The 2023 Graduate Student Showcase took place on November 15, 2023, at the Lory Student Center. The Showcase highlighted research, entrepreneurship, and creativity in CSU’s graduate students. It gave grad students the opportunity to present their research and connect with their student peers and faculty. In addition to conference experience gained, students’ work was entered into a contest for multiple scholarships ranging in value and totaling $21K+.

The Department of Chemistry had many grad students present their research at this year’s Showcase. Award winners include:

$300 Research Top Scholar Award – Monika Perez, for her research on the need to optimize all battery components and find compatible electrolyte compositions for sodium-ion battery systems.

$500 CNS Outstanding Scholar Award – Rose Rossell, for her research on differences of temperature responses of native versus invasive maple trees in New York City to study how urban greening and climate change may affect urban pollution levels.

Chris Stubbs, for his research on the modeling and design of sustainable polymers, using both experimental and computational methods to explore structure-property relationships.

Jacob VanderRoest, for his research on the impacts of wildfire on soil chemistry and microbiology using controlled burns.

$500 Drivers of Innovation: CSU STRATA Platinum Award – Andrea Selkow, for her research on the synthesis of antibacterial materials that would be used to coat medical devices. This would enable the controlled release of antibiotics for the treatment of long-term infections.

$100 Great Minds in Research Honorable Mention – Erin Snyder, for her research on developing new nanoparticle materials for solar cells.

Yayo Virgen, for his research on confinement slows urea down which in turn impacts and slows the dynamics of the confined water environment and aims to explain how confinement alters the chemistry that drives biology and life.