.tamu.edu for more information.

Continued from page 5

Dr. Lei Fang

Dr. Soon Mi Lim

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Alaina Anderson: I was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and grew up in a suburb of the DFW area known as Flower Mound. Before the start of my junior year of high school, my family relocated to Magnolia, Texas, which is about an hour north of Houston. I al-ways knew I was going to attend Texas A&M University and be a chemistry major. Being a chemistry major and graduating with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry was definitely one of the best deci-sions I have made in my life thus far. The classes were interesting yet challenging and I have had the opportunity to work with won-derful professors all while making life-long friends along the way. Chemistry has opened up numerous doors and opportunities for me. While at Texas A&M I was able to work in an undergraduate research laboratory in addition to having two internships posi-tions within the chemical industry all while being involved in sev-eral on-campus organizations including the Texas A&M Wind Symphony Band and Gamma Phi Beta. Needless to say, I am ex-tremely thankful for my experiences at Texas A&M – I was able to grow academically and professionally in addition to experienc-ing the spirit of the 12th Man while cheering on the Aggies in Kyle Field. I will be applying to graduate school this upcoming Fall, and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for me. Eliazar Candanoza: I graduated from Harlingen High School South in Harlingen, TX in 2009 and decided to come Texas A&M University just a couple of months before graduation, and it turned out to be the greatest decision I have ever made. As a first generation Hispanic student the University was very helpful in helping figure out what classes to take and what kind of organiza-tions to join. At first I started off as Biology major but during my sophomore year decided to switch to chemistry because of the fun I had in General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry. Since I already having taken some education courses, I decided to go into the chemistry education track. The courses for the chemistry side of my education have been the toughest courses ever but through all they have made me a better student and have taught me so much about the chemistry world. On May 10th, 2013 I am gradu-ating with a B.A. in Chemistry and minor in Education, and I still have no clue what to do after graduation. Dan Dobbins was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, the son of an aerospace engineer and a 4th grade schoolteacher. Dan fell in love with chemistry as a child through reading, taking clas-ses, and earning merit badges through the Boy Scouts of America. He enrolled at Texas A&M in the fall of 2009 as a chemical engi-neering major. Realizing rather late in his undergraduate career that the chemical engineering degree plan would not prepare him for a life of research, he changed majors to chemistry halfway through his junior year. One of the first courses he took after changing majors was polymer chemistry, taught by Professor Ka-ren Wooley. Dan was fascinated with the way that polymer chemistry bridged the gap between blackboard mechanisms and real-world materials, so that summer he began research with Professor Karen Wooley studying methods of increasing the me-chanical robustness of anti-fouling polymer films during the 2012 Summer REU Program. In spite of numerous research hurdles, Dan decided that he wanted to do this for the rest of his life, so he applied to several graduate schools in order to earn his Ph. D. After visiting the University of Southern Mississippi and the Uni-versity of Florida, Dan settled on the University of Florida, where

New Old Ags: Senior Autobiographies he will begin working under Professor Brent Sumerlin midway through this summer studying boronic acid ester polymers. Dan hopes to find employment in the defense industry upon graduation, but is also considering academic research and industry as well.

Megan Esteb: I grew up in Houston, TX and graduated from a local private high school. While in high school, I discovered my passion for chemistry and decided to pursue that as my major in college. I visited Texas A&M during my senior year and fell in love! Since I came to A&M, I have made life-long friends, learned from brilliant professors and experienced amazing things inside and out-side the classroom. I have the privilege of graduating from A&M with a BS in Chemistry. I will be matriculating to Baylor College of Medicine in Houston this fall .

Deren Koseoglu was born and raised in College Station and is a 1st generation Aggie. He started Texas A&M in the Fall of 2009 in the biomedical engineering department, but, after deciding that engineering wasn’t right, chose chemistry, a subject he loved since high school. He did research on a post-traumatic stress disorder treatment drug with Dr. Welsh at the Vet school in the summer of 2010. He then took a break from research and focused on his coursework before becoming involved with the MiniPharma pro-gram under Dr. Romo in the summer of 2012. He was on the mo-lecular modeling team and acted as team leader of the research group. After graduation he started working at Kaneka Nutrients in Pasadena as a Quality Control Chemist testing raw materials, Ubiq-uinone, and Ubiquinol samples. After working a few years, he plans on obtaining an MBA and then continuing his career in the business side of the chemical industry.

