Year in Review

Senior Year in Review

| barilla.8

This past year has had many new opportunities. In my fall semester, I had the opportunity to take my first graduate course, which was Basic Organic Chemistry Reaction Mechanisms. It was difficult, but a perfect way to get introduced to the rigors of graduate school coursework. I also took Foundations of Higher Mathematics, Instrumental Analysis Laboratory and Drug Discovery, Development and Delivery. I was completing approximately 10+ hours in my research laboratory in while working on an Undergraduate Honors Research Thesis and experiments for a collaborative manuscript with groups in Montreal and Spain. While balancing all of these academic pursuits, I also was applying to graduate school PhD programs.

In my second semester, I shifted more focus to research, but continued to take ample coursework. I was enrolled in Quantitative Neuroscience and Applied Algebraic Topology, and I audited a graduate course titled Laser Optics. I spent 15+ hours in my research laboratory continuing to work on my thesis and manuscript work. I was also to accepted to top PhD programs, including those as at Yale University, Northwestern University, Scripps Research Institute, Princeton University, Columbia University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Chicago and others. At the end of the semester, I successfully defended my thesis.

I continued in my involvement as Treasurer and Student Vice President for The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. In this role, I assisted in planning a book drive that collected books for the Columbus libraries and an induction ceremony for newly initiated members. I also was a peer leader for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry again, where I led a course section attached to a general chemistry sequence of first-year chemistry and biochemistry students. I served as a point of contact for questions regarding research and the department, and a source of extra assistance learning general chemistry content. During this time, I was served as Outreach Chair for the Chemistry and Biochemistry Club. In this role, I assisted in planning and coordinating meetings, and I was solely in charge of running social media platforms.

I maintained a 4.00 cumulative GPA for graduation, which awarded me with Summa Cum Laude and Honors in the Arts & Sciences in addition to Honors Research Distinction in Chemistry. I decided to accept my offer of admission at Yale University to pursue a PhD in Biophysical Chemistry in Fall 2022.

Summer 2021 in Review

| barilla.8

This summer I took French 3 through Columbus State Community College in order to complete my foreign language requirement for my B.S. degree. I also continued working in the Kohler Group as a paid Student Research Assistant in hopes of progressing my project towards a publication. I learned new techniques, such as photoluminescence spectroscopy to obtain emission and excitation spectra. This research was also part of my STEP project. In the middle of July, I had the opportunity of attending a leadership summit through The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. This leadership summit is advertised as providing student leaders with the opportunity to increase their knowledge of Phi Kappa Phi, connecting with their peers through small group discussions, learning about individual strengths and leadership capacities, and creating strategies for increasing chapter visibility and member engagement. I also spent a majority of my summer researching graduate programs for applications in the fall and preparing to take the GRE!

Junior Year in Review

| barilla.8

This past year has been a particularly difficult and enlightening one due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the start of my junior year, I was unsure how I would be impacted academically and in my daily life, but over time I made the best of my circumstances. I began the year with fully online classes, taking Physical Chemistry 1, Linear Algebra, Inorganic Chemistry and Honors Intro to Cultural Anthropology. It was an adjustment, but it gave me more flexibility as to where to take my classes. In this way, I was able to go to my research lab more frequently because I could take my classes while experiments were progressing. However, I also ran into the issue of being limited on space and equipment due to social distancing requirements. I made the best of an unfortunate situation as I could. 

In October of 2020, I was invited to join The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. This honor society extends invitations to only the top 7.5% of juniors and 10% of seniors and graduate students. Notable members include Nobel Prize winners, Pulitzer Prize winners, NASA astronauts, U.S. Supreme Court Justices, and more. I was thrilled by the opportunity to become connected to so many intelligent and well respected members both at Ohio State and around the country. I was eventually asked to be the Treasurer for the student organization a few months later for the 2021-2022 academic year. This position holds responsibilities managing funding and budgeting for the student organization in order to execute events for members. This position also doubles with the title “Student Vice President” for the national chapter. In this role, I will work alongside the Chapter 155 faculty/staff executive board to manage chapter issues.

