W&L Outcomes: Luke Avigliano ’25
Avigliano is studying for the MCAT this summer and then will be working as a scribe for a pediatrician.
Chemistry
American Dream
Tolu Olubunmi ’02 has made her journey to citizenship an opportunity to inspire and serve others.
From Mystery to Mastery
A chance encounter in the Science Center as a child set Alyssa Cirrincione ’25 on a path to pursue her curiosity at W&L.
Heart of the Matter
Dr. Matthew Sackett ’90, P’18 is on the cutting edge of cardiac treatments.
Simple Interventions
For Dr. Kelli Jarrell ’12, a multidisciplinary approach is foundational to her career in social emergency medicine.
In Case You Missed It
Twelve W&L Students Awarded Gilman Scholarships to Study Abroad
The Gilman Scholarship Program offers awards of up to $5,000 to U.S. undergraduate students who are Pell Grant recipients.
Connell Cunningham Jr. Named Scholar in Residence for the Office of Community-Based Learning
The visiting assistant professor of chemistry will serve a one-year term for the 2024-25 academic year.
Spider Sense
Nadia Ayoub, professor of biology, loves sharing her passion for open-ended scientific exploration with colleagues and students.
Erin Gray Receives American Chemical Society’s Undergraduate New Investigator Grant
The assistant professor of chemistry will utilize the funds to conduct fundamental research in organic chemistry.
‘W&L After Class’ Podcast Releases New Episode Featuring Lisa Alty
In this month’s episode, Alty discusses how a distasteful high school chemistry experience, enrolling in college as a first-generation student and seeing W&L evolve since the early years of coeducation shaped her approach to teaching.
W&L’s Rheannon Loth ’24 Awarded a U.S. Teaching Assistantship to Austria
Loth will teach English in Austria for nine months before applying for the Peace Corps.
W&L’s Sarp Sahin ’26 Awarded Goldwater Scholarship
Sahin is W&L’s first sophomore to receive the scholarship since 2009.
Meet Sydney Fleming ’27
The first-year student says the Outing Club and W&L's proximity to great hiking and kayaking spots were a big draw.
In Memoriam: J. Brown Goehring, Professor of Chemistry Emeritus
W&L’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter named the Phi Beta Kappa J. Brown Goehring Sophomore Award in his honor.
Meet Tiwaniya Tyler ’24
With medical school on the horizon, Tyler embraces many opportunities such as research fellowship, studying abroad and sorority life.
Jaden Keuhner ’24 leaves a legacy honoring Gold Star families
Keuhner helped establish a memorial at Jordan’s Point dedicated to veterans killed in the line of duty and their families.
W&L’s Kyle Friend Presents Nobel Prize Symposium Talk
Kyle Friend, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, will discuss this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine on Nov. 8 in Leyburn Library’s Harte Center.
Digging Deep
W&L’s Summer Research Scholars program gives students hands-on experience in collaborative research with faculty mentors.
Two Washington and Lee ROTC Students Receive Project Global Officer Grants
Christy Childs ’26 and Griffin Conti ’26 will receive funding to study foreign languages this summer.
Playing It Forward
Washington and Lee seniors David Onyejekwe ’23, Jake McCabe ’23 and Bailey Keel ’23 have created lasting connections with the local community as volunteer coaches for Lex Lax youth lacrosse.
W&L Professors and Students Co-Author Peer-Reviewed Paper on Web-Weaving Spiders
Professors Nadia Ayoub and Kyle Friend, and students Jamal Magoti ’23, Maria Luzaran ’23, Cooper Lazo ’24 and Eman Muamar ’24 all contributed to the paper that appeared in the open science platform Frontiers.
Meet David Li ’25
Li is excited to take advantage of the personalized education W&L offers and to explore the Lexington-Rockbridge area.
Pursuing Her Passions
Aishwarya Vemagiri '25 hopes her summer research experience on diet-induced obesity will lead to a career in the medical field.
Science Advisory Board Funds New Student Opportunities Endowment
The STEM-focused endowment will support internships, research opportunities, academic conference costs and other student experiences.
W&L’s Grist ’22 Awarded Fulbright to Australia
Elizabeth Grist has been awarded a Fulbright research grant to Melbourne, Australia, to study the stigma and barriers associated with receiving medication for opioid use disorder.
