2025 Chemistry Awards – Department of Chemistry

Celebrating Students, Faculty, and Staff - 2025 Chemistry Awards Ceremony

On April 16, 2025, we held the annual Awards Ceremony to celebrate our students, faculty, and staff. It was a celebration of hard work and the outstanding contributions of the Department of Chemistry.

Guest Speaker:

Dr. Jessica R. Kramer, PhD

Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering, John and Marcia Price College of Engineering, University of Utah

In a very inspirational speech, Dr. Kramer noted, "It’s an honor to be back in this room. I once sat where you sit now, thinking about the path ahead. I was unsure exactly where it would lead, but I was certain that chemistry would be central to my journey. I graduated from this department nearly twenty years ago. One day, you too will realize that you don’t feel old but have become old. Yet, the foundations I built here—the knowledge, the habits of mind, and the relationships—continue to influence who I am and how I work...

I want to recognize two faculty members who played a particularly important role in that foundation. Professor Dale Poulter, who guided me through my undergraduate honors thesis, and Professor Tom Richmond, who was my academic advisor and contributed to my receipt of the department’s undergraduate research award in this very room. Their mentorship shaped my confidence as a young scientist...

To the Class of 2025: trust your instincts. Stay curious. Be generous with your knowledge. And remember that the habits of inquiry, discipline, persistence, and optimism you’ve cultivated here will serve you for a lifetime."

Thank You, Dr. Kramer!

American Institute of Chemists Award: Mary Parker

Walter D. & Grace G. Bonner Memorial Awards: Grace Bean, Quin Cassidy, Bailee Fiedel, Alexandra Glatz, Lorrin Malady, Simon McCune, Paul Miazza, Vincent Ngo, Benjamin Parkin

Phillips Senior Scholars: Ellie Shimoda, Brendan Wilcox

Honors in Chemistry Awards: Johan Bennett, Tilly Dillon, Abigail Mason, Delaney Miller, Rachel Muhlestein Ainsley Nystrom, Michelle Phan, Maddox Riewald, Michael Romero, Jonah Simmons, Mayson Smith, Helen Wang, Eleanor Wachtel

ACS Division Awards

Analytical - Derek Mansfield

Biological - Cooper Gangi

Inorganic - Mary Parker

Organic - Wilder Dalton

Physical - Alex Knorpp

The Ronald & Eileen Ragsdale

Undergraduate Endowment Scholarships: Emily Dalley (Eyring Award), Wilder Dalton (Ragsdale Award), Safiya Hamud (Burdett Award), Kaylee Meyers (White Award), Farah Sadat (Reese Award)

Laya F. Kesner Awards: Clarissa Goh, Derek Mansfield, Rune Walkingshaw

Leon Watters Memorial Awards: Ella Bleak, Henry Boutelle, Deevya Garal, Calvin Kern, Alex Knorpp, Kaylee Meyers, Farah Sadat

Armantrout Memorial Award: Zoie Frisby, Taylor Hatch

Ferdinand A. & Ruth Anderson Peterson Scholarships: Blue Byrne, Parker Christensen

Melvin C. Cannon Scholarships: Caroline Connolly, Neva McClory

Gill Scholarship: Alana Field

Sugihara Scholarship: Nicole Payne

Undergraduate Research Scholarships: Nicolas Aglaure, Emily Dalley, Kaden A. Gravois, Safiya Hamud, Nathan Jackson, Claire M. Massouh, Delaney Miller, Vincent Hgo, Mary Parker, Ellie Shimoda, Rune Walkingshaw, Thomas Wright

Undergraduate Excellence: Emily Dalley, Vincent Ngo

Mack Thomas Rozelle Scholarships: Jill Battista, Joe Breslin III, Kyle Dzmil, Alex Gradev, Emmalyn Jacobs, Emily Norton, Katherine Osterstock

