ASBMB Inducts Undergraduate Honor Society Members

By: Hailey Reiss
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular 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 20 new members this year. Meet them below. Learn more about each of them at asbmb.org/education/student-chapters.

Olivia Brickey
Olivia Brickey is a 2023 graduate of Otterbein University with a double major in biology and biochemistry and molecular biology with an individualized minor in public health. She intends to take a gap year to work in a research lab before pursuing an MD/PhD or DO/PhD to achieve her goal of becoming an infectious disease physician-scientist.

Kaitlin Dean
Kaitlin Dean is a 2023 graduate of Otterbein University with a major in biochemistry and molecular biology and minors in health communication and psychology. She intends to continue her current work in patient care for the next year before applying to medical schools and is also looking at graduate programs in the fields of public health and nutrition.

Dalton Dencklau
Dalton Dencklau is a rising senior with a major in biochemistry at Grand View University. He hopes to pursue a PhD in a biochemistry-related field using machine learning while continuing to promote mental health in STEM-related fields.

Danielle Etiel
Danielle Etiel is a 2023 graduate of the University of San Diego with a major in biochemistry. She hopes to become a dentist in the future to foster her passion for immersion in art and science.

Melinda Huynh
Melinda Huynh is a 2023 graduate of St. Mary’s College of Maryland with a double major in biology and biochemistry with a neuroscience minor. She plans to take a gap year to pursue post-baccalaureate research at the National Institutes of Health before applying to medical school with the intention of becoming a family physician.

Aidan Jones
Aidan Jones is a 2023 graduate of Wesleyan University with a double major in molecular biology and biochemistry and integrative sciences with a minor in chemistry. He plans to pursue a PhD in molecular biology to achieve his goal of becoming a university professor.

Lauryn Magwaro
Lauryn Magwaro is a 2023 graduate of Hamline University with a major in biochemistry and minors in digital media arts and computational data science. She hopes to attend medical school and become a doctor or pursue a career in industry.

Jennifer McPeek
Jennifer McPeek is a 2023 graduate of Otterbein University with a double major in biochemistry and molecular biology and equine preveterinary/pregraduate studies. She hopes to combine her passions for science and the equine community by furthering her biochemistry education and becoming involved in equine research.

Olivia Miller
Olivia Miller is a 2023 graduate of Otterbein University with a major in biochemistry and molecular biology. She plans to attend graduate school for biochemistry and eventually pursue a career in biotechnology to contribute to the advancement of therapeutics.

Mason Nolan
Mason Nolan is a rising senior with a major in biochemistry and molecular biology at Otterbein University. He plans to attend Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine in the fall of 2023 through the Early Assurance Program to pursue a career in the medical field.

Ashni Patel
Ashni Patel is a rising senior with a major in biochemistry and molecular biology and a minor in business administration and management at Otterbein University. She will begin medical school in the fall of 2024 through the BS/DO program with the Ohio University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Lora Randa
Lora Randa is a 2023 graduate of Carleton College with a major in biology and a minor in biochemistry. She plans to matriculate to medical school next year with the intention of pursuing a career as a physician practicing and teaching in an academic medicine setting.

Laurel Robbins
Laurel Robbins is a 2023 graduate of Lake Forest College with a major in biochemistry and molecular biology and a minor in history. She intends to begin her graduate studies at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Interdisciplinary Quantitative Biology graduate certificate program before beginning her PhD in biochemistry.

Reed Rohr
Reed Rohr is a rising senior with a major in biochemistry and minors in chemistry, psychology and humanities in medicine at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She hopes to continue her education to become a health-care provider in the future.

Kylie Ross
Kylie Ross is a 2023 graduate of Hamline University with a major in biochemistry. She plans to find a job in research or the biotechnology industry along with pursuing her interest in printmaking.

Anna Schultz
Anna Schultz is a 2023 graduate of Hamline University with a major in biochemistry and minors in forensic science and computational data science. She hopes to pursue a career in research in the biochemistry and microbiology industries.

Grace Thornhill
Grace Thornhill is a 2023 graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University with a major in biochemistry and a minor in biology. She plans to pursue a PhD in microbiology and study antibiotic resistance or the biochemistry of pathogenic bacteria.

Karlie Tischendorf
Karlie Tischendorf is a 2023 graduate of Purdue University with a major in biochemistry and minors in aquatic sciences and Spanish. She plans to take a gap year to focus on SCUBA diving for research purposes before applying for PhD programs in ecotoxicology or related fields to achieve her goal of running a research lab in marine sciences and influencing positive environmental change.

Martina Videva
Martina Videva is a rising senior with a major in biochemistry at the Rochester Institute of Technology. She hopes to matriculate into a MD/PhD program.