Josh Levin: I grew up in League City, TX and graduated from Clear Creek high school in June 2008. I decided to pursue a degree in chemistry at Texas A&M University, one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. After a long 5+ years I recently graduated with a B.S. in chemistry with many great experiences and lifelong friends. During my undergraduate career I worked in the Organic Chemistry Lab Program under the supervision of Dr. Hildreth, and undergraduate research under the supervision of Dr. Abraham Clearfield. Upon graduating, I was offered to continue working for Dr.Clearfield in his research laboratory to work on kinetic and ion-exchange studies for ZS Pharma Inc. I will continue to work for Dr.Clearfield until I find a more permanent job in the chemical industry. My name is Yen-Nan Lin. I was born in Taipei, Taiwan and immi-grated to U.S. at age of 12. I graduated from Texas Academy of Math and Science and began my study at Texas A&M University in 2009. Life in Texas A&M has been wonderful and my college life has been great. Besides technical knowledge I learned from classes and labs, I was able to learn and experience many wonderful things such as magic performance, horse training, archery, golf, skiing, sky div-ing, etc. I enjoy traveling to new places and do crazy things. I couchsurf and hitchhike in many different countries. I volunteered at an orphanage and a medical facility in Ghana. I stayed with a South African family in a township founded during the Apartheid. I inter-viewed local farmers on a mountain in Mauritius. I stayed with an Indian family through the Rotary Club and experienced the extreme financial gap between the rich and poor. I crawled into the war tunnels used during the Vietnam War and learned the Vietnamese

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perspective on the “America War.” I slept in the Kyoto train station with homeless people on a freezing winter night. I wan-dered into several villages in China and successfully found the village where my ancestors lived before immigrating to Taiwan nearly 400 years ago. I have so far visited over 30 countries in the world. I will begin my physician scientist training this summer. I appreciate every help and support from Chemistry Department and College of Science. Thank you! Stacey Moller: I was born into a family of Aggies and was raised in Rosharon, TX. Two wonderful teachers who taught high school chemistry inspired me to pursue this field of study in col-lege. While at TAMU, I enjoyed participating in clubs such as the American Chemical Society and Sigma Alpha Lambda. After graduating in May with a BS in chemistry and a minor in oceanography, I started working as a chemist at Glori Energy. At Glori, I work with a variety of analytical instruments on a daily basis testing samples from the oil fields of our clients. I have had the opportunity to travel to another company to test the ability of their filtration system to separate crude oil from water and will be on site when the system is put in place in the field. I look for-ward to where my job will lead me and visiting A&M as a former student.

David Muñoz graduated from Eisenhower High School in Hou-ston, TX in 2009 and decided to come to Texas A&M on the Century Scholarship among other outside scholarships. He decid-ed to pursue a B.S. degree in chemistry due to its applicability and his love of science. During his undergrad, he did research with Professor Marcetta Y. Darensbourg on hydrogenase enzyme bio-mimetic models and was able to produce a publication along with Danielle Crouthers. Furthermore, David obtained minors in mathematics and physics and took on chemical engineering cours-es in order to prepare for a Masters program in chemical engi-neering here at A&M. He has had many good times with his friends and has made many memories that will last throughout his life. The chemistry courses and even the labs were a wonderful experience as these were the mediums by which he was able to develop lasting relationships with many of his classmates. The course material was interesting and without a doubt quite intri-guing bringing about an even greater passion for science in this young man. Currently, his future goals are to obtain a Masters degree in chemical engineering and end up working with an indus-trious chemical company where he can use the science he learned as a chemist and apply them as an engineer.

