The Next Wave – Chem-SURF students

Meet our 2021 Chem-SURF students!

AirUCI is actively involved in the Chemistry Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (Chem-SURF) program and sponsored a 2021 session this summer at UCI. Running from June 14th through August 20th, this was a summer opportunity for undergraduate students from many backgrounds to gain valuable research experience in an academic setting. After a summer of lab work, each student gave a presentation at the Summer Research Symposium, gaining valuable experience in presentation skills.

AirUCI Co-Director Sergey Nizkorodov and Prof. Steve Mang (AirUCI alumnus) administered the 2021 Chem-SURF program, a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site funded by the National Science Foundation. They not only administered the program, but are responsible for making it happen. Sergey and Steve succeeded in getting an NSF REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) grant funded for the Chemistry Department. With help of Cynthia Dennis, the department’s MSO, they set up the program web site, set up the application portal, advertised the program, and selected student finalists from the list of over 50 who applied.

Three 2021 Chem-SURF students were mentored this summer by AirUCI faculty: Kanuri Roundtree from the University of San Diego (Finlayson-Pitts group), Gino Pena from Vanguard University (Smith group), and Angel Arredondo from Cal-State Los Angeles (Nizkorodov group).  

Kanuri has had a strong passion for chemistry since her freshman year of high school so, when choosing a college major, chemistry was the clear and obvious choice. Since entering the University of San Diego she has participated in undergraduate research with Dr. David DeHaan (a former postdoc in the Finlayson-Pitts group) focused on understanding aerosols and brown carbon haze using the Hygroscopic Growth and Bounce Instrument. This also opened an opportunity to work on computational data analysis for the CESAM Cloud Chamber in Paris, France in the summer of 2020.

This summer Kanuri has been measuring sub-10nm particles and examining their chemical composition using thermal desorption chemical ionization mass spectrometry with Dr. Véronique Perraud (shown here with Kanuri)  and Professor Barbara J. Finlayson-Pitts. She has also been developing skills using Ion Chromatography, Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography, and High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography instruments.

Kanuri plans to earn a doctorate degree in physical chemistry, with the possibility of studying medicinal chemistry and drug discovery if she has the time, she says. Kanuri would like to thank the Henry Luce Foundation and the University of San Diego for the Bridges to Doctoral Institutions Fellowship as well as UCI’s Chemistry Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program for the opportunity to develop her research skills in a nourishing environment.

Angel is working diligently at CSULA to earn his B.S. in Chemistry, minoring in Business with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, and his main interests are in analytical and atmospheric research. After undergraduate lab studies in an atmospheric chemistry lab with Prof. Krishna Foster (AirUCI alumna, Finlayson-Pitts group) studying the formation and characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, he found he had an interest in the wide variety of instruments and methods which are used to detect different organic aerosols that contribute to pollution in our troposphere. 

A field trip to JPL Morgan research facilities in Pasadena demonstrated to Angel how an atmospheric chemist can work with engineers, expanding both fields to help find solutions to urgent problems we face. He also has attended American Chemical Society national conferences, and these experiences inspired Angel to aim for higher goals which ultimately led to several ACS student awards and membership in the ACS Scholarship Program.

Angel likes to think of himself as a proton — always staying positive. A dog lover, he says his inspiration and ambition come from his family and his pets. He applied to several internships for Summer 2021 but was attracted to the research facilities AirUCI had to offer. He has been newly inspired by the Chem-SURF program and, going forward, he hopes to help find solutions to combat poor air quality, especially in the Los Angeles County region. Angel is interested in working for local government agencies or aerospace industries that are striving to make a difference in issues related to the environment.

Gino is an Environmental Sciences and Biochemistry double major at Vanguard University of Southern California. He was encouraged to apply for the Chem-SURF program by one of his professors (AirUCI alumnus Christopher Wood, Blake group). His main research interest going into the program was geological sciences. However, after spending time working on AirUCI projects in Jim Smith's lab, he has developed a keen interest in atmospheric sciences and this has expanded his options for determining a major at the graduate level. 

As someone who is planning to pursue a Ph.D., Gino was looking for opportunities to prepare by doing extra undergraduate studies. Chem-SURF offered excellent prospects for this, with its multiple avenues of research projects. Gino feels that the program allows aspiring graduate students to get a realistic feel for what graduate level research would be like. 

Gino has given presentations at the Southern California Undergraduate Chemistry Research Symposium and at the UCI Summer Research Program symposium. He is a Hispanic first-generation college student who comes from a family of immigrants. Gino feels a great deal of pride to be able to represent his family and culture and is pleased that Hispanic students are increasing working to pursue higher education. 

The 2021 Chem-SURF program at UCI has attracted 10 exceptional students for the summer, and the students profiled here are representative of the quality of the entire group.  Each of them is deeply appreciative for this extraordinary opportunity and they wish to express their thanks to all those involved in making Chem-SURF happen.  They feel newly motivated to continue their education and strive for new goals, and they hope to make a difference in our world while inspiring others to follow their lead.