Call for Nominations for the 2021 SURF Fellowships – Applications for the 2021 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) ($5,000) are now being accepted. The Division of Organic Chemistry annually awards SURF Fellowships to outstanding undergraduate organic chemistry students. These competitive fellowships are awarded on the merits of students’ research proposals, academic records, faculty recommendations and …
Applications for the 2020 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) ($5,000) are now being accepted. The Division of Organic Chemistry annually awards SURF Fellowships to outstanding undergraduate organic chemistry students attending colleges and universities in the United States. These competitive fellowships are awarded on the merits of students’ research proposals, academic records, faculty recommendations and their …
The Division of Organic Chemistry (DOC) congratulates the twelve 2019 DOC Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) awardees and gratefully acknowledges the generous sponsors (listed below). With the help of our sponsors, the DOC has granted 118 Research Fellowships since the awards inception in 2009. See all the Awardees. The winners are: 2019 Awardeees Yotam Ashkenazi …
Applications for the 2019 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) ($5,000) are now being accepted. The Division of Organic Chemistry annually awards SURF Fellowships to outstanding undergraduate organic chemistry students attending colleges and universities in the United States. These competitive fellowships are awarded on the merits of students’ research proposals, academic records, faculty recommendations and their …
Applications for the 2018 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) ($5,000) are now being accepted. The Division of Organic Chemistry annually awards SURF Fellowships to outstanding undergraduate organic chemistry students attending colleges and universities in the United States. These competitive fellowships are awarded on the merits of students’ research proposals, academic records, faculty recommendations and their …
The Division of Organic Chemistry congratulates the nine 2017 DOC SURF award winners and gratefully acknowledges their sponsors (Pfizer and Merck). The winners are: Student School Mentor Sponsor Amanda Cowfer University of Illinois Prof. Paul Hergenrother Pfizer Alex Cusumano North Carolina State University Prof. Joshua Pierce Pfizer Katherine Forbes Occidental College Prof. Jeffrey Cannon Merck …
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Past Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows
2021 Awardeees
Harrison Blume
School: Colgate University Mentor: Jacob Goldberg Sponsor: Pfizer
Sean Calvert
School: Southwestern University Mentor: Michael Gesinski Sponsor: Takeda
Daniel Carstairs
School: University of Rochester Mentor: Shauna Paradine Sponsor: BMS
Olivia Duke
School: University of Delaware Mentor: Donald Watson Sponsor: Fulcrum
Halley Lin-Jones
School: Smith College Mentor: Kevin Shea Sponsor: Vertex
Kayla Mancini
School: Montclair State University Mentor: Amrita Sarkar Sponsor: BMS
Timothy McClure
School: Occidental College Mentor: Raul Navarro Sponsor: Pfizer
Jonathan Meinhardt
School: Cornell University Mentor: Song Lin Sponsor: Merck
Olivia Morales
School: The University of Chicago Mentor: Scott Snyder Sponsor: Merck
Heather Rainbow
School: Point Loma Nazarene University Mentor: KAtherine Maloney Sponsor: Pfizer
Robert Reynolds
School: Old Dominion University Mentor: Kyle Lambert Sponsor: Pfizer
Walker Smith
School: Indiana University Mentor: Kevin Brown Sponsor: Lilly
John Talbot
School: Elizabethtown College Mentor: James MacKay Sponsor: Pfizer
Zach Walters
School: Boise State University Mentor: Don Warner Sponsor: GSK
2020 Awardeees
Matthew Albritton
School: University of Florida Mentor: Alex Grenning Research: Ring Rearrangement Metathesis of Substituted Bicyclic Tetraenes to Yield Isoryanodane Cores Sponsor: Biogen & Janssen
Finn Beruldsen
School: Hendrix College Mentor: Heidi Dahlmann Research: Optimization of Organocatalyzed Carbonyl- Olefin Metathesis Reactions Sponsor: Allergan & Morphic
Andrew Champlin
School: Bucknell University Mentor: Hasan Arslan Research: Synthesis of an Anthracene-Based Betaine Dye and a Study of its Electrochemical and Photophysical Properties Sponsor: Wuxi AppTec
Sriyankari Chitti
School: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Mentor: Martin Burke Research: Carbenoid-Boronate Building Blocks Enable Iterative Cross Coupling Sponsor: Vertex
School: San Diego State University Mentor: Byron W. Purse Research: Synthesis and Photophysics of the DEA-tCc Fluorescent Nucleoside Analogue Sponsor: Pfizer
Mitchell E. Daneker
School: University of Delaware Mentor: Mary P. Watson Research: A New Use for the Strecker Reaction as a Pathway to Pyridinium Chemistry Sponsor: Pfizer
Jessica Gallawa
School: Western Washington University Mentor: James R. Vyvyan Research: Total Synthesis of Rupestines L and M Sponsor: Pfizer
Gabriel Herrera
School: New York University Mentor: Tianning Diao Research: Photocatalytic Tryptophan Modification in Peptides and Proteins in Aqueous Media Sponsor: Pfizer