Madhav Neupane: After earning my high school diploma from Kathmandu, Nepal, I set out on a challenging journey of getting higher education in the United States. Considering Texas A&M University for my undergraduate degree was definitely one of the best decisions I have ever made. My interest in learning chemistry and doing research grew stronger upon involvement in research at TAMU. Each and every day at TAMU has been a learning expe-rience. Culture, traditions, and the chemistry program at TAMU have made me a better individual and a focused scientist. I have decided to join Columbia University in the city of NY as a gradu-ate student in chemistry. At Columbia University, I will be work-ing on synthesis of Poly-Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and their applications in nano-electronic devices. After my graduate studies,

New Old Ags: Senior Autobiographies I plan to join academia and continue doing research in the United States. With whatever learning experiences I have had in the US, I also plan to share some of my intellectual perspectives to improve higher education in Nepal. Besides being intrigued by chemistry and science in general, I enjoy watching soccer, cricket, and basketball. I have been a lifelong fan of Manchester United soccer club. Last but not the least, I want to thank Dr. John A. Gladysz, Dr. Marcetta Darensbourg, and Dr. Holly Gaede for their guidance and advising throughout my undergraduate career.

Stephanie (Florez) Pollack: I was born in Bogota, Colombia, and came to the U.S at the age of 15. I graduated this past May with a double major in Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences and a minor in Neuroscience. During commencement, I was awarded with the 2013 Brown Rudder Outstanding Student Award, the highest honor an undergraduate can receive at Texas A&M. Being a chemistry major and having pursued research for two years under the supervi-sion of Prof. Karen Wooley, contributed significantly to my success as a student. Through my research, I published an undergraduate thesis and became a co-author of two scientific publications for major journals including the Journal of the American Chemical Soci-ety. During my time at Texas A&M I founded Salsa Fusion Latin Dance Company, an organization that promotes diversity through Latin dance. My interactions with science, research, and my commu-nity led me to the decision of becoming a physician. I currently work as a research assistant in the Wooley lab and in 2014 I hope to start medical school. Brennon Sessions: I was born in Houston, but was raised in Kan-sas for most of my elementary school education life. I moved back to The Woodlands, TX where I got involved in band in school, which eventually led to me taking an AP chemistry course with a lot of my friends. The teacher taught us with much enthusiasm about science, and was very involved in our education, which made me want to pursue a degree in chemistry. I never thought about coming to Texas A&M, until a girl said I should come because she was go-ing…. And here I am now. I initially came here as a Chemistry ma-jor with the intentions on transitioning into Chemical Engineering. I met all the requirements to switch and right before I made that decision, I thought it might be a good idea to stay where I was. I was right. The friendships I made in the chemistry department could not be matched anywhere else. Without my friends, I would not have been able to do as well in obtaining my degree. After graduat-ing, I will be working for Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, OH as a researcher in the Cascade group. I am really excited about this transition and am proud to work for such a strong company. I can’t wait to see where this career takes me in life, and I am so happy that it all started here at Texas A&M. Katherine (Richards) Sweitzer: I was raised in College Station, which made for a very natural transition to Texas A&M in 2008. After three years in the chemistry program, I was accepted to and began pharmacy school at the University of Houston. During my off summers and when I could fit it into my schedule, I finished up the remaining credits I needed for the B.A. degree and graduated in December 2012. This past June, I married my high school sweet-heart (also an Aggie!) and celebrated our shared love for A&M by having our wedding reception at the MSC. I have a couple of years left of pharmacy school, then off to the real world!