My second semester, I continued my rigorous course load with Physical Chemistry 2, Physical Chemistry Lab, Instrumental Chemical Analysis and History of Classical Greece. Though 75% of my classes were still fully online, I worked hard to ensure that the online format did not affect my learning or academic growth. I also continued making strides in my research project, as the university began to return to its normal operations. In April of 2021, I had the opportunity of presenting a poster on my polydopamine research in the Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry (COLL) at the ACS Spring 2021 National Conference. The project on which I presented consists of synthesizing, characterizing and studying both the excited states and physical properties of polydopamine, a synthetic eumelanin model. The objective of my project was to uncover how assembly alters the excited state dynamics and optical properties of polydopamine in hopes of better understanding the role aggregation plays in determining the differences that dictate eumelanin’s photo-protective and photo-reactive properties.

At the end of the year, I was also elected Outreach Chair for the Chemistry and Biochemistry Club in the 2021-2022 academic year. I have been a member of this organization for the past three years, but this is the first leadership position I have obtained. In this role, I will be interfacing with speakers in industry, academia and government roles to present at club meetings, organizing and leading social media & online marketing to promote the club and coordinating club outings and outreach programs. I also had the opportunity this year of becoming a member of the American Chemical Society Buckeye Chapter and participating in a virtual Buckeyethon on a team through my sorority, Alpha Xi Delta.

To culminate all of these accomplishments, I was awarded the “American Chemical Society Undergraduate Award in Physical Chemistry” through Ohio State’s Department Chemistry and Biochemistry and ACS. This award “recognizes outstanding achievement by an undergraduate student in physical chemistry who is committed to a career in chemistry. Awardees receive an official certificate from the ACS Division of Physical Chemistry, recognition on the Division’s website, and a one-year complimentary membership in the Division” (OSU’s CBC website). To obtain this award, I was nominated by my Principal Investigator, Prof. Bern Kohler, and selected from a pool of nominated students by faculty and staff on the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Summer 2020 in Review

| barilla.8

This summer I spent a lot of time focusing on my future in chemistry. I worked for Dr. Kohler’s group doing literature research on UVA photo degradation of eumelanin in hopes of beginning a new project within the group from mid-May to late-July. I returned to the lab in late July to continue my research on the disassembly of polydopamine, a project I have been working on since November 2019. Further, I began looking into graduate schools and internship opportunities for the future during my free time this summer. I began pursuing opportunities to expand my knowledge in chemistry. I also briefly participated in a free online “Principles of Biochemistry” course by Harvard University offered through edX. I did not finish the course, as my research took priority of my time, but I learned a lot of interesting content.

Sophomore Year in Review

| barilla.8

I’ve never been particularly inclined towards courses that make me think about social issues, as someone who gravitates towards STEM courses. However, this past year I was encouraged to take two such courses to fulfill some of my general education requirements. I learned an overwhelming amount about myself as a student and citizen in the USA. I used to be naive to the social issues around me, only considering what benefitted and affected myself, even though that is hard to admit. After taking these courses, I have learned to think more holistically about the impact of my actions and others’ actions can have on society. I can genuinely say that after this year I am more worldly wise than ever before. I also applied to the D.A.A.D. Rise program this past year in hopes of gaining research experience outside of the United States and OSU. I was waitlisted for this program, awaiting potential additional funding, but due to COVID-19, the program was ultimately cancelled. If circumstances permit, I plan to apply to this program again next year as well as others in hopes of gaining international research experience.

This year I also had a lot of strides in my research experience on campus. I completed my second and third semester working with Dr. Kohler’s Physical Chemistry group on campus, gaining more experience in lab outside of coursework and independence in my projects. I hoped to get further in my current research projects in this group than I did, but I was affected by illness early this year that limited my ability to participate in my research first semester. However, I worked hard second semester in an attempt to make up for this lost time. I was on track to make strides before the COVID-19 outbreak. I applied to present a poster at a local conference (ACS CERM) in Columbus for Summer 2020. My abstract (see Artifacts) was accepted, and I would have presented a poster at this conference. However, unfortunately the conference was postponed for 2021.

