Undergraduate of the Quarter « The Erlenmeyer Flask

Johnny Hergert has been named one of the Fall 2015 Undergraduates of the Quarter and we couldn’t be more proud. He was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, where he attended Wilson High School, home of the Trojans and graduated in 2012. Johnny says he’s always known that he wanted to be a chemist. In fact, his grandfather, Herbert Hergert received his PhD in Chemistry from OSU and his sister also attended OSU.

“I like the details and problem solving, particularly on the small scale. And how applicable to daily life it is,” he replied when asked why he chose chemistry. He also stated that CH 361 and 362 were his favorite classes because, “the integrated labs are so hands on, and I really liked that.” His favorite instructor so far has been Dr. Christine Pastorek, the integrated lab instructor.

Since Johnny is on the Materials Science track of the Chemistry program, it was only natural he started doing research in Dr. John Simonsen’s lab. During the spring of 2014, Johnny started working on cellulose nanocrystals and polymer composites. More recently, he’s begun 3D printing objects to help with the experiments. He says his favorite research topic, though, is renewable materials.

Upon graduation, Johnny will attend graduate school at the University of Colorado, Boulder where he plans to obtain a PhD in Materials Science. He hasn’t decided yet whether that PhD will take him to academia or industry, but we wish him the best of luck either way.

In his spare time, Johnny is a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon, and experience has says has had a huge impact on his life. He also enjoys hiking, mountain biking and intramural sports.

It is students like Johnny who make us proud to be teaching the next generation of chemists.

Kenneth Stout has been selected as one of the Chemistry Department’s Fall 2015 Undergraduates of the Quarter. Kenneth was born in San Diego, California but recently moved to Tualatin, Oregon with his family after his father accepted a job at Intel. He attended Mount Carmel High School and chose Oregon State University for his higher education. His decision to attend OSU was partially based on cost, but he was also swayed by the fact that he had family in Washington and Oregon and that OSU accepted his high school AP credits.

Kenneth is currently a junior, dual majoring in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. He finds both of these complementary subjects to be interesting and enjoys the academic challenges they pose.

His favorite class at OSU has been CH 471 – Advanced Organic Chemistry with Dr. Chris Beaudry. It was this class that made him get involved with research and he’s been working in Dr. Beaudry’s lab ever since. He says, “taking this class got me really interested in Organic Chemistry. It’s motivated me to take more Organic classes.” Dr. Beaudry stated, “Kenneth is the best classroom student I’ve ever seen, period. He was in the top few students in O-Chem as a freshman: a class of 125+ sophomores. He took my advanced organic class (CH471) and was the top student in a class of 10 “superachievers”. He’s doing independent work in our laboratory investigating a reaction of a carbon-centered radical that we invented. He’s basically running his own show in the lab like a 2nd or 3rd year graduate student.”

Outside academics, Kenneth says he’s been inundated with opportunities to get involved with campus life. He says his favorite memories are working for a year as a Resident Assistant and spending time in the campus craft center. He says he appreciates that everything at OSU is so accessible.

Upon graduation, Kenneth plans on attending Graduate School and studying more Organic Chemistry. He’s considering post graduate work in either academia or a biotech company, but he says, “it’s early and I’m keeping my options open.”

