KU Department of Chemistry announces 2025 awards and scholarships
LAWRENCE — The Department of Chemistry at the University of Kansas has announced the recipients of awards and scholarships for the spring and summer 2025 semesters, as well as the 2025-26 academic year. Nearly 80 of the department’s top students were recognized at the annual awards and scholarships recognition ceremony for their academic, research and teaching achievements.
Among the recipients were the department’s graduate summer scholars, who received scholarships to advance their doctoral research over the summer 2025 term.
The department will distribute more than $472,000 in awards and scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students this year.
The department held its annual awards and scholarships recognition ceremony May 10 to honor the students. In addition to presenting awards and scholarships, 27 students graduating with bachelor’s degrees in chemistry were recognized, six of whom received departmental honors. The celebration welcomed several special guests, including Chemistry Alumni Advisory Board members visiting for their annual meeting, emeritus faculty, donors, department staff and faculty, and the family and friends of the honored students.
These awards and scholarships are only made possible due to the generosity of the department’s donors.
2025 Chemistry Undergraduate Awards & Scholarships for Freshmen, Sophomores and Juniors
- Leah Messerly, Lenexa, Owen W. Maloney Scholarship
- Gracie Oppeau, Spring Hill, Owen W. Maloney Scholarship
- An Tran, Vietnam, Owen W. Maloney Scholarship
- Jonathan Winnerman, Olathe, Drs. Bijan & Mary Taylor Amini Scholarship
- Nina Chieu, Lawrence, Michelle & A.C. Buchanan Scholarship
- Dakota Schrempp, Topeka, Michelle & A.C. Buchanan Scholarship
- Corbin Fairchild, Lawrence, Kenyon Latham Opportunity Award
- Milo McKay, Lawrence, Walter Gubar Memorial Scholarship
- Jaden Riddle, Topeka, Walter Gubar Memorial Scholarship
- Mei Ling Upp, Lee's Summit, Missouri, Walter Gubar Memorial Scholarship
- Aubrey Sanchez, Lenexa, Floyd & Ruth Fassnacht Memorial Scholarship
- Andrew Farrar, Red Wing, Minnesota, K. Barbara Schowen Scholarship
- Ben Winslow, Troy, Illinois, K. Barbara Schowen Scholarship
- Nicole Giam, Overland Park, Emily V. Berger Award
- Delara Mafi, Lawrence, Emily V. Berger Award
- Meredith Goldstein, Overland Park, Jo A. & Judith Beran Chemistry Scholarship
- Noah Tucker, Lenexa, Roger Munsinger Scholarship
- Raina Fair, Lawrence, Leland & Jill Weigel Scholarship
- Allison Babbit, Lawrence, Leland & Jill Weigel Scholarship
- Ian Shire, Lawrence, Jacob Kleinberg Award
- Lily Tackett, Davenport, Iowa, Keith & Dona Darlington Award
- Darya Moiny, Stilwell, Leonard V. Sorg Scholarship
- Patryk Hupert, Lawrence, Burton & Cheryle MacKenzie Scholarship
- Ethan Le, Wichita, James P. & Sharon A. Elrod Scholarship
- Mike Kim, Overland Park, John R. Shapley Award for Excellence in Research.
2025 Chemistry Undergraduate Awards for Seniors
- Hannah Chern, Shawnee, Frank Newby Physical Science Award
- Chase Courbot, Hickory, North Carolina, Frank Newby Physical Science Award
- Audrey Rips-Goodwin, Overland Park, Frank Newby Physical Science Award
- Colleen Thach, Ahwatukee, Arizona, Steve & Susan Snyder Award
- Stanslaus Kariuki, Overland Park, Ted M. Gardiner Award and Gini Adams Research Award in Analytical Chemistry.
2025 Chemistry Undergraduate Top Senior Awards
- Celine Khalife, Wichita, Wakarusa Valley ACS Section Award
- Trisha Nair, Overland Park, American Institute of Chemists Award
- Brandon Nguyen, Liberal, Alpha Chi Sigma Award
- Cecilia Paranjothi, Lawrence, Richard J. Bearman Chemistry Award.
2025 Chemistry Undergraduate Research Support for Summer 2025
- Raina Fair, Lawrence, Jack & Carolyn Landgrebe Summer Undergraduate Research Scholarship
- Patryk Hupert, Lawrence, Stephen C. Glover Summer Undergraduate Research Scholarship
- Lily Tackett, Davenport, Iowa, Stephen C. Glover Summer Undergraduate Research Scholarship.
