Honors & Awards

Honors Requirements

Chemistry and Chemical Physics
1) Greater than 3.50 GPA in concentration (based on courses approved in ASK)
2) Poster presentation (generally a week or two before Spring break) on your research
3) Thesis that has been approved by advisor and department

Note that AB candidates are also eligible for Honors if you satisfy these criteria (i.e. earning the ScB is not a requirement for Honors.)
Oral presentations (typically held during Reading Period) are required for students who want their thesis to be considered for the Clapp Prize, but others are welcome to present as well.

Biochemistry
1) A strong grade record in concentration courses.*
2) Two semesters of Independent Study (CHEM 0970, CHEM 0980 or equivalent. Guidelines and requirements associated with Independent Study are in the Undergraduate Concentration Handbook. Please note students enrolled in BIOL1950/1960 must complete a project proposal form, please see more information here and discuss with your concentration advisor.
3) A Thesis in a form approved by the research advisor, and recommended by the research advisor. Additional information about thesis guidelines will be provided by the Concentration Advisor in the first half of the fall semester.

2022 Senior Presentations can be found here.

*Quality Grades

Students who have earned a majority of "A" grades in courses required for the concentration and who are are in good academic standing are eligible to apply for honors at the start of their penultimate (typically 7th) semester at Brown. Classes taken S/NC will count as qualifying towards that majority if they are marked "S* with distinction" indicating that had the student taken the course for a grade, the grade would have been an "A". Courses with a grade of S may be counted when a Course Performance Report indicates a grade of A. Students just shy of meeting the grade requirement for honors are encouraged to apply. Grades earned in penultimate semester concentration courses will be accounted for in the determination of quality grades made in the final semester. Students in the class of 2021: A strong grade record in concentration courses. This means a grade point average for the concentration that is higher than 3.25. For students in the classes of 2022 and after: Students must have a majority of either As or S with distinction grades in concentration courses.

Thesis Archival in the Brown Digital Repository

Fill out the archiving form here and upload your thesis. The BDR is Brown University's online archive of student and faculty scholarship maintained by the Brown University Library. By choosing to deposit your honors thesis in the BDR, you are making your scholarly work discoverable and accessible into the future. Information on access and licensing are provided in the form.

Sigma Xi

The Brown University Chapter of Sigma Xi invites applicants from chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical physics seniors.

Submit an application to Sigma Xi. Please submit your application no later than March 1, 2023.

Qualifications for Associate Membership

Seniors (semester 7 and semester 8) who have demonstrated a high level of competence in science qualify.

Qualifications:

1. A grade point average of 3.4 or better in the sciences. If your G.P.A. is close to this, and you have done research, please submit an application.
2. Twelve semester courses in sciences, including courses at the elementary level.
3a. Two courses beyond the elementary level in a science outside the student's department, OR
3b. Three courses, including courses at the elementary level, in two or more sciences outside the student's department, OR
3c. Involvement in a research project under supervision for at least one semester.

These qualifications are intended to be guidelines.

Undergraduate Prizes & Awards

The Department of Chemistry recognizes outstanding undergraduates at the annual Awards Ceremony in May.

AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY ORGANIC PRIZE

2022 Winner: Harrison Judd

AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY INORGANIC PRIZE

2022 Winner: Laura Perlmutter

AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY PRIZE

2022 Winner: Minsik Cho

The RHODE ISLAND CHAPTER of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY OUTSTANDING GRADUATING SENIOR

2022 Winner: Samantha Magpantay

EXCELLENCE IN GENERAL CHEMISTRY

2022 Winners: Yongkuan Zhang, Naphat Permepredanun, Tony Pan

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY PRIZE

This award recognizes the students who achieve the highest grade in CHEM0360 during the academic year.
2022 Winner: Lucy Campbell and Albert Wu

NEW CONCENTRATOR PRIZE

This award recognizes newly declared concentrators, with an outstanding academic record.

Biochemistry: Michael Kuharski and Saira Moazzam

Chemistry: Tony Pan

COMMENDATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH

2022 Winners: Chelyn Park, Minsik Cho, Joseph Cavanaugh, Casey Cahn, Martin Kononov

JUNIOR PRIZE

This award recognizes the junior with the best overall record in each of the three concentrations.
2022 Winners: Chemistry: Casey Chan, Aaron Gruen, Martin Kononov / Biochemistry: Joshua Saskin / Chemical Physics: Noah Fang, Logan Dooley

CLAPP PRIZE FOR OUTSTANDING UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

This award recognizes the senior graduating with honors with an outstanding undergraduate thesis.

2022 Winners:

Biochemistry- Melih Arda Ozsoy “Harnessing immunologic responses to front-line therapy for high grade serous ovarian cancer to improve therapeutic effects and to combat chemoresistance”
Advisors: Jennifer Ribeiro, Ph.D., and Nicole James, Ph.D.

Biochemistry - Andrew George “Development and preliminary transcriptomic analysis of a novel first-in-class humanized murine model for hyperprogressive disease (HPD) in response to anti-PD-1 Pembrolizumab immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) treatment of a mismatch repair deficient (MMR-d) colorectal cancer (CRC) cell line”

Advisor: Wafik S. El-Deiry M.D., Ph.D.

Chemical Physics - Joseph Cavanagh “Discovery and Computational Study of the PbB8- Gas-Phase Nanocluster"

Advisor: Lai Sheng Wang

Chemistry - Myung Joo Lee “Synthesis of Graphitic Carbon on Iron Oxide Nanocrystals via Liquid-Phase Chemical Vapor Deposition”

Advisor: Vicki Colvin

The Paul Cross Prize

This prize is awarded to the top student in the field of Physical Chemistry.