Jamy Lee was born and raised in Tigard, Oregon. She attended Tigard High School, home of the Tigard Tigers, and credits her Chemistry teacher, Mr. Massey with why she chose chemistry for her college major. “He just kept telling me all the cool things I could do and that I could definitely get a job in the field.”
She chose Oregon State University because of the low tuition rates and the proximity to her hometown. Her brother also attended OSU, so she said, “at least I knew someone.” She said when she started, she was really bored with General Chemistry because she’d seen it all in high school, so she went to see her advisor, Dr. Neal Sleszynski. Not only did he talk her into taking CH 324, Quantitative Analysis, a class she maintains to this day as one of her favorite college experiences, but he also introduced her to undergraduate research.
Jamy was awarded the URISC (Undergraduate Research, Innovation, Scholarship and Creativity) Start for the summer of her freshman year and took that opportunity to start undergraduate research with Dr. Vince Remcho. The summer of her sophomore year, she participated in the Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry’s Undergraduate Research Program at UC Davis. While there, she worked with Dr. Kacey analyzing aluminum and gallium clusters; Jamy said, “it was really cool.” The summer of her junior year, she was back in Dr. Remcho’s lab working in conjunction with the Sure Science program and focusing on different research topics.
In her spare time, Jamy is the Academic Success Officer for the science sorority, Sigma Delta Omega, the Vice President of the Chemistry Club and a member of the College of Science Student Advisory Council (COSSAC). Their focus this year has been to integrate more graduate student involvement, mainly by helping the Chemistry Undergraduate Mentoring and Empowerment (ChUME) group reach more undergraduates. She is also a member of several cooking clubs: “Most of my activities outside chemistry involve food.”
Jamy has already been accepted to the University of Illinois where she will be working on her PhD is Analytical Chemistry. She hopes to work in industry doing pharmaceutical chemistry research. She says she’s a little nervous about leaving Oregon for the first time, but excited about the opportunity to work for such a great program. We’re proud to have students like Jamy in our department and wish her all the luck in her future endeavors.

Shan Lansing spent the first 18 years of her life in Grants Pass, Oregon. Being from a small town, she loved the feel of Corvallis, and the community aspects of Oregon State University. She’s always known she wanted to be a doctor, but it was her work in Sean Burrows research lab that lead her to focus on oncology. She cites her advisor, Neal Sleszynski, as the reason she got into undergraduate research so early in her education. “I went to meet with him for advising and he asked if I wanted to do research,” she stated. “The rest is history.”
Shan said she’s always been a detail-oriented person, so analytical chemistry was definitely the right area for her, stating that the precision of micro pipetting and various other fine detail work really appealed to her. Her favorite class was Quantitative Analysis, but favorite professors, she said, was a harder question to answer. She finally settled on Philip Watson and Paul Blakemore, stating, “I feel bad, picking favorites; I really haven’t had a bad [Professor] here.”
Shan is the current Social Chair for Sigma Delta Omega, the science sorority here on campus. In her spare time, she likes to swim and is training for some marathons next summer. Shan has an older brother and an older sister and is pretty sure her parents send her grade reports in a mass email because they’re so proud of her accomplishments: as are we. Students like Shan are the reason we do what we do, and we’re proud to have her in our department.

Collin Muniz was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, home of The Crimson Tide, but quickly moved to LA, then on to Oregon where he attended Beaverton High School. His sophomore year at Beaverton High, he took his first Chemistry class. He fondly remembers his instructor, Patrick Cripey, performing an acid-based reaction in which he dissolved a penny and decided then and there, that Chemistry was pure magic; a type of magic that he wanted to explore further.

When it came time to apply to colleges, Collin applied to many and did his due diligence in visiting each one. He said it was an easy decision to choose OSU. Upon matriculation, he was originally a Chemical Engineering major, but quickly discovered there wasn’t enough chemistry in that major, so switched to a dual degree in Chemistry and Physics. He says his first professor was also his favorite professor, Dr. May Nyman. He reports greatly enjoying the teaching methods and classes of Dr.’s Daniel Myles and Paul Blakemore as well, but Dr. Nyman was the one who really gave him his start. Shortly after starting her class, Collin went to her office hours and “prodded” her for information about her science. He said, at first, she was slow to open up, not wanting to confuse him, but his excitement for the subject was infectious and she was soon writing structures on the white board and discussing her research with him. Several weeks later, she contacted him and offered him an undergraduate research position with her lab. An opportunity he jumped on with great enthusiasm and has never looked back.

Collin plans on attending graduate school in the future, whichever graduate school, he says, will help him pursue his dreams to the best of his ability. After that, he wants to find work in a National Lab. “I want to work in the sort of environment where there’s a lot of pressure to get your final product and where you need to be very innovative to accomplish that,” Collin stated. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer and studying, a fact which he says, makes him boring. We here in the Chemistry Department think that makes him a wonderful new addition to our Undergraduates of the Quarter.

