Aidan Grealish and Mary Earp have been chosen as recipients of the 2015 UO Chemistry and Biochemistry department’s annual undergraduate scholarships. The Faith Van Nice Scholarship has been awarded to Aidan Grealish, and the Kuntz-Swinehart Memorial Scholarship to Mary Earp.

The Faith Van Nice Scholarship is dedicated to the legacy of alumna Faith Van Nice, and recognizes exceptional UO undergraduate students majoring in Chemistry or Biochemistry. This year’s recipient, Aidan Grealish, is from Tualatin, Oregon, and is a sophomore in the Clark Honors College.  Majoring in Chemistry and Digital Arts, she chose UO for the flexibility in schedule that would allow her to explore her diverse interests.  Aidan finds inspiration by dipping her toes into lots of fields, and feels that her interdisciplinary scholarship is an advantage as she applies her creative abilities to her approach to science.

Aidan will begin doing research in the Page lab this summer, working on the synthesis of thin films and their applications for electronics. She is excited to explore the chemistry behind new and developing technology. Her long-term goals include an MD/PhD combined graduate program.  She would like to settle into a career that will engage both her creative and scientific sides, perhaps in healthcare, bioinformatics, or scientific visualization.  She is passionate about increasing access to knowledge, and the potential for new media and technology to promote the democratization of information.

The Kuntz-Swinehart Memorial Scholarship, meant to recognize and encourage academic excellence in our majors, was established by former UO Chemistry students in honor of two professors whose instruction, influence and inspiration had a significant impact on their career paths. Our 2015 recipient, Mary Earp, is a sophomore from West Linn, Oregon, majoring in Biochemistry.  She was drawn to the UO for the resources it has to offer as a large university, and the opportunities for research.  She credits her organic chemistry courses with opening up a whole new world for her, offering an opportunity to discover how things work on a molecular level, and the reactions that occur when molecules are combined.

Mary is currently doing research in two UO laboratories, chemistry in the Pluth lab, and psychology in the Sereno lab. The Pluth lab research is focused on hydrogen sulfide detection in biological systems.  Hydrogen sulfide has shown importance in many different biological processes, and has a great deal of medical relevance.  Mary’s work involves examining fluorescent molecular probes to see if they behave as described in the literature, and comparing them to each other.  In the Sereno lab, her psychology research examines visual perception and how people perceive 3-D objects.  She finds that working in multiple labs rounds out her approach to research, and offers opportunities to pursue her varied interests. After earning her undergraduate degree, Mary plans to continue on to grad school in a MD/PhD combined program. She hopes to work in research, and eventually have a lab of her own.

Both Mary and Aidan would like to express their appreciation for being chosen for these awards, and for the department’s investment and belief in their potential as scholars and scientists.