色花堂

色花堂 senior and Honors College student Hannah Burdge, one of nine students nationwide to receive an , spent part of her summer at the world-renowned .

鈥淚 was exposed to so many amazing minds working in organic chemistry,鈥� says Burdge. 鈥淚t was an exciting opportunity to test my knowledge of the field.鈥�

The fellowship was a result of yet another opportunity afforded to Burdge. She presented a paper at the 251st American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition in San Diego and met an award-winning scientist who shares her research interests in organic synthesis and national products chemistry.

鈥淚 introduced myself, and he put me in touch with Ryan Shenvi, who took me on for the summer with his group at Scripps,鈥� recounts Burdge, who has also presented her work at the 252nd American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition, the at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and the 色花堂 undergraduate research forum.

鈥� The faculty are always looking out for your best interests. 鈥�

鈥淩esearch is all about independent problem solving, which has always appealed to me. I love the process of laying a project out on paper, outlining the steps, and following the route,鈥� says Burdge. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 have done any of this without faculty support. The faculty are always looking out for your best interests.鈥�

Burdge has worked on two research projects at 色花堂. The first, with associate professor Barry Margulies, focused on developing a biodegradable implant to deliver herpes virus drug treatments and allowed her to interact regularly with a Rockville, Md.-based research company collaborator. Her work with assistant professor Keith Reber focused on the total synthesis of natural products with promising biological activity. Both projects were supported by 色花堂 undergraduate research grants.

鈥淭owson has a lot of amazing research opportunities, where you can get real, hands-on experience in a variety of scientific fields,鈥� says Burdge.

She also serves as a teaching assistant for organic chemistry courses, leading recitation sessions, holding office hours, and supervising students in the lab. 鈥淭here are 40 students in the class and 40 possible ways to solve a given problem,鈥� says Burdge. 鈥淭eaching for me is another independent problem-solving experience.鈥