Chemistry and Biochemistry celebrates faculty, staff and student excellence at annual banquet

The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Auburn celebrated a year of achievements and community at its annual awards banquet held April 15. Faculty, staff, students and guests gathered to reflect on shared successes, recognize outstanding contributions and honor the generosity of alumni and donors.

Department chair Douglas Goodwin welcomed attendees, expressing gratitude for the department’s supportive culture and the individuals who make it thrive. He shared that the strong sense of community within the department is something he deeply values and appreciates.

The evening began with recognition of special guests, including emeritus faculty Vince Ortiz, David Stanbury, Mike McKee and Tom Webb. New faculty were also welcomed, including Maddie Sowden, Carly Gordon, Priya Mathew, Filip Pawlowski and Ahmed Hamid.

Goodwin emphasized the importance of alumni support, highlighting the Nichols family’s legacy. The Nichols Scholarship, endowed by Margaret Nichols in memory of Samuel Nichols Jr., has supported generations of students. Sam Nichols, who is retired from the U.S. Navy and an Auburn graduate (MBA 1997), was on hand to represent the family. Kathryn “Kitty” (1967, Education) and Roger W. “Bucky” Allen, Jr. (1967, Mathematics) were also recognized for their continued support through the Roger W. (1917, Chemical Engineering) and Margaret Church Allen Endowed Scholarship.

The evening included numerous awards across a broad range of categories. Faculty honorees included Chris Grieco, who received an NSF CAREER Award and two honors from Edmund Optics Corporation; Byron Farnum for graduate research committee service; Evangelos Miliordos for his prolific publications; Rashad Karimov for grant impact; and Ahmed Hamid for giving 14 invited research talks in the past year.

Rachel Prado received both the COSAM Service and Outreach Award and the McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award, and was later honored for excellence in teaching large courses. Pawlowski was recognized for a perfect record in student teaching evaluations in small classes

Ben Basta was named Dean’s Medalist, the college’s highest undergraduate honor. He also received multiple scholarships. The Outstanding Junior in Chemistry and Biochemistry Award was given to Jada Conner. Other student awards included national fellowships, research honors and learning assistant recognition. Graduate students like Susan Short, Chidima Odili, Ernest Opoku and Angel Gibbons were applauded for receiving university- or nationwide recognition for their academic achievements.

The department also recognized students who contributed significantly to outreach and recruitment, including Emma Drake, Victoria Cover and Kaleigh Rice, as well as their advisor, Paul Ohno.

Several humorous and heartfelt awards were also given. Evert Duin received the “Dude, Where’s My EPR?” award for his frequently relocated lab equipment. Kale Smith was honored with the Helping Hands Award, and Brittany Sloan received the Sine Qua Non Award for sustaining the clinical lab sciences program. Staff members including Bonnie Ledbetter, Kelli Howell, Becky Potts and Joyce Hung were celebrated for behind-the-scenes efforts that keep the department running.

The ceremony concluded with the student-selected AU-some Instructor Award, which went to Kyle Willian. Past recipients of this award include Filip Pawlowski and Dave Crisostomo.

Goodwin closed the evening by thanking attendees and reflecting on the strength of the department’s community.

“It is truly a pleasure to be your department chair,” he said. “Thank you for making this place what it is.”

To see more moments from the celebration, view the full photo album on Flickr.