Alec Kagele was born in Roseburg, Oregon and had never taken a Chemistry class until coming to OSU. He bounced around various Engineering and Science degrees before landing in his first Chemistry class and fell in love. Alec took General Chemistry from Margie Haak; long before she developed the flip classroom environment. He was not as enamored with Organic Chemistry until he took the final term of the sequence from Dr. Chris Beaudry.

This course led him to doing Undergraduate Research, also in Dr. Beaudry’s lab. He has been working there for nearly a year. In addition to his coursework and an additional part time job at Woodstock’s Pizza, he works in the Mole Hole, a tutoring center for General Chemistry students and TA’s for Paula Weiss who teaches the 12X level General Chemistry. Alec is an incredibly busy student.

While he’s still not completely set on his plans for the future, he’s leaning towards a Master’s degree and a job in industry. We’re proud to have students like Alec Kagele in the Department of Chemistry.

Philip Nguyen - Fall 2014 Undergraduate of the Quarter — Philip Nguyen – Fall 2014 Undergraduate of the Quarter

Philip Nguyen has been named our second Undergraduate of the Quarter for Fall 2014. Phillip is originally from Oregon City where he attended Oregon City High School. He cites his AP Chenistry teacher, Mr. Taylor for his love of Chemistry. Phillip came to OSU to obtain a Bachelor’s degree and familiarize himself with the campus and surrounding community before continuing on to Pharmacy school. An after high school job at a Pharmacy made him realize that while he loved the pharmaceutical industry, he’d have a better foundation if he started in Chemistry first, so that’s exactly what he did.

Phillip’s favorite class was CH 361/362: Experimental Chemistry. He said it was this class where he got his first real hands on experience with chemistry and realized that sometimes, your experiments fail. He also stated that he really liked how energetic the instructors were about their teaching and how when something did fail, they used it as a lesson for the class. He has participated in Undergraduate Research for Dr. Paul Cheong since his freshmen year. He tells his friends that research is like a homework problem that you can’t solve for weeks. “You go in every single day and you work at it, and work at it, and work at it. You finally get an answer, then you realixe you did the math wrong, so you go back and keep trying.

Phillip plans on applying to Pharmacy school this summer after graduation. He says he feels really integrated into the department and it’s someplace he can call home. We’re proud to have students like Phillip as part of our department.

Alex Van Scoyk - Fall 2014 Undergraduate of the Quarter — Alex Van Scoyk – Fall 2014 Undergraduate of the Quarter

Alexandria “Alex” Van Scoyk has been named one of the Fall 2014 Undergraduates of the Quarter. She grew up in Cedar City, Utah, where she attended Cedar High School. Her chemistry instructor, Steven Stephenson (an OSU alumni) sparked her initial interest in chemistry. “He was the very first professor that actually made me work hard in class,” she said of Stephenson. It was his push that made her come to Oregon State as a Chemistry major and her discovered love for the lab that has made her stay.

Her favorite class while attending Oregon State has been Physical Chemistry, with Dr. Glenn Evans. She stated that she really liked the way Glenn made you think about the concepts and work hard to get the grades and the way he really wanted the students to learn the material that he so obviously loves.. She also talked about Emile Firpo as being a favorite. “He is responsible for solidifying my liking for lab work,” she states. She says Emile is probably 90% responsible for getting her into research in the first place. She now works in Dr. David William’s lab doing what she termed, “general stuff.”

Alex, who will graduate in the Spring hopes to continue on to Graduate School in the areas of toxicology or pharmacology, then come back to academia as a Professor. Currently, Alex is the President of the Chemistry Club. She’s also on the College of Science Advisory Council and in the Student Advisory Group. In her spare time, she likes to hang out with her friends, watch movies and sleep. It’s students like Alex that make us proud to be Oregon State University.