Olivia Langner
School: University of California, Santa Barbara Mentor: Bruce Lipshutz Research: New Rules for Asymmetric Reactions in Aqueous Micellar Media Sponsor: Bristol-Myers Squibb
Mira Milic
School: Univ. of California, Davis Mentor: Annaliese Franz Research: Synthesis of Chiral-at-Silicon 1,3-Disiloxanediols via Small Molecule Directed Silylation Sponsor: GlaxoSmithKline
Henry O’Callaghan
School: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Mentor: David B Berkowitz Research: Design and Synthesis of a New Class of Potential Human Serine Racemase Inhibitors Sponsor: Takeda
Tiana Saak
School: Washington University in St. Louis Mentor: Jonathan Barnes Research: Studying the Effects of Sequence Control in Photodynamic Synthetic Polymers Sponsor: Lilly
Ben Stemen
School: North Carolina State University Mentor: Joshua G. Pierce Research: Synthesis of Synoxazolidinone C as a Novel Antibiotic Lead Sponsor: Merck
Jonathan Wong
School: Univ. of California, Los Angeles Mentor: K. N. Houk Research: Vinyl Cations: A Computational and Experimental Investigation Sponsor: Merck
Johnny Wang
School: Boston College Mentor: James Morken Research: Z-Alkenyl Boronates by a Boron-Petersen Reaction Sponsor: Bristol-Myers Squibb
2019 Awardeees
Yotam Ashkenazi
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of Connecticut Mentor: Mark Peczuh Research: Nature Inspired Modular Synthesis of Hernandezine
Roukaya El Mokadem
Sponsor: Celgene School: Oklahoma State University Mentor: Jimmie Weaver Research: Taming Two (photocatalytic) Transformations; Reductive Alkenylation and Isomerization of 2-Bromoazoles
Clara Ellis
Sponsor: Vertex School: University of Southern Mississippi Mentor: Matthew G. Donahue Research: Enantioselective Synthesis of Piperidine Derivatives Through an Enyne Metathesis
Montgomery Gray
Sponsor: Takeda School: Ohio State University Mentor: T. V. (Babu) RajanBabu Research: Hemilabile Ligands for Improved Selectivity in Cobalt Catalyzed Reactions of Alkenes
Christopher Hanneman
Sponsor: Lilly School: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Mentor: Scott Denmark Research: A Strategy for the Cross-Coupling of Heterocycles
Yelin Jung
Sponsor: Pfizer & Biogen School: Bryn Mawr College Mentor: Bill Malachowski Research: Development of Complex Chiral Carbazole Analogs via the Enantioselective Birch-Curtius-Heck Reaction Sequence
Austin King
Sponsor: Merck & Janssen School: Michigan State University Mentor: Robert E. Maleczka, Jr. Research: Isolation of Asymmetrical Double-Decker Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes
Amanda Melanese
School: California State University San Marcos Mentor: Robert Iafe Research: Gold(I)-Catalyzed Friedel-Crafts-type reaction to afford substituted benzimidazoles Sponsor: Pfizer
Kellie Stellmach
Sponsor: WuXi AppTec School: Macalester College Mentor: Dennis D. Cao Research: Synthesis and Characterization of Angled Benzene Diimides as Building Blocks for Linear Azaacenes
Jordan Thompson
Sponsor: Merck School: University of California, Berkeley Mentor: Thomas Maimone Research: Total Synthesis of 6-epi ophiobolin A
Joey Tuccinardi
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Boise State University Mentor: Don Warner Research: Synthesis of Small Molecules to Inhibit a Pro-Metastatic Cytokine
St. John Whittaker
Sponsor: Pfizer & Mirati School: University of Scranton Mentor: Arthur Catino Research: Enantioselective Synthesis of Tetraarylmethanes using Chiral Brønsted Acids
2018 Awardeees
Elise Brutschea
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Saint Joseph’s University Mentor: Mark Forman Research Project: Electroreduction: A Greener Alternative to the Synthesis of the Pyramidalized Alkene Pentacyclo[4.3.0.0 2,4 .0 3,8 .0 5,7 ]non-4-ene
Amy Chan
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Yale University Mentor: Jonathan Ellman Research Project: Potent and Selective Isoquinuclidine Ligands to G-Protein Coupled Receptors
Rania Daboul
Sponsor: Merck School: University of Michigan Mentor: Corinna Schindler Research Project: Application of catalytic carbonyl olefin metathesis reactions to the asymmetric synthesis of sesquiterpene natural products
Jake Grabowski
School: Illinois State University Mentor: Andy Mitchell Research Project: Feist-Bénary Furan Synthesis Toward the Total Synthesis of Toxicodenane A Sponsors: Pfizer and Biogen
Noel Jameson
Sponsor: Amgen School: Occidental College Mentor: Roul Navarro Research Project: Total Synthesis of Swerilactone A via a Novel Electrophilic Dearomatization Reaction
Spencer Lawson
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of Delaware Mentor: Donald Watson Research Project: Development of a Nickel-Catalyzed Aza-Heck Cyclization
Gina Partipilo
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Mentor: Jefferson Chan Research Project: Reversible Probe for the Detection of Nitric Oxide in vivo Using Photoacoustic Imaging
Eric Rizzo
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Stony Brook University Mentor: Ming-Yu Ngai Research Project: Chiral Catalysts for Asymmetric Visible-Light Photocatalytic Reactions
Matthew Thompson