I also took more lab courses that taught me more about myself as a future chemist. I never thought I would be interested in Organic Chemistry as a career, but after taking the lecture and lab courses, I am strongly considering it. My research in Dr. Kohler’s group involves work on the organic biomolecule melanin, which I realized this year means a lot of my research thus far has actually been somewhat Physical-Organic Chemistry.  Additionally, I was named the “Sophomore Organic Chemistry Award” by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, which was an honor. It made me further recognize that Organic Chemistry may be a field that I would excel in. I also took Analytical Chemistry 1 my second semester, which taught me how to develop an original research project and write in depth reports and scientific papers. Though our research project was never completed due to circumstances that prevented the ability to be on campus, I was able to complete a review article on the topic. This taught me a lot about the literature side of research, as I was required to read and critique numerous papers as well as write my own.

When I first came to Ohio State, I chose Chemistry as a major because I enjoyed the subject in high school; however, with each course I take in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, I am reassured that this major was the correct choice for me. Each course has exposed me to the breadth of chemistry, and I am excited to continue taking courses that expose me to more. However, I do hope to take more courses outside of my comfort zone in the future. Before graduation, I would like to take a forensic science course or a pharmaceutical course of some kind to expose me to the fields that chemistry may apply to that I have not largely considered thus far. I want to make sure that I have taken advantage of all of the opportunities available at OSU before I graduate.

During my second semester at OSU, I became a member of Alpha Xi Delta, which has taught me a lot of networking and leadership skills. This year I was also named “French Fry Frenxi Chair” during my second semester, which is a position focused on aiding to plan a food event to raise money for Autism Speaks. This food event was one that I originally proposed myself and, with the help of other members of the philanthropy board to develop the event, was projected to raise thousands of dollars. However, due to COVID-19, the event was cancelled before it was held. I hope to continue being involved with my sorority’s philanthropy through my position and membership in the future. Further, over the course of my entire second year at OSU I was a peer leader for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. This position taught me skills I did not know I needed or lacked, including the ability to direct small groups to finish tasks, speaking up in meetings, confidence in myself, encouraging others to take initiative and more. I hope to stay involved in leadership positions such as this on in the chemistry department in the future, whether it be through being a peer leader for another year or becoming a TA at some point in the future.

At the beginning of this year, I aided in moving in students to the dorms, and I hoped to stay more involved in volunteering and service throughout the year than I actually did. Unfortunately, I had mono for eight weeks my first semester of this year, which limited my ability to do much of anything, including going to class and volunteering. I was able to stay involved in service through my sorority, as we held numerous events and fundraisers to benefit Autism Speaks. However, in the future I am hoping to get more involved with service on campus. I hope to join clubs that promote service engagement if I am able to or seek more service opportunities on my own. I plan to continue to be involved with my sorority’s philanthropy in the upcoming semesters. Also, this upcoming summer I hope to volunteer at food pantries and other organizations, if circumstances permit.

Freshmen Year in Review

| barilla.8

My first semester at OSU involved a study abroad course on campus at OSU that focused on the culture, history and diversity associated with the city of London. Over winter break following my first semester, I explored London first-hand by traveling to the city with a class of my peers and OSU faculty members. I joined a research lab on campus during my second at OSU, and I hope to stay involved in research until I graduate. I also had the opportunity to partake in a semester-long research project for my general chemistry course that involved studying solar cell perovskites. I have been introduced to research in more ways that I expected at this point, and I hope to continue gaining exposure to research in the future. I have decided to continue pursuing a Chemistry degree after my first year, because I am excited to further learn about its applications and uses in the real-world. I also decided that I will be pursuing a minor in Mathematics throughout the duration of my academic program. I was also awarded a scholarship by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry for the following academic year.

I was a member of the Taylor Tower Hall Council general body during my first semester at OSU before switching dorms. Being involved in hall council required active participation and creativity in order to positively contribute to meetings and make the residence hall a better environment overall. I’m also involved in Chemistry and Biochemistry Club on campus, which has allowed me to make connections and acquire insight in my field of study, so that I may be proactive in furthering my education during my time at OSU. I tutored a second grade student at a local elementary school once a week for the majority of my first year at OSU. I was hoping to be more involved in service around the community by this time, but I am proud of my involvement thus far. I also joined a sorority, Alpha Xi Delta, at the beginning of my second semester that has exposed me to community service in new ways. I am more involved in fundraising, support and involvement in charities than every before. Specifically, we fundraise and participate in events to benefit Autism Speaks.