Kimberly Trevino: I grew up in Houston Texas, and moved to Cypress during high school. I am the first in my family to attend Texas A&M University. Three years later my younger sister followed in my footsteps and is class of 2016. While at Texas A&M I was active in the Pre-Med Society, Alpha Epsilon Delta and American Chemical Society – Stu-dent Affiliate Chapter. I graduated in Decem-ber of 2012 with a B.A. in Chemistry, on the biological chemistry track. I have always wanted to be a doctor, and loved taking anatomy and physiology. I am especially in-terested in orthopedic surgery and plan to pursue that. I will be applying to medical school in May and plan to stay in Texas. Caitlen Walker: I grew up in many small towns all in northeast Texas and moved to College Station while I was a junior in high school. After graduation from A&M Consoli-dated High School it was off to Texas A&M University since I refused to attend anywhere else. As a third generation Aggie I was al-ready prepared and excited for this kind of college life. I chose to study chemistry be-cause it had multiple options for career paths and at the time I had no idea where God was leading me. I loved the chemistry topics cov-ered in all classes especially in organic chem-istry with Dr. Daniel Romo. Dr. Romo gave me the opportunity to complete my research credits with his new undergraduate program called MiniPharma. This program resembles a pharmaceutical organization fighting cancers and Dr. Romo assigned me as Synthetic Team Leader for the program. A year later I realized that I loved the teamwork aspect but I wasn’t thrilled about being trapped in a lab for the rest of my life. This led me down a path to finding if there was something oth-er than chemistry that I could do after gradu-ation. I believed that my major in chemistry prepared me in being a leader and extremely benefitted my ability to solve problems. These two qualities and the background chemistry gave me got me accepted to join the United States Navy to become a Flight Officer. I may not have a career in chemistry itself but Texas A&M Chemistry Department allowed me to develop the characteristics that could best serve a Naval officer and with God’s blessing I will become a Naval Ensign by October 2013. Karen Weir was born in Caracas, Venezue-la. Her mother received a scholarship to

attend Texas A&M University for a PhD program bringing them to the United States to live in College Station, Texas. Graduated from Texas A&M Consolidated High School in 2007 and decided to be the third family member to become an Aggie! Karen began her college career at Blinn College as a Biol-ogy major; however after her first chemistry course she decided she enjoyed the subject and once she transferred to Texas A&M in the fall of 2009 she began her B.A chemistry degree. With intentions to continue on the medical field she added a Biological Chemis-try track, was a member of the Premedical Student association and shadowed/worked for a Clinic. In her last year, however, she decided she wanted to precede her chemis-try career in an either chemical or petro-chemical industry and joined Dr. Barondeau’s research group as a research assistant, which she enjoyed very much. Throughout her 4 years in Texas A&M University she very much enjoyed the atmosphere and traditions of Texas A&M, was the vice-president of the Venezuelan Student Association (VSA) and had a good time learning about the different chemistry courses. After graduating in Dec 2012, Karen applied to different petrochemi-cal companies and was hired by Halliburton as an Associate Chemist in the production enhancement team located in Houston, TX.

Miranda Wysocki was born in Austin, Texas to Patrick and Elizabeth Wysocki. She was raised a t.u. fan until she saw the light during her junior year of high school and was accepted into Texas A&M. As a first genera-tion Aggie, Miranda started out a biology major, but quickly changed to chemistry with plans to attend pharmacy school upon gradu-ation. In the summer of 2011, Miranda trav-eled to the Dominican Republic and volun-teered at a pharmacy in a children’s hospital. While there, she would interact with the children and teach them English. Upon her arrival back to the United States, she realized that she wanted to give back to her commu-nity on a deeper level and teach. Miranda has accepted a position to teach chemistry at Westside High School in Houston, Texas this Fall. She looks forward to starting her career as a graduate from Texas A&M and is very thankful for the knowledge and experience it has given her. Anne Yau: I entered Texas A&M University during my sophomore year. Chemistry is actually my 2nd choice, but I quickly found out that being in Chemistry major in Texas

A&M was so much fun. You get to experi-ence many different chemistry(s) (Analytical, Physical, Organic, Inorganic etc) hands on (lab) or in class. I changed from B.A chemis-try to B.S Chemistry because I could take more chemistry classes and learn more. I love being a Chemistry major in Texas A&M because it gave me so many experienc-es that I need after I graduated. My favorite chemistry is Organic Chemistry and I thanked Dr. Romo for giving me a chance to work under him as a undergraduate re-searcher starting summer 2012. I was on the synthetic team where we coupled peptides and made molecules to be tested in bioassay team. What we are really doing is very meaningful because we are looking for a anti-cancer drug! Now, I am working in MD Anderson, doing the exact same thing, looking for a cancer cure!

