Five Hollins University students presented posters at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), held March 26 – 30 in Indianapolis.
Seniors Megan Brown, Nupur Sehgal, Cristina Pokhrel, and Uyen Nguyen, and junior Tram Nguyen, highlighted the results from three different research projects during the ACS Technical Program:
- Uyen Nguyen presented “The Study of Chemical Compounds in the Mainstream Smoke of Herbal Cigarettes” in the Division of Analytic Chemistry.
- Tram Nguyen and Pokhrel presented “Stereoselective Glycosylation Via Dynamic Kinetic Resolution” in the Division of Carbohydrate Chemistry.
- Sehgal and Brown presented “Synthesis and Evaluation of Rhodamine- and Biotin-Probes for Detection of Cysteine-Containing Proteins” in the Division of Biological Chemistry.
Tram Nguyen and Pokhrel were also invited to present at the ACS Sci-Mix, a separate poster session and mixer held at each ACS national meeting. The poster session consists of abstracts selected by division program chairs and represents the most exceptional abstracts submitted to participating divisions.
During her poster section, Uyen Nguyen received a certificate for presenting research focused on analytical chemistry from Program Chair Mirlinda Biba and Education Chair Michelle L. Kovarik of the Division of Analytical Chemistry.
“Attending the ACS national meeting was a great opportunity for my students and me to showcase our work at Hollins, learn more about research at other universities, and expand our connections with chemists in the fields of carbohydrate chemistry, biological chemistry, and analytical chemistry,” said Assistant Professor of Chemistry Son Nguyen. “Most importantly, we gained information about opportunities for Ph.D. programs or chemistry-related job opportunities with a bachelor degree, and opportunities to access research equipment at the Fralin Life Sciences Institute at Virginia Tech. Some of my students were able to meet faculty from the universities where they will pursue their Ph.D. studies.”
He added, “We also made sure to take time to explore Indianapolis and learn about the city’s history and culture. I want my students to balance study life and personal life, and this was a great chance to practice that habit. I am immensely proud of my students’ work, their presentations, their development, and their achievements, and the fact that some of them have been accepted into Ph.D. programs at esteemed graduate schools. We would like to thank Hollins administrators, especially the Office of the Provost, the chemistry department, the faculty development and student research funds committee, and others who financially and spiritually supported us. Without their tremendous support, we would not be able to carry out our research work or attend this wonderful ACS meeting.”
Top photo (from left to right): Megan Brown ’23, Nupur Sehgal ’23, Cristina Pokhrel ’23, Uyen Nguyen ’23, and Tram Nguyen ’24.