Undergraduate of the Quarter - Spring 2014 — Undergraduate of the Quarter – Spring 2014

Cassandra Lew has been selected as one of our Undergrads of the Quarter for Spring 2014. Cassandra grew up in Rock Springs, WY where she has lived her entire life prior to coming to OSU. She graduated from Rock Springs High School and it was a high school teacher (John Gamble) that peaked her interest in chemistry – commenting that she really enjoyed how applicable his classes were (She took 2 years of chemistry from Mr. Gamble). Cassandra accredits much of her success to the support and encouragement she has received from friends and family. She decided to come to OSU because of its reputation as an excellent science school and the generous scholarships she received. While Cassandra is only a freshman (one of the first freshmen to ever win Undergrad of the Quarter), she has already found her way into a research lab. She has been working with Professor Sandra Loesgen where she loves how hands on the science is and the real world applications of it all. When describing her research experience to date, Cassandra said “Sandra has been awesome!” All her professors at OSU have been helpful. She particularly enjoyed Professor Chris Beaudry’s O Chem course last term. Cassandra is excited for the future chemistry classes she will have the opportunity to take at OSU. After graduation, she would like to pursue a career in forensic chemistry and work in a lab. We are so excited to have talented, enthusiastic students like Cassandra in our program. Congrats to her for this award and we wish her continued success during her time at OSU!

Update: Cassandra was the recipient of the 2nd Keith McKennon Memorial Scholarship. The Chemistry Department is grateful for the support of alumni and friends who established this Scholarship. Cassandra, will do a wonderful job of honoring this long-time friend of the Department through her contributions to the state, nation, and world.

Chris Heron has been selected as one of our Undergrads of the Quarter for Spring 2014. Chris was born in Corvallis, OR. Prior to coming to OSU, Chris was in the United States Army – serving 3 separate tours in Iraq and was stationed in both Georgia and Colorado – finishing at the rank of Staff Sergeant. After 7 years in the military, Chris decided to return back to school and enrolled at Columbia Gorge Community College in Hood River for one year. He then came to Oregon State University as a biology major. His time as a life sciences major was short lived – once he took Professor Margie Haak’s CH 220 course he was hooked on chemistry. He commented that Margie was an excellent presenter and she stimulated him to think about everything. Chris also had a wonderful lab course experience in CH 361/362 which he describes as “just fabulous.” He particularly commented that Professor Emile Firpo was “fun and had great energy” and that “you learned a ton” from him. The labs were key for Chris as it helped the lecture classes really make sense – they made him feel like “now I really get it!” The P Chem series was really hard, but both Professors Glenn Evans and Wei Kong were great. He loved Professor Kevin Gable’s dry sense of humor in O Chem. He has been doing research in Professor David Ji’s lab recently. Chris describes the research environment as “very inviting and simulating… Professor Ji has been very open with his lab.” His time at OSU has been supported through the US GI Bill from his military service. Outside of class, Chris enjoys racing bicycles with the OSU team on campus. This year, he has starting flying with the OSU Flying Club. He hopes to earn his pilot license prior to graduation and become a crop duster. The FAA now wants crop dusters to have a chemistry background and that job will allow him to get enough hours to achieve his long term goal of being a pilot for a major airline.

Chris comments that OSU has a fabulous chemistry (and science) program and all the faculty are great. We are honored to have amazing students like Chris as part of our program and we are grateful for his service to our country. We congratulate Chris on all his achievements to date and we hope he continues to have a wonderful experience at OSU!

The Erlenmeyer Flask

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Category Archives: Undergraduate of the Quarter

Undergraduate of the Quarter – Fall 2015 – Johnny Hergert

Undergraduate of the Quarter – Fall 2015 – Kenneth Stout

Undergraduate of the Quarter – Spring 2015 – Jamy Lee

Undergraduate of the Quarter – Spring 2015 – Shan Lansing

Undergraduate of the Quarter – Winter 2015 – Collin Muniz

Undergraduate of the Quarter – Winter 2015 – Alec Kagele

Undergraduate of the Quarter – Fall 2014 – Philip Nguyen

Undergraduate of the Quarter – Fall 2014 – Alex Van Scoyk

Undergraduate of the Quarter – Spring 2014 – Cassandra Lew

Undergraduate of the Quarter – Spring 2014 – Chris Heron

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