Sponsor: Merck School: Case Western Reserve University Mentor: Drew Adams Research Project: Developing Selective Covalent Inhibitors through the Synthesis of Novel Sulfonyl-Fluoride Probes
2017 Awardeees
Amanda Cowfer
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of Illinois Mentor: Paul Hergenrother Research Project: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of a Compound Library Derived from Lycorine
Alex Cusumano
Sponsor: Pfizer School: North Carolina State University Mentor: Joshua Pierce Research Project: Utility of the 3-Hydroxy-1,5-dihydro-2H-pyrrol-2-one Scaffold in the Synthesis of alpha-Quaternary Centers Containing Beta-Homo Prolines and Beta-Lactams
Katherine Forbes
Sponsor: Merck School: Occidental College Mentor: Jeffrey Cannon Research Project: Synthesis of Furanolactone Motifs through a Photocatalyzed Ketyl Radical Cyclization
Margaret McEwan
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Christopher Newport University Mentor: Jeffrey Carney Research Project: Towards the Total Synthesis of Torreyunlignans A-D
Lucus Oxtoby
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Wisconsin-Madison Mentor: Jennifer Schomaker Research Project: Investigating Analogs of Eflornithine, an Irreversible Inhibitor of Ornithine Decarboxylase
Maximilian Palkowitz
Sponsor: Merck School: Boston College Mentor: James Morken Research Project: Stereoselective Synthesis of Cyclopropyl- and Cyclobutylboronic Esters via Diastereoselective alpha-Boryl-Carbanion Cyclizations
Ambarneil Saha
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Cornell University Mentor: Song Lin Research Project: Recycling CO2 for Amino Acid Synthesis
Holt Sakai
Sponsor: Merck School: Yale Mentor: Timothy Newhouse Research Project: Nickel-Catalyzed Intramolecular alpha-Vinylation for the Synthesis of Bicyclic Systems
Emma Streff
Sponsor: Merck School: Washington University in St. Louis Mentor: Vladimir Birman Research Project: Amidine-Based Catalysts with Enhanced Nucleophilicity: Synthesis, Study, and Applications
2016 Awardeees
Harrison Besser
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Harvard University Mentor: Eric Jacobsen Research Project: Development of an Iron Catalyst for Carbon-Hydrogen Oxidation
Hannah Burdge
Sponsor: Merck School: Towson University Mentor: Keith Reber Research Project: Total Synthesis of Cladosin C
Shivansh Chawla
Sponsor: Merck School: Cornell University Mentor: Yimon Aye Research Project: Synthesis of a Fluorescent Redox-Targeting Toolset for Use in Multicellular Organisms
Corrine Elliott
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of Kentucky Mentor: Susan Odom Research Project: Steric Manipulation of Electrochemical Potentials in Conjugated Organic Molecules
Chris Fritschi
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Niagara University Mentor: Luis Sanchez Research Project: Developing a Synthetic Route to Caramboxin, a Rare Bioactive Non-peptidic Amino Acid
Anneliese Gest
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Macalester College Mentor: Leah Witus Research Project: Development of a Colorimetric Assay for the Screening of Peptide Catalysts
Evan Hurlow
Sponsor: Merck School: University of Utah Mentor: Jon Rainier Research Project: The Derivatization of an Aggregate-Busing Quinone-Amino Acid Conjugate
Tyler Pabst
Sponsor: Merck School: Youngstown State University Mentor: Douglas Genna Research Project: Transition Metal-Mediated C-CO 2 Coupling Reactions for the Synthesis of Industrial Carbon Feedstocks
Tekenari Tienabeso
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of Oklahoma Mentor: Indrajeet Sharma Research Project: Synthetic Access to the Psurotin Core via a Diazo-OH Insertion/Conia-Ene Cascade
2015 Awardeees
Adonis Cruz
Sponsor: Merck School: Hobart and William Smith Colleges Mentor: Justin Miller Research Project: Solid-Phase Total Synthesis of Cysteine-Containing, Depsipeptidic Natural Products and Analogs
Carl Ferber
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of San Diego Mentor: Timothy Clark Research Project: Stereoselective Diboration/Homologation Sequence of Aldehydes using Lithiated Epoxides
Tyler Fulton
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Bucknell University Mentor: Michael Krout Research Project: Development of Copper Mediated Conjugate Addition Reactions Towards Complex Molecule Synthesis
Catherine McGeough
Sponsor: Merck School: Smith College Mentor: Kevin Shea Research Project: Synthesis and Characterization of Derivatives of Neurole nin A and B
Amanda O’Loughlin
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of Nevada, Reno Mentor: Wesley A. Chalifoux Research Project: Efficient Synthesis of Bicyclo[4.4.0]decanes by Tandem Double Diels-Alder
Melissa Ramirez
Sponsor: Merck School: University of Pennsylvania Mentor: Gary A. Molander Research Project: B-X Functionalization of Borazarobenzofurans and Bioisosteric Activity of Azaborines
Shafer Soars
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Illinois College/ Yale University Mentors: Brent Chandler/Scott Miller Research Project: Development of a Catalyst Controlled Enantioselective and Diastereoselective Rauhut-Currier Reaction
Jessica Spradlin