2025 Chemistry Undergraduate Bricker ChemScholars
- Corbin Banninger, Salina
- Nina Chieu, Lawrence
- Corbin Fairchild, Lawrence
- Raina Fair, Lawrence
- Stanslaus Kariuki, Overland Park
- Audrey Rips-Goodwin, Overland Park
- Aubrey Sanchez, Lenexa
- Lily Tackett, Davenport, Iowa.
2025 Chemistry Undergraduate Kansas ChemScholars
- Trisha Nair, Overland Park
- Brandon Nguyen, Liberal
- Cecilia Paranjothi, Lawrence.
2025 Chemistry Graduate Awards & Scholarships
- Ethan Gomez, St. Augustine, Florida, Dains Memorial Scholarship
- Braysen Miller, St. Joseph, Missouri, H. P. Cady Award
- Jack Petersen, St. Louis, H. P. Cady Award
- Nimodi Uduwela, Sri Lanka, Richard & Sue Givens Scholarship
- Colin Waller, Rinard, Illinois, Ray Q. Brewster Award
- Fernando Gonzalez, Brownsville, Texas, Ralph E. & Esther Weik Badgley Scholarship
- Grant Arehart, Lawrence, Cornelius McCollum Research Scholarship
- Shreyaa Brahmachari, India, Cornelius McCollum Research Scholarship
- Alec Lininger, St. Louis, Cornelius McCollum Research Scholarship
- Thanuja Jayawardena, Sri Lanka, Cornelius McCollum Research Scholarship
- Caitlin McEntee, Fremont, Nebraska, Cornelius McCollum Research Scholarship
- Natalie Lind, Durango, Colorado, Elmer McCollum Research Scholarship
- Fynn Cooper, Lawrence, Burton & Cheryle MacKenzie Scholarship
- Zahra Aghaei, Iran, Burton & Cheryle MacKenzie Scholarship
- Alex Ervin, Lawrence, Drs. Walter & Roy Cross Memorial Award
- Lindsey Penland, Springfield, Missouri, Drs. Walter & Roy Cross Memorial Award
- Deshkanwar Brar, India, Drs. Walter & Roy Cross Memorial Award
- Stephanie Pham, Kansas City, Missouri, Steve & Susan Snyder Chemistry Award
- Anagha Puthiyadath, India, Drs. Bijan & Mary Taylor Amini Scholarship
- Nishama Mohotti, Sri Lanka, Women in Chemistry Opportunity Award
- Indu Chandrasoma, Sri Lanka, Women in Chemistry Opportunity Award
- Emmanuel Forson, Ghana, Charles & Beatrice Kulier Scholarship
- Aleesa Chua, Los Angeles, Charles & Beatrice Kulier Scholarship
- Elizabeth Bartlett, Eagan, Minnesota, Charles & Beatrice Kulier Scholarship
- Sayuri Niyangoda, Sri Lanka, George & Beverley Wilson International Student Support Award
- Maximillian Chibuike, Nigeria, George & Beverley Wilson International Student Support Award
2025 Chemistry Graduate Top Overall Awards
- Davis Curry, Lockport, Illinois, Ernest & Marvel Griswold Award in Inorganic Chemistry
- Chien-Wei Wang, Taiwan, J.K. Lee Award in Analytical Chemistry
- James Martinez, Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Frank B. Dains Award in Organic Chemistry
- Kasun Wekasinghe, Sri Lanka, Frank B. Dains Award in Organic Chemistry
- Anjali Radhakrishnan, India, Tak & Aya Higuchi Scholarship in Physical Chemistry
- Madeline Isom, Fort Smith, Arkansas, Takeru Higuchi Doctoral Progress Award, Overall Superior Achievement in Chemistry.
2025 Chemistry Graduate Summer Scholars
- Julia Abdoullaeva, Beaverton, Oregon, Berger Summer Scholar
- Neiley Karns, New Hampton, Missouri, Berger Summer Scholar
- Dineesha Chandrasiri, Sri Lanka, Hall Summer Scholar
- Hirushan Hetti Arachchige, Sri Lanka, Cross Summer Scholar
- Sunidhi Arora, India, Landgrebe Summer Scholar
- Abigail Kerr, Kansas City, Missouri, Lee Summer Scholar
- Jack Petersen, St. Louis, Lee Summer Scholar
- Anubhuti Srivastava, India, Lee Summer Scholar
- Stephanie Pham, Kansas City, Missouri, Marsi Summer Scholar
- Nimodi Uduwela, Sri Lanka, Marsi Summer Scholar
- Kezia Jacob, India, Schowen Summer Scholar
- Colin Waller, Rinard, Illinois, Schowen Summer Scholar
- Pranay Bonagiri, India, Wilson Summer Scholar
- Zahra Aghaei, Iran, Wilson Summer Scholar.