ASBMB inducts new honor society members
The ͵͵ and ͵͵ Biology Honor Society, also known as Chi Omega Lambda, recognizes exceptional undergraduate juniors and seniors pursuing degrees in the molecular life sciences at colleges or universities with ASBMB Student Chapters. These students are recognized for their scholarly achievement, research accomplishments and outreach activities.
The honor society inducted 31 new members in 2024. Meet them below. Learn more about each of them here.
Zoey Armstead

University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Armstead is a senior biochemistry major with minors in chemistry and humanities in medicine. Following a gap year, she hopes to attend medical school and become a physician in women’s health, focusing on health care disparities among minority communities.
Federica Bertolotti

Lake Forest College
Bertolotti is a senior majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology and neuroscience. For her initiatives in ASBMB and her passion for research, she was awarded the 2023 ASBMB Undergraduate Research Award. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in neurobiology.
Sara Beth Bouchard

Wesleyan University
Bouchard expects to graduate in May with a bachelor's degree in chemistry and molecular biology and biochemistry. She will pursue a chemistry Ph.D. at the University of Connecticut to refine her skills for work in biopharmaceutical design.
Kaitlin Cartwright

University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Cartwright is a senior studying cellular biochemistry with a minor in chemistry. She plans to apply to Ph.D. programs in biochemistry, in hopes of becoming a professor and sharing her passion for science with future students.
James Hasselbeck

Rochester Institute of Technology
Hasselbeck is a graduating senior majoring in biochemistry. He plans to pursue his medical degree at Duquesne College of Medicine. His career goals lie in critical care medicine, with a potential future in research.
Connor Holm

University of South Alabama
Holm is a junior majoring in biomedical sciences with a minor in music. He plans to enter medical school in the fall of 2025; his career goal is to become a surgeon in a rural community.
Isabella Holt

University of Tampa
Holt is a senior majoring in biochemistry. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in cancer biology at the Moffitt Cancer Center and wants to make scientific contributions to the prevention and treatment of cancer.
Isabelle Juhler

Grand View University
Juhler is a senior majoring in biochemistry. She is interested in cancer biology and virology. After graduation, she will pursue a Ph.D. in biochemistry at Purdue University.
Laura Kirshenbaum

University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Kirshenbaum is a junior biochemistry major. She plans to attend graduate school to continue her biochemistry and microbiology education and hopes to study nonmodel organisms and their industrial applications.
Isabella Kola

Manhattan College
Kola is a premed junior majoring in biochemistry and minoring in mathematics. Being a an ASBMB Chapter member and helping with the STEM Outreach Program introduced her to a dedicated community that fueled her love for science.
Lucas Kramer

Grand View University
Kramer is a senior biochemistry student. He will attend Purdue University in the fall in pursuit of a Ph.D. in biochemistry. He hopes to become a teaching professor in biochemistry.
Kateryna Malkina

Lake Forest College
Malkina is pursuing a dual major in molecular biology and biochemistry and data science. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biochemistry, aspiring to apply novel synthetic biology methods to advance bioremediation.
Madison McFarland

Stephen F. Austin State University
McFarland is a senior biochemistry major with a minor in biology. With hopes of becoming a forensic toxicologist, she is set to pursue a Ph.D. in toxicology at Texas A&M University starting in August.
Gabriella Menezes da Silva

University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Menezes da Silva is a senior pursuing a degree in biochemistry with a minor in chemistry. She plans to attend medical school and specialize in geriatric medicine, with the goal of contributing to research and impacting the elderly community.
Brooklyn Mills

Grand View University
Mills is a senior studying biochemistry and data analytics. She will attend Washington University in St. Louis in the fall for its biochemistry, biophysics and structural biology Ph.D. program.
Gabriela Miranda

St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Miranda is a senior majoring in biochemistry. Her goal was always to help people, especially those in underrepresented communities. She plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in biomedical science or cancer research.
Kyle Murphy

St. Mary’s College of Maryland
Murphy is a senior biochemistry major. He has secured a postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award through the National Institute of Health and plans to apply to medical school with hopes of becoming an ophthalmologist.
Anita Nguyen