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Tufts University Mentor: Clay Bennett Research Project: Synthesis of the Pentasaccharide Fragment of Saquayamycin Z
Fuhua Zhao
Sponsor: Merck School: Stoney Brook University Mentor: Ming-Yu Ngai Research Project: Trifluoromethoxylation of Heteroarenes
2014 Awardeees
Alexander Cleveland
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Tennessee Technological University Mentor: Jessie Carrick Research Project: Investigation of the asymmetric induction of the hetero-Diels-Alder reaction with β-alkoxyaldehydes and Chiral chromium(III) catalysts
Nicolle Doering
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of California Santa Barbara Mentor: Armen Zakarian Research Project: Synthesis of Imidazoline LOXL2 Analogs
Richard Liu
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Harvard University Mentor: Eric Jacobsen Research Project: Small Molecule Hydrogen-Bond Catalysts for Asymmetric C–N Bond Formation
Moises Morales
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Washington State University Mentor: Philip Garner Research Project: A β-Aspartyl Thioester Building Block for Convergent Glycosylative Ligation of Peptides
Julia Murphy
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Swarthmore Mentor: Robert Paley Research Project: Azaspirocycle Formation Directed by a Planer Chiral iron(O) Tricarbonyl diene complex
Riley Svec
Sponsor: Cubist School: University of Iowa Mentor: Hien Nguyen Research Project: Synthesis and affinity studies of mannose-derived glycopolymers for binding to antibody 2G12 which recognizes the gp120 epitope within the HIV envelope
2013 Awardeees
Pete Barnes
Sponsor: Genentech/Roche School: Boise State University Mentor: Don Warner Research Project: Toward a Convergent Synthesis of Aziridinomitosenes
Craig Burt
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Williams College Mentor: Thomas Smith Research Project: Asymmetric Synthesis of Enigmazole A
Masha Elkin
Sponsor: The ACS Organic Division School: Washington University Mentor: Vladimir Birman Research Project: An Efficient and Flexible Synthetic Route to Chiral Ligands
Michelle Ferreira
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Swarthmore College Mentor: Liliya Yatsunyk Research Project: Synthesis of Novel Polyamide Derivatives of Protoporphyrin-IX And Mesoporphyrin-IX As Potential G-Quadruplex Stabilizers
Terry Huh
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Bryn Mawr College Mentor: Bill Malachowski Research Project: Synthesis of Bicyclic Rings with Quaternary Centers through Sequential Birch Reduction-Alkylation and Cycloisomerization
Samuel Levi
Sponsor: Merck School: University of Pennsylvania Mentor: Jeffrey Winkler Research Project: The Design and Synthesis of Novel Chloroquine Derivatives to Block Autophagy in Cancer Cells
Lydia Wolfe
Sponsor: Cubist School: St. Olaf College Mentor: Dipannita Kalyani Research Project: Nickel Catalyzed Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation
2012 Awardeees
Ronald Besandre
Sponsor: Division of Organic Chemistry School: University of Houston Mentor: Jeremy A. May Research Project: Synthesis of Indoles from α-Arylketones and Amines using Copper (I)
Alexander Burckle
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of Utah Mentor: Matthew S. Sigman Research Project: Tandem Cross-Coupling using Heck Substrates and Selective β-hydride Elimination to Generate Vinyl Halides
Blake Daniels
Sponsor: Division of Organic Chemistry School: University of Chicago Mentor: Hisashi Yamamoto Research Project: TBOx-Catalyzed Nitroso Hetero-Diels-Alder Reactions
Bennett Ferris
Sponsor: Cubist School: Brown University Mentor: Jason Sello Research Project: Investigation of a Domino Reaction in the Target and Diversity-Oriented Synthesis of a Novel Antibacterial Agent
Drew Heitz
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of Iowa Mentor: Hien Nguyen Research Project: Rhodium-Catalyzed Amination of Allylic Trichloroacetimidates and the Development of Antiretroviral Analogues
Rebecca Johnson
Sponsor: Roche School: Barnard College Mentor: Christian Rojas Research Project: Using a Copper (II) Catalyst to Achieve Stereo-and Chemoselective Glucal 3-Carbamate Amidoglycoslation Reactions
Hilary Kerchner
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of Delaware Mentor: Mary P. Watson Research Project: Enantioselective, Copper-Catalyzed Additions of Arylboronic Acids to Chromene Acetals
Anna Koster
Sponsor: Division of Organic Chemistry School: University of Nevada, Reno Mentor: Christopher S. Jeffrey Research Project: Synthesis of Aldol Products through Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution of Aza-Oxyallyl Cation Intermediates
Matthew Landry
Sponsor: Merck School: Princeton University Mentor: Abigail Doyle Research Project: Total Synthesis of Paecilospirone
Jaron Mercer
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Harvard University Mentor: Andrew G. Myers Research Project: A New Synthetic Route to Substituted Tetrahydroisoquinolines
Richard Thornbury
Sponsor: Division of Organic Chemistry School: University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign Mentor: Scott E. Denmark Research Project: Asymmetric Chlorinations of Alkenes Using Chiral Quaternary Ammonium Polyhalide Salts
