Undergraduate Award in Applied Spectroscopy – This award is given to up to 5 junior or senior undergraduate students in recognition of outstanding research in the area of spectroscopy. To be eligible for the award, the nominee must be a full-time undergraduate student doing research in the field of spectroscopy and the student’s research advisor must also be a member of the Society. The recipient(s) shall be selected by the Awards Committee for approval by the Executive Committee. 

2025 Recipients

Paige Anderson, University of Florida, Nominated by Ashwin Rao
Paige Anderson is a recent graduate of the University of Florida, where she completed her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in May 2025. She is a member of the Florida Institute for National Security Talent Pipeline and engages in research involving the crossroads between artificial intelligence and national security. She is also a research assistant in the Optical Science and Nonproliferation Lab working under Prof. Kyle Hartig to implement advanced data science and machine learning methods to advance nuclear security research. Paige has contributed to high-level nuclear science and national security research as an intern at organizations such as the Air Force Research Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Her research has yielded multiple peer reviewed publications and research presentations showcasing the implementation of stacked ensemble and data fusion techniques to detect plutonium surrogate contamination from optical emission spectra with high fidelity. Paige will begin her MS in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Florida in the Fall of 2025.


Katherine Seaman, The Ohio State University, Nominated by Zachary Schultz
Katherine Seaman is a fourth-year undergraduate student at The Ohio State University, where she is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry with a minor in forensic science. At Ohio State, she works as peer mentor and learning assistant for students taking general chemistry and is an alumni of the Dunn Sports and Wellness Scholars. In the spring of 2025, Katherine received the ACS Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry for her work in analytical chemistry research. Katherine is currently a member of the Schultz lab at The Ohio State University. In the Schultz lab, she uses Raman Spectroscopy to research the de-pigmentation of irradiated mouse hairs at different doses and timepoints. In the future, Katherine hopes to attend graduate school to study forensic chemistry.

 


Abigail Crossman, University of North Florida, Nominated by Willis Jones
Abigail Crossman is a senior at the University of North Florida majoring in Biochemistry and minoring in Mathematics as well as Leadership. She has been a member of Dr. Willis Jones’ research laboratory since Spring of 2024. In the lab, Abigail studies trace level calibration method development through a variety of spectroscopic methods including inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), microwave induced plasma optical emission spectrometry (MIP-OES), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Her research experience has fueled her desire to pursue a PhD in Chemistry after completing her bachelor’s degree.

Abigail has been passionate about learning and researching and was recognized with the UNF Undergraduate Award in Biochemistry for the 2024-2025 Academic year. She also received the UNF Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship both Summer 2024 and Summer 2025. In class and in lab she is a driven lifelong learner, who is excited to continue exploring the world through the lens of chemistry.

 

Alexander Higgins, Purdue University, Nominated by Garth Simpson
Alexander Higgins recently graduated from Purdue University John Martinson Honors College, where he earned his B.S. in Biochemistry with a minor in Biotechnology. Alex worked in the Simpson Laboratory for Nonlinear Optics on surface-selective chiral spectroscopic methods and photothermal imaging, and is a co-author on Dark-Field Absorbance Circular Dichroism of Oriented Chiral Thin Films and Theoretical Foundations for Interface-Specific Hyper-Rayleigh Scattering in Uniaxial Chiral Assemblies. Alex enjoys presenting his research at conferences and received an award at the 2024 East Central Illinois ACS Undergraduate Research Conference for Outstanding Poster Presentation. Alex is currently working as a Chemist at Gryffyn Life Sciences through Teledyne FLIR, where he works on instrument validation. In the future, Alex hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in physical chemistry and become a professor to continue doing research in nonlinear optics. In his free time, Alex enjoys trivia nights, playing board games with his friends, and cooking for his family. 

 

Callum Twinning, University of South Carolina, Nominated by Michael Myrick
My name is Callum Twining, and I am an undergraduate conducting research in spectroscopy under Professor Michael Myrick at the University of South Carolina. My journey to spectroscopy as a field of study was not a straightforward one, as my collegiate career began with studying dentistry. However, my coursework in physical and analytical chemistry inspired me to pursue a role in analytical chemistry research, despite my inexperience. Though initially difficult, I have thrived in my short time as an undergraduate researcher, publishing a paper on UV-Vis Spectroscopy and being honored by my university with an award. This field continues to lead me to new and exciting places, as I will hopefully be attending the SciX 2025 Conference in Covington, Kentucky to learn about emerging research and meet professionals in the field. Spectroscopy and its application have had profound influences on my undergraduate collegiate career, and shape how I look towards a future in graduate school and beyond.

 

2024 Recipients

Kate Sherlock, Ohio State University, doing research with Prof. Zachary Schultz

Lillian Christensen, SUNY Albany, doing research with Prof. Igor Lednev

Alexander Cikanek, University of Rochester, doing research with Dr. Kathryn Knowles and a summer research project at Université de Montréal, under the mentorship of Dr. Jean-Francois Masson

Sofia Mehmood, Temple University, doing research with Prof. Nancy Pleshko