Two Chemistry Majors Receive CMNS Alumni Network Endowed Undergraduate Awards

Undergraduates / 23 May 2024 /

The awards will enable the students to conduct research and present at scientific conferences over the summer

Every year, the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS) Alumni Network offers summer awards to help undergraduates defray costs related to conducting research, attending conferences or interning. 

Read below how this year’s chemistry award recipients plan to further their professional and career development with funding from the CMNS Alumni Network Endowed Undergraduate Awards program.
 

Disha Sanwal

Junior chemistry and mathematics dual-degree student Disha Sanwal joined Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Pratyush Tiwary’s lab during her first year of college. There, while developing computational methods to explore hard-to-model biophysical systems, she discovered her appreciation for math and decided to pick up her second degree in mathematics. 

This summer, Sanwal will put her knowledge to work at Schrödinger in New York City as a computational research intern. She also plans to attend the 2024 MolSSI MAPOL Computational Chemistry workshop at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in June. 

Alexander Wolfson

Alexander Wolfson is on the path to medical school as a sophomore chemistry major. On campus, Wolfson is an undergraduate research assistant in Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Lawrence Sita’s lab and serves as a recruitment ambassador for CMNS. This summer, he will study an ocular surface disease with University of Maryland Medical System Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology Sarah Sunshine. “I am most looking forward to spending time at the clinic as well as the lab, combining research with clinical care and learning from a great physician,” Wolfson said. “I was so happy when I found out that I was a recipient of this award because it will be a major help to me as I do research in Baltimore, away from home.”

 

Are you interested in supporting undergraduate students in their professional development and research activities? Consider donating to the CMNS Alumni Network Current-Use Undergraduate Award Fund.