Chemistry Graduate Student Organization – Department of Chemistry

This past summer, the CGSO teamed up with different breweries in Fort Collins to received specialized tours focusing on the chemistry involved in the production of beer. They also ended the tour with some sampling, for quality control purposes.

The Chemistry Graduate Student Organization provides opportunities for graduate students to connect with each other and discuss graduate school life. By hosting seminars and offering resources we aid in the professional development of grad students. The CGSO also collaborates with the department to host visitation and orientation events. CGSO wants to amplify grad students’ voices and represent their interests within the department.

Meetings are held on the first Friday of every month at 3:00 PM in the Chemistry Graduate Student Lounge. We invite all interested graduate students to attend and join our email list by contacting chem_cgso@Mail.Colostate.edu if you are interested in joining!

President – Tessa Whitaker

My name is Tessa, and I am the CGSO president! I am a third year in the Reynolds group, and I have been working towards understanding various mechanisms of MOF catalysis. During my free time, I enjoy reading, watching the Knicks, crocheting, and spending time with my cat, Jinx!

Vice President – Kerry Miller

My name is Kerry, I am the CGSO vice president this year! I am a second year in the Borch group, where I study biodegradable plastics and polymer additives in soils to look deeper into their toxic effects. In my free time, I sing professionally, swim, crochet, and do ballet.

Treasurer – Anderson Noonan

Hello! My name is Anderson Noonan and I am the Treasurer of CGSO and VP of CSU’s POLY/PMSE Chapter. I am a second-year in the Chen Lab. I research bio-derived alternatives to petroleum-based plastics: aliphatic long chain polyesters and polyhydroxyalkanoates. I enjoy cycling, cooking, hiking, and spending time with my fiancé, Myah, and our dog, Murphy.

Secretary – Roman Leidtke

I’m Roman and I’m secretary of CGSO this year. I’m a second year in the Farmer group, I study fluxes of aerosols over different landscapes to better understand how aerosols properties, surface properties, and meteorological conditions impact aerosol lifetimes and concentrations in the atmosphere. I like to spend my free time having fun and being myself.

Sabari Kumar

Sabari Kumar (he/him/his) — Co-president: Hi everyone! I’m a third year PChem grad student in the Kim group; my work uses techniques from computational chemistry and data science/machine learning to predict molecular properties. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, spending time with my dog, Sage, and biking and skiing around Colorado. As one of the CGSO co-presidents, I’m passionate about improving working conditions for graduate students and postdocs, and community outreach.

Brandon Portela

Brandon Portela (he/him/his) — Co-president: My name is Brandon Portela and I’m the co-president of the CGSO. I am a third-year graduate student in the Miyake & Paton group, and I focus on quantum mechanical modeling of photo- and electro-chemically driven reactions. In my free time, I enjoy going to different breweries, bars and catching up on Netflix shows.

Ava Chard

Ava Chard (she/her/hers)— Vice President: I am a 2nd year in the Reynolds group where I work on analytical method development in the Cannabis Research Center. In my free time I love hiking, cooking, and spending time with my cat!

Ren Borgia

Ren Borgia (she/her/hers) — Treasurer: My name is Ren, and I am a 2^nd year joint between the Prieto and Neilson groups. My current research is focused on making and characterizing defect-tolerant semiconducting materials for applications in solar cells. In my free time, I compete in powerlifting and I enjoy reading, hiking, and cooking. As the treasurer of the CGSO, I’m excited to contribute to our chemistry community by helping to organize rewarding opportunities for students. I aim to facilitate interactions between students and the greater Fort Collins community through service opportunities, connections between students in different divisions through social events, and access to graduate school advice/information through panels and workshops.

Juniper Morales

Juniper Morales (they/them/theirs)— Secretary: Hey ya’ll, I’m Juniper, I am a 2nd year in the Sambur group. I’m currently working towards quantitively resolving ion-insertion in electrochromic materials via a novel microscopy method. In my free time, I enjoy rock climbing, in particular multi-pitch trad and alpine adventures. As secretary of the CGSO, I hope to increase diversity and foster inclusivity by building community amongst existing/incoming cohorts.