There are three ACS Undergraduate Scholarships awards for
the 2005-2006 school year. The Executive Scholarship Committee selected
each of the following outstanding students from a competitive pool of 25 total
applicants currently attending
Gregory W. Charville, UNC-Chapel Hill - Advisor, Dr. Mark Schoenfisch
Selected to receive $2000 NC-ACS 1st Place Award: Gregory aspires to integrate analytical chemistry into the study of biological systems in order to better understand biological processes. He is currently working on the construction and characterization of sol-gel-based nitric oxide (NO)-releasing, optical pH sensors for in-vivo microscale chemical analyses sensing. With the scholarship funds, Gregory plans to create pH sensors which will continuously and controllably release NO over extended periods of time. He intends to purchase optical fibers and in-line filters in order to increase the sensitivity of measuring NO release in a microscale environment.
Mark Adam Eckert,
NC
Selected to receive $1250 NC-ACS Runner-up
Award: Mark intends to pursue a Ph.D. in
chemistry with the long-term goal of becoming a professor of chemistry. Currently, Mark is researching methods of ligating oligonucleotides with
cyanogens bomide and T4 ligase. This work is useful for the study of single
nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) using surface-based detection methods such as
surface plasmon resonance (SPR) or matrix-assisted
laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass
spectroscopy. Mark will use scholarship
funds to purchase DNA ligase, synthetic DNAs, and general surface modification reagents necessary
for SPR and MALDI experiments.
Kimberly Hung, UNC-Chapel Hill - Advisor, Dr. Linda Spremulli
Selected to receive $1250 NC-ACS Runner-up Award: Kimberly wishes to improve health care by blending her scientific research skills with her desire help patients. She hopes to pursue an MD/Ph.D. program after graduation. Aside from her work with Dr. Spremulli at UNC, Kimberly has also worked at the NIH in two summer internships with Dr. Chi-Hon Lee. Currently, Kimberly is studying mRNA coding regions of bovine mitochondria in hopes of better understanding mammalian fertility rates, especially with regards to mitochondrial function and energy production in sperm. Kimberly plans on using the scholarship funds to purchase PCR primers, restriction enzymes, and Vent polymerase in addition to graduate level biochemistry text books.
Bryce N. Chaney, BD Technologies
Chairperson of the Undergraduate Scholarship Committee