Twelve students recognized at 25th annual GSRS
group photo of student award winners

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (6/12/2026) – The 25th Annual Chemistry Graduate Student Research Symposium (GSRS) was hosted on June 4th, 2026. Each year, the GSRS gives University of Minnesota Chemistry graduate students the opportunity to share a research highlight to their peers, mentors, and a panel of judges. 43 students presented their work 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:

Chemistry Student Travel Award

  • Maria Komal
    • OPTIMIZATION OF POLYMERIC MEMBRANES FOR MINIATURIZED ION-SELECTIVE SENSORS FOR CONTINUOUS AND REAL-TIME MONITORING OF ELECTROLYTES IN INTERSTITIAL FLUID
    • Advisor: Stein

Paul and Gerda Gassman Award

  • Saranya Velliyarat
    • METALLIC CONDUCTION AND ANISOTROPIC CHARGE TRANSPORT IN TETRATHIAFULVALENE-BASED CONDUCTING COORDINATION POLYMERS.
    • Advisor: Boyn
  • Killian MacFeely
    • PROBING NON-THERMAL PLASMA-LIQUID ELECTRIC FIELD MAGNITUDES IN OPERANDO WITH RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY
    • Advisor: Frontiera  
  • Katherine Dallmier
    • IDENTIFICATION OF APOBEC3A INHIBITORS FROM A COMPLEX-TO-DIVERSE NATURAL PRODUCT SCREEN
    • Advisor: Harki  
  • Aiden Berndt
    • DRIVERS OF DISSOLVED ORGANIC MATTER COMPOSITION IN PRAIRIE POTHOLE WETLANDS
    • Advisor: Boiteau  
  • Ikumi Ellis
    • Fungal Siderophores: Secondary Metabolites Produced by Fungal Endophytes Influence Switchgrass Micronutrient Acquisition
    • Advisor: Boiteau  
  • Rhea Caldwell
    • Development & Investigation of Glutathione Carbon Dots as biosensors for in vitro Oxidative Stress Monitoring in Cells
    • Advisor: Haynes  
  • Ali Younis
    • CHALLENGES IN 5-MEMBERED HETEROARYNES: OVERCOMING BORATE COMPLEX FORMATION THROUGH COMPUTATIONALLY GUIDED LIGAND DESIGN
    • Advisor: Roberts
  • Felicia Yu
    • Energy-Activated and Diversifiable Aryne Precursors
    • Advisor: Roberts
  • Miles Willis
    • NOVEL POLYMERIC EXCIPIENTS FOR IMPROVED ORAL DELIVERY OF CLASS IV ACTIVE PHARMACEUTICAL INGREDIENTS 
    • Advisor: Reineke  
  • Umer Syed
    • DELETION OF RND EFFLUX PUMPS AFFECTS MOTILITY IN PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA
    • Advisor: Carlson  
  • Isabella Jacobsen
    • Harnessing E3 ligase scaffolding protein MAGEA11 for cancer-specific protein degradation
    • Advisors: Pomerantz & Georg 

Honorable Mention

  • Joseph da Costa
    • USING DIRECTED EVOLUTION TO ALTER THE STRUCTURE OF PROLYL-HYDROXYLASE DOMAIN TO MODULATE THE HUMAN HYPOXIA RESPONSE
    • Advisor: Bhagi-Damodaran
  • Nitha Puthalath
    • Asymmetric Inert Bond Activation and Functionalization Using Chiral 2-Aminopyridine Transient Directing Groups (cTDGs)
    • Advisor: Douglas
  • Claire Arnold
    • INVESTIGATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF DNA DAMAGE ON LIPID DROPLET COMPOSITION IN AML12 CELLS USING RAMAN MICROSCOPY
    • Advisor: Frontiera  
  • Eledon Beyene
    • Characterizing the Higher Order Structure and Efficacy of Stressed Antibodies via Native Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry and Gas Phase Unfolding
    • Advisor: Gadkari  

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 this year's GSRS guest judges: Nancy Witowski, Anne Reynolds, Susan Brown, and Kit Hale.

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