Alice Wong
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Swarthmore College Mentor: Robert Paley Research Project: Diastereoselective Allyl Silane-Iminium Ion Cyclization Directed by a Planar Chiral Iron (0) Tricarbonyl Diene Complex
2011 Awardeees
Derek Ahneman
Sponsor: Division of Organic Chemistry School: University of Delaware Mentor: Donald Watson Research Project: Developing a catalyst for asymmetric alcohol alkylation
Catriona E. Blunt
Sponsor: Novartis School: Smith College Mentor: Kevin Shea Research Project: Scope of a tandem Diels-Alder/Pauson-Khand synthesis for tetracycles
Adam N. Boynton
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Trinity College Mentor: Timothy Curran Research Project: Coordination of a peptide B-turn mimetic to tungsten: possible applications for the study of B-sheets
Zachary Brill
Sponsor: Division of Organic Chemistry School: Columbia University Mentor: Scott Snyder Research Project: Total synthesis of Caraphenols B and C and related natural products
Taryn Campbell
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Connecticut College Mentor: Timo Ovaska Research Project: Studies toward the total synthesis of Frondosin D
Noelle Catarineu
Sponsor: Roche School: New York University Mentor: James Canary Research Project: Synthesis and study of redox- active chiroptical molecular switches
Marc Giesener
Sponsor: Division of Organic Chemistry School: Northwestern University Mentor: Fraser Stoddart Research Project: Multiple successive post synthetic modifications on metal- organic frameworks
Emily Hartman
Sponsor: Cubist School: Brown University Mentor: Amit Basu Research Project: A chemical genetic analysis of galactose biochemistry in growing pollen tubes
David Kaphan
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of Rochester Mentor: Robert Boeckman Research Project: Studies toward the diversification Of Diels-Alder Reactions of cyclic isoimidium salts
Victor W. Mak
Sponsor: Amgen School: University of California, Irvine Mentor: Kenneth Shea Research Project: A concise total synthesis of (-)-Stenine
Wystan Neil Palmer
Sponsor: Division of Organic Chemistry School: Swarthmore College Mentor: Robert Paley Research Project: Diastereoselective synthesis of bis-spiroketals directed by planar chiral 2-sulfinyl diene iron(0) tricarbonyl complexes
Ian Pendleton
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Eastern Michigan University Mentor: Harriet Lindsay Research Project: Determining the origins of stereocontrol in the Lewis acid-mediated aza-Cope rearrangement-Mannich cyclization of conformationally mobile iminium cations
Ryan Spencer Shinabery
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Mentor: Nan Zheng Research Project: Photocatalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition of bicyclic cyclopropylamines with olefins by a ruthenium (II) complex
Alexander W. Sun
Sponsor: Cephalon School: University of Pennsylvania Mentor: Amos B. Smith III Research Project: Synthesis of HIV-1 entry inhibitors: region II/III analogs of NBD-556
2010 Awardeees
Nadia C. Abascal
Sponsor: Boehringer Ingelheim School: Barnard College Mentor: Christian Rojas Research Project: A soluble iodosobenzene derivative for 2-amino sugar synthesis
Juan Carlos Baso
Sponsor: Organic Division School: University of South Florida Mentor: Jon Antilla Research Project: Enantioselective reduction of imines; A strategy for the construction of the Dragmacidin core and potential structural analogues
James Beckett
Sponsor: Organic Division School: Kenyon College Mentor: John Hofferberth Research Project: Exploring the versatility of a novel route to the cyclopenta[c]pyridine substructure
Megan Marie Blewett
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Harvard University Mentor: EJ Corey Research Project: C-H functionalization with metallosalen complexes
Kurt James Cox
Sponsor: Organic Division School: University of Arizona Mentor: Indraneel Ghosh Research Project: A synthetic bivalent approach for targeting protein kinases
Mary E. Daub
Sponsor: Cubist School: Williams College Mentor: Thomas Smith Research Project: Asymmetric synthesis of Jerangolid D
Althea Gaffney
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Swarthmore College Mentor: Robert Paley Research Project: Planar chiral 2-sulfinyldiene iron( 0) tricarbonyl complexes as a platform for diastereo- selective synthesis of spiroketals
Anthony S. Grillo
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of Michigan Mentor: Masato Koreeda Research Project: Development of a novel chiral heterocyclic carbene to be used in ruthenium catalyzed olefin metathesis
Dennis Hu
Sponsor: Organic Division School: Northwestern University Mentor: Regan Thomson Research Project: Synthesis and structure / functional studies of Streptorubin B
Eduardo V. Mercado
Sponsor: Roche School: University of California, Santa Barbara Mentor: Thomas Pettus Research Project: Synthetic approach toward unsymmetrical napthoquinone natural products: B-rubromycin, christazarin, echinochrome A and echinamines B
Jason Pflueger