Page 9

Got News? We welcome news from current

students and Old Ags! Please send updates to. advis-

ing@chem.tamu.edu.

New Old Ags: Senior Autobiographies

Page 10 Orbitals

COLLEGE STATION -- Dr. Lawrence S. Brown, instructional assistant pro-fessor of chemistry, has been recog-nized with the 2013 Presidential Pro-fessor for Teaching Excellence Award, the most prestigious faculty honor bestowed by Texas A&M University in recognition of classroom perfor-mance.

Brown was feted along with Dr. Helen Reed, professor of aerospace engi-neering in the Dwight Look College of Engineering, with the award, an-nounced by Texas A&M President R. Bowen Loftin.

"Dr. Brown and Dr. Reed personify the teaching qualities that we value so highly at Texas A&M -- caring for stu-dents, being dedicated and innovative and being leaders in their fields," Loftin said. "They join a growing number of distinguished faculty who have had bestowed on them this special desig-nation -- the university's highest form of recognition for teaching excel-lence."

The prestigious award, established in 2003 by former Texas A&M President Robert M. Gates to underscore the importance of teaching at a major re-search university, provides for presen-tation each spring of two Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence Awards, each with a $25,000 stipend that includes the title of "Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence" -- a designation retained by the recipient for the remainder of his or her career. The two professors selected each year are formally introduced at the univer-sity's spring commencement ceremo-nies at which their respective colleges will award degrees.

Brown has been a member of the Texas A&M Department of Chemistry faculty since 1988. Colleagues describe him as an extraordinarily gifted teach-

er and an early adopter of both inno-vative teaching methods and delivery, including online homework assign-ments and televised lectures which debuted on local cable channels and now are available worldwide on iTunesU. In addition, his expertise in educational practices helped reshape

the freshman engineering curriculum at Texas A&M and make it a national model.

Three of his students wrote in sup-port of his nomination: "If the world of chemistry were to be described as a galaxy, then Dr. Larry Brown would definitely be the North Star. His effer-vescent teaching style, open-door poli-cy, beaming personality and genuine love for teaching certainly make him shine brightly in the eyes of those who are fortunate enough to be enrolled in his class."

A colleague noted that, "Through his unique combination of intellect, effort, skill and personality, Dr. Brown not only inspires students to excel, but also provides them with the help they need to do so."

He was involved in the Foundation

Coalition project that restructured Texas A&M's undergraduate engineer-ing curriculum. The chemistry course he developed for engineering majors has been adopted by many other top universities, and the textbook he wrote has become a market leader for such courses.

Brown earned a B.S. degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Princeton University, all in chemistry. Since com-ing to Texas A&M, he has received several college- and university-level awards for teaching.

Nominations for the Presidential Pro-fessor awards are made by students, faculty members and deans in each of the university's colleges and schools. Faculty Senate representatives review each nomination and narrow the list that is sent to the president for the final selections.

Brown is the sixth College of Science faculty member to merit the coveted honor since its inception in 2003, the same year in which physics professor and fellow Foundation Coalition pro-ject member William H. Bassichis earned selection as one of the award's two inaugural recipients. Brown's fel-low chemistry professors David E. Bergbreiter, the late John L. Hogg and Dr. Wendy L. Keeney-Kennicutt also received the honor in 2006, 2007 and 2009, respectively. In 2012, mathemat-ics professor Dr. Harold P. Boas be-came the first recipient in the Depart-ment of Mathematics' history.

This article was written by Lane Ste-phenson, Division of Marketing & Communications, (979) 845-4662 or l-stephenson@tamu.edu and originally appeared in http://www.science.tamu.edu/articles/1049/.

Dr. Larry Brown Earns Presidential Professor Award

Texas A&M College of Science Dean Dr. H. Joseph Newton (pictured at podium) sur-prised Dr. Brown April 1 in his Heldenfels Hall classroom with his award announce-ment. Dean Newton was accompanied by Brown's wife, fellow chemistry professor Dr. Sherry J. Yennello, who noted with amusement that at least one student questioned the validity of an award pre-sented on April Fool's Day!