Spring Term Course Brings CSI To Life
CSI: W&L students are learning forensic science with the help of a real FBI evidence response team.
Washington and Lee’s Jensen Rocha ’23 Awarded Goldwater Scholarship
Each scholar is awarded $7,500 to support undergraduate research in their junior or senior year.
Meet the Professor: Daniel K. Afosah
Daniel K. Afosah, assistant professor of chemistry, joined the Washington and Lee University faculty in 2021.
‘A Serendipitous Experience’
Everything has fallen into place at W&L for Alankrit Shatadal '21, who complemented her academic experience with research, peer counseling and membership in University Singers.
W&L’s Doan Bui ’21 Awarded U.S. Teaching Assistantship in Austria
Bui’s USTA position with Fulbright Austria starts in September 2021.
Student Researchers Assist Ayoub with PLOS ONE Article
Associate Professor of Biology Nadia Ayoub collaborated with students and alumni to publish a research article in the open-access journal PLOS ONE titled “The common house spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum, maintains silk gene expression on sub-optimal diet.”
Strong, Settle Write Piece About Nuclear Age
The commentary was published this week in The Roanoke Times.
W&L Professors Receive Grant for Chemistry Tutorial
A $27,600 grant from Associated Colleges of the South will allow for the development of phase two of ChemTutor, a tutorial system for students new to college-level chemistry.
Good Chemistry
George Barker '20 used both of his majors, computer science and chemistry, to help build a website that makes a challenging subject more approachable for students.
Racing Through Summer
Ben Peeples '21 is enjoying a chemistry internship at Brown University while training for the World Canoeing Championships in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Getting Their Start in Art
For Darcy Olmstead '21 and Lindsey Hewitt '21, analyzing art in the Netherlands and the U.S. with Professor Erich Uffelman has been an educational 'dream come true.'
A Goal in Mind
Working with ICU patients at Vanderbilt University Medical Center through the Allen Grant has reaffirmed neuroscience major Laney Smith's desire to become a surgeon.
A Brave New World
In the Genetic Engineering and Society SIn the Genetic Engineering and Society Spring Term class, students focus on the intersection of science, medicine, law, agriculture, ethics and public policy.pring Term class, students focus on the intersection of science, medicine, law, agriculture and public policy.
The Devil is in the Details
Virginia's largest craft brewer, Devils Backbone Brewing Co., serves students of analytical chemistry hands-on learning, grain to glass.
Tori Hester ’20 Awarded Critical Language Scholarship to Study in China
Hester will participate in an intensive eight-week Chinese language course at Shaanxi Normal University.
Expert in Paleontology Sculptures to Give Keynote Speech for SSA
The title of Gary Staab’s presentation is “Digital Dinosaurs: Fleshing out the Past."
Washington and Lee Names LaRiviere New Associate Dean of the College
Fred LaRiviere, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at Washington and Lee University, is the new associate dean of the college, beginning Feb. 11.
The Interaction Between Health and Poverty
James Ricks '21 interviews Dr. Jonathan Wortham '04 about his work with the Centers for Disease Control.
Building Blocks
Virginia McGhee ’19 spent the summer at Stanford University building polymers in Bob Waymouth ’82’s chemistry lab.
Ayoub and Friend Awarded NSF Grant for Research in Spider Silk
The grant will help fund a multidisciplinary team from three institutions, including W&L, that will investigate how variation in adhesive-protein components of spider silk relate to differences in the glue’s material properties.
Studying Medicine in Pakistan
A grant from the Endeavor Foundation allowed Midha Ahmad '21 and Sawera Khan '21 to spend the summer in Pakistan, where they compared alternative medicine to traditional treatment.
Confronting Cancer with Research
Erin An '19 has spent time this summer researching immunotherapy treatments for pediatric cancer at the University of Virginia.
W&L Holds Public Lecture: ‘Getting Away with Fraud: The Lansdowne Portraits of George Washington’
Evans will discuss the history behind several fraudulent copies of Lansdowne-style George Washington portraits that were produced based on the original.
Practical Tools for the Future
Yoko Koyama '19 put her W&L learning to work this summer at National Instruments Japan.
Helping Kids Bounce Back
Dr. Daniel “Trey” Lee ’98 leads groundbreaking research and clinical trials of immunotherapy treatments to fight pediatric cancers.
