Student Chapters

ASBMB honors 2024 outstanding student chapter

Hailey Reiss
May 15, 2024

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.”

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

About the award

The Outstanding Chapter Award recognizes an ASBMB student chapter that demonstrates leadership in its educational activities in the areas of biochemistry and molecular biology, exhibits an exceptional commitment to increasing public scientific awareness, demonstrates interaction with other campus activities and events and participates in regional and national meetings.

Award applications open in the fall, and any active student chapter is eligible to apply. For information, please visit our website.

Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?

Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.

Learn more
Hailey Reiss

Hailey Reiss is the ASBMB’s former undergraduate education coordinator. She holds a B.S. with honors in immunology and infectious disease from Pennsylvania State University’s Schreyer Honors College.

Get the latest from ASBMB Today

Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.

Latest in People

People highlights or most popular articles

Fliesler wins scientific and ethical awards
Member News

Fliesler wins scientific and ethical awards

July 21, 2025

He is being honored by the University at Buffalo and the American Oil Chemists' Society for his scientific achievements and ethical integrity.

Hope for a cure hangs on research
Essay

Hope for a cure hangs on research

July 17, 2025

Amid drastic proposed cuts to biomedical research, rare disease families like Hailey Adkisson’s fight for survival and hope. Without funding, science can’t “catch up” to help the patients who need it most.

Before we’ve lost what we can’t rebuild: Hope for prion disease
Feature

Before we’ve lost what we can’t rebuild: Hope for prion disease

July 15, 2025

Sonia Vallabh and Eric Minikel, a husband-and-wife team racing to cure prion disease, helped develop ION717, an antisense oligonucleotide treatment now in clinical trials. Their mission is personal — and just getting started.

ASBMB members recognized as Allen investigators
Member News

ASBMB members recognized as Allen investigators

July 14, 2025

Ileana Cristea, Sarah Cohen, Itay Budin and Christopher Obara are among 14 researchers selected as Allen Distinguished Investigators by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.

AI can be an asset, ASBMB educators say
Advice

AI can be an asset, ASBMB educators say

July 9, 2025

Pedagogy experts share how they use artificial intelligence to save time, increase accessibility and prepare students for a changing world.

ASBMB undergraduate education programs foster tomorrow’s scientific minds
Feature

ASBMB undergraduate education programs foster tomorrow’s scientific minds

July 8, 2025

Learn how the society empowers educators and the next generation of scientists through community as well as accreditation and professional development programs that support evidence-based teaching and inclusive pedagogy.