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Penn State Alumna Rachelle Copeland receives the ACS Nobel Laureate Signature Award for Graduate Education in Chemistry

26 October 2022

 

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Former Penn State chemistry graduate student Rachelle Copeland has been awarded the ACS Nobel Laureate Signature Award for Graduate Education in Chemistry. This award also recognizes Copeland’s Penn State advisors Marty Bollinger and Carsten Krebs, both professors of chemistry and biochemistry and molecular biology.  

The Nobel Laureate Signature Award for Graduate Education in Chemistry was established in 1978 by the chemicals and materials company Avantor. In 1980, the award was further expanded to acknowledge the student’s advisors and their excellence in research mentoring. 

“Rachelle's time in our group was spectacular in every respect,” said Krebs. Her time in the Bollinger-Krebs group started by securing a Department of Energy (DOE) grant in the initial phase of her Ph.D. This was followed by completing long, tedious, and very technically challenging experiments that she conceived and eventually carried out on her own. “These efforts led to her publishing a paper in Science and the successful renewal of the DOE grant, both of which were orchestrated by her, and ultimately to her recognition with the ACS Award. It has been nothing but a pleasure and privilege to have her in our group.” 

When Bollinger introduced Rachelle at her Ph.D. defense, he said “her best assets as a scientist are, first, that she is, despite enormous intellectual gifts, remarkably humble. Second, she questions everything! These two traits, combined with perseverance through initial uncertainty and disappointment, were what drove her to do the right experiments to break open her very difficult thesis project and earn this most prestigious award.” 

 

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Rachelle Copeland
left to right: Krebs, Copeland, Bollinger

 

Copeland defended her thesis in 2021. Her research addressed long-standing questions in the field of enzymology. She was previously named a recipient of the 2021 Robert T. Simpson Graduate Student Award for Innovative, “Risky,” Science. 

Of her mentors, Copeland said “Carsten and Marty not only demonstrated how creative and rigorous experimentation can elucidate even the most cryptic answers, but they also developed my capacity to do the same.” 

Copeland’s main research project during graduate school revealed important and unexpected details of the mechanism of an enzyme that is a promising biocatalyst. Working on this project deepened her interest in developing biocatalysts to function as green alternatives for accomplishing difficult chemical transformations. These interests from her doctoral studies carried over to her current position as a scientist at Codexis, an enzyme engineering company.  

“I am delighted to see this team of researchers be nationally recognized—Rachelle for her incredible accomplishments and Marty and Carsten for their outstanding mentoring,” said Department Head Phil Bevilacqua. “This is a model of the teamwork between student and faculty that we strive to achieve in our department.” 

 

Media Contacts
Kathryn Harlow
Chemistry Communications Coordinator