Our Undergraduate Chemistry Ambassadors have different hobbies, interests, backgrounds, and goals; but one thing they share is a love of chemistry!
Whether you are a current UW-Madison student, already a declared chemistry major, or if you are a prospective UW-Madison student, our Chemistry Ambassadors are here to answer your questions about our chemistry courses from a student perspective. The Ambassadors can give their opinions on course selection, course sequencing, and life as a chemistry major overall! Some examples of questions you may want to ask our ambassadors are: “Do you have any tips for finding a research group?”, “What were your experiences with organic chemistry?”, “Have you taken any chemistry classes over the summer? If so, how did you find the workload?”, “If you’re a double major, how do you find balance in completing all of the courses required?”.
To contact our Ambassadors, please send your questions to: ambassador@chem.wisc.edu. If there is a specific ambassador you have questions for, please state that in your email.
For specific questions regarding major exploration, major declaration, or individual course planning please contact the Chemisty Advisor, Katie McCullough, at: klmccullough@wisc.edu.
Specific questions about chemistry undergraduate research? Don’t hesitate to contact our Chemistry Undergraduate Research Board to learn more!
Interested in becoming an ambassador? Recruitment for the 2023-2024 academic year has already taken place. The positions for the 2024-2025 academic year will begin in March, 2024! Contact the Chemistry Advisor with any questions.
Meet our Ambassadors!
EMILY ADAMS
YEAR: Senior
MAJOR(S): Chemistry
HOMETOWN: Brookfield, WI
FAVORITE CHEMISTRY COURSE: I loved taking analytical chemistry. Trying to be as accurate as possible to obtain a 100% yield was very challenging but extremely rewarding. We were also given the time and resources to design and refine our own experimental procedure.
FAVORITE PLACE ON CAMPUS: The Information Commons in the chemistry building. When the sun shines through the building it gets super warm and cozy, which is especially nice during the cold winter.
FUN FACT: I am a member of the UW-Madison Marching Band! I play flugelhorn, and I’ve gotten the opportunity to march on Lambeau Field!
EVIANA BERTHEL
YEAR: Senior
MAJOR(S): Chemistry
HOMETOWN: Zwingle, IA
FAVORITE CHEMISTRY COURSE: CHEM 561: I loved learning about the theories that are the foundation for understanding anything about kinetics, thermodynamics, and chemistry in general.
FAVORITE PLACE ON CAMPUS: Memorial Terrace.
FUN FACT: My favorite way to destress is cooking while listening to my favorite music!
JORDAN BOYSEN
YEAR: Junior
MAJOR(S): Chemistry
HOMETOWN: Forest Lake, MN
FAVORITE CHEMISTRY COURSE: CHEM 562, as physical chemistry, and quantum chemistry brough together my two academic passions: chemistry and mathematics. Due to the physical chemistry sequence, I am now planning on pursuing a PhD in physical chemistry.
FAVORITE PLACE ON CAMPUS: Picnic Point.
FUN FACT: I love to hike and rock climb.
COLIN CRAWFORD
YEAR: Third year senior
MAJOR(S): Chemistry
HOMETOWN: Lakeville, MN
FAVORITE CHEMISTRY COURSE: My favorite chemistry course I’ve taken is CHEM 345 because Professor Gellman was very passionate about teaching it and often related the content to his research and to research of other professors. I also learned a lot of new reactions and strategies for retrosynthesis which has been extremely useful in the research group I’m part of. This class made me realize how much I love organic chemistry and that I want to pursue it into grad school.
FAVORITE PLACE ON CAMPUS: My favorite place on campus is the Lakeshore Trail. I really enjoy being outdoors and the trail is a great place to relax and take my mind off of school for a little bit.
FUN FACT: I love playing intramural soccer and volleyball on campus.
MAHAK KATHPALIA
YEAR: Senior
MAJOR(S): Chemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology
HOMETOWN: Gurgaon, India
FAVORITE CHEMISTRY COURSE: My favorite chemistry course that I have taken so far is CHEM 329 – Fundamentals of Analytical Science. I took this class in my freshman year and it was like my first tiny step towards getting to know what research is all about. A major portion of our grade was based on a very cool project on studying kinetics of the isomerization of alpha and beta acids in beer. The entire experience pushed me to develop so many skills like reviewing literature, planning out our own research questions, troubleshooting, writing a paper and giving scientific presentations. After all, who doesn’t want to make brewing more efficient?
FAVORITE PLACE ON CAMPUS: My favorite spot on campus is the Memorial Union Terrace. I can never get tired of sipping lemonade and grooving to music, while watching the beautiful waves in Lake Mendota at sunset.
FUN FACT: I am an all-time Friends fan. Feel free to hit me up if you want to discuss whether Ross and Rachel were on a break or not!
MOLLY PATRIDGE
YEAR: Senior
MAJOR(S): Chemistry
HOMETOWN: Hopkins, MN
FAVORITE CHEMISTRY COURSE: Inorganic Chemistry (311) – I loved that this class highlighted the entire periodic table allowing me to learn about elements that other classes just glanced over. The colorful labs were also a huge plus!
FAVORITE PLACE ON CAMPUS: The Lakeshore Trail has to be my favorite place on campus. It’s the perfect spot to take a mind-clearing walk after an exam or a fun jog with friends.
FUN FACT: I am a huge music fan, but I have only ever attended three wildly different concerts: China Anne McClain, Pat Benatar, and Macklemore.
EMILY SCHMITT
YEAR: Senior
MAJOR(S): Chemistry, Honors in the Liberal Arts
HOMETOWN: Eagan, MN
FAVORITE CHEMISTRY COURSE: It’s a tie! I enjoyed analytical chemistry, especially all the math; it helped me decide on a future career path as well as helped me narrow down what kind of research I wanted to do (environmental/water chemistry). I also really enjoyed Physical Chemistry Lab I, as it was very relaxed and it was the first lab where I felt like I truly understood what was going on.
FAVORITE PLACE ON CAMPUS: Probably the Lakeshore Path, I like to walk back that way after class and enjoy the nature and ambiance!
FUN FACT: I am utterly hopeless at Mario Kart’s Rainbow Road.
ELIZABETH SCHNORRENBERG
YEAR: Senior
MAJOR(S): Chemistry
HOMETOWN: Chevy Chase, MD
FAVORITE CHEMISTRY COURSE: My favorite chemistry course has to have been CHEM 311. CHEM 311 is what made me realize that chemistry was the right major for me, it was so much fun to learn how every element is important and how they all react. Also there are a lot of pretty colors!
FAVORITE PLACE ON CAMPUS: I love Historical Library to study by myself or the terrace with friends.
FUN FACT: My favorite book is Pride and Prejudice.
ELIZABETH STANG
YEAR: Senior
MAJOR(S): Chemistry
HOMETOWN: Madison Area
FAVORITE CHEMISTRY COURSE: The most interesting course I have taken was definitely organic chemistry. I found all of the mechanisms to be a refreshing, visual way to look at chemistry, as opposed to the usual number-based analysis we usually do. Synthesis was also fascinating, mainly because it reminded me of puzzles!
FAVORITE PLACE ON CAMPUS: My favorite place on campus is Union South.
FUN FACT: A fun fact about me is that I moved seven times by the time I was eleven and have lived in Colorado, South Caroline, Texas, Ohio, and of course, Wisconsin.