Lloyd E. Malm Memorial Awards: Garrett Joseph Archer, Samantha Golson, Mark Gonzalez, Kaiyan Jiang, Gracelyn Lowe, Brielle Newell, Thanh Nhan Nguyen, Tanner Partridge, Mary Peterson, Keilah Van Hees

W. H. Breckenridge Honors Scholarships: Cheryl Qian, Justin Schmidt

Chem Unity Mentor Awards: Ali Nopper, Nathan Suitor

Resiliency Award: Drew Dennison, Oleksandr Synkovskyi

Teaching Assistants of the Year: Iqra Ilyas, Ryan Olson, Jared Taylor

Kodak Educational Teaching Fellows: Eeshan Chowdhary, Orion Harmon, Adithi Kamath, Hakan Kariparduc, Ethan Mouser, Elizabeth Schilling, Samuel Young, Alex Yount

Kodak Service Awards: Kierra Forthman, Zera Gonzales, Taylor Hatch, Delaney Miller, Sachiye Ryujin-Sung, Samantha Stinson

Ryan DeLuca Scholarships: Shelby Accuttoroop, Maddox Riewald

Joseph T. Crockett M.D. Memorial Scholarships: Drew Dennison, Emily Norton

College of Science Dean's Scholarships: Emily Dalley, Farah Sadat

Donald & Mary Garner Conservation Scholarship: Kaylee Meyers

Paul & Darice Koo Scholarships: Blue Byrne, Caroline Connolly

Crocker Science House Scholars: Kaden Berger, Alana Field

Talent Scholarship Awards: Wilder Dalton, Clarrissa Goh

Promise Scholarships: Zoie Frisby, Andre Gohier, Derek Mansfield, Abigail Niwa

Starfish Scholarship: Isaac Rogers

Cheves T. Walling Graduate Research Awards: Joshua Taylor

The Ronald & Eileen Ragsdale Curie Club Graduate Research Award: Sanaz Habibi

William E. Jack Life Science Graduate Research Award: Sepehr Sebghati

Harris Graduate Fellowship in Analytical Chemistry: Meghan Rainier

Keck Graduate Fellowship in Organic Chemistry: Chelsea Valiton

Anthony W. Czarnik Curie Club Graduate Teaching Award: Luke Borgia

Craig & Linda Lee Curie Club Graduate Teaching Award: Alex Yount

Dale & Susan R. Poulter Graduate Student Travel Endowment in Chemistry: Marcus Mifflin

Dow Chemical First-Year Awards: Maxwell Martin, Caleb Tinsley, Karrin Young

University of Utah Distinguished Teaching Award: Jennifer Shumaker-Parry

Robert W. Parry Teaching Award Endowed by the Brady Foundation: Rodrigo Noriega

W.W. Epstein Outstanding Educator Award: Ryan Vanderlinden

IBBI Bowers Award: Peter Armentrout

University of Utah Distinguished Mentor Award: Matthew Sigman

Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry GEQO Fellow: Matthew Sigman

Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award: Qilei Zhu

2025 Rising Star in Measurement Science Award: Gabe Nagy

Pacific NW American Vacuum Society Emerging Leader Award: Gabe Nagy

Pittsburgh Conference Achievement Award: Long Luo

ACS Organic Division Reaction Mechanisms Conference Lectureship Honoree: Cynthia Burrows

ETH-Zurich Albert Eschenmoser Prize: Cynthia Burrows

Utah Science Teaching Association Outstanding Higher Education Educator: Janis Louie

American Chemical Society Roland F. Hirsch Distinguished Service Award: Joel Harris

Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award: Thomas Richmond

University of Utah Faculty Fellow Award: Bethany Buck

University of Utah Environmental Health & Safety Partner Awards: Ryan Looper James Muller

Elected member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences: Shelley Minteer

Society of Applied Spectroscopy Distinguished Service: Jay Kitt

Department of Chemistry

Celebrating Students, Faculty, and Staff - 2025 Chemistry Awards Ceremony

Undergraduate Awards

Graduate Awards

Faculty Awards

Staff Service Recognition