Since this fall, UW-Madison chemistry graduate students have received a number of prestigious awards from institutions such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and American Chemical Society (ACS).
Heather Hodges, Kiessling group, won the NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NIH NRSA) for predoctoral students, which promotes diversity in health-related research. The award is named for the late Dr. Ruth L. Kirschstein, the first woman director of an NIH institute. Kirschstein was a champion of research training and a
strong advocate for the inclusion of underrepresented individuals in the scientific workforce. In her application, Hodges proposed a chemical strategy for understanding the behavior of bacteria.
Cale Weatherly, Schomaker group, won an ACS Division of Organic Chemistry Fellowship. The award recognizes outstanding third or fourth year graduate students in organic chemistry. Weatherly’s award was sponsored by the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. In addition to an award stipend, Weatherly will receive funding for travel to the 2015 National Organic Symposium at the University of Maryland, where he will present a poster on his research.
Linghong Zhang, Hamers group, received the 2014 Young Chemist Award from Metrohm USA. The award was presented at the 2014 Pittsburg Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy in Chicago. Zhang won the award for her research on the development of novel molecular catalysts that can efficiently convert carbon dioxide into useful materials such as carbon monoxide, formic acid, and methane.
This month, NSF announced the winners of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. Among the award winners are graduate students Adam Birdsall (Keutsch group), Wen Chyan (Raines group), Daniel Hinton (Goldsmith group), Kacie Rich (Zanni group), and Nick Riley (Coon group). Award-winners receive opportunities for international research and professional development, as well as three years of support from the NSF. See the full list of award-winners and honorable mentions.
(Below from left to right: Adam Birdsall, Wen Chyan, Daniel Hinton, Kacie Rich, Nick Riley)
