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Undergraduate Student Spotlight

Dylan Andrews

Rising Scholars: Dylan Andrews

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Some students begin their college careers knowing they want a good education but unsure about what comes next, while others move in to their dorms with the next steps toward their career firmly in mind.

Dylan Andrews, senior honors chemistry major, was one of the latter. A native Tennessean, Andrews came to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in pursuit of an education that would ultimately get him to medical school, starting with an undergraduate degree in chemistry.

“I was fortunate enough to have a really amazing chemistry instructor in high school, Mr. Mark Page. He was one of those teachers who truly makes an impact on you and he really helped me develop a love for chemistry,” said Andrews.

As he pursued his degree at UT, Andrews began to see participating in research as an opportunity to make the most of his time at the university and better prepare himself for the future. He broached the topic with Professor Janice Musfeldt, who was teaching one of his classes at the time.

“I think this is a really good example of how students can get involved in research in the department. Dr. Musfeldt and I built a good relationship over the course of the semester. I also met one of her graduate students and attended a seminar delivered by her colleague, Hans Bechtel. This let me get to know her group and her research, while showing her that I was engaged and interested,” said Andrews.

Hans Bechtel is the infrared program lead for the Advanced Light Source (ALS) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His ongoing relationship with the Musfeldt Group has led to him co-authoring several publications with its members. Bechtel visited the university to deliver a seminar and, over the course of conversation afterwards, suggested Andrews apply for a Department of Energy (DOE) summer internship at the Lawrence Berkeley Lab later in the year.

A young black man wearing a black dress shirt and a silver bracelet on his right wrist. He leans forward against a silver railing. Behind him is a light colored wall with canvas prints of journal covers. He looks at the camera with a pleasant neutral expression.

The next semester Andrews embraced research in the chemistry department as the next step toward his goals. He registered for the undergraduate research course and joined the Musfeldt lab. Heeding Bechtel’s advice, Andrews also applied for and was awarded a place in the DOE summer program at Lawrence Berkeley.

Near the end of spring semester, Andrews participated in the Department of Chemistry’s annual Undergraduate Research Symposium, presenting a poster to a panel of judges including departmental alumni, retired faculty, and industry partners. This experience gave Andrews his first chance to speak publicly about his research; an opportunity that would pave the way for future poster presentations.

At the end of his internship at Lawrence Berkeley Lab, Andrews entered and placed third in a poster competition designed to evaluate the presentation skills of the participants. The presentations were conducted via Zoom, allowing members of Andrews’ research team in the Musfeldt Group to join and support him.

Andrews plans to graduate in December 2024 and go on to medical school. He believes his experience in the Department of Chemistry and the relationships forged there have prepared him to meet the challenges of a future in medicine.

“Dr. Musfeldt, and really every faculty member I’ve worked with in the department, do everything they can to plug their students into new opportunities and point out things they could do to better themselves as students and researchers. I would probably never have known about that DOE internship if I hadn’t been introduced to Dr. Bechtel,” said Andrews. “The relationships I’ve developed and the support I’ve experienced in the chemistry department have really helped me excel as a student, which will help me through all the next stages of my education and career.”

 

 

Chemistry Students Named Volunteers of Distinction

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Two undergraduate chemistry students are included in the 2023 Volunteer of Distinction Award winners. Drake Robins and Clay West were nominated by faculty members and joined the ranks of students from across the university being honored.

Drake Robins is a fourth-year senior studying analytical chemistry. He is a member of the Air Force ROTC and has been working in Associate Professor Bhavya Sharma’s lab since his junior year. After graduation, Robins will join the United States Air Force and attend Undergraduate Pilot Training. Robins expressed his gratitude for the award and his time at the University of Tennessee.

“Academics and research have always been a top priority for me throughout my time at UT, and I feel extremely blessed to be recognized for it this close to graduation,” said Robins.

Clay West, also a fourth-year senior, is a student in the department’s American Chemical Society certified bachelor’s degree program. He plans to spend the year after graduation applying to graduate schools and preparing to pursue a PhD in organic chemistry. West stated he was grateful to receive the Volunteer of Distinction Award and considers it to be a reflection of the work he has put into earning his degree.

The Volunteer of Distinction Awards were created in 2021 by the university to recognize students across campus who exhibit extraordinary academic achievement, professional promise, or excellence in research. Previous award winners from the chemistry department include Maggie Eslinger, Hannah Hagewood, Elijah Hix, Galvin McCarver, and Wilson Wang.

Undergraduate Student Co-Authors Publication

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Earlier this year Macy Hudson, undergraduate student in the Department of Chemistry, co-authored a publication with a team of University of Tennessee, Knoxville faculty, researchers, and students. The paper “Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Activated Liposomal Cell Delivery Using a Boronate-Caged Guanidine Lipid” was published in Chemistry: A European Journal in late May.

Hudson, a senior, began her time at the university with a plan; she wanted to study organic chemistry, get some experience in a lab, then continue to graduate school. Despite challenges presented by the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020, which sent students home for virtual learning and paused work in labs across campus, she continued to pursue these goals.

“During my sophomore year I really started looking at how to get involved in undergraduate research,” said Hudson. “I asked around the department and was advised to look at what our individual faculty members are researching, reach out to them directly and see if they had any projects that suited my area of study.”

This active pursuit of her research interests eventually led Hudson to the research group of Michael Best, professor of chemistry. Best’s group works with the design and creation of organic molecules for uses relevant to biological systems. The publication Hudson co-authored describes the results of one such project with applications in the pharmaceutical industry.

“The goal of this project was to create a lipid and then use a disease-associated trigger to cleave off the head group of the lipid. When that happens, it creates a positive charge, and if we can create enough positive charge, nanocarriers called liposomes composed of this lipid can be absorbed into cells. This method can be used for drug delivery by putting drug molecules inside the liposome which the cell then absorbs,” said Hudson. Her work on the project was very hands-on, synthesizing and testing the lipid repeatedly, the results of which were included in the publication. 

Hudson plans to continue working in organic chemistry, and specifically in drug design and delivery, by pursuing a PhD after graduation. She hopes to eventually work in development in the pharmaceutical industry. Hudson credits her time in the Department of Chemistry with preparing her to pursue these goals. 

“I’ve had a really great experience. Getting involved beyond research and classes has really helped. I joined our undergraduate chemistry club and worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant, which allowed me to build relationships with faculty members and teach the material that I love,” said Hudson.