Sponsor: Novartis School: Columbia University Mentor: Scott Snyder Research Project: The total synthesis of Heimiol A, a Resveratrol-based natural product
James Phelan
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Grinnell College Mentor: Stephen Sieck Research Project: Investigation of N-acyl nitrones and their application in isoxazolidine synthesis
Katie Schaefer
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of Utah Mentor: Matthew Sigman Research Project: Three dimensional mathematical modeling of modular pyridine ligands for the enantioselective alkylation of ketones
Jonathan Schultz
Sponsor: Organic Division School: North Dakota State University Mentor: Gregory Cook Research Project: Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of chiral allylboronates
Justin Su
Sponsor: Pfizer School: The University of Texas at Austin Mentor: Stephen Martin Research Project: Synthesis of a diverse Protoberberine- based small molecule library for biological screening
2009 Awardeees
Valerie Angell
Sponsor: Organic Division School: Union College Mentor: James Adrian Research Project: Developing methods for preparing and testing libraries of pyrrolidine-triazoles: a new class of organocatalysts
Joseph Michael Azzarelli
Sponsor: Symyx Technologies School: Stanford University (Montana State University) Mentor: Barry Trost Research Project: Cationic palladium (II) directed stereoselective β-glycosylations
Ross W. Cheloha
Sponsor: American Chemical Society School: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Mentor: David Berkowitz Research Project: Chemoenzymatic entry into dihydrocinnamayte building blocks and their synthetic elaboration: control of absolute and relative stereochemistry
Andrew Chung
Sponsor: Organic Division School: Harvey Mudd College Mentor: David Vosburg Research Project: Biomimetic synthesis of the Endiandric Acids
Rachel Dorset
Sponsor: Sepracor School: Smith College Mentor: Kevin Shea Research Project: Scope and limitations of cationic Diels-Alder dienophiles stabilized by cobalt-complexed alkynes
Nathaniel Erskine
Sponsor: Organic Division School: Swarthmore College Mentor: Robert Paley Research Project: Diastereoselective synthesis of spiroketals using planar chiral iron(0) tricarbonyl complexes
Reid M. Faylor
Sponsor: Organic Division School: Xavier University Mentor: Richard Mullins Research Project: Asymmetric conjugate addition for synthesis of pilocarpine and related compounds
Michelle Grau
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of San Diego Mentor: Debbie Tahmassebi Research Project: Synthesis and structural studies of a novel nucleoside analogue
Joshua Green
Sponsor: Cubist Pharmaceuticals School: Harvard University Mentor: Tobias Ritter Research Project: Development of a reaction discovery methodology employing mass spectrometry
Jonathan James Hulce
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of Vermont Mentor: Paul Krapcho Research Project: A potential therapy for neurologic disorders via inhibition of the endogenous neurotoxin-like protein, “Lynx”
Lauren E. Kennedy
Sponsor: Wyeth School: University of Pennsylvania Mentor: Gary Molander Research Project: Deprotection of potassium trifluoroborates to the corresponding boronic acids
Cameron Moore
Sponsor: American Chemical Society School: Western Washington University Mentor: Timothy Clark Research Project: Copper-catalyzed diboration of ketones; facile synthesis of tertiary α-hydroxy boronate esters
Joseph Nagano-Gerace
Sponsor: Pfizer School: Brown University Mentor: Christopher Seto Research Project: Unlocking glycosidase using an assay of synthetic fluorescent substrates
Andy I. Nguyen
Sponsor: Pfizer School: University of California, Irvine Mentor: Alan Heyduk Research Project: Developing tantalum (V)-imido complexes with redox-active ligands for catalytic amination of C-H bonds and aziridination of olefins
Shreyas Shah
Sponsor: Organic Division School: Rutgers University Mentor: Ki-Bum Lee Research Project: Multivalent nanoparticles as potent epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM)
Shannon Stone
Sponsor: Novartis School: Brown University Mentor: Amit Basu Research Project: Click chemistry to visualize the carbohydrates behind the growth of pollen tubes
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF)
Purpose
To provide funding for summer research opportunities for outstanding undergraduate organic chemistry students attending colleges and universities in the United States.
Nature
These competitive fellowships ($5,000) are awarded on the merits of students’ research proposals, academic records, faculty recommendations and their passion for laboratory science. SURF fellowships will provide support for undergraduates in organic chemistry to carry out research at their respective colleges/universities in the summer between their junior and senior year. In addition, the program will provide financial support to enable recipients to visit an industrial campus in the fall for a dinner, award session, scientific talks, a tour of the campus and a poster session, where the results of the summer research investigations would be presented. Information on the program and application forms are available below.
