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Students in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry recently scored a variety of impressive accomplishments in research and competition.

Senior Alexander Smiarowski earned the 2024 Undergraduate Student Award from the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) for his work with Dr. Isaac Agyekum, associate professor of chemistry. Smiarowski presented their research, which is a novel, faster and more streamlined analytical method of fatty acid analysis, and received his award at the ASMS Annual Conference on Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics in June in Anaheim, California.

Smiarowski, who is pursuing a degree in chemistry, said he appreciates the way Agyekum gives him input in the research process. The senior plans to attend graduate school and work in the analytical chemistry industry.

"I feel pride in my mentor. I'm being led by somebody who knows what he's doing so well," Smiarowski said. "I feel pride in our school. There are so many things to be thankful for."

Ryan Coyle, a spring graduate with a degree in chemistry with a biochemistry concentration, received the Outstanding Undergraduate Student of the Year Award from the Northeast Georgia Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS). In April, he accepted the award at the combined ACS/University of Georgia chemistry awards banquet in Athens, Georgia.

Coyle conducted undergraduate research at ´óÏó´«Ã½ with Dr. John Leyba, dean of the College of Science & Mathematics, and additional work for two consecutive summers at Emor