Garg group members undergraduate student Melinda Nguyen and PhD student Bryan Simmons named 2019 Medicinal and Bioorganic Chemistry Foundation Scholars.
2019 Medicinal and Bioorganic Chemistry Foundation Scholars (MBCF) Scholars is a highly competitive program that recognizes stellar undergraduate and graduate student researchers. Read more about the program here.
Melinda and Bryan will attend the 14th Winter Conference on Medicinal & Bioorganic Chemistry held from January 27th – 31, 2019 in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Each will receive $1,500 to support their travel and lodging, in addition to full coverage of conference registration fees. As MBCF Scholars, Melinda and Bryan will present research posters at the conference and will be recognized formally at the conference dinner banquet.
About the 2019 Medicinal and Bioorganic Chemistry Foundation Scholars
Melinda Nguyen
Melinda is a fourth-year undergraduate student studying biochemistry. She is currently working on educational projects with Professor Neil Garg that aim to make organic chemistry more accessible and a little less terrifying to students. After graduating this year, she plans to pursue a career that continues her efforts in the realm of chemical education.
Bryan Simmons
Bryan is currently a fifth-year graduate student in the lab of Professor Neil Garg and a NSF Graduate Research Fellow. His research interest spans the fields of nickel catalyzed cross-coupling of amides, the utilization of strained cyclic allenes and alkynes, and the development of new methods related to the interrupted Fischer indolization reaction. In his free time, Bryan motivates his lab mates at the gym and plays on the intramural chemistry soccer team, Brutal Lithium. Upon graduating from UCLA, Bryan will be joining Celgene as a medicinal chemist.
Article by Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.