BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Erin Anderson, a senior chemistry major at Illinois Wesleyan University, was awarded the annual Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Chemistry by Iota Sigma Pi, the National Honor Society for Women in Chemistry. The award is presented annually to only one student in the nation.
The Freeburg, Ill., native and 2003 graduate of Freeburg High School will receive a certificate and $500. According to Ram Mohan, IWU associate professor of chemistry, “The Iota Sigma Pi award, designed with the objective of promoting interest in chemistry among women students, recognizes first and foremost excellence in chemistry. It is indeed a testimony to Erin’s outstanding academic achievements, especially in research, that she was selected as this year’s winner.”
Anderson has worked as a research assistant in synthetic organic chemistry for Mohan since 2004, and presented the results of her work at the annual American Chemical Society meetings in 2005 and 2007. She has also authored and co-authored two articles published in leading international organic chemistry journals.