Chemistry Students Win Top Honors at Research Conference in Arkansas

group of five college students
From left, front row: Rebecca Evans, Rebeca Roldan, and Sarah Helland. From left, back row: Madison Perchik and Zach Wall

Chemistry research students from Rhodes earned five awards after presenting their work at the Arkansas INBRE Research Conference in Fayetteville, AR, Nov. 2-3. 

  • Zach Wall ’19 (chemistry, physics, and math) won first place in the Physics Posters category for a presentation based on his research into GPU implementation of code for molecular quantum mechanics.
  • Sarah Helland ’21 (chemistry) won first place in the Chemistry Posters category for her work on Solvatochromism of [Mo(diimine)Cl 4] compounds.
  • Madison Perchik ’19 (chemistry) won second place in the Chemistry Oral Presentation category for a presentation based on her research into inhibitors of the Phenylalanine Hydroxylase enzyme.
  • Rebecca Evans ’19 (chemistry) won Honorable Mention in the Chemistry Posters category for a presentation based on her research into inhibitors of the Tyrosine Hydroxylase enzyme.
  • Rebeca Roldan ’19 (chemistry) won Honorable Mention in the Chemistry Posters category for a presentation based on her research into the design and synthesis of inhibitors of the LPXC enzyme.

Helland works in the lab of Prof. Will Eckenhoff; Roldan works with Prof. Larryn Peterson and Prof. Mauricio Cafiero; and Wall, Perchik and Evans work in the lab of Prof. Cafiero. Profs. Peterson, Cafiero, and Eckenhoff also served as judges in the poster session.

Others students who attended the conference include Peyton Antwine ’19, Carter Embry ’19, Connor Frost ’19, Mary Neil Hodl ’19, Phillips Hutchinson ’19, Caroline Magee ’19, Hamid Shirwany ’19, Megan Simons ’19, Cameron Tinker ’19,  Elise Moix ’20, Abby Polzin ’20, Liam Rhodes ’20, Emily Sanders ’20, Audrey Woody ’20, Emma Cook ’21, Keren Lee ’21, and Kayla Puzdrakiewicz ’21.