Chemistry Department Fellowship Programs
The Department of Chemistry awwards three fellowships to outstanding Ph.D. students.
Ambrose H. Pendergrast Fellowship
Named for a popular retired professor in the Department of Chemistry, the Pendergrast Fellowship is awarded to an outstanding Ph.D. graduate student in the area of Medicinal Chemistry/Biochemistry. The first recipient of this award was Katherine Hopkins, a Ph.D. student doing research under the direction of Regents Professor David Wilson. Beth White also in Professor David Wilson's lab currently holds the Pendergrast Fellowship. The award consists of a stipend and tuition.The Solvay Fellowship
The Solvay Fellowship, funded by Solvay Pharmaceuticals of Marietta, Georgia, is presented to an outstanding doctoral student in Analytical Chemistry. The fellowship consists of a stipend plus funds for fees, books, research supplies, etc. The current Solvay Fellow is Dean Norton, a Ph.D. student working in Professor Shamsi's laboratory. Solvay also provides two supplemental awards for Ph.D. students working in the area of Analytical Chemistry. Current recipients of these analytical awards are Tony Testino and Tanya Myers.
The David Withers Boykin Graduate Fellowship in Medicinal Chemistry
$72,000 Raised To Date
In Fall, 1999, an anonymous donor contributed $5,000 to establish a scholarship in honor of Regents' Professor David Withers Boykin , Chair of the Chemistry Department from 1974 to 1992. Named the David Withers Boykin Graduate Fellowship in Medicinal Chemistry, this fellowship is designed to support a Ph.D. student working in the field of drug design and synthesis. The bulk of Dr. Boykin's scholarly activity has been in this area and it is one of the most visible strengths of the Department as a whole. Dr. Boykin himself has been actively involved in the development of drugs useful in combating malaria, AIDS and PCP. Most recently he and his colleagues have been involved in AIDS research, developing anti-HIV and anti-PCP agents.
The Department hopes to raise at least $100,000 for the Boykin Fellowship in order to fully support a doctoral student (stipend, books, lab equipment, reagents, etc.). Judging by the $45,000 raised so far, that ambitious goal appears perfectly attainable. We have been especially pleased by a significant number of very generous gifts from former students, but then that's not really all that surprising considering the effect Dr. Boykin has had on those who have studied under him.
Everyone involved is very enthusiastic about the overwhelming response to the Boykin Fellowship. It is a fitting tribute to one of Georgia State's most respected researchers and one of the Chemistry Department's best teachers. Training outstanding researchers has always been a major focus of his research. Those students who have had the opportunity to work closely with Dr. Boykin have gone on to distinguished careers in industry and academia. The Boykin Fellowship is one way to continue producing superior scientists in the important field of medicinal chemistry.
In that regard the Fellowship is off to a great start with the naming of Donald Hamelberg as the first Boykin Fellow. Dr. Boykin states, "I am extremely pleased that Donald has been selected as the first recipient of the award. Working with Professor Dave Wilson, he is doing important and exciting calculations aimed at understanding small molecule-DNA interactions. I am confident that his contributions will make a significant impact now and in the future. I believe that in 10 years he will be widely known in the field. He sets a very high standard for future recipients."
Reem Arafa, a very productive member of Regents' Professor of Chemistry David W. Boykin's research team currently holds the David Withers Boykin Graduate Fellowship in Medicinal Chemistry
Contributions to the Boykin Fellowship are greatly appreciated. Gifts made out to the GSU Foundation can be sent to the Department. Please designate on your check that the donation is for the Boykin Fellowship (all donations will be acknowledged by the Department).