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Texas A&M has established a student chapter of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE). This TAMU chapter, estab-lished in the Fall of 2012, has contributed to Texas A&M University and the local community by stimulating interest and promoting awareness in chemistry, chemi-cal engineering and related areas for under-represented students. Their main focus is to encourage these students to pursue advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

The Chapter received recognition in the November 5, 2012 issues of Chemical & Engineering News (http://cen.acs.org/articles/90/i45/LOCAL-CHAPTERS.html) after members attended the 39th annual national meeting held in September in Washington, D.C.

The first meeting of the term will be held Tuesday, September 17 at 5:30 p.m. in

2014 CHEM. All are welcome to come and learn more about the chapter. RSVP at http://doodle.com/sp4eviswpn8tiipc. Questions can be sent to nob-cche@chem.tamu.edu. Please visit the website to learn more about chapter ac-tivities http://nobcche.chem.tamu.edu/index.php.

NOBCChE Chapter Established

A photo op at the 2012 NOBCChE meetingfrom left: Brian Mosby Keturah Odoi, Tiffany Pinder, and Dr. James Batteas (chapter advisor along with Dr. Kim Dunbar, not pictured )

TAMU SPE Student Chapter Honored

Texas A&M University Society of Plas-tics Engineers (SPE) has been recognized for its noteworthy excellence in pro-grams, activities and participation levels with a national 2013 SPE Outstanding Student Chapter Award.

The group was honored along with oth-er award-winning student chapters at the SPE's annual technical (ANTEC) conference, held April 22-25 in Cincin-nati. Chapter president Jacqueline Pope, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry and a member of Texas A&M chemist Dr. Janet Bluemel's research group, accepted the award on the or-ganization's behalf. Texas A&M's SPE chapter (TAMU SPE) is a student organization dedicated to promoting awareness of polymer sci-ence and engineering with monthly tech-nical meetings, interaction with industry professionals through consortia and plant visits, and participation in national conferences. One of its main initiatives is a monthly seminar series intended to provide SPE members and the overall student body with technical and practi-cal knowledge related to the polymer industry -- experience which has ena-bled students to gain an understanding on industrial processes and concerns, to be aware of opportunities regarding polymer-related careers for scientists and engineers, and to create networking opportunities between students, indus-try leaders and faculty.

Undergraduate chemistry majors are encouraged to join. To learn more about the Texas A&M chapter, go to http://plastics.tamu.edu.

For more on the national SPE organiza-tion, visit http://www.4spe.org/.

This article was written by Shana K. Hutchins [(979) 862-1237 or shutchins@science.tamu.edu] and origi-nally appeared at http://

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COLLEGE STATION -- Dr. Holly C. Gaede, instructional assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry at Tex-as A&M University, has been selected as one of five recipients of the 2013 Presi-dent's Award for Academic Advising.

Gaede was honored for her exceptional counsel and career guidance earlier this week by Texas A&M President R. Bow-en Loftin as part of the annual Universi-ty Advisors and Counselors Spring Awards Breakfast, held May 1.

Recipients, who each receive $2,000 and a plaque, were selected by a com-mittee comprised of three students, the president-elect of University Advisors and Counselors, and a representative

appointed by Texas A&M's Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Programs and Associate Provost for Academic Ser-vices. Selection was based on nomina-tion packets that included letters from fellow advisors, students and faculty.

Dr. Timothy P. Scott, associate dean for undergraduate programs in the College of Science, also received the honor in 2005, as did the Department of Biolo-gy's Christine Farris and the Depart-ment of Physics and Astronomy's Sandi Smith in 2009. This article was written by Shana K. Hutchins, (979) 862-1237 or shutchins@science.tamu.edu and origi-nally appeared at http://www.science.tamu.edu/articles/1063/

Dr. Holly Gaede Earns Presidential Advising Award

Dr. Steven Wheeler Receives NSF CAREER Award COLLEGE STATION -- Steven E. Wheeler, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry who special-izes in computational quantum chemis-try, has received the National Science Foundation's Faculty Early Career De-velopment Award, also known as the CAREER award. The research will be funded at $413,000 over five years, and is titled, "Controlling Supramolecular Self-Assembly of Planar and Curved Polycyclic Aromatic Systems."

