Peer-reviewed publications on experimental research don’t come around every day for folks at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), particularly in synthetic organic chemistry, but I’m proud today to be able to report our latest work is officially published. Here is a link to our paper. I’d like to thank my student co-authors, Kylee Maxfield and Morgan Payne, for their contributions to our latest article in ACS Omega. Also, congratulations to Kylee for earning her B.S. degree from Utah Valley University this past December. She will be attending the University of Utah School of Medicine this fall, and in four years, she will achieve her dream of becoming a physician. She began work on this project before the COVID pandemic and had to wait 18 months to get back into the lab to help finish it. Thanks also to Morgan Payne for his contributions to this work. This summer, Morgan is taking this project in a new direction as part of the Organic Synthesis PUI Faculty Summer Research Grant our group was awarded earlier this year. Currently, Morgan is exploring graduate school options and plans to apply for admission to a Ph.D. program in chemistry or biochemistry this fall.

Our group recently celebrated the end of another year, the acceptance of our most recent paper in ACS Omega, but most importantly Kylee’s good news. She graduated from UVU this past December and recently learned she will be attending medical school at the University of Utah this fall. What an accomplishment! Go Kylee!!!

Here is our most recent group photo, taken on a perfect June evening outside Maria Bonita restaurant in Orem. The nearly snow-free Mt. Timpanogos lies in the background.