2022 Undergraduate Scholarship Winners

2022 Winners

Emily Delgado, St. Peter’s University, Jersey City, NJ
Sean Larmore, NJIT, Newark, NJ
Joshua Rivkind, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ
Jasmin Ceja-Vega, Iona College, New Rochelle, NY

On June 1, 2022, as part of the monthly Chemical Marketing and Economics, Inc. (CME) STEM Talks by Thought Leaders, CME officials presented the first part of the cash prizes to the four winners of the 2022 CME Undergraduate Summer Research Scholarships for college juniors majoring in chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering or related fields, in the New York metropolitan (NY-NJ-CT) area.

The four winners brought their guests to the CME luncheon and webinar meeting at the Penn Club of New York featuring Trinseo CEO Frank Bozich who spoke about Trinseo’s Transformation: Unlocking Bold, Creative, Sustainable Solutions. Get access to the webinar recording by joining the CME LinkedIn Group at the bottom of this page.

The final part of the cash prizes will be presented to the winners at the Penn Club of New York on September 15, 2022, CME STEM Talk featuring both the Chairman and the President of Orbia.

Abstract Title: Ruthenium Water-Oxidation Catalysts on Functionalized TiO2 Polymer Nanocomposites for Applications in Artificial Photosynthesis

Solar panels composed of photovoltaics offer a green alternative to fossil fuels for generating electricity, however, they are expensive and inefficient. Taking inspiration from natural photosynthesis, this project aims to use photoactive ruthenium catalysts supported on Titaniumdioxide nanoparticles to store the energy collected from photovoltaics in chemical form, either as hydrogen gas from water-splitting or methanol from CO2 reduction.

Ms. Emily Delgado is a rising junior B.S. Biological Chemistry major with a medicinal chemistry minor at St. Peter’s University. Her love of chemical research began as Project SEED high school student in the summer of 2019. A Latino first-generation college student, her ambitions are to earn an MD/PhD degree and pursue biomedical research.

Date for Research: June 1 – August 15, 2022
College Lab: Saint Peter’s University, 2641 Kennedy Blvd, Jersey City, NJ 07306
Research Advisor/Professor: Prof. Yosra Badiei, St. Peter’s University, NJ
Planned poster presentation: ACS National Meeting, “Sustainability in a changing World”, ACS Fall Mtg, Aug 21 – 25, 2022, Chicago, IL

Abstract Title: Interaction of phytochemicals with biomembranes: Effect of phospholipid composition and cholesterol on dynamic membrane properties

Phytochemicals from plants have caught public attention for their antitumor, antimicrobial, and neuroprotective properties, however, a detailed description of their mechanism of action is lacking. This research project investigates the non-specific interactions of phytochemicals with a model membrane system, the droplet interface bilayer, in the presence and absence of cholesterol. These interactions may influence protein structure and biological function and thus provide a possible mode of action.

Ms. Jasmin Ceja-Vega is currently a junior studying biochemistry at Iona College with interests in pharmaceutical and biomaterials research that impacts public health. plans to earn his Ph.D. in chemistry and aspirations to become a professor. She has three years biophysical research experience through “Project Symphony” which is probing cell membranes in a team setting.

Date of Research: June 1 – August 15, 2022
College Lab: Iona College, Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Research Group: Project Symphony, 715 North Ave., New Rochelle, NY, 10801
Research Advisor/Professor: Prof. Sunghee Lee, Iona College

Abstract Title: Computational Study on the Reactivity of Substituted Cyclopropylcarbinyl Carbocations

Students are taught that organic reactions involving a carbocation intermediate do not exhibit any stereospecificity, however there are select examples of reactions involving nonclassical carbocations which are able to retain the stereochemistry “in memory”. The goal of this research project is to use high-level computational methods, including density functional theory, to understand how and when these reactions lose their stereochemical memory.

Mr. Sean Larmore is currently a junior studying chemistry at the New Jersey Institute of Technology with plans to earn his Ph.D. in chemistry and aspirations to become a professor. He began his research in organic computational chemistry 2020 and was a 2021 NJIT Provost Undergraduate Research and Innovation Summer Fellow.

Date of Research: May 23 – July 29
College Lab: New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), 161 Warren St., Newark, NJ 07102
Research Advisor/Professor: Prof. Pier Alexandre Champagne, NJIT

Abstract Title: CO2 Catalysis

Conversion of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into harmless inert chemicals promises to be a mechanism to alleviate global climate change by removing CO2 from the atmosphere, however, an effective and efficient method to affect this conversion is unknown. This project will computationally explore conversion of CO2 on alloy surfaces using density functional theory.

Mr. Joshua Rivkind is currently a B.S. Chemistry major at Rowan University whose interest in chemistry began in the 6th grade and has evolved into a love of quantum chemistry which is highly conceptual, theoretical, mathematical and computational. Since Fall 2021, he has been exploring the complexity and beauty of quantum chemistry to explain chemical reactivity.

Date of Research: June 6 – August 14, 2022
College Lab: Rowan University, Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry, 201 Mullica Hill Rd, Glassboro, NJ 08028
Research Advisor/Professor: Prof. Eric Hoy, Rowan University