Wheeler's research group uses compu-tational models to understand and pre-dict the behavior of molecules. One particular goal is to understand and learn to control the weak, non-bonded interactions between molecules that are vital to the packing of molecules in the solid state.

The CAREER award will support re-search aimed at controlling the molecu-lar packing of large planar and curved molecules of interest for the develop-ment of organic electronic materials -- essentially new, non-silicon-based mate-

rials with unique electronic properties. The award also supports the develop-ment of an intuitive, freely available computational chemistry "app" for the Apple iPad, Wheeler said.

"The app will enable the incorporation of computational chemistry into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum and allow students to explore chemical principles at their own pace," Wheeler said.

Wheeler's research emphasizes building simple conceptual models that are use-ful to chemists, he said. Wheeler hopes to foster close ties and collaborations with experimental chemists to maximize the impact of his group's work on the community of chemistry researchers.

Wheeler joined the Texas A&M in 2010 after serving three years as a National Institutes of Health National Research Service Award postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Chemistry and Bio-chemistry at the University of Califor-nia, Los Angeles. He earned his bache-

lor's in chemistry and physics from New College of Florida in 2002 and his doc-torate in physical chemistry from the University of Georgia in 2006.

Wheeler recently received the highly competitive American Chemical Society COMP OpenEye Outstanding Junior

Continued on next page

Undergraduate Advising Office

104 CHEM College Station, TX

77842

Phone: 979-845-0520 Fax: 979-845-4719

E-mail: advising@chem.tamu.edu

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

Page 13

Find us on facebook

The department has

a facebook page.

Go to

www.facebook.com

/tamu.chemistry and become a fan!

Every year Texas A&M's Department of Chemistry hosts a free, open to the public, Chemistry Open House to celebrate Na-tional Chemistry Week. This year's partici-pants include the Departments of Biology and Physics & Astronomy, students from the Dwight Look College of Engineering and SACNAS, and the Brazos Valley Muse-um of Natural History. The event will be held from 10 a.m.—3 p.m. in the main Chemistry Building complex (not Helden-fels).

The Chemistry Open House features the popular Chemistry Road Show, guided lab tours, hands-on and computer activities, door prizes and science goodie bags. The Chemistry Road Show is recommended for all ages and includes demonstrations of popu-lar science.

The Chemistry Open House held as part of National Chemistry Week, an annual event that promotes public awareness of the im-portance of chemistry in everyday life. It is coordinated by the American Chemical Soci-ety (ACS). National Chemistry Week is Oc-

tober 20-26, with a theme of Energy: Now and Forever!

More information about the Open House can be found at http://www.chem.tamu.edu/openhouse/. Students are encouraged to volunteer through the ACS Student Affiliate Chapter.

Chemistry Open House: October 12

American Chemical Society-Student Affiliate Chapter The Texas A&M University American Chemical Society Student Affiliate Chapter (ACS-SAC) is a student organization that is dedicated to promoting interests in science. All ma-jors are welcome to participate. The meetings are held on Tuesdays at 6 pm in CHEM 2104 and feature talks from faculty and professionals in industry as well as social events. This club is an excellent opportunity for undergraduates who are interested in meeting new people, taking chemistry to the campus and community, and furthering their knowledge of chemistry. They have an Open Facebook group, ACS Texas A&M SAC.

Faculty Award for 2013 intended to provide greater visibility for worthy rising research stars. In Wheeler's case, his work on under-standing and modeling non-covalent interac-tions has broad application in multiple areas ranging from biological chemistry to surface enhanced nanophenomena to atmospheric chemistry.

For more information about Wheeler's re-search, visit http://www.chem.tamu.edu/rgroup/wheeler/.

This article was written by Vimal Patel, (979) 845-7246 or vpatel@science.tamu.edu and originally appeared at http://www.science.tamu.edu/articles/992/

Wheeler Wins Career Award (continued)