Donations from companies and individuals for the Organic Division’s SURF Program is strongly encouraged. Please contact Michelle Tran-Dubé make an inquiry on how to support this rewarding program. The 2020 SURF awardees gathered for an online (due to COVID-19) virtual award session and to present their research.
2021 Sponsors:
Selection Criteria:
Fellowship recipients will be selected by an Advisory Committee using the following criteria:
Demonstrated interest and talent of the student in organic chemistry
Merit and feasibility of the research project
Commitment of the faculty mentor to support the student in his/her work
Academic record, particularly in organic chemistry and related sciences.
Demonstrated importance of the award in facilitating the personal and career plans of the nominee.
A Faculty advisor may not have two awardees within a three year period
Nomination process
Nominations from women and minorities who are typically under-represented in chemistry are especially encouraged.
The faculty mentor (who must be a member of the Organic Division) must submit the completed SURF Application and the requested documents through the online application form as a single PDF file consisting of the following items in the following order:
The completed “Student Application Cover Sheet” (page 1 of the SURF Application as a docx file)
A statement from the nominee describing the importance of this opportunity to his/her personal and career plans (typically 1-2 paragraphs). Indicate how a summer research project fits into your long-range plans. Provide any background about yourself and/or your personal or professional goals that you would like us to know.
A description of the proposed research project, authored by the student in collaboration with the faculty mentor (typically 2-5 pages). Describe the project you propose to undertake next summer. Describe your background that has prepared you to do this work and your proposed methodology. Provide as much detail as possible.
An unofficial transcript of the nominee and a list of courses to be taken during the rest of the current application year.
The completed “Faculty Mentor Cover Sheet” (page 2 of the SURF Application as a docx file)
A letter of recommendation from the faculty mentor on the qualifications of the nominee to carry out the project successfully.
The completed “Department Chair/Head Cover Sheet” (page 3 of the SURF Application as a docx file)
A brief letter from the Department Chair indicating that the student is a departmental nominee (there may be no more than 2 nominees per department, and no more than 1 nominee per research group) and that the department will provide the necessary equipment, space and administrative support to the project. In the event the faculty mentor is also the department chair, then the faculty member’s immediate supervisor should complete this form.
Student nominees should be U.S. citizens or permanent resident visa holders at the time of application. Applications from minorities are especially encouraged. This program targets current Juniors and they will be given preference. Student may not hold a DOC Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship concomitantly with a similar fellowship from another source. The student nominees are required to be members of the ACS and the Organic Division (their ACS number will be requested). Information on becoming a member of the Division can be found here. Please be sure the nominated students do not have fall travel/study commitments (i.e. study abroad) that conflict with the poster session, scheduled for September/October.
Applications are to be submitted by the Faculty Mentor who must be an Organic Division Member as a single PDF file (named using the format: StudentNominee’sLast Name_First Name-SURF.pdf i.e. Smith_Jane-SURF.pdf) through this online form SURF
Application Deadline is Friday, February 19, 2021.
Applications submitted late, via mechanisms other than the online form, or out of order (as described above) will be disqualified.
Announcement of the awards is typically made in March.
Questions regarding the program should be directed to Michelle Tran-Dubé
Testimonials
2020 SURF Awardee-Olivia Langner
Olivia Langner
University of California, Santa Barbara
Mentor: Prof. Bruce Lipshutz
Sponsor: Bristol-Myers Squibb
The SURF program was able to bridge the gap that the pandemic created for many of us between what we could access and the research we had planned to pursue this summer. This fellowship offered the opportunity for me to adapt efficiently and continue contributing to my group’s work in ways that I would not have previously considered. I independently learned techniques and approaches that were unfamiliar while knowing that I had the support of my university and this brilliant group of young chemists across the country.
Not only did it provide financial support, but it also opened access to a diverse sample of pharmaceutical research and scientists in a personalized setting that most undergraduates could only imagine. These presentations gave me a more cogent understanding of the impact academic research can have in industrial settings as well as different approaches and considerations to problems that seemed familiar. They also gave me a new appreciation for how the skills I am refining now can go on to improve the quality of life for so many others. Along with the chemistry they presented, these scientists offered advice and knowledge from their unique career paths.
The culmination of this program with the opportunity to present my research for both my peers as well as their advisors and scientists from our sponsor companies was an invaluable experience. Through it, I was able to see the depth and breadth of the phenomenal work occurring in groups across the nation. Simultaneously, it was a platform for me to share my research with a group of people whom I admire and respect.
2020 SURF Awardee-Crystal Chung
Crystal Chung
University of California, Irvine
Mentor: Prof. Vy Dong
Sponsor: Pfizer
The SURF program was a very meaningful and inspirational experience for me, especially in the time when I needed it most. All the professionals and scholars I met through the program’s career panels and talks showed me that I was supported and opened my eyes to all the opportunities for creative and impactful work in organic chemistry. At the SURF program’s conclusion, I felt motivated to work hard and go to grad school.
