Six Students Present at Prestigious Chemistry Conference
Six chemistry and biochemistry students attended and presented research at the National Organic Symposium conference this year held at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., from June 22-26.
The students— Emma Audi '26, Kaitlyn Barton '26, Kaitlin Hopper '26, Chase Smith '27, Kate Pogue '26, and Carly Zack '27—were accompanied by George F. Baker Associate Professor of Chemistry and Department Chair Samuel Tartakoff, as well as Assistant Professor of Chemistry Patrick Lutz.
“The NOS is one of the most important conferences for organic chemistry in the United States,” says Lutz, adding that travel grants from the Dean's office supported attendance by students and faculty.
He says the conference featured talks in the mornings—including one speaker who was a 2022 Nobel laureate!—and poster presentations in the evenings.
All six students presented posters on the results of their summer fellowship research projects:
- Kaitlin Hopper: "Design of Crosslinkable Poly(phthalaldehyde) Derivatives"
- Kate Pogue: "The Synthesis of Novel Acylated Proflavine Derivatives"
- Kaitlyn Barton & Chase Smith: "Wittig and Wagner-Jauregg Reactions in the Production of Morphine Analogs"
- Emma Audi & Carly Zack: "Synthesis of Guaiazulene-3-Carboxylic Acid and Oxalic Acid Derivatives"
Lutz says the students presenting their posters received lots of attention for their research, and held discussions with students and faculty from across the country. They had the opportunity to tour RPI’s research facilities as well.
Tartakoff says this was the biggest group of students the chemistry department has sent to a national conference in at least the last 10 years.
“For several of our students, I think the conference helped them confirm that they want to pursue graduate studies in chemistry following their time at St. Lawrence,” Lutz says.
