2024 Chemistry Student Excellence Fellowships & TA Awards
2024 Excellence Fellowships Graphic

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (9/12/2024) – At the Department of Chemistry’s Kickoff Seminar on September 5th, 25 Chemistry PhD students were recognized with honors and awards for their excellence and hard work in the 2023-2024 academic year. 

Fall 2024 Student Awardees
Left to Right: Rupal Baliyan, Wilanya Alvarez Reyes, Richard Ede, Gabrielle Vanendries, Brandon Hosford, MaKenna Koble, Rowan Matney, and Casey Wouters.

Ten students were honored with Excellence Fellowships in recognition of their achievements in the Chemistry graduate program. 2024 Department of Chemistry Fellowships for Excellence in Graduate Studies awardees are:

  • Wilanyi Alvarez Reyes (Wayland E. Noland Fellowships in Chemistry Fund)
  • Rupal Baliyan (PPG Graduate Student Support Fund)
  • Richard Ede (Robert and Jill DeMaster Fellowship Fund)
  • Brandon Hosford (Lester C. and Joan M. Krogh Endowed Fellowship Fund II)
  • MaKenna Koble (Robert and Jill DeMaster Fellowship Fund)
  • Rowan Matney  (Lester C. and Joan M. Krogh Endowed Fellowship Fund II)
  • Gabrielle Vandendries (Wayland E. Noland Fellowships in Chemistry Fund)
  • Casey Wouters (Dr. Carl and Dorothy Krespan Chemistry Fellowship)
  • Sallu Kargbo (Wayland E. Noland Fellowship in Organic Chemistry)
  • Erik Moran (Lester C. and Joan M. Krogh Endowed Fellowship)
     
Fall 2024 Student Awardees
Rose Liyanagunawardana (Left) and Jack Orr (Right)

13 students were recognized for their dedication and distinction in Teaching Assistant roles for the 2022-2023 academic year. Jack Orr and Rose Liyanagunawardana were awarded the 2023-2024 Robert L. Ferm Outstanding Graduate TA Award:

Jack Orr

“Jack is the best TA I have had so far, he is extremely helpful both in-lab and via email. He is always prepared for class, enthusiastic to be there, and he always seems to have a solution for problems that arise in class. His knowledge of chemistry and his eagerness to teach it is really inspiring, and it is clear that he puts in a lot of effort into this course. He also is one of the most patient TAs I’ve ever had and is never judgmental of what somebody does or doesn’t know.”

Rose Liyanagunawardana

“Rose is an absolute treasure of a TA. She was always patient and kind with us, helping us understand the chemistry behind what we were doing, but allowing us to come to our own conclusions. Rose was prompt with grading and gave insightful feedback, and was also very quick at responding to student emails for help with lab reports. Rose has a great sense of humor, and despite the strict safety protocols and seriousness of the lab, she also somehow managed to make lab fun!”

Fall 2024 Student Awardees
Left to right: Douglas Kavaguti, Timmy Nguyen, Gabby Blake, Ikumi Ellis (front), Tucker Besel (back), Jane Schlesinger, Killian Macfeely, Briana Krupinsky, Alyssa Bright, Ruoqi Jiang, Luc Wetherbee

The 2023 – 2024 TA Award Honorable Mentions are:

  • Luc Wetherbee
  • Alyssa Bright
  • Gabby Blake
  • Briana Krupinsky
  • Ruoqi Jiang
  • Jane Schlesinger
  • Timmy Nguyen
  • Tucker Besel 
  • Ikumi Ellis 
  • Killian Macfeely 
  • Douglas Kavaguti 
     
Fall 2024 Student Awardees
Left to Right: Timmy Nguyen, Isabella Jacobsen, and Nitha Puthalath

Three students Isabella Jacobsen, Timmy Nguyen, and Nitha Puthalath were recognized for achieving a 4.0 GPA in the 2023-2024 academic year. 

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