Service Award Presented to Chemistry Graduate Students
The Department of Chemistry is pleased to announce that graduate students Seong Ik Cheon, Rachelle Copeland, Yasha Duggal, Margaret Gerthoffer, Varun Mandalaparthy, Lily Mawby, Ryan Szukalo, and Eli Wenger have been named winners of the Department of Chemistry Student Service Award.
The Student Service Award was created by the Department of Chemistry to recognize graduate students who have proven to be outstanding examples of dedicated service to either their research lab, student organization, or departmental committee.
Seong Ik Cheon was recognized for his work as a volunteer for the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington DC, as a science mentor for the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services, and as an outreach leader for the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center. He also submitted a successful proposal for ENVISION STEM, collaborated with Graduate Women in Science to create a Young Women in STEM workshop, and directed a video showcasing Graduate Student Association (GSA) board members.
Rachelle Copeland received the award in acknowledgement her work as a member of the Penn State Eberly College of Science recruitment team, a participant in the Graduate Women in Science conference "Voices," a lecturer in undergraduate chemistry courses, and a co-organizer and teacher at the Penn State Bioinorganic Workshops. She has also been a member of the Community Service and Education and Mentoring Committee of the Black Graduate Student Association of Penn State, a member of the Multicultural Graduate Student Research Community of Penn State, a member of the Department of Chemistry Climate and Diversity Committee, and a member of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE). She also represented Penn State at the 2019 NOBCChE meeting.
Yasha Duggal was recognized for her work as a member of the Department of Chemistry Climate and Diversity Committee, a member of the Eberly College of Science Graduate DEI subcommittee, an executive board member of the Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA), the founder of the Climate Action Subcommittee of the GPSA, a member of the Faculty Senate Student Life Committee, and an interviewer for the John White 2021 Fellowship. She is also a member of Graduate Women in Science, a communication fellow for the American Chemical Society Division of Biological Chemistry, an elected chair of the Graduate Research Symposium "Sensory Transduction in Microorganisms," and a science communicator for the community. Additionally, she was selected as a young ambassador of the American Society for Microbiology.
Margaret Gerthoffer received the award in acknowledgement of her work as a member of the Department of Chemistry Climate and Diversity Committee, a liaison between Penn State Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and the Climate and Diversity Committee, a member of the teaching efficacy team for graduate chemistry orientation, a judge at Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS), a co-chair of the Graduate Student and Postdoc Committee of the National Science Foundation Center of Nanothread Chemistry (CNC), and for coordinating CNC outreach efforts. She also organized workshops on Imposter Syndrome, co-worker relationships, and effective team management for graduate students.
Varun Mandalaparthy received the award in acknowledgement of his work as a member of the Department of Chemistry Climate and Diversity Committee, a co-organizer of international panels, a graduate student advocate, a past secretary of the Chemistry GSA, a mentor for incoming graduate students, a volunteer for AEOCPT Exam Prep, a volunteer at State College Arts Fest, a volunteer for Haunted-U, a volunteer for ENVISION, a moderator for departmental graduate student panels, and a discussion moderator for CHEM 500. He was also nominated for the Eberly College of Science Dean's Climate and Diversity Award.
Lily Mawby received the award in acknowledgement of her work as the president of the Chemistry GSA, a teaching assistant supervisor, a lab supervisor, and a board member of the Chemistry GSA. She is also an active participant in the department’s open house event and in recruiting, mentoring, and outreach efforts for the graduate program.
Ryan Szukalo was recognized for his work as the vice president of the Chemistry GSA, a board member of the GSA, the creator of the department’s t-shirt design contest, a graduate student mentor, and an outreach organizer for the Department of Chemistry.
Eli Wenger received the award in recognition of his work as the treasurer of the Chemistry GSA, the former vice president of the Chemistry GSA, the coordinator of the Lion Lectures, the co-organizer and participant of the Penn State Bioinorganic Workshop, the videographer for the World-Wide Community of Bioinorganic Chemists, and as a recruitment and open house mentor.
The Department of Chemistry thanks Cheon, Copeland, Duggal, Gerthoffer, Mandalaparthy, Mawby, Szukalo, and Wenger for their service to the chemistry community.