Jessica Brown has been named Undergraduate of the Quarter for Fall 2020 and we couldn’t be more proud! A native Oregonian, Jessy grew up in Portland and attended Cleveland High School. She enjoyed studying chemistry because it fits nicely in between biology and physics, two of many science subjects that she enjoys exploring.

She has always been close to his family and OSU seemed like the perfect fit with its broad offering of science majors. The opportunity to explore a variety of disciplines in science was also appealing. It also helped that many of her family members also went to OSU and shared their experiences with her.

She is currently working with the Nyman Research Group. She first met Dr. Nyman during her second term of Inorganic Chemistry but she sought Dr. Nyman out at a Portland event where she discussed her research. In the group she is working on Uranium Sulfate chemistry with Ian Colliard, a graduate student.

The project explores the synthesis and solution properties of monovalent ion uranium sulfate clusters with group 1 ions and the ammonium ion. While she only just started late in the Summer, she is working hard to learn the techniques with her mentor.

Beyond OSU, she is still settling on which field of chemistry is most appealing. Her current plans are to move into graduate studies of inorganic chemistry. We know it can be hard to choose a field when chemistry encompasses and touches on so many!

Outside of school, she enjoys ballroom dancing, painting, gardening and jigsaw puzzles. She also spends time working with a USDA plant pathology lab to maintain a greenhouse of hydroponic grape plants. Her favorite book is “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr and she enjoys blueberries most of all!