University of South Alabama
Nguyen is an honors junior with a major in biomedical sciences and minors in sociology, chemistry and related sciences. She aspires to become a dentist who prioritizes patient health and the advancement of dental technology through research.
George Santarpia

University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Santarpia is a senior microbiology and biochemistry double major. He intends to pursue a Ph.D. in experimental pathology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He hopes to become a principal investigator at a university or government institution.
Evan Schroder

University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Schroder is a senior biochemistry and microbiology double major. Upon graduation, he will take a gap year, and he looks to apply to medical schools in the 2024–2025 cycle.
Kyle Sextro

University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Sextro is a senior studying biochemistry and psychology. He plans to earn an M.D. at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He will decide whether to specialize in surgery or psychiatry to provide the highest level of care while maintaining a role in research.
Andrew Seyler

Rochester Institute of Technology
Seyler is a fourth-year biochemistry student specializing in the expression and characterization of nudix hydrolases. Their research has provided insights into biological systems, fueling their desire to contribute to advancements in medical science.
Navraj Singh

Rochester Institute of Technology
Singh is a senior majoring in biochemistry. From a young age, he has been interested in science and becoming a doctor. Singh plans to go to medical school.
Ravyn Solís

Stephen F. Austin State University
Solis is a research-intensive biochemistry major with a double minor in art and biology. She is in the UT Tyler early admissions program. After graduation, she plans to travel abroad with a childhood friend, to broaden her perspective and gain exposure to other cultures.
Mya Soto

Rochester Institute of Technology
Soto is a junior biochemistry major. Upon completing her degree, she hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in a biochemistry-related discipline, focusing on infectious diseases and continuing her research pursuits.
Vaishnavi Srirama

Saint Louis University
Srirama is a senior with a major in medical sciences and minors in biology and health care ethics. She is a pre-M.D./Ph.D. student. After graduation, she will take an interim year to explore her research interests before applying to medical school.
Jordyn Svoboda

University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Svoboda is a graduating senior majoring in biochemistry with minors in chemistry, mathematics and psychology. After graduation, they will begin graduate studies to pursue a Ph.D. in biochemistry and structural biology with certification in teaching.
Tai Lon Tan

Wesleyan University
Tan is a senior at Wesleyan University majoring in molecular biology and biochemistry. He aims to use skills acquired from undergraduate research during his Ph.D. studies to understand the mechanisms behind cancer metastasis and develop treatment strategies.
Rohan Tatineni

University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Tatineni is a junior biochemistry major with minors in chemistry and math. He aspires to be a physician specializing in pediatrics or oncology.
Nishtha Tripathi

St. Bonaventure University
Tripathi is a senior undergraduate researcher double majoring in biology and behavioral neuroscience while minoring in English. She will attend George Washington University School of Medicine in the fall.
Vivian Zuo

UCLA
Zuo is a junior studying biochemistry. She is interested in pharmaceuticals and early cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biochemistry to continue her research interests.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreGet 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

Meet Robert Helsley
The Journal of Lipid Research junior associate editor studies chronic liver disease and was the first in his family to attend college.

Exploring life’s blueprint: Gene expression in development and evolution
Meet Julia Zeitlinger and David Arnosti — two co-chairs of the ASBMB’s 2025 meeting on gene expression, to be held June 26-29, in Kansas City, Missouri.

ASBMB names 2025 fellows
͵͵ and ͵͵ Biology honors 24 members for their service to the society and accomplishments in research, education, mentorship, diversity and inclusion and advocacy.

When Batman meets Poison Ivy
Jessica Desamero had learned to love science communication by the time she was challenged to explain the role of DNA secondary structure in halting cancer cell growth to an 8th-grade level audience.

The monopoly defined: Who holds the power of science communication?
“At the official competition, out of 12 presenters, only two were from R2 institutions, and the other 10 were from R1 institutions. And just two had distinguishable non-American accents.”

In memoriam: Donald A. Bryant
He was a professor emeritus at Penn State University who discovered how cyanobacteria adapt to far-red light and was a member of the ͵͵ and ͵͵ Biology for over 35 years.