ASBMB honors 2024 outstanding student chapter

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology honors one of its undergraduate student chapters each year with the Outstanding Chapter Award. This year, the honor goes to the University of South Alabama chapter. Saint Louis University earned an honorable mention.

The University of South Alabama’s student chapter faculty adviser is Phoibe Renema, an assistant professor in the biomedical sciences department. The student members of the chapter include Genevieve Batman, Bailey Baxter, Rebecca Berry, Marlee Bradford, Alexis Bui, Griffin Buroughs, Sanjana Chada, Zachary Chancey, Ananya Chari, Delaney Daly, Jennie Dang, Alexander Davis, Gabrielle Dion, Alan Escobar, Matthew Gahn, Kyle A. Gaviria, Katie Giles, Jeremy Herren, Connor Holm, Karissa Larson, Maggie Lawson, Caleb Lopansri, Laura Luz, Mary Helene Marmande, Jonathan Mason, Dev V. Mehta, Ethan Meyers, Omar Molokhia, Presley B. Mullinax, Katelyn Newkirk, Anita Nguyen, Kevin Nguyen, Paul Nguyen, Aden Patel, Rani Patel, Tarianna Patel, Suhas Patil, Richard Pham, Deborah Reece, Noor Abdelfatah Shalan, Ansley Simmons, Jack Spedale, Cheyenne Strickland, Anna Taylor, Justin Taylor, Brendon Turner, Gwyneth Vogler, Franshea Williams, Jaden Williams and Noah Woodfin.

Cheyenne Strickland, a senior member of the chapter and outreach chair, said the award is a huge success for the chapter: “The other officers and I had so many goals we all wanted to achieve. To win this award when we have only been a club for three years shows that we are successfully achieving those goals and paving the way for students in research.”

The chapter has worked toward its goals by increasing membership, connecting undergraduate students with potential mentors, participating in local research symposia, engaging in outreach to incoming freshmen and local high school students and more.

Caleb Lopansri is a junior member of the chapter and its treasurer. “Service and exposure to scientific research are the pillars of our student chapter, which is something that I absolutely love,” Lopansri said. “I believe that this award will allow us to capitalize on our goals of outreach programs, increasing our chapter’s impact and exposure to undergraduate and K–12 students alike.”

South Alabama ASBMB Student Chapter

Members of the University of South Alabama ASBMB Student Chapter gather for a group portrait after a chapter meeting.