2017 Maine Local Section Student Awards

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2017 Maine Local Section Student Awards

2017 Student Award included certificate and $100

Biographies of Students:

Colby: Alexandru Plesa – Alex is a graduating senior who will be pursuing a doctoral degree in Biological and Biomedical Sciences at Harvard University beginning in the fall of 2017. Alex is double majoring in Biology with a biochemistry concentration and in Chemistry and maintains a 4.01 GPA. He conducts independent research at Colby with Professor Ronald Peck.

Bowdoin: Charles Grimes Gerrity – Charles has an excellent academic record and conducts independent research at Bowdoin with Professor Ben Gorske.

Husson: Samantha Martin -- Sam’s academic performance at Husson University has been outstanding throughout her entire undergraduate curriculum. She will be graduating Summa Cum Laude May 6, 2017 with a GPA over 3.9. I have been her chemistry advisor since her freshman year at Husson and have been impressed with her work ethic and her genuine curiosity in chemistry and the sciences in general.

Last summer Sam obtained a summer internship doing analytical chemistry at Jordi Labs in Mansfield, Massachusetts. She loved it and they were impressed with her abilities and performance. They told her there is an analytical chemistry position waiting for her once she finishes her degree. She accepted the position and will start this summer not long after graduation.

UNE: Kenneth Mei – Ken has consistently impressed us in his chemistry coursework, working hard and achieving a high level of success. He has also participated in undergraduate research both over the summer of 2016 and the 16-17 academic year. His research project includes modeling the solubility of polar organic compounds in pure supercritical carbon dioxide as well as sc-CO2 with a small amount of water. He presented his work at the Spring 2017 ACS National Meeting. After graduation, he is planning on attending graduate school with a focus on physical chemistry.

UMaine: Han Nguyen – Han is the epitome of an outstanding graduating senior at the University of Maine. She is not only a strong student academically with a GPA of 3.85, but also a skilled young scientist. Her academic achievements are even more impressive as she has excelled in her coursework while compressing the bulk of her chemistry classes into the final three years of her four-year degree after switching majors in her first year. Han has been working with Professor William Gramlich on synthesizing and studying carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogels for biomedical and anti-biofouling applications. She quickly became independent in the laboratory, designing her own experiments, and accomplishing tasks in a timely manner. Han will be attending Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) for a M.S. in Biomedical Engineering after graduation.