Wesley College undergraduates Aaron Givens (Biochemistry), Laura Hinkle (Biology), Jaci Knapp (Biology), Peter Lorchak (Nursing), Brian Mahon (Biochemistry), Matthew McAneny (Biology), Kristopher Roeske (Environmental Science), and Brandon Sandosky (Environmental Science) presented seven posters at the 241st National American Chemical Society (ACS) Meeting & Exposition in Anaheim, California over March 27-31, 2011. These students were mentored in our sponsored undergraduate directed research program in organic chemistry by Dr. Malcolm J. D’Souza, professor of chemistry. Four of the seven posters were awarded merit certificates. This is the fifth consecutive year that undergraduate students engaged in this organic chemistry research program at Wesley have earned awards at the ACS national conference. This year over 1200 undergraduate poster presentations were on display, and only 176 certificates were awarded.

Posters presented by seniors Brian Mahon, Jaci Knapp, and Aaron Givens, each received certificates of merit-appreciation from the ACS Chemical Education-Division of Environmental Chemistry. Peter Lorchak’s poster earned a certificate of recognition from the ACS Chemical Education-Division of Analytical Chemistry.

Posters presented by Jaci Knapp, Peter Lorchak, Matthew McAneny, and Brandon Sandosky were collaborative projects completed with Dr. Dennis N. Kevill from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Northern Illinois University (NIU). Brian Mahon’s project was in collaboration with Dr. Kevill at NIU and Dr. Jin Burm Kyong from the Department of Chemistry and Applied Chemistry at Hanyang University in Korea. Aaron Givens’ presentation on “cataloging pesticides found and used in Delaware” was sponsored by the Delaware NIH-NCRR-INBRE grant and a Delaware Space Grant through the Delaware-Space Grant Consortium (DESGC) sponsored by NASA. All the other poster presentations were sponsored by the Delaware NIH-NCRR-INBRE grant and an NSF-ARI R2 grant.

Wesley College undergraduate students Aaron Givens, Brian Mahon, and Jaci Knapp stand with their certificates of merit appreciation for research that they conducted under the direction of Dr. Malcolm D'Souza, Professor of Chemistry. Peter Lorchak, a Senior Nursing major, earned a certificate of recognition for his poster (names from left to right).

Wesley College undergraduate students Aaron Givens (Biochemistry), Kristopher Roeske (Environmental Science), Brian Mahon (Biochemistry), Laura Hinkle (Biology), Jaci Knapp (Biology), Brandon Sandosky (Environmental Science), Matthew McAneny (Biology), and Peter Lorchak (Nursing) stand with their mentor and advisor Dr. Malcolm D'Souza, Professor of Chemistry, at the 241st National American Chemical Society (ACS) Meeting & Exposition in Anaheim, California over March 27-31, 2011. Each student presented a poster based upon research conducted in the undergraduate research program at Wesley.