From working on my summer project and presenting, I learned invaluable skills on written, visual, and oral communication, as well as teamwork, reading scientific papers, and problem solving. I learned to not let unexpected problems hinder me from my goals and to appreciate my research group’s support even more.
I actually felt quite lucky that the poster session was virtual, because we all had the chance to give a full presentation of our work to a lot of people. Everything about this virtual SURF experience was amazing. I liked all the sessions spread throughout the whole summer and felt that we had an advantage in terms of the number of talks we went to and the extensive career panels.
2020 SURF Awardee-Mira Milic
Mira Milic
University of California, Davis
Mentor: Prof. Annaliese Franz
Sponsor: GlaxoSmithKline
Being awarded a prestigious SURF fellowship was truly a dream come true for me, that reinforced and solidified my desire to pursue organic chemistry and obtain a graduate degree. It was an honor to meet, and be in a cohort with, such talented and promising undergraduate researchers. The most valuable part of the program for me was by far the virtual industry presentations we were privileged to receive from eminent medicinal and process chemists at Pfizer, Merck, and Bristol-Meyers Squibb. Before participating in the SURF program, I was not familiar with the industrial career path, or what the inner-workings of biopharmaceutical companies are like, and had limited myself to only considering academic career paths. However, after experiencing the virtual industry presentations, I came to realize that industry is the right career path for me after I complete my graduate education. I aspire to one day translate my knowledge and passion for organic chemistry into developing novel pharmaceutical agents that may one day have a broad global impact, in a highly collaborative environment.
2020 SURF Awardee-Ben Stemen
Ben Stemen
North Carolina State University
Mentor: Prof. Joshua G. Pierce
Sponsor: Merck
The SURF program allowed me to do research during the summer, which would not be an option for me without financial support. I also gained valuable insight into the work that chemists do in the pharmaceutical industry through the industry talks and get a clear picture of the type of work done in an industrial setting. As someone whose goal is to work in industry, the seminars were extremely helpful!
2020 SURF Awardee-Gabriel Herrera
New York University Mentor: Tianning Diao Sponsor: Pfizer
The SURF allowed me to do the chemistry research that I love this summer. Although the summer this year was very difficult and unpredictable, I appreciated the flexibility that the SURF program provided when it came to the research being done. The SURF program gave me the experience that I needed before graduate school, both in funding my research and giving me the outlet to present this research to a large group of chemists.
The virtual presentations held throughout the summer were really helpful in providing an idea of what working in industry would be like. Having only been exposed to the academic side of chemistry, hearing about and talking to people working in industry gave a much clearer idea of what this potential career path would look like. The mentorship from people in this field allowed me to think about chemistry in different ways, and it allowed me to understand what a career in chemistry would look like. I really appreciate the SURF program for all of this!
The Division of Organic Chemistry congratulates the nine 2016 DOC SURF award winners and gratefully acknowledges their sponsors (Merck and Pfizer). The winners are: Student School Mentor Sponsor Harrison Besser Harvard University Prof. Eric Jacobsen Pfizer Hannah Burdge Towson University Prof. Keith Reber Merck Shivansh Chawla Cornell University Prof. Yimon Aye Merck Corrine Elliott University …
Applications for SURF fellowships ($5,000) are now being accepted.The Division of Organic Chemistry annually awards Summer Undergraduate Research (SURF) Fellowships to outstanding undergraduate organic chemistry students attending colleges and universities in the United States. These competitive fellowships ($5000) are awarded on the merits of students’ research proposals, academic records, faculty recommendations and their passion for …
The ACS Organic Division requests nominations for 2015 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) Awards. These competitive fellowships will be awarded to talented undergraduate students throughout the United States who have been nominated by their departments and selected by an evaluation committee. These fellowships will provide support for undergraduates in organic chemistry to carry out research …
The Division of Organic Chemistry congratulates the six 2014 DOC SURF award winners, gratefully acknowledges their sponsors, and thanks The Journal of Organic Chemistry for the opportunity to publish the biographical sketches of the winners. Student School Mentor Sponsor Alexander Cleveland Tennessee Technological University Jessie Carrick Pfizer Nicolle Doering University of California Santa Barbara Armen …
The Division of Organic Chemistry congratulates the twelve 2012 DOC SURF award winners, gratefully acknowledges their sponsors, and thanks The Journal of Organic Chemistry for the opportunity to publish the biographical sketches of the winners. Student Sponsor School Mentor Ronald Besandre Division of Organic Chemistry University of Houston Jeremy A. May Alexander Burckle Pfizer University …
The Division of Organic Chemistry (DOC) congratualates the 15 students (listed below) who have been selected as the 2010 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF). We would also like to thank the sponsors who have funded these fellowships this year. Awardee School Mentor Sponsor Nadia C. Abascal Barnard College Christian Rojas Boehringer Ingelheim Juan Carlos Baso …