W&L Students Receive National Science Foundation Awards
The NSF only funds about 11,000 of the 40,000 proposals it receives annually for research, education and training projects.
W&L Women Mentor the Next Generation
Women in Technology and Science gives girls from local middle and elementary schools an opportunity to perform science experiments in all disciplines during the academic year.
W&L’s Kyle Friend Awarded Grant for Stem Cell Research
W&L's Kyle Friend received a $100,000 grant from the Jeffress Trust Awards Program in Interdisciplinary Research.
Investigating Protein Synthesis
Yavuz Durmaz ’20 worked with Professor Kyle Friend to probe mRNA instability.
Student Sleuths Seek Clues in Indian Painting
University Collections teamed up with the Art History and Chemistry departments at W&L to examine a tiny painting surrounded by mystery.
Adding Up the Research
Anukriti Shrestha '19 has found an intersection of mathematics, computer science and research — all in the heart of Lexington.
Advanced Research Cohort Program Marks Second Successful Year
Twelve Class of 2021 students visited W&L for a five-week Advanced Research Cohort program that allowed them to dabble in STEM projects and establish quality relationships.
Hormones, Fat and Infertility
Annie Jeckovich ’18 is studying the effects of obesity on reproduction in W&L's Fat Rat lab.
Heat, Water, Lasers, Patience
Angel Vela de la Garza Evia ‘18 learned that research is two parts patience, two parts fun with lasers
Eleni Timas ‘17: Swept up in Science
Meet Eleni Timas ‘17, a chemical engineering major who has been swept up studying tornadoes.
W&L Junior Awarded Davis Projects for Peace Grant
W&L junior Angel Vela de la Garza Evia has won a $10,000 Davis Projects for Peace grant.
Marcia France on Chemistry, Cooking and Culture
This associate dean of the college is interested in green chemistry, playing the flute and teaching her Science of Cooking class in Italy
Shaping Traditions: Alex Meilech ’18
Alex Meilech '18 has experienced tradition - from Lexington, Virginia to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Intersection of Art and Science: Lauren Sturdy ’11
Finding answers in the space where science and art intersect.
Interns At Work: Michael Sullivan
Michael Sullivan spent his summer interning at the Cultural Heritage Institute of the Netherlands in Amsterdam
Passionate About Public Health
Johnson Opportunity Grant Winner Cameron Lee interns at the Cluj School of Public Health in Romania.
W&L Faculty to Discuss Open Access Publishing
Four W&L faculty will talk about their experiences with Open Access publishing, both from the editorial and authorial perspectives, on Oct. 24 from 4:30–5:30 p.m.
In Depth: Washington and Lee Launches Advanced Research Cohort (ARC) Pilot
12 exceptional students experience a unique summer program aimed at increasing retention in STEM majors.
Changing Perspectives: Sage Timberline ’15
Sage Timberline is a biochemistry major with a minor in poverty and human capability studies from Richmond, Va. A member of the Class of 2015, she interned at the Downtown Health Plaza in Winston-Salem, N.C.
My W&L: Emmanuel Abebrese ’15
Emmanuel Abebrese is a biochemistry major with a minor in poverty and human capability studies from Woodbridge, Va. A member of the Class of 2015, he is a member of the Student Association for International Learning, the African Students Association and the Beta Beta Beta biology honor society. He is also the founder of Citadel Foundation for Kids, a nonprofit organization in Ghana and the U.S. that provides children with mentors, resources and training to prepare them for future global leadership and focuses on alleviating child poverty worldwide.
Young Alumni at Work: Thomas Day ’15
After majoring in biochemistry, religion and music composition at W&L, Thomas Day took his skills to help people at their most vulnerable point in life. .
My W&L: Darlon Jan ’15
"W&L is about the people who make the traditions and community succeed."
Student Leaders: Richard Snyder ’16 and Gabby Collado ’16
Lenfest Center House Directors work behind the scenes to keep performances running smoothly.
Interns at Work: Levi Warring ’16
Chemistry major Levi Warring interns with NASA.
Faculty Focus: Fred LaRiviere
"One of the most important things about science, and any discipline, is communication."
The Pre-Dental Club: Encouraging Smiles
Sophomore Brett Becker has started the Pre-dental Club for Washington and Lee students who want to study dentistry and to volunteer in the community.
Looking for older stories? See the complete Chemistry archive.
