Twelve students recognized at 23rd annual GSRS
2024 GSRS Awardees
Left to right: Brandon Hosford, Sidharth Panda, Alicia C. Huggett, Sal Kargbo, MaKenna Koble, Rowan Matney, Wilanyi R. Alvarez Reyes, Debasmita Paul, Molly Sneddon, Sangjun Lee, Chun-Ju Tsou, and Jingyang Shi.

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (6/12/2024) – The 23rd Annual Chemistry Graduate Student Research Symposium (GSRS) was hosted on June 7th, 2024. Each year, the GSRS gives University of Minnesota Chemistry graduate students the opportunity to present a research highlight to their peers, mentors, and a panel of judges. This year 30 students presented their research in this day-long event and were judged on effective communication of the research, strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and how well they highlighted important safety aspects of their work. Twelve students were awarded for their distinctive presentations:

Paul and Gerda Gassman Award

  • Brandon Hosford
    • Adviser: Jessica Lamb
    • Optimizing Photocontrolled Cationic Polymerization to Combine with Anionic Polymerization – Achieving Straightforward Multi- Mechanism Block Copolymers
  • Sallu (Sal) Kargbo
    • Adviser: Courtney Roberts
    • Nickel-Bound 5-Membered N-Heterocyclic Arynes: Access to Previously “Inaccessible” 7-Aza- 2,3-Indolynes
  • Molly Sneddon
    • Adviser: William Pomerantz
    • Development of a Selective Inhibitor for the Phd Finger of BPTF as an Epigenetic Therapy Approach for Neuroblastoma
  • Jingyang Shi
    • Adviser: Tom Hoye
    • One-Pot, Acid-Catalyzed, Three-Component Processes for Polyyne Substrate Assembly, Cycloisomerization, and Benzyne Trapping
  • Alicia C. Huggett
    • Adviser: Theresa Reineke and Tim Lodge
    • A Modular Approach Towards ABC Triblock Bottlebrush Polymers
  • Chun-Ju Tsou
    • Adviser: William Pomerantz
    • Structure-Based Design of BPTF Bromodomain Inhibitors as a Novel Approach for Anti- Cancer Therapy

Chemistry Student Travel Award

  • Rowan Matney
    • Adviser: Varun Gadkari
    • Gas-Phase Protein Unfolding for Structural Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies
  • MaKenna Koble
    • Adviser: Renee Frontiera
    • Understanding the Spatial Distribution of Surface-Enhanced Raman Intensity across Aufon Substrates to Control Reactivity

Honorable Mention

  • Sidharth Panda
    • Adviser: Theresa Reineke
    • Not All Amines Play the Same: Elucidating Polymeric Micelle Structure-Activity Relationship in Facilitating mRNA Delivery In Vitro and In Vivo
  • Wilanyi R. Alvarez Reyes
    • Adviser: Christy Haynes
    • dsRNA Loading into/onto Silica-Derived Nanoparticles for Plant Pathogen Management
  • Debasmita Paul
    • Adviser: Carston Wagner
    • Solid Tumor Targeting by Cytotoxic T-Cells with Anti-T-Cell Receptor Nanobody Chemically Self- Assembled Nanorings (CSANS)
  • Sangjun Lee
    • Adviser: Tom Hoye
    • Keteniminium-Driven Rapid Dehydro-Diels-Alder Reaction: Synthesis of N-Heterocycles

We are grateful for all of the Department of Chemistry community members who made this year's symposium possible and attended the event! A special thank you to the GSRS guest judges: Victoria Gelling, PhD; Andrew Magee, PhD; Leslie O’Leary, PhD; and Robert DeMaster, PhD.

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